I am a shy person, really!
I have been completely lost in my aforementioned 80s journals these last few days and looky! I found Johnny Depp’s autograph glued in one, I thought it was gone forever! I have, over the years, occasionally wondered if I had perhaps made the whole thing up and just come to believe it. Thank goodness for the evidence. Having been thinking about all that stuff again, I was momentarily amused to hear the Eurythmics playing over the shopping centre loud speakers this morning as I stacked boxes of crackers into my shopping trolley. A song from the very same tour I mentioned on Sunday.
As we continued to scoot around the mall, Lily said hello to approximately 25 people. She says, very loudly, “HELLO MAN!” (or GIRL) and then if they say hello back, she says “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” and if they don’t respond to her, she shouts at me “WHAT’S THAT MAN DOING?”. It gets kind of tiresome, as I politely smile and hurry away. The worst bit is when she can’t work out whether it’s a MAN or a GIRL so she’ll say - “HELLO MAN GIRL!”. As you can imagine, I pretend I didn’t hear what was undeniably clear, even in 2 year old dialect and I hurry away too fast (and with a very red face) to smile politely at those people.
But apart from Lily saying hello to strangers, I did it myself today. I have been enjoying Victoria’s blog lately since she left a kindly comment on my blog last week. She’s a local girl - from my very suburb. She makes dolls, has two little girls, grows vegetable… so I emailed her lately to say a hello and to warn her that I may spring out and say a hello in person if I ever see her at the local shops. The idea that it might actually happen seemed remote enough to entertain, even for a shy person like me. But today - there she was! I did that momentary thing of thinking “am I really going to say hello??” and then finding that before I made an actual, rational decision I had already turned back and stopped her and asked her if she was indeed Victoria — And it was! It was a very nice coincidence. Lily is fortunately too young to be embarrassed by such things - but give her 10 years or so and she’ll be groaning (that ubiquitous teenage chant) “Muuuuum! You are soooo embarrassing!”
and I will promptly remind her of her “HELLO MAN GIRL!” days.
Responses
20th August 2008 at 2:24 pm
I do think it’s amazing that we bumped into each other - I don’t even go there that often, but as I said desperation had kicked in and today I was determined to buy something. When I got home I had to call and tell Geoff because, as you said, the odds of a meeting actually happening seemed so remote. My husband said “did you have coffee” to which I said that I didn’t want you to think I was a freak by then inviting you to coffee, but you were so nice, a coffee would have been nice!
Autographs - so funny as the other day I came across my autograph of Paul Weller which reads “chill victoria, Paul Weller”. While we were living in London we were out to dinner with friends at the Thai restaurant upstairs at our local pub, The Warrington. He was just sitting there with his wife and another couple, so normal, so matter of fact and no-one else seemed to notice them at all. The other three dared me to go up and so I did. I was a complete prat I’m sure, interrupting their meal and all - but he was gracious and about 8 years later I still have the napkin.
20th August 2008 at 2:38 pm
Oh, you really made me laugh out loud! Or should I say, Lily made me LOL with her ‘Hello man girl’ comment. I took my 3 year old nephew shopping once and he yelled out, ‘Why is that man BLACK???’ Now that’s embarrassing!
20th August 2008 at 3:03 pm
you crack me up. You make me have to blog my whole Michael J. Fox thing. And the Steely Dan incident in the market. “This is a song about drugs, man.” “Shussh!” And being the popular one, which lasted about an hour. But wow my sitemeter was sky high.
Just love you and your site. take it easy.
20th August 2008 at 3:14 pm
my daughter who incidently turned 6 yesterday embarrassed me twice whilst at the airport a couple of months ago. Stood in front of us were two Rabis complete in robes with very long grey beards, and my daughter says in a very loud voice “mum what fine young gentleman they are, but why do they have dresses on?”. Later it was a person serving in the duty free “young lady I really like your hair” and it was a man!!
20th August 2008 at 3:22 pm
So funny! My little girl is REALLY shy and stares intensely whenever someone tries to say hi to her. I get a lot of “She’s, um, very serious, isn’t she?”
LOVE Johnny Depp — in all the years I lived in Los Angeles, I never once bumped into him though my baby brother was an extra in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. My bro said that Johnny is super nice.
