where?

I've been getting asked for directions a lot lately. Like, more in the past month than I've ever been asked since I moved here three years ago. I don't know what it is. I'm pretty sure I'm wearing the same bitter scowl that I usually have, so why have people started thinking I'd be helpful? (Some of you know my sneaking suspicion about why this is but it hasn't been received with enthusiasm so I'm keeping it to myself.)

A few weeks ago I around 9PM I was walking downtown when a woman asked me where 12th street was. I pointed her north, she beckoned to her group, and I continued walking south. Not only did I apparently look like I was approachable but I knew where to direct her without any hesitation. I was feeling pretty good about myself, until I noticed that the next block down said 12th street. Oops. That took me down a peg. The really sad thing is that that group would probably walk up to 14th, realize they must have missed 12th then walk back down to where they ran into me, continuing to think they're still missing it. Because why would someone give them bad directions? 12th must be between 14th and that place where we met that nice man, because he pointed us north.

Stupid tourists.

I also gave some tourists directions to Grimaldi's yesterday. And this time I really did know how to get there. When they learned that I had never been they invited me to go with them. I was seriously tempted but then I probably would've arrived to work an hour and a half late, and I couldn't quite justify that in my head.