a stranger, a theft, and a loan
Some day soon, the Social Norms Police are going to break down my door, arrest me for "violating accepted standards of conversation with strangers, and profiting from said violation", and cart me off to the funny farm.
You see, I'm rather shy. Left to myself, I probably wouldn't end up talking to anyone. Ever. But, like most shy people, I have come up with several strategies to deal with this situation - the most useful being: Not Caring.
Sure, I might say something totally stupid that everyone laughs at. But it's okay! Because I don't care! So I can just say what I think, and I won't be nervous at all.
It's very useful.
Occasionally, though, this strategy of Not Caring If I Get It Wrong means that I actually do something that a normal person wouldn't even contemplate...
Which brings us to last night.
I was doing front-of-house at the 1812 (theatre where No Love Lost was, if you remember). Lots of handing out programmes, pouring drinks, and smiling at audience members despite the fact that I was freezing. Anyway, after the show, all the cast and crew came out to talk to the audience - and I happened to notice that one of them was carrying something rather interesting.
This is a guy I've never seen before in my life, mind you.
I think, in my situation, a normal person probably would have started some sort of conversation with him. And they would have slowly got around to discussing the item-of-interest, enthused a bit, and then said goodbye and gone home. Or something like that.
A shy person would have walked away quickly and said nothing. Being shy, and all.
But me? A shy person with A Strategy?
Well...
I saw what he was carrying, and my jaw dropped. I walked over slowly, took the item out of his hands, examined it carefully, and then looked up and asked "Is this really the Doctor Who Christmas Special? The new one?"
Doctor Who dvds come out fairly late in Australia, and I missed it when it was on tv. With season four about to start, I've been kicking myself that I haven't seen the Titanic episode yet. So this dvd is kind of on a par with the Holy Grail.
And, did I mention? This guy is a total stranger. And I've just walked into the middle of his conversation and stolen his dvd.
Thankfully, being enough of a DW fan that he ordered the dvd from England just so he could get it early, he was very understanding. In fact, he immediately suggested that I borrow it, and return it next time I'm at the theatre.
So! I have a Christmas Special to watch! Courtesy of a guy whose name I still don't know, who for some reason was at the theatre, and has no idea who I am either...
Screw social norms. This is much more fun.
You see, I'm rather shy. Left to myself, I probably wouldn't end up talking to anyone. Ever. But, like most shy people, I have come up with several strategies to deal with this situation - the most useful being: Not Caring.
Sure, I might say something totally stupid that everyone laughs at. But it's okay! Because I don't care! So I can just say what I think, and I won't be nervous at all.
It's very useful.
Occasionally, though, this strategy of Not Caring If I Get It Wrong means that I actually do something that a normal person wouldn't even contemplate...
Which brings us to last night.
I was doing front-of-house at the 1812 (theatre where No Love Lost was, if you remember). Lots of handing out programmes, pouring drinks, and smiling at audience members despite the fact that I was freezing. Anyway, after the show, all the cast and crew came out to talk to the audience - and I happened to notice that one of them was carrying something rather interesting.
This is a guy I've never seen before in my life, mind you.
I think, in my situation, a normal person probably would have started some sort of conversation with him. And they would have slowly got around to discussing the item-of-interest, enthused a bit, and then said goodbye and gone home. Or something like that.
A shy person would have walked away quickly and said nothing. Being shy, and all.
But me? A shy person with A Strategy?
Well...
I saw what he was carrying, and my jaw dropped. I walked over slowly, took the item out of his hands, examined it carefully, and then looked up and asked "Is this really the Doctor Who Christmas Special? The new one?"
Doctor Who dvds come out fairly late in Australia, and I missed it when it was on tv. With season four about to start, I've been kicking myself that I haven't seen the Titanic episode yet. So this dvd is kind of on a par with the Holy Grail.
And, did I mention? This guy is a total stranger. And I've just walked into the middle of his conversation and stolen his dvd.
Thankfully, being enough of a DW fan that he ordered the dvd from England just so he could get it early, he was very understanding. In fact, he immediately suggested that I borrow it, and return it next time I'm at the theatre.
So! I have a Christmas Special to watch! Courtesy of a guy whose name I still don't know, who for some reason was at the theatre, and has no idea who I am either...
Screw social norms. This is much more fun.