TheBanyanTree: What were they thinking?

[Julie Anna Teague]

> I wonder if one's favorite word varies much with who asks.. 
> It's soo tempting to take a chance and propose "I'll tell
> you mine if you'll tell me yours."  Mine is "discover."

Ok, this might just be the only pick-up line I could not have resisted
answering, and could've responded to without ill humor, especially if the guy
knew when to walk away.  You might have been on to something there, Tom.  And
since I can't resist, two of my most favorite words are "shenanigans" and
"sparkly".  Since I'm way past the pick-up line stage of my life, I'll just drop
those and run.  You all can make of me what you will.  

I shared with Tobie, offlist, one of the more notably bad pick-up lines I've
ever had, but maybe it is story-worthy.  Since we're sharing.  I was in the
natural foods co-op, getting groceries, when a man walked up to me and told me I
had beautiful eyes.  If he'd stopped there and just smiled, or walked away, I
would've, maybe, just smiled back, and there would be no story here.  But no,
this fellow took a leap of faith, seeing as how we were in the natural foods
co-op, and went on to tell me that he was into iridology--the study of detecting
disease by looking at someone's irises.  Again, he could've stopped there.  He
could have engaged his brain and saved himself from appearing as a goofball in
my memoirs.  But he went on to tell me, right there in the fruit section
(apparently), that "that spot on your iris right there looks like kidney disease."  

Now, when one is simply contemplating the price of avocados (organic?
non-organic?  are avocados worth $1.89 under any circumstances?) this is just
too much of a mental leap to make.  Was he hitting on me or saving me from an
untimely death?  Much to my regret, I couldn't come up with an adequate
rejoinder at that moment.  I just stared at him as if he had three heads (or six
irises), smiled politely, and eased off.  Tobie, of course, being the amazing
woman she is (and I'm not just trying to pick her up), came up with some perfect
one line bombshells that had me rolling on the floor.  I have offered that she
become my personal Cyrano.  Just follow me around and offer up amazing
witticisms when appropriate.

Julie, whose kidneys are pink and healthy.  So far.