My husband was at a church meeting last week with a group of older men, and one especially cranky and set-in-his-ways gentleman. After much discussion, everyone finally agreed to spend some much-needed money on a worthy project. Even McCrankypants! At that moment, someone’s cell phone rang, breaking forth with the Hallelujah chorus. Husband nearly had a brain seizure trying not to laugh hysterically.
Also last week, husband and I were at our bank, signing endless papers about a refinancing. Husband was making small talk with the banker man about how our regular person he talks to had been hospitalized with a fairly serious medical condition, and the prognosis was not good. At that moment, my cell phone erupted with the Monty Python sketch, “Bring out your dead!” complete with bell ringing. Mortified, I dove for my purse, hoping to shut it off before it got to the part about “this one’s not dead yet!”. The young bank man looked at me with horror. Apparently he’s not a Python fan.
I’ve posted this here before, but as it has been more than a year, I don’t feel bad posting it again.
Years ago, when I was working for a defense contractor, they called an all hands meeting to discuss the dangers of espionage in our industry. The company’s VP was there giving us the spiel, and said “You never know who is really a spy” and as if on cue, my cell phone rang…and the ringer was set to the James Bond theme! The whole room turned and looked at me, in utter silence, as my phone belted out the tune. I hit the silence button, raised an eyebrow, and in my best Sean Connery impersonation said, “Excuse me, I need to take this call.” The whole room burst into laughter.
I was in a rehearsal with a chorus and an orchestra. We had just finished one section of a song and were just about to start the next. I had my baton raised and everyone was prepared to sing and play. Right at that moment someone’s phone rang – it was Ode to Joy.
It took us off guard, by I just held on and waited for it to stop ringing. But the first clarinetist decided to play along quietly. Then a violinist joined in. Then another musician, then another, until the whole orchestra was playing ff.
The soloist for the next section was laughing too hard to sing.
