But that's not what I want to talk about.
I sometimes feel that way... that the business part of me and the party part of me have trouble coexisting, and I have to choose one or the other.
You see, I've realized that, at times, I can become a little preoccupied with what I'm doing, and it affects how I treat people. I start to focus on what I need to get done, and everything else kind of fades back a bit, and I think I've noticed it the most in two places: work, and church.
At work, it kind of makes sense. I'm there for a reason, and my company (or my client) expects me to be efficient in what I'm doing. And I'm not unfriendly with people around me, but I have noticed that I do start by diving right into something... I walk over to someone's desk and say, "I have a question for you."
Or, I guess, to be more precise I have noticed that other people don't do this. It usually goes something like this:
Me: "I have a question for you."
Other person: "Hi Darryl! How are you? How was your weekend?"
Me: "Good. Look, when we're doing the valuation in the past I think there's a problem with how the accrued interest is being..."
Me [pausing, look of realization slowly spreading over my face as the other person nods and smiles]: "Uh, how are YOU doing?"
And the other place is at church. I know this shouldn't happen here, but when we show up, I usually need to get the drums set up and fine-tuned, make sure the sound guy is taking care of my monitor, figure out if there are any tricky bits in the music (since I wasn't at the practice), all while keeping the little chick happy and waiting for someone to be in the crêche to look after her and the other young 'uns.
She likes the crêche. She likes the toys, she likes the kids, she likes the people who look after her there. But she is also a very, very alert girl, and I know that she will know when the service is over. I may not be the first parent through the door, but I better be the second, because when it's over, she's ready to be with me.
And then she's ready to go home.
Now I would imagine this will change, and I've already seen it getting better, but while I'm trying to do the reverse of what I went through when I arrived (to get all the drum stuff cleaned up) while keeping her happy and not pounding out a monster beat on the floor tom... what can I say, she comes by it honestly... is no small task. And then her favorite words become "Go!" and "Outside!" and "Our house!". So we usually make a rather mad dash, hoping to at least say hi to a lot of people I really care about, to get on the road and off to lunch, a nap, and all of that good stuff.
So if I've brushed you off with a somewhat frantic look in my eye while carrying a snare drum in one hand and a two year-old pointing at the door in my other, it's nothing personal, believe me.
And it could be worse; I could have a mullet.
9 comments:
i think this requires a close look at some old photos... i swear you must have had a mullet at one point in time. if not, that coonskin cap you're wearing in one family portrait should at least count.
Okay, I had an awkward stage when I was growing my hair out, but I have never - NEVER - had a mullet. Come on, give me a little credit!
Somewhere, though, there are pictures of me with a goatee...
I truly thought mullets were in right now...
In fact, I'm gonna get Me one.
Darryl - I agree, you never had a mullet. Your hair in your teens was party in the front and back! I probably would have been more pleased if it had been a mullet - especially when it got to the stage that nobody could see your eyes!
Now to the business side - your description takes me back to when you were little and your Dad worked in churches. He always had that look of determination on his face as he headed to his destination to get his part of the service in order. You come by it naturally, and let's face it, you do have two of the most important things in the church to look after - your drums and the little chick!!!
I always have to stop myself here in la Suisse when I want to dive right into a question in a store or something... gotta pause, breathe, smile, nod and say Bonjour... then dive into the question. Drives me nuts. But can be useful for gathering my thoughts.
A kitten named Canelle is chewing my toe and playing on the balcony. you can't barbeque her. She's too cute.
Yeah, I'm not so much a gathering my thoughts kind of guy. I can see how it may be useful, though.
Cute is important.... and almost everything is cute when it's well-marinated and covered in some good hickory sauce....
Yeah especially chauvinistic jerks like that dude we discussed yesterday. All that barbequed white meat. mmm that's making me hungry. I think we're going to lunch now.
I had steak and fries last night at Cafe de Paris. YUM. And then my friends made me miss the train home. It turned out better than expected, and now I can play with Cannelle.
I like "Go! Outside! Our house!" Yes Ma'am! Just imagine how developed her opinions will be when she has complete sentences at her command.
someone with a mullet came into wickerland today, and it made me think of you. i then had to slip into the back room quietly to snicker at him.
Highly developed opinions are a good thing... especially if they are highly considered opinions. We'll see how it goes...
And Jon, there should be two separate sides to Wickerland: you have one for people buying furniture for outdoor use which operates just like you do now. And then you have another for people buying wicker to be used as their "regular" furniture.
If I know the type, you can charge them twice as much, let them finance it over 5 years, and throw in a velvet Elvis painting and your sales will skyrocket...
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