2008 Woodie Awards
Hockey, snow and maple syrup
Mariane St-Maurice
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Opinion
Ah, awkward moments.
Everyone has them, and no one likes them. Unfortunately, they seem to happen a lot. And, though you see them coming, there is no way to avoid them. All you can do is squirm out of it as quickly as possible and hope it doesn't happen again soon.
It's happened to each and every one of us. Haven't you ever been walking along, when a stranger suddenly stops you? Except that stranger turns out to know you pretty well. For a few minutes, you're updating someone you don't remember on your semester, your job and, to be polite, asking about theirs. The whole time you try to remember who in the world you're talking to and how that person knows so much about your annoying manager or your sick cat.
This also happens when you remember the person, but just can't remember their name. So, as you catch up, you have a myriad of names floating in your mind, each one sounding somewhat possible, yet not quite right. When this happens, just try to get out of it as soon as possible before someone comes along who wants to be introduced. Then, you're screwed.
School just makes for awkward moments. With so many of us, there are loads of classmates with whom we are on a "hi-basis": smile, say hi and keep moving. Occasionally, you can throw in a "How are you?" but who ever really listens to the answer on that one?
This whole saying "hi" business can become pretty weird, though, when you turn onto an empty hallway at the same time as someone else at the other end. Now you have an entire hallway just to say "hi." When do you say it? Do you look around and then acknowledge the person when you're close enough? Or do you say hi early on and then just smile awkwardly for a good 20 seconds? Either way, it's just uncomfortable.
Speaking of acquaintances, I'm sure we've all had that really long train ride during which you're stuck with a "hi-basis" person. And it always happens on a morning or night when you're tired and all you want to do is listen to your iPod, read a book or just pass out.
But luck is so that as you make your way down the platform, you run into someone with whom you walk down the escalators after class. You can't help but say hi … and then you find out that person's stop is the one right after yours. This is a problem. You can only talk but for so long about the professor or about the annoying kid in class. And, at the end of that conversation, it would just be rude to put your earphones back in.
What these situations all have in common is that you never know how to end the conversation without being rude. It's similar to my struggle to find a good ending to this column.
So, I'll take the easy way out: I have to go to class. Sorry!
Everyone has them, and no one likes them. Unfortunately, they seem to happen a lot. And, though you see them coming, there is no way to avoid them. All you can do is squirm out of it as quickly as possible and hope it doesn't happen again soon.
It's happened to each and every one of us. Haven't you ever been walking along, when a stranger suddenly stops you? Except that stranger turns out to know you pretty well. For a few minutes, you're updating someone you don't remember on your semester, your job and, to be polite, asking about theirs. The whole time you try to remember who in the world you're talking to and how that person knows so much about your annoying manager or your sick cat.
This also happens when you remember the person, but just can't remember their name. So, as you catch up, you have a myriad of names floating in your mind, each one sounding somewhat possible, yet not quite right. When this happens, just try to get out of it as soon as possible before someone comes along who wants to be introduced. Then, you're screwed.
School just makes for awkward moments. With so many of us, there are loads of classmates with whom we are on a "hi-basis": smile, say hi and keep moving. Occasionally, you can throw in a "How are you?" but who ever really listens to the answer on that one?
This whole saying "hi" business can become pretty weird, though, when you turn onto an empty hallway at the same time as someone else at the other end. Now you have an entire hallway just to say "hi." When do you say it? Do you look around and then acknowledge the person when you're close enough? Or do you say hi early on and then just smile awkwardly for a good 20 seconds? Either way, it's just uncomfortable.
Speaking of acquaintances, I'm sure we've all had that really long train ride during which you're stuck with a "hi-basis" person. And it always happens on a morning or night when you're tired and all you want to do is listen to your iPod, read a book or just pass out.
But luck is so that as you make your way down the platform, you run into someone with whom you walk down the escalators after class. You can't help but say hi … and then you find out that person's stop is the one right after yours. This is a problem. You can only talk but for so long about the professor or about the annoying kid in class. And, at the end of that conversation, it would just be rude to put your earphones back in.
What these situations all have in common is that you never know how to end the conversation without being rude. It's similar to my struggle to find a good ending to this column.
So, I'll take the easy way out: I have to go to class. Sorry!
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