18 February 2008

Conversation?

If two people are proximal, engaging each other's eyes and speaking alternately, are they having a conversation? I've been pondering this since dinner a few nights ago, when the following exchange took place:

Lars (in sickly groaning voice): My stomach, you know, here (indicates left armpit) hurts, so I can't cut my noodles.

Ross: My report card came home today.

Lars (normal voice): My teacher is MORE than 18. She's past the teens, she's a TEACHER.

Mouths full, they gazed at each other, nodding slightly in that way you do when conversations at meals pause for chewing. Both seemed satisfied and neither was grumpy the way they get when "nobody is listening to my important speaking," and I was left to wonder if I'd tippled more of the wine for the sauce than I'd thought.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I so empathize with Lars: I've had an awful ache in my armpit all day!(maybe it was a plot whereby they thought if they could get you so engrossed in the dumbnity of the situation, you'd ignore the comment Ross made about his Report Card?)

Anonymous said...

Come on, Karen. How many meetings have you been at with 10 people in a room, and 10 different conversations going on? I think they're just getting ready for the professional (well, Dilbert) world.

Unknown said...

yeah i thought for sure there'd be an expansion on the report card comment?

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