Thursday, October 18, 2007

Seymour Mann

I hope it's not a joke. I hope it's something as simple as some crossed wires, literally, with Verizon. But I learned yesterday that when I don't use "line 1" to dial from my office phone, caller ID on the other end says, "Seymour Mann."

I learned this when I called headquarters yesterday. Usually, whoever answers on at head office will respond with something like, "hey, wassup..." because I am the only employee in the New York City office. Yesterday, I got a very formal answer on the phone. I responded, "hey, this is Michael. Is everything okay?" Then I learned the reason for the formality. Caller ID didn't report me as calling from my office.

"Are you at work?" my colleague asked.
"Yes."
"At the office?"
"Yes."
"Our office?"
"Yes."
"That's weird. Caller ID says 'Seymour Mann.'"

At first I thought it was a joke. I have since made a couple more calls to people who I know have caller ID. They confirm the story. When I call from a line other than "line 1," your phone will tell you that "Seymour Mann" is calling.

The consolation is that I like the sound of it. It's almost risque, eh?

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Note to Self

And to others attempting to navigate outer boroughs:

QUEENS PLAZA

and

QUEENSBORO PLAZA

are two very different places and not that close together. Yes, I learned this the hard way last night. While sober!

Oh, and apparently there are two different "7" trains, each of which runs its own path on its own whims, making whatever stops it feels like making.

As we used to say about curvy roads in Kentucky, whoever designed the modern subway system in Queens must have been on either his first assignment or his last assignment.

Okay, I'm finished whining now. At least for now.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Oh, the Irony of it All

Re: Fred Thompson's run for the White House

Well, actually this post is more about Lorrie Morgan than Fred Thompson. The connection is that they once dated. First, some background information.

Lorrie Morgan is the daughter of the late George Morgan, a Grand Ole Opry star. She married Keith Whitley, a genuine country music master from Kentucky. (He wrote the song, "When You Say Nothing At All"). They divorced after a short marriage and he was so distraught that he drank himself to death. Literally. He died of acute alcohol poisoning. Ironic that his life and death would make a perfect country song. Actually, it did make a perfect country song. Vince Gill wrote and recorded "Go Rest High on That Mountain" as a tribute to Keith Whitley.

I don't know if it was before or after this marriage that Lorrie dated a fraternity brother of my college roommate. She broke his heart, too. He was well on his way to recovering from the heartbreak when he happened to see a Lorrie Morgan video on CMT. In the video, she was wearing a sweatshirt that this heartbroken fella had given her. In that one instant, his heart was broken all over again.

Again, I am unsure of the exact timeline, but after Lorrie's divorce from Keith, she dated Fred Thompson for a little while. I'm not even sure if he was a Senator at this time, but I think so.

And now, the irony: Lorrie had a number one song with "I'm Looking for Something in Red." Could she have been foreshadowing, that long ago, that Fred Thompson, a genuine red-stater, would be running for President? Does this mean she will vote for him?

Monday, October 01, 2007

Monday Evening Thoughts

I was walking through the subway station this morning. I noticed a sign on a door that said, "Refuse Room." I walked up to it and yelled, "NO!"

Yesterday I went to the airport to buy a round-trip airplane ticket. The agent asked where I wanted to go. I said, "right back here!"

Last week I went to visit a new doctor. I asked the receptionist how much he charges. She said that it is $150 for the first visit, and $100 for every visit thereafter. When I saw the doctor, I said, "here I am again!"