I heard someone yelling this from quite a distance behind me, and suddenly it dawned on me that this woman was calling me. Apparently I shall henceforth be known as "Dallas" by Quebec natives who have forgotten my other name.
As long as I'm starting with a Texas theme, I think you'll enjoy this little scenario that happened at the Saint-Sulpice bar where we had a meeting this evening. And just because I'm now in the film industry (ha), here's the way the scene transpired. Enter stage left -- a nice girl named Lawrence who speaks English poorly, but gets credit for trying.
Lawrence: "Which one of the United States is yours before you come in Montreal?" (Amusing language barrier - I didn't know I owned a state.)
Me: "Texas."
Lawrence: But you are not fat?
Me: No, I am not fat. It is a miracle.
Lawrence: Yes, you are a miracle. (I don't correct her grammar here; instead, I decide to take it as a compliment.)
A little while later, I walked past Lawrence, who was talking to someone else. She doesn't see me there, but I overhear her say, "She's from Texas, but she's not fat." Later still, someone came late to the party/meeting. I saw him come in, and he definitely did not stop and talk to Lawrence before approaching me. After getting himself a drink, he came over to me and said, "I hear you are from Texas, but you are not fat."
"Hello, my name is Dallas, and I am not fat."
Moving on...I noticed a lonely looking person in the corner. He was easily 30 years the senior of anyone else in the room, but friendly looking like somebody's lost father, so I decided to say bonjour. Turns out his name is Bob and he's from New Berlin, Wisconsin. He works at Northwestern Mutual, and Kristy, he knows your dad. Of 116 people at this event, he's the only other American, and we've got far fewer than six degrees of separation.
There is a small chance that I might be in a movie. Two directors mentioned the possibility to me, but I don't know if either one was serious, or if it was the open bar talking (I'm guessing the latter). Guess I'll find out. In the meantime, I attended a seminar today on movie lighting, so at the very least, maybe I can help out with that.
1 comment:
"Hi everyone. My name is Andy. I eat cheese."
"Hi Andy!"
It's great - you have your own little version of AA - people brought together by one common thread - you're from Texas. Only, you're the only person in the group and you don't fit the stereotype. And it's not exactly anonymous since everyone apparently knows you're part of that group. Wow, in retrospect, that was a really bad analogy on my part.
Nonetheless, I think that when you return to the states (one of which you apparently own - congratulations on your investment), you should continue to introduce yourself as "Hi, I'm Sarah from Texas. I'm not fat." It'll set the stage appropriately - ensuring that no one incorrectly assumes your most recent home or any existing weight problems. I often find myself asking people "Hi, where are you from originally? Oh, are you fat?" I appreciate it when people just tell me up front and save me from asking.
Just yesterday, for example, I interviewed a young woman from Alabama and, because she wasn't volunteering any information, I had to ask her "Oh, which one of your brothers/dads did you marry?" It would have been much easier if she'd been more up front in the beginning. (For those curious readers: She didn't marry one of her brothers or her dads. She was quite upset at me for asking. "My Uncle Daniel has been my one and only love!" she told me.)
I applaud you, Sarah from Texas. You are not fat.
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