A Grillin' Day

Lovely day today: bright, sunny, breezy and hovered around the high 60's low 70's. A perfect day for grilling. Which I did. Ground beef, turkey patties, and soy-hamburger patties. That ought to tide me over for my protein for awhile.

Had a lovely online chat with a dear old friend today which caused me to ruminate on something I wrote on my first or second post last week. I mentioned that I'd been engaged twice, but I realized this evening that it's all a matter of perspective: I think it's probably more realistic to say one and a half times. I'm being coy, but I recall that, without a ring to accompany the proposal, she saw it in a different light.

Okay, enough about that. To say that the point is moot is a vast understatement.

Amusing anecdote: yesterday the phone rang and it was our next door neighbor, Geri. She called us to say that she and her husband were on their way to Boise, Idaho for a craft fair (Geri has a small crafts business) and she wondered if they'd locked their front door. Well, we keep a spare key to feed her cat while they're away, so I got the key and assured Geri that it'd be no problem.

"I've got the spare key, so I'll just go over right now and check. If you did leave it unlocked, I'll call to let you know." I could FEEL Geri's bafflement before she spoke slowly, as if to a nephew with learning difficulties, "No ... just lock the door." I stared at the spare key in my hand and replied, "well, yeah, I wouldn't ... I mean, of course I'll lo- ... have a safe trip to Boise!"

It has been a puzzlement to me for most of my life why people assume I'm slow-witted. Possessing a genius-level IQ, I can only conclude that I have a rare gift for NOT communicating my thoughts well at ALL. People tend to jump to conclusions based on what I say and what I'm doing at the time.

Hypothetical example: I could be cleaning my pistol and casually ask friends around me if anyone would like to go to Burger King for lunch. Instantly, SOMEone will make the leap of logic that I'm going to shoot people at a Burger King out of anger or frustration. it's actually ALL coincidence.

You see what I mean?

Or, I could have walked in the house after a baseball game on a Sunday afternoon with band friends holding a ball bat. I might say, "I need to remember to fix my sticking bedroom door." My father would automatically assume I was going to hammer the door with the ball bat. I could understand him drawing the conclusion that I was going to use the bat, but rather than ask how I was going to attempt the door repair he'd just assume what was obvious to him. A great many people do not think to ask me what my intentions are, they just expect the worst.

Story of my life.

One of my favorite theatre stories to tell is of an early rehearsal of Julius Caesar. I was in the opening scene, and our director, Jim Davis, was trying to teach us "old school" acting: every move poised and accented by a hand gesture etc to really drive home the point. Very over-the-top. After watching him take some actors hands and move them into precisely the position he wanted for them to deliver the line, he walked over to me and gave me my directions to enter and place myself upstage.

I stupidly asked, "what should I do with my hands?" Since everyone else had his ministrations, I wondered if he'd forgotten me. Mister Davis chuckled in his deep, baritone voice and from the darkness of the house seats, I heard him drawl, "they'll dangle very nicely at the ends of your arms."

Instant hilarity. EVERYONE laughed to the point of concern over strokes and audible flatulentence.

I looked like a rank amateur and it was, I still feel, a very legitimate question. It's gone down in the annals of history at UNA's Norton Auditorium.

Frustrating to be misunderstood. I like to think that my brain's just working so fast that other's can't keep up with me and get confused. Of course, I am a Leo. I would think that.

Okay, enough on that topic.

I watched one of my favorite "Dr. Who" episodes today. David Tennant is the MAN. I'll be sorry to see him move on. To be fair, of course, I didn't think ANYone could replace Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and David Tennant made me a believer in short order. I'll be very curious to see how the new, younger actor does in his stint as the last of the time lords.

Come to think of it, I was very sad to see Pierce Brosnan no longer be James Bond (despite how badly the second half of "Die Another Day" sucked.) I was very against Daniel Craig taking over the franchise and came out of "Casino Royale" as a huge fan. (We won't talk about how inane most of "Quantum of Solace" was.) I still think Gerard Butler would have been a great Bond, but that's just me.

Right. Enough for one day. Sleepy time.