All in a Day’s Work
Sadly, female airline pilots are still relatively rare. As a result, I’m often mistaken for a flight attendant, a ticket agent, or even a snack bar employee. One day, I was brushing my teeth in the restroom before a flight when a woman walked in. “My sister would be so proud of you!” she declared.
I figured her sister must also be in the airline business, so I smiled and asked why.
The woman responded, “She’s a dentist.” —gcfl.net
One of my wife’s third graders was wearing a Fitbit watch, which prompted my wife to ask, “Are you tracking your steps?”
“No,” said the little girl. “I wear this for
During a job interview at the 99 Cents store, my son was asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” My son’s reply: “At the Dollar Store.” He got the job.
—A.K. via rd.com
Mommy so she can show Daddy when he gets home.”
—James Avery Gilbert, Arizona
Customers often know what they want, but they can’t always express it. Take these clients’ requests to graphic designers, for example:
✦ “I am looking for a simple but complex site.”
✦ “I want my logo to be in a color no one has ever seen before.”
✦ “If I give you a black-and-white copy, could you xerox it in color?”
✦ “I want someone to build me a site like Facebook, except I want the main color to be red.” —clientsfromhell.net
I’ve spent a good chunk of time working in kitchens, so I still reflexively say “behind” and “coming around” as I maneuver past people. Which, actually, is not such a bad way to avoid collisions. Less good is the time I let slip a “coming with a knife” while grocery shopping. That took some explaining.