you just never know

due to a major screw up by at&t on tuesday, i spent a good hour on the phone on wednesday in a conference call with shane from at&t and henry from fleet bank.

i've been potentially totally screwed out of about $600 and i'm pissed. but it's one of those moments when you think to yourself... let's try being nice. let's not get grouchy. it's not their fault. this will be fine. deep breathing. blah blah blah.

anyways, henry puts me and shane from at&t on hold while he goes to talk to his manager.

overtop of the elevator music the bank is playing while we're waiting, shane says: "so, what's the weather like there in the big apple?"

me: terrible. rainy and windy. why what's it like where you are?

shane: it's a real beaut. sunny and warm. it's lake weather

me: where are you?

shane: well, i'm in Oklahoma!

me: no way-- i've never been to oklahoma. the weather's nice there? i thought you were in the middle of hurricane season.

shane: no maam. and we don't have hurricanes down here. we have tornadoes.

me: oh sorry, my mistake. is it warm enough to go swimming in the lake?

shane: yeah, me and my buddies went waterskiing on the weekend. it was fantastic.

me: you waterski?

shane: waterski, tubing, wake boarding, barefootin' -- you name it, i do it.

me: wow, that's really lucky. I didn't get to do anything like that on memorial day

shane: yeah, i'm just finishing up my rodeo season and so now it's all summertime fun.

me: your rodeo season? no shit. what do you do?

shane: i ride the bulls.

me: no shit.

shane: yes maam. bull riding, steer wrestling and some bronco riding too.

me: wow, that's amazing. isn't it scarey? and dangerous?

shane: yeah, it's real dangerous. my friend just got out of the hospital and he still has a bit of a bull horn stuck in his chest.

me: (laughing) no way! you're totally lying to me.

shane: (laughing) no maam i am not. it's really dangerous business.

me: can you stay on for 8 seconds? and please quit calling me maam.

shane: well, it depends on the bull. i've stayed on 8 seconds a couple of times before. last month i won $2,000 dollars in a rodeo.

me: wow. you must be good. how old are you?

shane: i'm 21 maam. i mean mrs jones.

henry: hello ms. jones? shane? it's henry from the bank. sorry to keep you on hold for so long.

it's nice to know who you're talking to