| What If We Both Listen for a While?
Dude: I’m sorry. I feel like I’m talking too much. Chick: It’s okay—I like to hear you talk. Dude: Well, I like to hear you listen. —9th & 2nd via Overheard in New York, Jul 13, 2007 |
I like the ambiguity of voice in this. Is he sincere, and really appreciates that she listens? Or is he sarcastic, and prefers that she doesn’t speak?
I checked my IBM e-mail this morning to find out that my manager’s brother died last night. He had Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease—a disease with facts like this associated with it:
- It’s a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder.
- It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in the United States there are about 200 cases per year.
- About 90 percent of patients die within 1 year.
- In the early stages of disease, patients may have failing memory, behavioral changes, lack of coordination and visual disturbances.
- As the illness progresses, mental deterioration becomes pronounced and involuntary movements, blindness, weakness of extremities, and coma may occur.
I’m pretty sure she said he was diagnosed three months ago.
I sent an e-mail to my manager’s manager asking him for my manager’s home address so that I can send a sympathy card. He’s just been announced as my second-line manager, and doesn’t yet have access to his employees’ (of which my manager is one) personnel records, so he forwarded my request on to my third-line manager.
I stopped by the shopping center at Avent Ferry and Gorman, and bought three sympathy cards. I bought three because:
- They’re quite generic in terms of the relationship between the intended recipient and the deceased.
- I like the sentiment.
- The price was right.
I spent a few hours at Helios blogging, catching up on the news, and starting a crossword puzzle.
Joe checked in at about 3:30, and we made plans to have dinner at Taste of Thai at 5:00.
I went home, he arrived at my house at about 4:15, and we left for the restaurant at 4:40. According to its hours, it didn’t open until 5:00, but we were there at about 4:50, and there were already a couple of people eating in there and we were seated.
We split a shrimp appetizer, and a house salad came with each of the entrees Joe and I chose. To me, the salad was by far the best part of the meal.
I had the Pad Thai made with chicken, and it was good, but not great. It wasn’t as good as I remember it being the one only other time I’ve ever eaten there. I boxed half of it for a late-night snack after the bars.
Joe and I met at Flex at 9:30 for show tunes and music videos. We played two games of cut throat pool with (Sadlack’s) David.
Carl and Bill came out, which is a first—to me at least; I’ve never seen them out on a Friday night ever. I spent most of the night talking with them, while Joe talked with Ryan most of the evening.
I spoke briefly with “Ken” (I don’t know his last name). He’s out every once in a while, and I know he’s into investing, so I asked him what his latest venture was. He is seriously considering buying one of the Velvet Cloak Villas. If his quote of the prices are correct, they don’t seem like a bad deal. I have an e-mail into them requesting a price sheet.