Tuesday, April 17, 2012

This one time in Starbucks..

Maybe some of you remember my lovely Walmart story? You know... the "incident" where a young-ish black guy asked me to carry his babies?

Disclaimer: Yes, it's a stereotype, but yes, it's true, so let's just get over it that black men appreciate junk in the trunk. We all know it. It's not being racist, it's (actually) personal experience. Sigh.

Anyway, I won't lie. One of the reasons I was excited to lose weight was so that I wouldn't be attractive to black guys. I thought I had accomplished that! Honestly.

Turns out... no.

I was sitting in a consultation with a lovely gal in Starbucks yesterday. (I know, you're thinking... Starbucks? This isn't Walmart!) Towards the middle of our chat, two older black gentlemen walk in. To be honest, I am in tunnel vision mode during consultations as I'm concentrating on my prospective clients, but that's the chronological order of things. I'm horrible at estimating ages, but they were possibly 50's-ish?

I assumed they were gentleman because they were sipping from the little espresso cups that Starbucks has. I know these things because I spend so much time there. ;) Hello, "Gold" status! Just got the card in the mail today!


Anyway, I'm having a grand ol' time chatting and laughing away when one of the guys asks me if I'm a photographer. He then asked to see some of my work, so I tossed one of my sample albums at him and continued on with my conversation.

He interrupted me one more time to ask if the album he was holding was bought in a store, if I was published, and if I had an agent.

Thankfully, he then shut his mouth and let me finish up talking with the sweet gal. I do mean sweet... she even gave me a hug when she left! I love those kind of consultations! :)

Of course, with her gone, that left me to pack up my stuff and get out of there.

And, of course, a conversation ensued in which I was complimented on my photography, asked where I was from, and told that I must like to get down-and-dirty since I'm from Iowa, so wouldn't I go out and take pictures of him and his gal at the track. ... ?? Your guess is as good as mine. I left that statement alone.

Finally, I got my big consultation bag packed, and one said that it must be heavy. I said it wasn't bad, and mentioned the fact that I lift, and was again enthusiastically complimented... this time on my abs. Urk. (Time to get some shirts that aren't as tight!)

Then I answered his question, yes, my "old man" is, in fact, waiting outside for me. He also lifts and is very strong. ;)


This bootay I have, while very nice, isn't near as large as it used to be. And, for once in my life I actually have wider shoulders than hips.

So tell me. What is it? Why the random black men? Why the awkward conversations?

And seriously, why always ask where I'm from?! What does that have anything to do with anything?

2 comments:

Deirdre Remmers said...

It makes me crack up once again!! Guess it makes for a good story. And, I have to agree with Chris, you should try your hand at writing.

Anonymous said...

This is Marsha Baseman. I think maybe these 'random' guys can sense your racism and play on it. They are probably not even interested in you. If Ana and Olive have the "black" men for boyfriends that you are so scared of, we will call ahead for family functions so you are prepared.

Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietician, I do not have any type of medical training, and my workouts and training are only intended for my personal recollection and your curiosity. Anything documented on this blog is my personal opinion or a learned experience. All images are subject to a personal copyright unless otherwise noted and cannot be used without permission. If you read to the end of this, congratulations.