2 Comments

Me: Beck, can I have some of your bottle?
Beck: Nooooo....you're a big boy.
Me: So are you a big boy?
Beck: ...[Thinking]...I'm going to be a baby for just a minute.

Those of you who don't have kids may not understand this common occurrence, but I find it funny that parents often tell their spouse what to do through their children. Now before you jump to conclusions and think this is specific to myself or Jess, know that I have seen numerous parents do this; it seems that it is an extremely common occurrence. Instead of talking directly to the wife (or vice versa), the husband will speak to the child in the presence of the wife "go downstairs and mom will make you some breakfast." And then the wife may say "after you eat, go outside and help dad clean the garage." Usually these occurrences happen without anybody thinking it is odd that the spouses aren't speaking directly to each other. It is apparently not acceptable to tell your spouse what to do, but it is acceptable to tell your kid what to do...I guess it is only logical that it is acceptable to tell your spouse what to do through your kids.

So I often podcast Bob Lonsberry and usually enjoy his opinions about local issues. He has been doing book signings lately and was scheduled to be at the Lehi Roller Mills last Thursday. Given that it was so close to my house, I decided to go shake his hand (even though I was too cheap to purchase his book). The scene is this: a historic small room with wooden floors mostly consumed by employee space behind a long counter. It is something you would imagine in Pioneer Village at Lagoon. You walk in the entrance and there is a small walkway (maybe 15 feet long and 4 feet wide) abutting the counter (doors at either side of the walkway) and a lot of space behind the counter for employees and bags of various grains, pancake mix, and other related items. So I walk in and I'm the only customer...Bob Lonsberry is standing at the end of the 15 foot isle. There are about 8 employees behind the counter observing the scene from behind the counter like patrons at a zoo. At about that point it hit me, "what in the world do I really have to say to Bob Lonsberry?" Those of you who know me well know that I am not good at small talk (especially upon meeting people for the first time). I have had all kinds of awkward first conversations with people. Thursday night did not disappoint. I shook his hand and the awkwardness ensued where I told him I enjoyed his show and he thanked me. There was then a long pause where each of us knew I was really screwing this up (meanwhile the 8 employees were glad they paid the zoo admission fee). He then asked what I did for a living and I said I worked for a credit card processor. I immediately remembered his distaste for credit cards and thought that I would have been better off telling him that I robbed old ladies for a living. At this point, I was searching for the eject button and said I needed to track down a brownie mix. So, I walked into to the adjoining room to search for a brownie mix with the 8 employees and Bob looking on.