Quote of the day

"I'm not here for you, I'm here for your magazines."

This morning, decently early, a woman wandered into our office and started surveying the side-tables. I asked her, "Would you sign in, please?" and she responded with that flabbergaster. She had an appointment next door, and their waiting room was full and anyway she liked our reading material better.

So I laughed and told her she was welcome. She made herself at home, smear of chamisa pollen across her chin, bike helmet and gloves, lime-green sweatshirt, tennis shoes, and all. She asked if this was a dental office and then settled in with a copy of "This Old House."

Pretty soon she asked to borrow a phone book, and then a sticky note to write a number on. I supplied both--highly entertained--and then she almost forgot to give back the sticky note pad. I reminded her, and she laughed and said, oh, she didn't need sticky-notes; it was duct tape she'd been out of that morning.

Then she collected her things and sat outside on the wall, well within hearing range through the screen door, and over her cell phone discussed buying stocks. She kept recommending things she'd read about in magazines.

Eventually she betook herself to her appointment. She was a character.