Quite Remarkable!

[speaker_to_customers]

Belated happy birthdays to hieispike and chesha03

At work yesterday morning, around 6 am, I took a call from a woman who began “My name is Mrs (Greek surname) and I’m calling from a little country in Africa that you probably haven’t heard of. Malawi.”

Of course I told her “I lived there for six years”, and, after expressing her surprise, she asked if I had known any of the (Greek name) family. I told her that I had certainly had known people of that name, and a Chris (Greek name) had been one of my close friends at school there, but it had been a very long time ago.

She said “I know Chris (Greek name)”.

I said “This was in the late 60s, so I don’t think it will be the same person; the one I knew was probably a different generation.”

She laughed. “I think not. He’s 55.”

I’m 54, and was one of the youngest in my school year, and so it almost certainly is the same person. I told her that and she revealed that he is her brother-in-law!

- - - - -

Tonight I was checking the International Money Transfers done by agents on the day shift. I often find horrible spelling mistakes on them; some of the agents can’t spell ‘bank’, despite working in one! B-A-N-C-K. There was one to a place in the USA called ‘Austin, Texes’. The prize, however, has to go to the agent who was sending an IMT to a country in the West Indies of which I hadn’t previously been aware but that certainly sounds interesting.

St. Titts and Mebis.

I think, perhaps, the agent may have made a boob.

I corrected it to St. Kitts and Nevis, of course, but before doing so I printed it out so that I could show my colleagues on the night shift and the Call Centre manager when he came in at 8 to take over from me. It cracked them up as well. I spent the rest of the night having to suppress sporadic bursts of chuckling and in thinking up a biography of St. Titts.

St. Titts of Mebis; 5th century missionary who tried to bring Christianity to Wales but was martyred by suffocation between the enormous knockers of the druid priestess Gwenafra. Pope Benedict XVI is currently considering de-canonising St. Titts after historians discovered that the saint broke off from his martyrdom twice to go to the bathroom.

Comments

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Isn't that amazing? The world gets smaller every day ...

[kathyh]

the agent may have made a boob.

Groan...

Your biography of St Titts needs a beverage warning *g*. Thanks for the laugh.

I told her that and she revealed that he is her brother-in-law!

Sometimes it's a very small world.

[usedtobeljs]

What a cool happenstance!

[souloftherose.livejournal.com]

*Chortles* Oh that's a BEAUT. And I love your imaginary bio. I can just imagine what Gwenafra would look like... :P

This'll probably keep me snickering throughout the day. Thanks.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I can just imagine what Gwenafra would look like

I bet it would be not unlike Ilona Costa Bianchi!!

[averageshmoe.livejournal.com]

I can just imagine what Gwenafra would look like

I bet it would be not unlike Ilona Costa Bianchi!!

What makes you think that it isn't her. If anyone could write this it would be S2C.

pgavigan

[deborahc.livejournal.com]

St. Titts and Mebis.

I think, perhaps, the agent may have made a boob.

I'm just glad I wasn't in mid-swallow of my coffee when I read that or my keyboard surely would have been a goner.

Of course, in the interests of full disclosure, I'd never heard of St. Kitts and Nevis. Even so, St Titts? I like to think I'd still have known better, or at the very least, would have been skeptical enough to check it out before committing it to screen or paper.

[timeofchange.livejournal.com]

Snerk. Thanks for the giggle.

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the morning chortle.

As for Chris of the Greek name, did you get an update on what he is now doing? It sure is a small world sometimes.

[chesha03.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

[peabodyblue.livejournal.com]

I love coincidences like that. I once worked for a Federal government call center, and every once in a while would discover what a small world it can be!

[myxale.livejournal.com]

...whoever told me that the world is a stranger place than fiction...was right...and wherever he is right now...I'm sorry I laughed in your face back then!

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

That's amazing. :) Apparently the world isn't just small, it's teeny.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

Having spent the initial hours of this day in melancholy regret of everything I ate yesterday, I needed something new and different to think of this morning. Both of your items more than qualify.

Julia, ill

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

What a small world! Being from Austin, Texes, that made me giggle.

[hurry-sundown.livejournal.com]

St. Titts of Mebis; 5th century missionary who tried to bring Christianity to Wales but was martyred by suffocation between the enormous knockers of the druid priestess Gwenafra. Pope Benedict XVI is currently considering de-canonising St. Titts after historians discovered that the saint broke off from his martyrdom twice to go to the bathroom.

Hee!

You also, of course, get the "It's a small world" award. Damn, now I'm gonna be thinking of that stupid song again. Took me three days post-Disney to stop humming it.

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

How wonderful to have that blast from the past! It might be nice to hear from your old friend (I recently reconnected with a friend from grammer school after 40 years...it's lovely to touch base).

Love your history of St. Titts of Mebis and must say that the entry is almost plausible given the stories of the saints that actually exist.

Thanks for sharing this.

Kathleen

[basilio-the-cat.livejournal.com]

You sure don't fail to get a laugh out of people! :D I loved the bio

[jerusha]

Wow! It really is a small world.

As for the spelling error... LOL!

[cloviss.livejournal.com]

St Titts of Mebis is my sort of saint! Truly though, your summary of his beatitude is more believable than that recorded of other saints.

I may have to confess to being a spelling Nazi here, as I firmly believe that one of the criteria of being employed in any clerical capacity by a bank should be the ability to spell 'bank'.

Thirty odd years ago when I was a psychology postgrad (fear not, I grew up and got better) one of my duties was to mark first year essays. My policy of giving an automatic 'D' to those who could not correctly spell psychology was challenged, and I successfully defended my actions by saying that anyone who wished to attain a degree in psychology should first learn to spell it.