The Way We Process Information

Cesar radioed in from a job. I know him well. We are simpatico. He was grinning. I don't have to see his face to know it. I can also tell when a difficult customer has frosted him. Just by his tone of voice. "Hey, Limes, I've got a base of $340 . . . ." and yada, yada, yada. I sat bolt upright. To my faithful blog followers, the light may not yet have come on. There shouldn't be anything unusual about Cesar saying "Hey, Limes . . . ". But there is. And this post is a meandering little tale about what was odd in that radio transmission.

None of the home dudes, nor David, chooses reading as their favorite way of receiving information. All are intelligent, well informed individuals. But not readers. They watch the news on TV or catch it on the radio. David avidly pursues FaceBook interaction - quick little snippets of communication, accompanied by photos. Home dudes do a lot of MMS and SMS interaction, while I do e-mail and blogging. It's all good. We're all just slightly different in the way we approach things.

Home dudes understand (because I tell them) that blogging is for people who need to write, love to write, must write. When I want to share one of my posts, they hover behind me at Mission Control, look at the screen and listen while I read the latest one aloud. They look at the illustrations, take pride when I have bragged them up, laugh at the way I present our day-to-day stuff. When the Badger races, they send up the A1 cheer, radio in to find out if he's done and where he placed. They like to have me read from his blog after he returns from the race. "Limes, tell me what that means (referring to cycling talk) . . .". And usually, I can! Sometimes they tease me: when the Badger raced at Calville Bay, one home dude radioed in to say, "Limes, he just passed me on the Boulder Highway - I knew him by the hammer and sickle jersey!" That was not actual, of course. Just having fun. So, they like the blogs, but they have to be pointed to them.

After an afternoon of radio chirps containing Limes references, I finally asked, "Cesar, what gives? I get that it's about my blog, but what are you doing to me here?" Well, followers, guess what? Cesar's lady love follows my blog, tells him the stories, and they crack up together. So I'm now processing that the bus ride can be enjoyed by others who don't read it, but who hear about it. Hmmm . . . OK. It must work, because they get all the references, know the players and recognize events that occur in our day to day life. Cesar was guffawing just as sincerely as the Badger when he comments "You made me laugh out loud." OK . . . it works for me.

What was odd in that radio transmission was to hear myself called "Limes" by Cesar. You see, I go every day to the place where everybody knows my name. And Cesar knows my name is Leslie. To hear that voice calling me "Limes" made me feel a little odd. Watched as I did some activity not usually undertaken in proximity with him. A little funny. Like I'd met my alter ego in a hallway and shaken her hand, not sure who was Leslie and who was Limes.

And since this post features Cesar, I'll write about why I value him. This Virgo man (David is one, and I'm also a Virgo) is the Rock of Gibraltar. He is steady. He does things well and the same every time. He is orderly and tidy. He can be relied upon. His writing, spelling and math on work orders is meticulous. He does not get called back to jobs to fix up his messes because he makes no messes. He has no need to beat his chest about his exploits and successes. He's funny! He's quiet. When other home dudes get loud in a conversation, I always glance toward Cesar to get his take on things. He's our most senior technician now. Except for me, he's been here the longest. He gets so much repeat business - you see, everyone appreciates him. When we tease about which home dude is my favorite . . . . well, they each are my favorite. For all of their different gifts.

In my ears right now: Wonderful World.

Why I like it: I think Paul Simon, James Taylor and Art Garfunkel singing together is probably about like an angel choir.

Something that charmed me: "Hey, Limes, has the Badger hit 400,000? What does The Old Bag have to say, and WheelDancer? What does Tree's fractal look like today? Where is Doozyanner off to now?" We all speak a new language and speak of 'tend friends.