THE ART OF THE SECOND CONVERSATION

Do you ever find yourself having the same conversation with the same person and wondering why? Generally it's with someone you don't know much about - relatives you don't see very often, maybe your employer or your friend's brother. At a wedding you'll find the same aunt is telling you about the same thing as she did when you saw her at the couple's engagement party nine months ago.

Somewhere into that second sentence you realise you're back on the same path but, like getting on the wrong train, it could be a while before it stops and you can get out and turn yourself around. By that second sentence you're pretty much committed to going through with the conversation, whether your travelcard's valid or not.

Wouldn't it be easier if we all carried a little tape player around? When you reach that point where you know you're having the same conversation with the same person, you can leave the tape running and they can carry on without you. "I'm sorry, we've had this discussion before." >PLAY<

Of course, they might pull a dictaphone from their pocket and say "Oh, now I remember." >PLAY< Then you can leave both tapes running while you get back to the buffet.

Which is a great plan until your batteries run down. Then you'd have to get back into that conversation whether you want it or not, just kind of nodding and waiting for pauses in the tape for your interjections. "Is Krusty talking to himself?" "Nah, his batteries ran out."