Who's in there?

Why do people feel the need to conversate while in the bathroom stall? Sometimes, I can see how a conversation that may have started prior to entering the stall could possibly allow for there to be dialogue while you're....you know..but this morning, I went in to the restroom, and someone immediately walked in and chose the stall next to mine. She then proceeded to ASK "Who's there?"

Why did she ask this? Why is she actively seeking out a conversation in the bathroom? The bathroom stall is one of the few places where I cannot be bothered, don't need to waste time coming up with nonsense conversation. Once she asked the question, what do you say? I responded with, "Uh..it's just me, Sireesha." I should have lied, but in the moment, these ideas didn't come to me.

She then proceeded to ask how my wedding plans were going. Now, just to update you, I was done..you know, and had flushed and was just making sure my button was on properly, so clearly my intent was to wash my hands and get out of there. But I swear to you, she was moving faster just to continue our conversation. I washed my hands (singing happy birthday to make sure all the germies were gone) and she comes out and keeps talking. It was so incredibly awkward that I left with my hands still wet.

PLEASE..do not talk to people in stalls. Once I heard a woman talking to another woman in the stall and one of them let out a big fart. Where do you go from there?

Indian people and Dogs

I love how different the dynamic is for people when they meet/see a new dog. Now, as a disclaimer, I will say, that I totally understand one's fear of animals with good reason (i.e. you've been bit by one, they jump on you, etc.) but I find unnecesary reactions to dogs really interesting.

Imagine if you were walking down the street and people looked at you, shuddered and walked the other way to avoid any interaction with you. I bet that's how Caesar (my 95 pound dog) and so many others feel. It was a concept I learned as I was walking down South Congress, where the homeless bums were avoiding asking me for money for fear that my dog would attack them. I must say, it was a nice surprise, not having to come up with a new, creative way to let these people know that in reality, they were probably more capable than I was of getting a decent job, given their experience in "sales."

I was at a party recently where Brandy Krain, (I have changed her name to avoid dog lovers rushing over to egg her house) a long time friend was so afraid of my dog, she let out a shriek every time he walked by. By the end of the night, I was purposely walking my dog close to her just to hear the interesting noise. Each time he heard it, Caesar tilted his head, almost as if to ask "Hey, what is that noise?"

Brandy's reaction is so common among Indian people and I wonder why. India is filled with random stray dogs, probably carrying diseases that we have never heard of, eating leftover samosa dough off the streets and drinking water that is so gross, a description of the color is almost non-existent in the English language. Yet Brandy, in her fear of my dog, seemed to forget that her homeland is filled with dogs that are just as sweet as mine, and just like humans, are just trying to make it another day.

I'm not saying everyone has to love my dog or others. I am saying that we are so afraid of that which we do not know, that which takes us out of our comfort zone. Dogs, on the other hand, thrive in these environments. They love the idea of meeting new people, trying new foods, playing in new grass. We should do the same.

I'm famous..

Except I'm not. However, this article in the Statesman written by Andrea Ball made me famous for 7.5 minutes..Not quite my 15 minutes of fame..

http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/05/0705philanthropy.html

It's interesting to me what people go through during their lives yet how much they can accomplish. Looking at some of more poignant "about me" stories makes me think that so many of us focus on what we are unable to do, rather than what we can do.

This weekend, I gave in and used super glue again, despite my adamant statement in college that it was a creation of some very mean people. Despite that, I managed to complete my project in a timely manner.

I'm not a creative person by trade. I don't claim to be creative because then people think I'm creative and ask me to do creative things. I do have very creative friends, though, so I'm never worried if/when a project is assigned. A rarity, though.

I'm currently putting together my Top 10 Favorite Moments from the 4th of July..it will be good. Nate grilled veggie hamburgers..that's a Top 10 in itself..

Welcome to my world.

Wow, honestly, I'm impressed that Merriam-Webster even has a definition for the word "blog"..which is, "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer ; also : the contents of such a site" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog). Apparently the definition is from 1999.

So, I started this blog because I had received so many people (and really, it was like 4) who asked me why I stopped writing on Sudeepshah.com. I think we were laid off.

Regardless, 2009 has been an interesting year, and I've laughed a lot, (not uncommon) and think that a lot of the stuff would be enjoyable. Granted, if you don't like to laugh, don't like common stereotypical comments (or uncommon), or don't really like to be amused in general, you should visit this website instead.

Now that you've returned to my blog instead (and you know you clicked on it just to see where I would send you), I hope you can use this as an escape during your work day, pretending this is a site related to accounting, healthcare administration, the prison system, consulting, teaching, lobbying, stay-at-home mommying, research, engineering, doctoring, nursing, driving, talking, writing, or anything else my incredibly talented friends and family participate in between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM (CST).

Thanks for reading. Now please go back to work while I continue to work on my blog.