Tangentializing

Ever had a conversation where you missunderstood a phrase or word and then replied or carried on the mistaken track? Well that is what we at "work" call tangentializing. It doesn't have to be a complete misunderstanding, just a divergence from where the conversation was originally headed.

Sometimes a tangentialization will occur to an individual while someone else is holding forth on a particular topic. (Usually at lunch, or prior to begining class)In those cases we have established a set of rules to cover the situation.

The person wishing to tangentialize is allowed to pick up a tissue, napkin, or even a page of newspaper to throw into the middle of the table. This acts as a tangential time-out or segue. The person who has thrown the segue flag now has control of the conversation.

Several things can happen at this point:

1. The segue flag thrower can insert the tangentialization and offer the change in direction of conversation.

2. The segue flag thrower can hold up an index finger state the proposed change and ask for help in remembering the topic. (lots of us are getting older)

3. The segue flag thrower can, as often happens, stammer and wish they could remember why they threw the flag. (happens more often than we would like)

The segue flag throwing is only for formal interuptions, or serious tangentializing. Usually one will just misconstrue, go down the wrong road and end up in a blind alley looking at all the tin cans, trash cans and stand scratching one's head wondering "what happened"?

There are some things that I don't understand. Does everybody's workplace have this sort of interaction?

Innertubing on Deep Creek

In the summer of 1980, my wife Susan, daughter Dawn, son Chris and I went on vacation to the Smoky Mountains. Dawn was 5, Chris was 2. We spent a night camping in a campground in North Carolina next to a small winding creek named Deep Creek. Right outside the park, innertubes were available for rent for a couple of dollars apiece. Susan stayed at the campsite with Chris while Dawn and I rented a tube apiece. We walked, rolling the tubes, past our campsite and up to a bridge about a quarter of a mile up stream.

The water was very shallow and very cold. Dawn sat down on her tube while I got situated on my tube. We held hands as we started floating slowly with the current. As we came to larger rocks, we bounced from side to side on the water. Before very long we came to a spot that was too shallow for me. I became grounded. I let go of Dawn while I stood up and away she floated.

Suddenly, without me holding her back, she picked up speed. She floated faster than what I could follow as the water got deeper. I began to lose ground and she floated around a bend in the creek. I panicked, got out of the river and tried to run ahead to catch her. I could have been the inspiration for the O.J. Simpson commercials as I leaped over campfires and cooler trying to keep track of where Dawn was. I would look into the creek and not see her, but not know if I was ahead or behind her. When I arrived back at our campsite, Susan was sitting next to the creek waiting for us.

Susan quickly determined that I didn't have Dawn and didn't know where she was. I started running back the other direction when a couple of older folks waved me down. Are you looking for this little girl, they asked. Talk about relief. I don't understand how one little girl could just disappear that quick.

How to do this Blog thing

I have spent hours looking at other's Blogs. I am just awed at how good some of them look. I am still trying to learn how to make even small changes. I hope to be able to get with the flow of things soon. Keep up the good work fellow bloggers.