Week 8: The Conversation Car

Well, eight of twelve went off without a hitch. I was getting anxious about this one for a few reasons, one of which is the hunt for a good IV placement — which apparently gets harder and harder as the weeks go by. Yes, I drink tons of water. It doesn't matter. The veins just get tired over time.

But Nurse Linde got me going nice and easy, and we ended up having a really good conversation about foster parenting. Her parents were foster parents, so she grew up with a lot of different kids in the house, and she's grateful for the experience — something she wants to do herself later in life. It was nice to actually have a different conversation than all the health stuff for once.

Man, that place reeks of misery. I mean, it's calm, and the staff do what they've gotta do, but if I were in charge I'd make some changes. They could have signs, or at least an area where conversation is encouraged — some fun topic to break the ice. People just sit there marinating in it which sucks.

I did an experiment like this years ago, actually, with the slug line. If you're from the DC area, you know it: it's the system people self-organized where drivers heading into DC pick up "slugs" — other people also headed into the city — so they can use the HOV lanes. You need three people in the car, and it makes a huge difference on the commute. Well, the protocol is nobody talks in the car. I found that shocking, honestly — a big missing moment that could really be engaging. I mean, how cool is that, a bunch of people you don't know, stuck in a car together?

So I set out to prove my theory that people actually wanted to talk, much to my coworkers' chagrin — they said the only way people would talk is if you let them smoke in the car. I bet them I could make it work.

I put a sign in the window saying it was a Conversation Car, and our topic was travel. I brought donuts! Once everyone was in, I had them. It was awkward at first, but then the conversation started flowing. There were two young single people in the car — a chef and a non-profit worker — and when I dropped everyone off at the Pentagon, I saw them exchange numbers. Holy moly, I was so excited. Can you imagine if they ended up together?? What a story. My coworkers never heard the end of it, and I could not shut up about it.

So anyway — yeah, I have a history.

Anyway, here's hoping the last four go off without a hitch. And I'll let you know about my new YouTube channel — still brainstorming, but stay tuned!