Post by fish on Mar 28, 2008 7:53:40 GMT -6
OK Smoke, let's tell about our nicknames.
I'm guessing that yours has to do with "where there's Smoke, there's fire."
And here is the true story of how I got to be MrFish.
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, N was a member of the Board of Directors of our State Education association.
N took me as her guest to the annual meeting of that Union, a weekend affair at a coastal resort.
The first event on the first evening was, of course, cocktails and dinner.
We arrive for cocktails. I look into the bar. Everybody has a drink and everybody is mingling. I see the obligatory name tag on jackets and blouses. On the table at the entrance N finds her name tag in a plastic pin-on sheath. There are a number of name tags labeled “guest” . We each take a tag.
N retires to the powder room and while waiting for her, I wander into the dining room.
At each place setting I find three cards: Meat, Vegetarian, and Fish.
Understand that this is an association of teachers and that they can give new meaning to pennywise. They have used the same paper and printer format for the name tags and the meal cards.
I take the “Guest” card out of the plastic sheath, grab one of the "Fish" cards, slide it into the sheath, and pin it on my lapel.
I go to the the bar, walk over to a group, and am greeted.
"Well, hello" one of them says to me, "I don't think we've met."
"No, I'm with N."
"And what is your name, Mr ... ?"
At this point I display my name tag for all to see.
"Fish", I say.
"And where do you teach, Mr. Fish?"
"Oh, I'm not a teacher, I'm in seasonal sales."
"Seasonal sales?? What exactly are seasonal sales?"
"Well, as you know, demand for certain products is seasonal. For example, in the fall you've got Thanksgiving turkeys, in the winter you've got Christmas trees, and so on. (N appears at the fringe of the group) So depending on the season or on the holiday, I market items people want only at those times of the year. (N looks very puzzled)
"Oh, my," one of the listeners says, "I never considered that. It must be very interesting."
"Very," I say, "and challenging. To succeed in my business I have to be very careful about inventory control." (N is completely baffled)
"Really, how so?"
"Well, for example, I try to make sure that the chicks I don't sell at Easter are ready to be roasters for the 4th of July picnics."
N chokes on her bacon-wrapped scallop** and flees back to the lady's room.
They really bought it. I carried it on almost all evening, until N finally gave me up.
Anyhow, that's how I became MrFish.
**bacon wrapped on a scallop = enough reason to gag all by itself.
I'm guessing that yours has to do with "where there's Smoke, there's fire."
And here is the true story of how I got to be MrFish.
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, N was a member of the Board of Directors of our State Education association.
N took me as her guest to the annual meeting of that Union, a weekend affair at a coastal resort.
The first event on the first evening was, of course, cocktails and dinner.
We arrive for cocktails. I look into the bar. Everybody has a drink and everybody is mingling. I see the obligatory name tag on jackets and blouses. On the table at the entrance N finds her name tag in a plastic pin-on sheath. There are a number of name tags labeled “guest” . We each take a tag.
N retires to the powder room and while waiting for her, I wander into the dining room.
At each place setting I find three cards: Meat, Vegetarian, and Fish.
Understand that this is an association of teachers and that they can give new meaning to pennywise. They have used the same paper and printer format for the name tags and the meal cards.
I take the “Guest” card out of the plastic sheath, grab one of the "Fish" cards, slide it into the sheath, and pin it on my lapel.
I go to the the bar, walk over to a group, and am greeted.
"Well, hello" one of them says to me, "I don't think we've met."
"No, I'm with N."
"And what is your name, Mr ... ?"
At this point I display my name tag for all to see.
"Fish", I say.
"And where do you teach, Mr. Fish?"
"Oh, I'm not a teacher, I'm in seasonal sales."
"Seasonal sales?? What exactly are seasonal sales?"
"Well, as you know, demand for certain products is seasonal. For example, in the fall you've got Thanksgiving turkeys, in the winter you've got Christmas trees, and so on. (N appears at the fringe of the group) So depending on the season or on the holiday, I market items people want only at those times of the year. (N looks very puzzled)
"Oh, my," one of the listeners says, "I never considered that. It must be very interesting."
"Very," I say, "and challenging. To succeed in my business I have to be very careful about inventory control." (N is completely baffled)
"Really, how so?"
"Well, for example, I try to make sure that the chicks I don't sell at Easter are ready to be roasters for the 4th of July picnics."
N chokes on her bacon-wrapped scallop** and flees back to the lady's room.
They really bought it. I carried it on almost all evening, until N finally gave me up.
Anyhow, that's how I became MrFish.
**bacon wrapped on a scallop = enough reason to gag all by itself.
And so my week begins.