Sunday, April 15, 2007

Overheard

I went to the American Museum of Natural History yesterday for the first time. It's quite impressive and so large that I only managed to make it through a limited number of the exhibits in the few hours I was there.

It was quite fun to overhear random comments from the people milling about around me... The top three things I overheard were:

- A full-grown woman (that's right, not a child) asking "Are those all ALIVE???" as she stared at various specimens of snakes, lizards and other critters preserved in sealed jars of formaldehyde. When the museum docent smiled pleasantly and explained that they were, in fact, dead, she stuck her hand on her hip, cracked her gum, cocked her head to one side and asked, "Well, why are they all in those jars of WATER???"

- In front of one of the human evolution displays, a guy whispered to his girlfriend, "Do you think this is where Geico got the idea for their commercials??"

- In front of yet another display about human evolution, this one featuring some of our female ancestors in all their prehistoric glory, a woman with a charming southern accent exclaimed, "Look y'all, it's 'Cave Girls Gone Wild'!"

4 comments:

Cathy K said...

Shari, when I was helping with the dairy goats at Aggie Days (Stampede grounds), the meat goats were next to us (Boer goats)-- a doe with 3 kids. I had an ADULT women come up to pens (the pens have a huge GOAT sign over the top) and say, "Ahhh, what cute puppies." PUPPIES?!?! I wanted to ask her what episode of Sesame Street she missed.

I bet you could spend a whole day, just plunked down in one spot and eavesdropping on conversations--probably enough material for a book.

Shari said...

Ok, "puppies" takes the cake over potentially alive animals in sealed jars.

You know, I did have the idea for a book of overheard snippets (because, trust me, you hear the wildest things on the street, on the subway and in shops/restaurants), but someone has already compiled one... and I bet it's hilarious!

Cathy K said...

OH, the other response we get when we have the llamas out, and it's a common one, which really does scare me, is "Are those emus you have there?"

Sort of makes me realize how disconnect to nature most folks really are.

TISH THA ISH said...

LOL! Reminds me of this:

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

:)