Month: April 2008

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Learned Phrases for Social Interaction

Yesterday, I was at a friend’s house working in his garage on a bench. The bench is almost done. Won’t turn out as well as I had hoped, but that is another post. The house next to my friend, A.’s house is for sale. As I was grinding the bench, a man approached. Couldn’t hear him as grinding is very loud and I was wearing hear plugs. Turns out he was the real estate agent for the house next door. He wondered if I was the owner of the truck that was in the driveway. Truck belonged to the pool guy, who was fixing A.’s pool. As the agent and I bumbled through the conversation about the truck driveway etc, he mentions the earplugs I was wearing-
“Smart idea to wear those. I used to be in a rock band and should have worn something like than when I was playing”

As the pool guy approached the agent asks him to move his truck and compliments him on his sunglasses. That compliment stuck out to me. Seemed forced, a concerted effort – Oh, now is when I insert a compliment to make this exchange smooth
It was as if the agent had learned a method of exchange with strangers – Engage, add compliment, get what you need. As if he were following a script he learned in a seminar.

Seemed like a dorky guy who somehow ended up in a social line of work. I would guess he is better at the paper work side of his job than the people work side of his job. Hope the seminar was worth the money.

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Bones

Yesterday as I was on the roller and applying Traumeel, trying to fix my right knee, I was watching Bones on hulu.com. The show is okay, realizing that the earlier episodes are better than the later seasons (why is that with every show? Do the original writers get hired away? Do they run out of ideas?) Anyways…I was watching episode 104 – The Man in the Bear, which take place in Eastern Washington State. At 27:50 in the show is a shot of the forest and in the distance is a mountain that looks very similar to Half Dome in Yosemite, which in California.

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Halliburton

I was recently in Houston. A fellow dancer who participated in March 2 Marfa, Leslie Scates organized the trip. She is a native Houstonian brought K, M and me out there. We taught 2 classes at the University of Houston – a contact class to the Modern 2 class and an improvisation/comp class to the comp class. Also performed at the Barnevelder Theater – Of No Relation III. Good show. Great reception, well not just the food and booze (!!!), but people’s response. Better response there than in the Bay Area. Not sure why.

The title of this post is Halliburton. Last Friday as we were driving to the theater for tech/rehearsal, we passed a factoryesque building. The sign said Halliburton. An American flag was on the pole. The day was grey and rainy, overcast and muggy. Looking at the flag in the rain, I had the question of whether or not it is kosher to fly the flag in the rain. After digging around in the internet, I have found out that it is. Well, as long as the flag is an “all weather flag”, whatever that is.

So my whole point about Halliburton, a huge beneficiary of the war in Iraq, displaying an American flag improperly, being a symbol of how conservatives have used patriotism and the war for their real purpose – profit – is out the window unless the flag flying over that Halliburton factory in Houston is not an all weather flag.

From the sad state it was in, I would say it was not.

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To be a Republican you need to believe:

1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush’s Daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a “we can’t find Bin Laden” diversion.

3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is
enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

5. A woman can’t be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational drug corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing
veterans’ benefits and combat pay.

7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won’t have sex.

8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans
is socialism. HMO’s and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

10. Global warming and tobacco’s link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

13. The public has a right to know about Hillary’s cattle trades, but George Bush’s driving record is none of our business.

14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you’re a conservative radio host. Then it’s an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

15. Supporting “Executive Privilege” for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960’s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the ’80’s is irrelevant.

17. Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail.