People: October 2005 Archives

The weather was too nice and the leaves too inviting not to take a roll in a leaf pile.

I spent my formative years in Milwaukee so I drank from bubblers. When I wasn't drinking from a bubbler I often got a nice cold "soda" out of the refridgerator. No I didn't get a "pop" I got a "soda".

Check out this map showing regional difference in the usage of "soda", "pop" and "coke". Generic Names for Soft Drinks

The best part of this survey is that they list all the "other" names people claimed to use for soda. Check out the list for Minnesota. I feel a little bad for poor folks whose personal lives were dragged into this scientific survey.

I moved to Minnesota to date and eventually marry a woman. I like to occasionally point out all the sacrifices I made for her when I moved this state. Now I have one more item to add to the list, I had to change from "soda" to "pop".

I haven't been playing much scrabble this year. A few years ago Jennie turned me on to this web site where you can play scrabble on-line. She has schooled me more than once, injuring my ego and improving my vocabulary in one fell swoop. It's very cool because you can play at your own pace. When your opponent makes a play you are notified in email, then you have seven days to make your play. It usually goes pretty fast but it is possible to play a game against someone far away or someone who doesn't have scads of time to sit and play games.

Anyone reading this ready to play a game? Come on, are you chicken?

I'm off for a nice bike ride today. I'm doing the Grand Rounds, or at least parts of it. Hope you are enjoying fall as much as I am.

Congratulations go out to Joel and family! It's a boy.

In May I was at the airport in San Francisco. I was hungry and I knew they weren't serving any food on my flight so I stopped by the sandwich shop at the end of the gate. The line was pretty long and it moved really slow.

There was a women ahead of me in line. She was pretty, likely in her late twenties or early thirties. She was not terribly different in any regard than any of the people in the airport gate. She got to the head of the line and was ready to pay for her sandwich when the cashier looked at the credit card she was holding and said "Do you have cash? Our credit card machine is broken." The woman reluctantly handed back her food and said she didn't have any cash and that she would have leave her food and catch her flight. (If crestfallen weren't such an ostentatious word to use, I would use it to describe her.) The employee offered to try her credit card. I think the cashier did it more in an effort to humour her. I don't think anyone in line thought her credit card would work.

While the woman waited, hoping for the best, worried about her soon to depart flight, I offered to buy her lunch.

The conversation went something like this.

The best part of this story was seeing her entire outlook changed in front of my eyes. She knew quickly that I wasn't trying to get something from her. She knew there was no way to pay me back. She went from hungry, frustrated and a little overwhelmed to extremely happy. She looked so thoroughly happy. I thought for a second she might even cry or hug me or do something awkward.

All it cost me was eight bucks. I felt like a million, and I'm guessing she felt pretty happy too. I know I was happy for a week just thinking about it.

I love the fact that she can't repay me. She might pass on the good deed, but that's her business. I required nothing from her, not even a conversation. The truth is that I don't ever want to be paid back it would diminish the pleasure I got from giving.

Getting to give a gift like this, though very small, was unforgettable.

P.S. In case you are wondering if I expensed it, the answer is no.

At the end of "The Daily Show" there is always the "moment of zen". It's usually something very bizarre from the day's news.

"The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara" was an hour and a half of these very odd moments. In this movie Mr. McNamara intelligently & thoughtfully discusses his experiences in public life. The movie contains everything from almost gleeful remarks about fire-bombing to a touching scene where he breaks down talking about JFK's burial plot at Arlington. It was fascinating and more than a little chilling. It really has to be seen.

There was a moment in the film where McNamara said something along the lines of "Don't ever answer a reporter's question, you answer the question they should have asked." It was so much like Mr. Rumsfeld, I wondered if McNamara had been Rummy's mentor. I can't wait to see Donald Rumsfeld interviewed in 20-30 years giving straight answers about how we ended up where we are today.

I attended a lovely wedding over the weekend. The bride and groom were so cute they looked like the couple from the top of the wedding cake brought to life.

My favorite part of the wedding was one of those "small world" moments. The bride had invited a friend of hers who happened to be a friend of mine from the past. It's always fun to discover that friends from different era's and different places know each other.

There was much dancing at the reception. The last time I went dancing was May and I had forgotten how much fun it can be. I really wish I had a better sense of rhythm. I'm starting to feel like dancing again.