The Conversation

Part I

For about three weeks I've had this draft on my blog about Union Square. In a short summary, I got obsessed with Union Square in San Francisco for about three weeks (I know, I'm weird sometimes and there's no cure). When I came back from my trip out there (during which there were no earthquakes), American Movie Classics was running a movie called "The Conversation" which is a terribly dated but psychologically intriguing seventies movie starring Gene Hackman as a Private Investigator hired to record a private conversation in Union Square. Cindy Williams, who played Shirley (or is she Laverne?) in the famous sitcom from the seventies is one of the people being bugged. During the conversation, she sings hauntingly "When the red, red robin goes bob, bob, bobbing along..." this got stuck in my head for about two weeks before it got replaced by "Henry The Octopus" from the Wiggles.

Part II

Here's an excerpt from an actual coversation at our house

Someone is washing dishes--their spouse comes up behind them. The person washing dishes says "I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you for snapping at me earlier."

Stops washing dishes. The water is still running.

"I know how terrible you must feel about the way you treated me. I know that's not the way you want to be with me."

"Hmphf."

"I just wanted to let you know that it was okay so you wouldn't have to sit there, washing dishes, worrying if I'm mad or if we're going to have another argument."

"Yes, well....That's what you thought I was thinking, huh?"

"Umm hmmm. And I thought I'd let you off the hook so you wouldn't have to sit there and think about all the ways you could start apologizing and relive the whole thing in your mind--I wanted to spare you that pain and embarrassment."

"Well, I appreciate that."

"Well, I love you and don't want you to feel bad."

"Awwwww...."

"Plus I know you would just pout and see if you could bait me into apologizing first..."

"Hey!"

"...even though I didn't do anything at all wrong except get mad about you being snippy."

Laughing "Well, I'm glad that's over with. And you've been so gracious about the whole thing."

"Yes, well, I'm here to please."

And that's how you stay married for 15 years...and counting.