I'm always full of good ideas

Earlier in the week I took a quick break from the office to run over to the local bookstore to pick up a book I'd heard about.

My friend offered to tag along for the promise of a hot cocoa - plus she had a coupon for 25% off of my book. Score!

I found the book quickly, we savored the cocoa and headed to the checkout. A 20-something guy was running the register.

As he was ringing me up, he commented on the cover of the book. He noted it looked interesting.

"I hope it is," I replied. "The writer is my MySpace friend. It would be awkward if it sucked."

Register dude took this opening as an opportunity to tell me about his MySpace relationships and then he noticed my friend looking at a little book of hip stuff. He started quoting from it to her.

We both nodded, smiled and made reassuring sounds.

I quickly paid for the book and beat a hasty retreat out of the store, bumping into my friend as I steered her towards the door.

My friend was giggling at my reaction.

Friend: Your new friend is probably sorry to see you go.
Me: Yeah, that didn't go the way I'd hoped.

Friend: He thinks you are very hip.
Me: I was going for weird. I suppose I could have ended everything by just saying "Yes the cover is interesting" but no - I decided to go for the absurd.
Friend: It happens.

Me: Sometimes I can't help myself. I like to explore the theater of the awkward. I'm having that kind of day.
Friend: You can't always weird people out.
Me: I guess.

Friend: Things were going so well, then he just overstepped.
Me: That's the part that is intriguing. What takes it from pleasant to awkward so quickly?
Friend: I don't think he was interested in us. He was just kind of bored.

Me: And weird. I hate when theater of the awkward blows back at me.
Friend: I suppose it is part of the job.
Me: Sometimes I have to suffer for my art.

Labels: 2007, Boston, weird stuff