Overheard

I don’t often wait while I have my car’s oil changed, but today I decided to. So I’m sitting here at the car dealership, enjoying the free wireless as others read, watch TV, or talk on the phone. The man on the phone was talking about arranging for a car for seven people. That’s the only part of his conversation that even registered with me—I have absolutely no idea what else he said because I was concentrating on what I was doing.

Man on Phone: Okay, thanks. Bye. (Or some such thing. I have no idea because I wasn’t listening.)
Nosy Woman Nearby (loudly, to MOP): Can I ask you a question? (At this point, I began tuning in, but kept my eyes focused on my laptop.) Do you realize that other people can hear your conversation? Don’t you think that’s insulting?
MOP: (somewhat dumbfounded) Uh, well, yes, I guess you could hear what I was saying. But it wasn’t anything private.
NWN: Well I find it insulting when people do that.
MOP: Well yes, if we were in a restaurant or something I would’ve excused myself and gone outside. But there isn’t any seating available outside today, and besides, it’s not that big a deal. I’m sorry if you were insulted.
NWN: Harrumph!

::stony cold silence::

MOP (to NWN): So, are you an Obama supporter? (I couldn’t even believe he brought this up with her, but it truly did sound like he was trying to make conversation.)
NWN: Heh, heh. (You know that Dolores Umbridge throat-clearing/cackle? It sounded a lot like that.) Oh, that’s not available for sharing.
MOP: Oh, so you’re not?
NWN: I’m not saying either way.
MOP: Ah, so then you’re probably not. I guess I should’ve expected as much from someone like you.

Me (to self): Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!

So should I have been insulted by his conversation too? I really hate it when people aren’t paying attention to what they’re doing (in the car, at the grocery store, standing in line for something) because they’re on the phone. But in this setting it didn’t bother me at all. Would you have been insulted? I do think that word is a bit strong—would you have been irritated by the phone conversation?

Everybody’s doin’ it

Well, not everybody’s doing it, but if you clicked around the blogosphere today you may have seen a few copies of the photo above. On Friday night, J.P. and I met Mainline Mom and her husband for dinner. Then we all went to William’s play, where we met up with Sue and Charlotte (whose blog I can’t access) and Teri.

Dinner was kind of like a blind double-date. A date that we were late for (and I can’t even blame JP–it was my fault). But Sarah and Mike were very forgiving and pretended that they hadn’t been sitting there twiddling their thumbs for 15 minutes. I’m hoping that they were just basking in their temporary child-free status. The food was excellent, and the company was better. It’s too bad we’re just getting to know each other now that they’re going to move away!

After dinner it was on to the play, The Philadelphia Story. I had never seen it before, but I really enjoyed it. Bill’s character, Dexter, came on at the end of Act I, and he was a funny guy who had a great sense of timing with the one-liners. But he was also insightful and caring, and he truly understood people. Sound like anyone you know? Yep—the character reminded me of Bill himself.

The theater group was cool too. Some (if not all) of the proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the American Cancer Society, and the concession stand benefited Alex’s Lemonade Stand. After the show, there was a reception with food and wine. The actors and crew made and brought the food themselves! Somehow, that just gave it a special touch. After our big dinner I wasn’t hungry, but I heard that the pepperoni dip was out of this world.

The eight of us stood around and talked for a while, and it was really fun. I wish we’d had more time. And maybe some drinks. Yep, it definitely would’ve been even better with drinks.

Thanks for inviting us, Bill! It provided an excuse for Mainline Mom and me to finally get together, and then bonus—we got to meet you and the other bloggers too! Let’s get together again soon.

Grasp handle; lift

A few weeks ago, my neighbor and her son were here, and we were chatting in the living room. We weren’t really paying attention to J.P. setting the table for dinner until we heard a loud “THUNK!” I looked over to see J.P. picking up my camera off the floor, and I think my heart stopped for a second or two. It had been in the bag you see above, and it wasn’t completely zipped when he grabbed the top handle to move it. The flap opened and BOOM!

(For the record, I alwaysalwaysALWAYS zip the bag when it’s closed. Or if I leave it unzipped, I make sure it’s wide open so there’s no risk of this exact scenario.)

I didn’t yell or get upset. I don’t think I even really said too much other than, “Does it still work?” But the temperature may have dropped a few degrees, because suddenly the neighbor was anxious to get out of here. She got J’s shoes on him, and they were gone in about two minutes. I was afraid to look at the camera, but J.P. was able to take a few shots and all seemed well. Whew!

My relief was short-lived. I took a few shots of my own, and it really did seem fine. But then it was just done. Ack! More stopping of the heart. Pleaseletitjustbethelens, pleaseletitjustbethelens. With sweaty palms, I changed lenses. Thankfully, the camera was fine —it was just the lens that was a goner.

The bad news:

• My favorite lens was dead.
• I had a session scheduled and needed a replacement.

The good news:

• As lenses go, it was relatively inexpensive.
• The camera still worked.
• It wasn’t my fault!

J.P. had no problem ordering me a new lens, and I even got him to spring for an upgrade from f/1.8 to f/1.4. It wasn’t until I tried to remove the UV filter from the old lens that I noticed this:

Hmmm . . . that explains a lot!

While you’re waiting . . .

I know, I know. You just keep clicking back here in the hopes that I’ve posted part two of my job story. I’m working on it, but here’s something in the meantime.

If you’ve been over to Crayonz’s place lately, you know about the wildfires they’ve been having in Oklahoma. And if you’ve been around here for long, you know what a soft spot I have in my heart for dogs and dog rescue organizations.

Well, put the fires and the dog rescue together, and you have a woman in Oklahoma whose home, barn, feed, and rescue supplies were destroyed by a recent fire. She also lost one of the dogs when he ran into the barn for protection. She’s working hard to help the remaining animals while she attempts to get her own life back together, and she could really use your help.

Go check out OK Save a Dog, and if you’re so inclined use the Donate button on this site to send a few dollars Kim’s way. Thanks.