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alexpgpBack in the epoch when Galina and I started looking for what eventually became our house here in Pagosa Springs, our real estate agent asked the customary getting-to-know you questions that were - as one might expect - directed more at figuring out whether we were worth said agent's investment in time than as any sort of overture of friendship (though I will concede that the two goals are not mutually exclusive).
The conversation started innocently enough, and was almost immediately derailed.
"So, what sort of work do you do?" asked our agent.
"I'm a translator," I said. "I translate documents from Russian to English."
A troubled expression flashed across the agent's face. "I see," she said. Then: "Actually, I'm confused. You're not him."
"I'm sorry," I said, "'him' who?"
"Well, I mean, you being a Russian translator," she said. "One of the people at the office recently dealt with a Russian translator named Alex here in Pagosa, but you're not him. At least I don't think so."
"But we haven't spoken to any real estate agents before this," said Galina.
"I'm pretty sure there must be some mix-up," I said. "I mean... Russian? Translation? Pagosa? Named Alex? Hello? That's me. I'm who your colleague must be referring to, but as Galina just said, we haven't dealt with anyone here in town about real estate."
On the way home from the meeting, Galina and I joked about what the odds might be of there being two translators, working in Russian and English, both named Alex, in the thriving metropolis of Pagosa Springs, Colorado (population 1,200 at the time). We had a good laugh. Two days later, the real estate agent left a phone message.
"You know that translator I spoke about the other day?" she said after identifying herself. "Well, I've got his number right here, and it's not your number." She then dictated the number into the phone, and suggested I might want to call and find out for myself.
I did, whereupon both translators named Alex, translating in Russian and English and living in Pagosa Springs found out that as unlikely as it sounds, something like this can - against all odds - happen in real life.
It was Alex who would introduce me to, among other things, mushrooming.
Cheers...
The conversation started innocently enough, and was almost immediately derailed.
"So, what sort of work do you do?" asked our agent.
"I'm a translator," I said. "I translate documents from Russian to English."
A troubled expression flashed across the agent's face. "I see," she said. Then: "Actually, I'm confused. You're not him."
"I'm sorry," I said, "'him' who?"
"Well, I mean, you being a Russian translator," she said. "One of the people at the office recently dealt with a Russian translator named Alex here in Pagosa, but you're not him. At least I don't think so."
"But we haven't spoken to any real estate agents before this," said Galina.
"I'm pretty sure there must be some mix-up," I said. "I mean... Russian? Translation? Pagosa? Named Alex? Hello? That's me. I'm who your colleague must be referring to, but as Galina just said, we haven't dealt with anyone here in town about real estate."
On the way home from the meeting, Galina and I joked about what the odds might be of there being two translators, working in Russian and English, both named Alex, in the thriving metropolis of Pagosa Springs, Colorado (population 1,200 at the time). We had a good laugh. Two days later, the real estate agent left a phone message.
"You know that translator I spoke about the other day?" she said after identifying herself. "Well, I've got his number right here, and it's not your number." She then dictated the number into the phone, and suggested I might want to call and find out for myself.
I did, whereupon both translators named Alex, translating in Russian and English and living in Pagosa Springs found out that as unlikely as it sounds, something like this can - against all odds - happen in real life.
It was Alex who would introduce me to, among other things, mushrooming.
Cheers...
