My Special Skill
Wabulon once told me that he'd always felt everyone has a special skill in life, but it took him until 50 to discover his, which was knowing what's in other people's pantries. And boy, is he good at it -- when he's stayed over, I can call home and ask, "Wabulon, do w have black beans?" and he'll respond (without looking) "No, you used the last can on Tuesday" -- and be right.
Well, I'm happy to have found my own skill at a (slightly) younger age then Wabulon -- helping people to avoid stepping in dog poop. I'm really good with my kids, but I'll also often steer perfect strangers around a big, steaming turd.
I'm also not bad at spotting animals near the road. I'm often the passenger in a car, spotting many creatures the driver has missed, like a big buck that had been considering crossing.
Both skills seem connected to peripheral vision.
Well, I'm happy to have found my own skill at a (slightly) younger age then Wabulon -- helping people to avoid stepping in dog poop. I'm really good with my kids, but I'll also often steer perfect strangers around a big, steaming turd.
I'm also not bad at spotting animals near the road. I'm often the passenger in a car, spotting many creatures the driver has missed, like a big buck that had been considering crossing.
Both skills seem connected to peripheral vision.
"Peripheral vision," yes, but, more rightly, I think, peripheral interest and attention.
ReplyDeleteWabulon once told me that he'd always felt everyone has a special skill in life, but it took him until 50 to discover his, which was knowing what's in other people's pantries.
ReplyDeleteIf you remove one letter from this sentence, it becomes so much more interesting.
This is utterly amazing, but I find other peoples wallets regularly. I have found four this year. One on a street in L.A, In a Boston Hotel men's room, in a Washington DC conference room and one in a NYC bar.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs so often that I have found a short cut to get them back to their rightful owners. I look for a bank check card in the wallet and drop it off at the bank and have them deliver it to the owner.
Gene, are you a Chicago economist or something? While you're busy scanning the ground for poop, you seem to be overlooking all the wallets that RW spots.
ReplyDeleteI just want to reiterate that Wabulon's special skill is telling us anecdotes about his code-breaking father (or whatever). I vote for him to supplement the toad poems with stories about cracking Enigma.
ReplyDeleteMy latest find!
ReplyDeleteI am in Los Angeles this week and just took a walk this morning in the downtown financial district area known as California Plaza.
All by its lonesome neatly folded on a wall was a Brooks Brothers blazer. The blazer looks to be new. Inside was a pack of Pall Mall cigarettes (I don't smoke) a pair of Gucci sun glasses and a coupon for 20% off at California Pizza.
And, the blazer fits!! ---especially if I lose five pounds.
Umm, RW, if you find a wallet and send it to its owner, that's cool.
ReplyDeleteIf you find a blazer and keep it...
Damn Murphy,
ReplyDeleteI was hoping no one would comeback with the response you gave.
Actually, the whole story is a lot more complicated.I didn't want to write a novel, but I guess I have too, so here goes.
The day before I found the blazer, I struck up a conversation with a woman that turned out to be a Bollywood actress.She was on tour with the Bollywood Brass Band, as one of their dancers.
They were performing that night in California Plaza and she invited me to attend. After the concert, we hung out. That's why I was STILL in the Calfornia Plaza area the next morning. After seeing her off that morning (The band is headed to Canada), I took my walk. I am the ultimate walker. Anyway, I came upon the jacket in what would have been the back stage area of where the band performed. It is clearly a very expensive jacket and it was an open door concert and there weren't a lot of people in expensive jackets that night. In fact, I didn't see anyone in any kind of blazer at all, except for the manager of the band.
I'm pretty sure that it belongs to him and I have emailed my new Bollywood friend to find out if it is and how to get it to him.
So there you have my confession, Father Murphy. My flip, "Hey, it fits--especally if I lose five pounds." was just away to end the story before going into the whole story.
But, I see you can't get away with anything here at Crash Landing.
Here's the band.
I went to "Bangra night" at the LSE dance club a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteAnd Robert, I clicked on your link looking for pics of the dancer, not the trumpeter!
And Robert, I clicked on your link looking for pics of the dancer, not the trumpeter!
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yeah, I'm just trying to stay a little down low about this whole thing, but if you look around she's there.
Gene said:
ReplyDeleteI went to "Bangra night" at the LSE dance club a couple of times.
Hey, isn't that when you lost your expensive blazer?