Lunch with a friend today at a local pub. We would have taken the window seat but this 8-yr-old kid was dancing around waiting for something (maybe another one or two evil glances from me.) As it was, we wound up talking the entire time about scientific reactions to postmodernism and never got hold of anything substantial. Really, lunch is not a bad time for investigative conversation, but you have to go with intent. There is no time for dodgy, indirect ramp-up. Small talk can't have a place at the table; you just blurt it out and get going, proffer some subject and then move on. Gone are the days when Wes and I could drive out to Burger King after class and spend two hours digesting before we actually hit on anything.
Lynn-nore called me on the phone today to double-check her country-artist-to-their-lyric accuracy. This would never occur to me. I would not think, "I wonder who is singing this. It sounds like ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry, but I don't think he's been on the radio for over a decade. Wow, I just can't place it. Hmmm....Oh - wait - I'll use the cellphone and call John G. and ask him to look it up on his computer there at work. Yeah, that's what I'll do." [fumbles with cellphone, eyes darting between road and CRT display.] (ring ring) "Hello?" "Yeah, John!" "Heeeey, unusual to hear from you this time of the day! Whassup?" "Well, listen, I'm not calling to chat, I want you to find out who sings this song on the radio for me." "Song..?" "Yes, I swear it sounds like Steve Perry!... Oh, wait, I'm at a dead spot. Can you hear me? Hello? Can you hear me now, I've gone past that big water tower. Steve Perry....of Journey, remember? He did that solo thing, right? No I don't know what he's been up to since then. Can you look it up on the computer for me? Google it or something. I don't remember the name of the song, but the chorus has this line: "Wait/I want to say/Today hmm..hmmm stray hay my way --something something -- /how much lo-ng-er/No lo-n-ger/No lon-ge-rrr!"
See, this scenario never even occurs to me. But, it occurs to my wife and silly as it sounds, and as frivolous as her call seemed to me at the time, it was good to hear her voice: "Hold on - did you say Steve Perry?"
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2 comments:
I thought the denoument was rather sweet! I was glad you called and it made my day better to talk to you. Life, after all, is the little things.
One more comment. You will note that this post has 2 conversations. The first one was supposed to be meaningful, but wasn't. The second wasn't supposed to be meaningful, but was. Crafty, no? :)
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