hmmmmmmmmm.......: what is the polite phrase for this situation?

Monday, August 08, 2005

what is the polite phrase for this situation?

so, day before yesterday we met the husband and two adorable children of my friend from high school, Ritsuko.

I have to preface this by saying that whenever Ritsuko mentions her husband in email/letters, somehow she gives the impression that she:s won a big shiny prize, so I figured he must be someone fairly impressive. (The fact that the only things she wanted from the U.S. were Colgate Total and a xerox of her husband:s page in "Who:s Who" was also a bit of an indicator).

So anyway he gives us his business card and jokes self-effacingly (in perfect English) that you can:t really tell what the heck he does from what:s written on the card. "Climate change" and "research" are two words that stand out.

"So you're involved in climate change research?" I ask.

"Yes," he says.

"So were you involved in drafting the Kyoto protocols?" I ask.

"Yes, exactly," he says, nodding and smirking a little.

Pause.

"Uh.... sorry about that," I say. "Yeah, uh, sorry," Loopy adds.

"It's okay, it's not your fault," he says.

Gee, thanks.

4 comments:

Franklin said...

Are you familiar with the t-shirt that says in multiple languages (one of them, I believe, is Japanese) "I'm sorry my president is an idiot, I promise I didn't vote for him"?

I wish I'd had one in Holland. Maybe it would have also come in handy for you.

I'm muchly much enjoying your dispatches from abroad.

goblinbox said...

I'm sorry too. For whatever that's worth.

birdfarm said...

I want that shirt! I just had a long convo w a cab driver about Bush. The cab driver:s opinion is that Bush is a monkey. Also a frog who lives in a well and doesn:t know anything about the rest of the world. It was great.

And thanks for piping up, I was wondering if y:all were still out there.

birdfarm said...

not that you:re required to comment or anything! :) :)