Monday, 18 February 2002 | Perception

I walked to a bar a block from my house to play a game of pool, and, while I was ordering a drink, the girl standing next to me asked me, What are you drinking?. I mumbled a response, wondering to myself why she wanted to know. I half expected her to offer to buy me one (though I was hoping she wouldn't try), but she didn't. She just kept firing off questions, one after another, where do I live/was I in school/what do I do for a living, providing information about herself in the appropriate spots...you know, a regular conversation. But since we hadn't been introduced by a third party, since she'd just launched into getting-to-know-you small-talk without any apparent reason, I was suspicious. Was she a lesbian? No, she just gestured to a guy sitting behind her and referred to him as her boyfriend. Maybe she's new in town and doesn't know anyone. I kept trying to figure out what her angle was, why she had approached me and just started talking. Then I had the thought, maybe she doesn't want anything at all. Maybe she's just being friendly. When the hell did you become so cynical, Lisa?

I ended up playing pool with an arrogant guy and his shy girlfriend, neither of whom I'd seen before. He had sunglasses perched on his head and kept talking about The Hustler, all of his shots were powerful but erratic (in fact, all of his movements were exaggerated), and he kept joking about playing for money. Or maybe he wasn't joking. I guess I've lost my sense of perception altogether.

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I've put up a screen shot from last Wednesday's show. I think it might be the only time I smiled that whole hour.