I start laughing

every time I think of a little interchange Gary and I had this weekend.  

We went to a conference in Layton, so we spent Thursday and Friday at a motel there.  We went to the workout room on Saturday morning before the conference started.  We were the only ones in there, when a young adult man motioned through the window that he forgot his key, and could we open it for him.

It became obvious after a few minutes that he wasn't really there to workout, but was more likely in need of some social interaction.  He started on the machine next to me, did it for about a minute, and then said, "Did you hear there are terrorists in Egypt?"  I replied, "No, I haven't been watching the news, that doesn't sound good."   He then moved over to another machine for less than a minute, and then came to the treadmill between me and Gary.  Then he said to me, "Did you know that Jesse James is engaged ?"  I replied, "No, didn't he just barely get divorced?"  

At this point, after Gary heard the question and my response, he piped in with, "My wife is hard of hearing so she can't hear what you're saying."   The man just said, "Oh," and moved on. 

When we got back to the room, Gary said that he could tell the guy was a little off, but when he heard him ask me if I knew that Jesse James was engaged, he was convinced of it.   After all, how can an outlaw who died in 1882 just get divorced and get newly engaged?   He was certain I had not heard what he said or I wouldn't have responded like I did. 

It took a bit of convincing, but I was finally able to explain to Gary that there is a Jesse James who recently got divorced from Sandra Bullock and is now engaged to some Kit somebody.   So there was some sense to what the man was saying and some sense in my response.  But, there was also a sense of strangeness about the whole affair. 

Gary jokes that probably the most valuable thing he learned on the conference was that Jesse James is engaged.  And for me, the incongruity of it really struck my funny bone (what is a funny bone anyway?)   I can't think about it without laughing.  When I tried to tell Natalie about it on the phone, I couldn't stop laughing, and Gary had to take over for me.    I'm laughing now as I write this.   I can't explain it.  But I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the name Jesse James and not laugh.   Don't try to understand.  Just know that there is humor in life when there is "disconnect."