Every Single One’s Got A Story To Tell

Borders is a wonderful place. I’ve been to three different Borders stores on two different continents and I always enjoy myself. I especially like the cafes. I very rarely see people I know, so all the strangers around me give my mind the chance to wander. I get to wondering about who they are, what they’re working on, and why they’re here.

Taking a bite from the metaphorical Madeline, I went on a bit of a mental walkabout this evening at the cafe. There were a couple of women sitting here in the cafe, working together an HP laptop (honestly, who does that?!). I assumed they were students due to their age and the fact that one of them had taken off her flip-flops at the table. I couldn’t tell what they were doing until one of them picked up her cell phone and called someone to check on specific punishments for crimes in Oklahoma in order to prepare a motion in limine to keep mention of previous offenses barred from a trial. I don’t know if they’re real lawyers or Moot-Courtiers, but their discussions of the arguments they needed to make reminded me of my brother.

Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back on the last 27 years that I have known him, Jeb has been training himself to be a lawyer since he was a kid. Now, lawyering isn’t all about dressing up like James Spader and saying “I want the TRUTH!” It’s more about the details, persuasion, and knowing the rules. That’s totally Jeb. Anyone who has ever played a board game with him will attest to his near-fetishistic enthusiasm for understanding the rules and his svengali-esque ability to persuade the other players that his interpretation is correct.

Dave’s the same way. Well, not exactly. What I mean is that for as long as I’ve known him, Dave has been slowly turning himself into a bio-chem badass with an appetite for destruction... er, research.

People like that are very lucky, and I find their single-minded devotion to excelling at their particular endeavor to be both admirable and encouraging. I’m afraid that I would find myself to be quite vexing. Everything appeals to me. I have thoughts like, “sure, I’d love to be an entertainment agent,” or “sure, I’d love to be a Landman,” or “sure, I’d love to be a train conductor” (No shit. I was 19 at the time: sober, but very groggy).

I thought about that because I had a job interview today for a summer position that I think is temporary. It’s not my ideal career, but it would incorporate: my nonprofit management skills; my journalism training; and my background in film and video. No shit. Plus, my blood calls out to me to do this, as it would involve both historical preservation and organizing the world into orderly and accessible patterns. Plus, it’s in Oklahoma City and I think I’ll be moving back for the summer (after my lease expires). Yeah for synchronicity.