Small World

Last Thursday night when I was working at the hotel checking in two guests, I realized what a small world we do indeed live in. 

The guests were a mother and her adult son. She came in on a walker.  I often ask what brings them to Lewes, Delaware. Her adult son told me his mother was in town for a hip operation at the local hospital. Looking at him I knew I had seen him before.  But I did not know where.

Was he a famous person?  He said "No."  I told him "I know I've seen you before.  You look very familiar."  

I continued to go through my routine of checking in the guests, telling them of the amenities of the hotel.  Again, I told the man "I'm sure I've seen you before.  Have we met?"  He said "No, I don't think so."  He mentioned a French restaurant in Rehoboth Beach that he frequented.  I told him "I don't think so.  I don't go to French restaurants." (too expensive my God).  

Their room was one of our outside rooms (courtyard) so I had to show them the way.  And again, I couldn't let it go that I had seen this gentleman before.  He was very unusual looking and to be quite frank, I found him attractive. He was very thin, had a prominent nose and a dark beard and a confident manner about him.  Not arrogant for self involved but just comfortable in his own skin, even though he wasn't your classic All-American handsome type guy.  Bill has often kidded me about my taste in men.  Yes, I'll admit it, I am attracted to some dorky and nerdy men.  Not all but some do strike my fancy.

Then I think his mother mentioned that he was a flight attendant. That was it!  Now I remembered where I saw him.  He was a flight attendant on our (me and Pat) trip to Los Angeles this past February.  

I notice him right away on the plane after I was seated.  He went through the usual flight attendant procedure including showing how to use the life vest in case the plane landed in water.  Then we prepared to takeoff.  Much to my pleasant surprise he took a seat opposite where I was seated.  I paid extra for the seat with extra leg room. Opposite me was a jump seat which he put down and buckled himself in. Thus, I had the pleasure of sitting across from him during takeoff.  Of course he didn't notice me at all but that was all right. I always enjoy being around attractive, nice men. Women too but more so you understand, a nice looking guy.  

"Patrick" - American Airline attended - yes, I snuck a surreptitious photo of him with my iPhone

The six hour flight to Los Angeles was uneventful except that I had the pleasure of him sitting across from me again, during the landing in LA.

Fast forward to this Thursday evening when I told him that was where I saw him.  He told me "I don't think so, I take the flights to Paris."  Well, excuse me.  I told him again, I was quite sure that he was on this fight to LA.  He finally admitted "That might have happened. I do remember vaguely that I filled in on that flight."  Clearly, he didn't remember me.  Oh well, usually I have more of an impact but I am that Old Gay Guy now.  Faded into the background of a mass of faces.  More likely, he sees literally thousands of passengers and why would he remember me? Fact of life Ron. Get over yourself.

I could tell he was more concerned with his mother's impending surgery the next day so I decided I had bothered him enough. However, I did ask to take a picture which he graciously acquiesced too.  See, I told you he was a nice guy.

"Patrick" - hotel guest this past Thursday

Now, here is the really mind blowing coincidence. I asked him what was his name.  Guess what it was?  

PATRICK

Yes, the same name as my Canadian Travel Buddy, Pat.  

That's Pat, in the red hat and pillow around his neck and Day-Glo jacket on his arm

Although I'm sure this gentlemen goes by the monicker "Patrick."  

And, he lives in Philly, small world indeed.

Makes you wonder how many times you run into people like this.  What are the odds? From a flight to LA in February to a hotel checkin in Delaware in August?  Now it would really be weird if I run into him again when Pat and I spend a week in Philly at the end of this coming November.  

Free Hugs

No judgements here folks, but I wanted to post this video because it just made me feel good.

These days when there is so much divisiveness, anger and loss of hope, some times I just want to see something that brings out the goodness in people.  This is one of those videos.

The Three Stooges

Which stooge are you? Below is a penetrating social analysis by Ivan Stang, the brains behind the Church of the Sub-Genius.




There are three kinds of people in this world. I know you've heard that before. Everybody has their 'three types' of people, or their four types or five types. Many only list two types: those who divide people into two types, and those who don't. But there are three, and the models for these types come neither from psychology nor ancient religion. They come from Columbia Studios, and they are archetypal embodied in The Three Stooges.

 The Stooges unwittingly --of course -- left us a rich legacy of deft interpretations of the most primal human behavior patterns. Their short films, seen as a whole, form a tapestry in which the interactions of people as individuals, corporations and nations are distilled to a microcosm, a pure essence of existential folly.

 There is but a small percentage of Moes in any given population: perhaps 5%. There are even fewer Curlys. The vast bulk of humanity are Larrys.


(Though represented by male characters, the three types also apply to women.)


THE MOE PERSONALITY

 Moe is the active personality, and if not always dominant, always striving to be. Moe is the one who spurs the others into action. He devises plans to better their lot, but when his plans fail the other two suffer the consequences. But is Moe any less the fool for that they follow his plans?


He is a natural manipulator, only partially because the others are waiting to be manipulated. He would want to manipulate them anyway, even if they weren't so willing.


But Larry is a born follower, a blank slate that only reacts (and slowly at that) to exterior stimuli. He never initiates action. He is Moe's absolute tool, the truest 'stooge.' When Moe's abuse finally does make him angry, he lashes out not at Moe, but at Curly. No matter how he suffers under Moe's yoke, he never really rebels. He argues, but gives up easily.


THE LARRY PERSONALITY

Were it not for the presence of his friends, Larry probably would live in peace -- a dull, flat, mechanical peace. Though clumsy, he is still the most employable of the three -- for the other two are incapable of following orders, although for different reasons. Most people are Larrys.


Larrys divide people into those who don't divide others into two types, and those who do. But they do so only because they grew up hearing it.


THE CURLY PERSONALITY

Curly is the only likeable one, a truly rare human model. He is the holy man, the Divine Fool. He is as creative and active as Moe, but it is a spontaneous and joyous kind of creativity, no good for the kind of plotting and scheming required by a Moe-dominated society. He is a free spirit, but correspondingly unable to function well in a world of Moes and Larrys. He, like Larry, is perpetually abused, but he intuitively understands what is happening to him and reacts far more angrily -- if equally ineffectually. He is everyone's favorite Stooge because he is the funniest; through his innate nobility and natural humility he constantly bests Moe, but it is in an unconscious way, and it is only apparent to the outside observer. Curly himself is hardly aware of his talents; his weakness is that he does not know his own strength, and cannot trust his own luck.


In real life, Curlys are usually branded by the Moes and Larrys around them as retarded, schizophrenic, mal-adjusted or just plain stupid, whereas in reality, it is only Curly who understands the truth. Remaining cheerful through adversity, he wins battles not by fighting, but by 'accidentally' unleashing 'accidents' in which his enemies injure themselves.


Alien to feelings of avarice or ambition, he is the opposite of Moe, yet the two are drawn together by some inexplicable balancing force of nature. The Larrys, though, are ever the in-between, slug like nonentities caught in the crossfire of cosmic dualities -- yet remaining there by some herding instinct that makes being a casualty of the Moe-Curly battle preferable to life alone with other Larrys.


Only the existence of the blameless, bovine Larrys makes that of Moe or Curly possible. They are able to maintain their level of glandular brutality and senseless destruction only at the expense of the unquestioning, loyal worker drone whose income partially supports their excesses. Were he not there to diffuse Moe's anger by becoming another recipient of his blows, Curly would have been killed long ago, and Moe would have committed suicide out of loneliness.


The horror of it all is that the three types need each other to survive. Of all nature's cycles of parasitic symbiosis, the one involving the three human types is the most nightmarish. It rages around us all the time in real life, spreading death and madness, yet when we see it on the screen we call it "comedy."

So where do I fall into this pantheon of Stoopids? Those of you who know me personally know that without a doubt I am MOE! Coincidentally I have a very good friend who is named Larry. I’ll let him decide if he is the “Larry” of the Three Stooges described in Ivan Stang’s treatise.



I happened across this article while reading a copy of Uncle John/s Second Bathroom Reader (yes, I’m one of those folks who reads in the John.) This article reinforced by belief that most people in this world fall into only a few categories. I really couldn’t articulate my beliefs any better than this article by Ivan Stang.

So, which Stooge are you?

My friends Larry (yes), Stuart and me October 1957