A smile to my face

A true email conversation, as recorded by mwah.

Administrative Assistant #1: “Hey AA#2.  Can I get a room number for Professor T___ as he’ll be meeting with a student on Monday?”

Administrative Assistant #2: “108.  J”

AA#1: “Danke schoen. J”

AA#2: “Sorry…I don’t know how to say ‘you’re welcome’ in German.  But I could give you Spanish or Russian. J”

AA#1: “Very impressive.  In German it’s simply ‘bitte.’”

AA#2: “In case you ever need it: Пожалsta   (po-zhal-sta).”

AA#1: “Middle syllable emphasized?  Cool!  I’m going to try this out.  I hope I don’t offend anybody if I do it the wrong way.”

AA#2: “Yep…in the middle.  It’s the same word the Russian use for ‘please,’ so you have please-thank you-please (you’re welcome).  Weird, huh?  Thank you—Spa-see-ba.”

AA#1: “I think I knew spa-see-ba actually…it sounds familiar.  (It also sounds like placebo though too, so who knows…)  How do you know Russian?  Is it in your heritage?”

AA#2: “Not my heritage.  I’m an American mutt with the rest of us.  I was a Russian linguist in the Air Force.  I can also tell you how to say, “I drink beer,” but then you’d get fired.

AA#1: “HAHAHA!!!  You just made my afternoon.  And I learned some interesting facts about your life.  That’s really neat!  Someday I’ll be able to say, ‘I used to schedule visits for prospective students.’  But it won’t be nearly as dramatic.

AA#2: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   And now I’m going into a meeting laughing my face off.  Have a great night! Hahaha.”

Is it sad and pathetic that things like this keep me sane and well?  Have my standards stooped that low?  Perhaps a little bit.  Or perhaps conversations like this are the spices of life that keep us all refreshed.

Other highlights of the day include a Mad Gab sent to me via email, a picture of pink tulips, and the joy of watching a co-worker unwrap a beautiful bouquet of real roses.  Two more hours to go—what other treasures might crop up between now and 5?  There really are blessings all around if you look for them.  (And it doesn’t hurt that the boss woman is out today…)