MetaChat - If I were a little bit better of an artist, I would draw this as a comic strip

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

22 August 2008

If I were a little bit better of an artist, I would draw this as a comic strip Anecdote from the work barbecue I attended over the weekend:→[More:]

A while ago, we had this temp named Cheryl, a gregarious, fashionable black woman. She was fun to talk with on breaks, liked a lot of the same music that I do, etc. But she used to say things to me like, "You're such a great guy! Any woman would be lucky to end up with you!"

Feeling uncomfortable, I'd retreat into that technique that so many women have used over the years: "Um… yeah, so… then my GIRLFRIEND stopped the bank robbery and rescued the hostages… My GIRLFRIEND is also rich and beautiful… I'd love to hang out this weekend, but my GIRLFRIEND and I have plans…"

This weekend we all go over to a coworker's house for some food and lawn games, and Cheryl's there. I see her briefly, and then spend most of my time totally pwning the lawn fishing game. Meanwhile, Cheryl corners my girlfriend and starts in with, "It's great to finally meet you, Josh has told me SO MUCH about you…"

So Amy (my GIRLFRIEND) had to deal with all of this woman who, she felt, knew all about her. Then she was pissed that I hadn't told her that some woman was hitting on me at work.

I was like, I dunno, I told her I had a girlfriend.

post by: klangklangston at: 14:38 | 20 comments

Lawn fishing?

posted by mudpuppie 22 August | 14:45

Yeah, it's a plastic rod and reel, with a grappling hook thing, and you either cast for plastic wire frame fish or hoops. I thought it was lame, then spent, like, an hour and a half doing it.

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:00

Oh. I thought that was a euphemism. Suddenly, your story is a lot less interesting.

posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson 22 August | 15:05

Enh, maybe she wasn't hitting on you. Maybe she just really did think you were an awesome guy. Or maybe she thought you had low self-esteem (are you self-effacing?) and was being extra complimentary. She sounds like a nice lady. And maybe she's snickering at you inside for being so awkward about having a girlfriend. I know I've talked to male friends and gotten the obvious MY GIRLFRIEND thing and walked away thinking "dude, don't flatter yourself." Dudes ALWAYS think I'm trying to hit on them, and it seems like 99% of them are terrified of me.

BUT what I really posted to say is that you should draw a comic strip anyway -- I like the worst-drawn ones the best. Like this one my friend Sean did many years ago.

Also, I'm not sure I ever did catch your real name when we met. I'm pretty sure everyone was just referring to you as Klang that night.

posted by loiseau 22 August | 15:07

This guy draws comics from his life. Your story reminded me of his comic. You might be able to work something up in a simple style like that.

posted by DarkForest 22 August | 15:26

On the one hand, everyone else in the office thought that Cheryl was hitting on me too, enough that I got teased by the folks in her suite about it.

On the other, since Cheryl was just about as intensely complimentary to my girlfriend, we figured she might just be like that (though, to be fair, my girlfriend, before being told all this, thought Cheryl was hitting on her, after Cheryl was all like, "You look so good in that skirt!" and stuff, right after meeting her).

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:29

On the third hand, Cheryl might just be one of those people who read that How to Win Friends and Influence People book and got stuck on the part where it says everyone will like you if you give them massive compliments all the time. I've run across people like that before; it's like they're superheroes who have one power and their power is the Power of Compliments so that's all they do, they just go around saying You Are So Great and Beautiful and Hey, That is An Awesome Sweater. These people are kind of unnerving but they don't know that, they think they're winning friends and influencing people. And they are, they're influencing people to be a little creeped out.

posted by mygothlaundry 22 August | 15:36

Yeah, yeah, I know James Kolchaka (who actually has pretty great draftsman skills, despite the semi-sloppy appearences), and Jeffrey Brown, and a bunch of other indie artists. The problem is really not wanting to do the strip thirty times in order to get it so that it looks right and has the right pacing. I like doing cartoons as quickly as possible, rather than having an idea beforehand. I can improv decently enough, but I don't feel like I'm a good enough draftsman to ever translate an already existing idea.

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:37

Re: Muddpuppy

Yeah, and it's definitely something I've noticed since moving to California, that people get really into being positive out here. It's why most of my friends tend to be Midwesterners or East Coast folks, I think, because they can touch the black pit of hate that's necessary to deal with the unrelenting sunshine out here.

I just watched a bunch of folks praising the idea of this girl that works in our building to make a show that "proves" that faith healing works by having folks who have "things like headaches that can't be treated with traditional medicine" go and get their auras cleansed.

I didn't want to be the one who predicted less than miraculous results.

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:43

Whups, that was to MyGothLaundry, not Mudpuppy (nor muddpuppy, who does not exist!)

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:45

This lawn fishing..is it catch and release?

posted by mullacc 22 August | 15:49

Whups, that was to MyGothLaundry, not Mudpuppy (nor muddpuppy, who does not exist!)

Neither does that mysterious 'Mudpuppy'.

posted by mudpuppie 22 August | 15:54

NOOOOOOOOOO!

(I obviously don't edit these comments properly)

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 15:58

That's what you get up to at a Barely Legal function? Lawn fishing? Hmmmm. Larry Flynt really is getting old, huh.

posted by goo 22 August | 16:47

Haha. No, one of the nice things about the bbq was that we were only allowed to say that we worked at "the publishing company" with Keith, because his neighbors were there. Which meant, for once, we could all hang out without the subject of how awful our jobs were dominating conversation.

posted by klangklangston 22 August | 16:53

This story made me laugh. I love how everyone in it could either be acting completely rationally, or completely irrationally, depending on whose viewpoint you take. I think it'd be great comic.

posted by occhiblu 22 August | 17:09

I choose to think that she was hitting on both of you.

posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson 22 August | 19:13

I choose to think that she was hitting on both of you.

...which opens up a new world of interesting possibilities!

posted by Meatbomb 23 August | 05:46

Which meant, for once, we could all hang out without the subject of how awful our jobs were dominating conversation.

Ah, nice to see that parties which involve lots of coworkers tend to the same topic, whether it's an engineering firm or a porn publisher.

posted by muddgirl 23 August | 11:00

Having met you and your girlfriend, I would say this is just the peril of being a cool guy with an even cooler girlfriend. Seriously, I need to hit on her a lot more. If you don't want to get hit on, put her out front.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur 23 August | 15:33

← Cool Article From the NYTimes On Last Subway Stops.... || This just in: Obama VP pick -- Not Jesus, not Moses. →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN