Those who are close to me oft say that my life is much like a Seinfeld box set.  Things happen to me on a regular basis that most only experience a few times in their lives.  I am blessed beyond measure to have such bizarre opportunities wherein I secretly pretend there is a camera documenting it (like The Office)…journey with me to one such event…

It was around 10pm on Wednesday and I was renting some DVDs (buy a new release, get one free…with your 25score card).  The tiny Korean woman who runs the place came out from the back, finishing a bite of food and began ringing up my rentals.  She began and continued to talk about what she was eating, how Americans are too picky and refuse to eat certain things, how she (and all Koreans) eat anything and everything (she itemized about 20 incoherent items), she tauted claims of health and continued life due to her lack of food discrimination, etc.  To give you an idea of how much time this diatribe took, here are the activities that she completed whilst itemizing her food intake:  ran my card, checked my past account, slowly took all 4 movies out of their cases individually and wiped the reader side of each disc, put them back in their cases, altered the return date in the computer, and prepared the receipt for my signature.  At one point, I looked over at the ficticious camera, Jim Halpert style, and smirked.  I replied to her with interested sounds, but really was exhausted and wanted to get home.  Conveniently enough, that’s when she transitioned into her next category of conversation.

She asked me if I was just getting off from work (I was still dressed up in work clothes).  I said that I had actually just come from rehearsal.  She asked more and I told her that I was on a worship team at my church and that I sing. She paused and looked at me and said with a slight hint of awe (?), “Ohhh, you sing?  Ok.  (pause) You are married?”  I told her I was not married.  She thoughtfully said, “Oh. ok. Not married.  Ok.  You are special”  She muttered more to herself and asked where I sing.  Here’s how the rest of the encounter went…
ME: “I go to Church of the Canyons”
HER: “chuch of the canyun.  where”
ME: ”off of Sand Canyon, it’s off of the 14.  Want to come with me sometime?”
HER:  “oooohhhh, the 14.  too fah.  too fah. I go to Korean chuch”
ME: “It’s not too far.    Korean church?  That’s good.  Is it around here?”
HER: “Korean chuch.  Korean chuch.  Granda Hills.”
ME: “Oh, Granada Hills.  Ok, Cool.  I don’t know if I’ve heard of it.”
HER: “Korean chuch.  You sing?  You sing?  OK. Ok. Ahn yah say o.  Ahn yah say o”  she bowed and explained the Korean greeting. 
ME: I bowed, smiled and said, “Ahn yah say o” (thankfully I had learned it for a Korean wedding I sang in with Holly and Jennene, for one of Holly’s co-worker’s wedding).  “I sang in a Korean wedding once.  It was very fun.  They had an American wedding and then a traditional Korean wedding right after.”
HER: “Ooooohhhh, you sang in Korean wedding?  You very very special?  You sing? oooh very very special.”  She walked her minute frame out from behind the counter, with wonder and astonishment approached me and then slid her hands down both of my arms to my hands whilst muttering “you special, very special”
ME: (pause, look at the ficticious camera) “Well, we’re all special.  We’re all special in our own ways.”

Aaaaand, SCENE.