random anecdote

On the shuttle from the Charlotte airport on Sunday, we were riding with a middle-aged couple who were asking about Michael.  The woman commented Michael looked big for 9 months, and I said others have told me the opposite, and she laughed and said "well, what do I know; I'm just an OB nurse!"

They started telling us about their children, and how their middle child was a climber.  Once, they found him on top of the window after he climbed the drapes.  "And he's still climbing!"  They laugh, as if sharing an inside joke.  "Only now, it's corporate ladders!"  Apparently, he has his parents' retirement taken care of and has done very well for himself.

"Do you ever do any online shopping?"

"Yeah," I replied, thinking of Amazon.

"Ever hear of ModCloth?"

"Umm... yeah, I have, actually."  I had been there once, following an advertisement on thinkGeek or something.

(pause)

"So, what does he do for ModCloth?"

"Oh, he and his wife own it!"

I was suddenly very impressed.  "Yeah, you guys are set!"

"Thanks for the reassurance."  I couldn't tell if they were being snarky!

I looked them up on Wikipedia, and ModCloth has done well, so yeah, yay capitalism!  I'm surprised his parents were taking a shuttle with us mere proles.  But I also got the feeling that his parents like tell everyone they meet about their middle son.  (It wasn't exactly a natural conversation flow, not that I really blame them!)  How'd you like to be the oldest or youngest of their children?  I bet they get no love.  ;-)

They asked us if we went to school, and Ben told them we met at Berkeley.
"I thought you looked like preppies!  So from liberal Berkeley to... where are you heading?"
"Austin."
"That's not much better!"