Little Triggers

"That you pull with your tongue" ~ E. Costello

Somebody asked me once, “So, what do you do for a living?” To which I replied, “I work for a quaint metropolitan newspaper.” “Really,” they said. “No, not really,” I said. “I’m not Superman; I’m just pulling your chain.” They squinted and peered into my eyes as if trying to extract a skein of truth. “Actually, I’m a technical specialist for a large medical device company based in China,” I said, wishing I hadn’t joked around. The person nodded, saying, “Hmmm, would you excuse me? I have to see a man about a horse.” Some people just don’t get it.

“You know what burns my ass?” I said to a friend the other day. “A flame about so high?” She said, cutting me off. “Yeah, right, but no. The fact that so many suckers are taken in, fooled by this modern-day P.T. Barnum.” I said, waxing political, which I try to keep to a minimum in mixed company. “Oh, Okay,” she said looking at her watch. “You know, I totally forgot. I’m late for my Podiatrist appointment.” No politics next time.

Maybe a week a…