A study in randomness
Jul. 23rd, 2011 11:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevenswellsExperienced comedy club last night for the first time at a pub in Kingston. It was absolutely brilliant, and I discovered this Canadian comedian called Jason John Whitehead -- he was very funny, also kind of cute; if you ever get the chance to see one of his gigs, I'd recommend it wholeheartedly, I personally had a very good time in his company ^^ (here's a Youtube link to one of his TV appearances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEz2Yl-l0Fo )
Although the prelude to that fantastic night was a very weird phone call I received in the afternoon (100% authentic):
ME: Hello?
GUY ON THE PHONE WITH STRONG NORTHERN ACCENT: Hello, I'm David from BT. I'm phoning because--
ME: Yeah, I'm not the person living here, I'm her cousin. Maybe you'd prefer to leave a message or phone la--
"DAVID FROM BT": No, it's okay, I'll speak with you. *explains something about pigeons on the line. He speaks fast, I'm not sure if I understand well. He wants me to count pigeons on some line? Something like that? I have no idea.* Listen, do you have a pen?
ME, decidedly unhelpful and a bit irritated: No.
"DAVID FROM BT", decidedly not flustered and insisting: Can you get one?
ME, sighing heavily, I put the phone down, look for a pen and a piece of paper, come back to the phone, sigh again to signify I'm back.
"DAVID FROM BT": Have you got the pen?
ME: Yeah.
"DAVID FROM BT": And a piece of paper?
ME: Yeah.
"DAVID FROM BT": I'll give you some numbers, can you write them down? *starts enumerating a very, VERY long string of random numbers. I fight the urge to laugh, as the absurdity of the situation finally kicks in.* Did you get them all?
ME: Um. Yes...?
"DAVID FROM BT": Now can you tell me how many holes there are on the phone you're speaking from?
ME: ...I'm sorry what?
"DAVID FROM BT": On the phone you're speaking from. How many holes are there?
At that point I hung up, and he didn't phone back. I still don't know if it was a prank call or if the guy was nuts or if it was a genuine call from BT and I didn't understand anything although I doubt it; but if you heard that conversation on the radio yesterday, well that was me. Maybe it was a game where I could win a million pounds and I totally blew it, what the hell. All I know is that call was about as random as that time where a guy phoned my student residence during my uni years and said his TV company was conducting a survey to improve the quality of Sunday nights erotica films on TV and make them more adequate for the modern audience. I spent almost an hour with him on the phone building an improbable porn story by answering his multiple choice questions; in the end he didn't start laughing and tell me it was all a joke and what a pervert I was, he just thanked me and hung up, like it was indeed an official thing. A year later, another guy (or maybe it was the same guy...?) called for the same thing, same TV company. I told him that we'd already been through this, he didn't insist and didn't call back.
Is it only me who attracts complete randomness like that? I wonder.
Next post will be another Five Food Things, London Special.
Although the prelude to that fantastic night was a very weird phone call I received in the afternoon (100% authentic):
ME: Hello?
GUY ON THE PHONE WITH STRONG NORTHERN ACCENT: Hello, I'm David from BT. I'm phoning because--
ME: Yeah, I'm not the person living here, I'm her cousin. Maybe you'd prefer to leave a message or phone la--
"DAVID FROM BT": No, it's okay, I'll speak with you. *explains something about pigeons on the line. He speaks fast, I'm not sure if I understand well. He wants me to count pigeons on some line? Something like that? I have no idea.* Listen, do you have a pen?
ME, decidedly unhelpful and a bit irritated: No.
"DAVID FROM BT", decidedly not flustered and insisting: Can you get one?
ME, sighing heavily, I put the phone down, look for a pen and a piece of paper, come back to the phone, sigh again to signify I'm back.
"DAVID FROM BT": Have you got the pen?
ME: Yeah.
"DAVID FROM BT": And a piece of paper?
ME: Yeah.
"DAVID FROM BT": I'll give you some numbers, can you write them down? *starts enumerating a very, VERY long string of random numbers. I fight the urge to laugh, as the absurdity of the situation finally kicks in.* Did you get them all?
ME: Um. Yes...?
"DAVID FROM BT": Now can you tell me how many holes there are on the phone you're speaking from?
ME: ...I'm sorry what?
"DAVID FROM BT": On the phone you're speaking from. How many holes are there?
At that point I hung up, and he didn't phone back. I still don't know if it was a prank call or if the guy was nuts or if it was a genuine call from BT and I didn't understand anything although I doubt it; but if you heard that conversation on the radio yesterday, well that was me. Maybe it was a game where I could win a million pounds and I totally blew it, what the hell. All I know is that call was about as random as that time where a guy phoned my student residence during my uni years and said his TV company was conducting a survey to improve the quality of Sunday nights erotica films on TV and make them more adequate for the modern audience. I spent almost an hour with him on the phone building an improbable porn story by answering his multiple choice questions; in the end he didn't start laughing and tell me it was all a joke and what a pervert I was, he just thanked me and hung up, like it was indeed an official thing. A year later, another guy (or maybe it was the same guy...?) called for the same thing, same TV company. I told him that we'd already been through this, he didn't insist and didn't call back.
Is it only me who attracts complete randomness like that? I wonder.
Next post will be another Five Food Things, London Special.
