...would have been, actually, last night. "Cup O' Noodles" and I were heading back from PGE Park when we encountered two homeless guys.

HOMELESS GUY # 1: "Say, you boys got any spare change?"

ME: "Naw, sorry."

HOMELESS GUY # 2: "Any spare change for... [his eyes suddenly go wide] speed*?"

ME: "Naw, sorry."

Now, I'm not sure if they wanted to sell us meth or if they were looking for a way to fund a few days of teeth-grinding fun for themselves. Further confusing things was the fact that neither of them were carrying a white rose. Nevertheless, Homeless Guy # 2 phrased the question as if it were an enticing sales pitch. We didn't take them up on the offer and they yelled at the back of our heads as we kept walking.

But it could have been worse. At least "AIDS Guy" didn't spit on us.

Gotta love downtown these days...

UPDATE: So a minor-league debate has begun in the comments area about the various street definitions of "speed." Don't both amphetamines and methamphetamines fall under the same designation? At least I thought they did...

Since I don't know any meth fans, and for lack of a better resource, I consulted the Urban Dictionary. There it is, in the first entry:

SPEED: What is speed? Speed is amphetamine, a stimulating drug that triggers the brain's reward system giving the user feelings of pleasure. Speed also goes by the street names "Ice, Crystal Meth and Shabu."

According to a wannabe-linguist on the internet, I was right. Booyah!