20th August 2008 at 3:25 pm
Ha ha - so cute and yet so embarrasing! One of mine used to yell our ‘truck’ at every truck but said ‘f’ instead of ‘tr’. That was fun.
20th August 2008 at 4:06 pm
ha! that story about your daughter is so funny! my 3 year old son tries to talk to people when we are out, too. if they don’t respond he will loudly ask me why they “just won’t say hi?” but your story is way funnier!
i think its awesome that you still have that autograph from the 80’s…
20th August 2008 at 4:41 pm
OMG my 2 year old does the same thing! “Where Man going?” “What lady doing?”
I am so jealous you met Johnny Depp! I had a huge 21 Jump Street crush on him 
20th August 2008 at 7:41 pm
Heehee! “HELLO MAN GIRL” is a hoot! I guess if a woman became offended at the ‘man’ bit, you could say Lily is just into hipster slang and calls everyone ‘man’, man!
20th August 2008 at 8:35 pm
That was such a funny post! I guess I still do my “Hello, man/girl” thing till these days! I don’t know how it came to that, but I make friends while waiting in lines! Hahahahaha! // I cannot believe you bumped into Johnny Depp! This is so amazing! I would love to say “Hello, man” to Johnny Depp and start a conversation with him while waiting in line! hahahahaha!
20th August 2008 at 9:01 pm
My boys are the same. Its all loud voices and “what’s that girl doing?” (when its some bloke with long hair). Or “what’s that lady doing carrying that cat?” (small, fluffy dog). Mortifying!
I am very envious that your 80’s journal contains Johnny Depp’s autograph. Mine only has Tony Barber’s!
20th August 2008 at 9:31 pm
How about ‘What’s wrong with that lady/man?’ very loud while pointing at someone with a disability or looks a little ‘different’!!?!
My girls like to chat to everyone, Mia usually starts then Esme joins in, it can be quite funny. It does annoy me when they’re saying hi to someone and that person ignores them.
I worked for a Burmese chef once and my sister (about 3 years old at the time) asked if i was going to see the chocolate man when i was going to work!
20th August 2008 at 10:37 pm
Kids have no inhibitions, do they? It’s kind of refreshing - I think I get held back by being too scared to say hello to new people.
20th August 2008 at 10:44 pm
Wow, I that is soooo cool that you have Johnny Depp’s autograph! I love his Man Girl look in “Pirates”…all that eyeliner and the feathers! My husband also thinks Johnny’s hot. Now that’s weird!
20th August 2008 at 11:56 pm
“Hello MAN GIRL!” I love it. Once when my Annabelle was twoish, she asked a man in a restaurant on a motorized scooter if it was a lawnmower. Fun.
21st August 2008 at 1:36 am
My daughter Charlotte is about a week younger than Lily and does the same thing, except for her it’s lady/man. “MAMA, WHO’S THAT LADY MAN?” Cringe.
21st August 2008 at 10:14 am
Ooooh that is a very treasured autograph. Straight to the pool room!
21st August 2008 at 3:49 pm
That’s very cool. I had a LOTR actor’s autography in a notebook and accidentally threw it out!
When did you get the autograph? Was it during his 21 Jump Street days?
21st August 2008 at 8:45 pm
Too funny.
A few years ago my first daughter Mia and I were sitting having lunch and a woman sat down next to me whilst waiting for her coffee. Well Mia took one look at her and said as loudly as she could “Why is that strange lady sitting next to you mama?” I almost choked on my sandwich.
The lady was quite miffed and walked off in a huff. The thing is she was quite strange. *heh-heh*.
22nd August 2008 at 10:37 am
so my mom has really bad double vision from an eye condition and wears a patch over her right eye….
little kids in stores are always asking her if she’s a pirate… we always get a good laugh about it!
23rd August 2008 at 12:57 am
i love, love, love it!
“Hello Man Girl!”
and in her honor i’m going to say that to my boyfriend today when i meet him for lunch… in front of everyone.
HA! Have a lovely day, A 
23rd August 2008 at 7:49 am
Man Girl - priceless.
My 3 year old daughter yells ‘is he a Dada?’ at every bloke we bump in to. It’s at a time like that I wish I had a larger wedding ring…..
23rd August 2008 at 8:50 am
I think I might just die if I was up close and personal with Johnny Depp. Unfortunately in that situation I might land on him and squish him flat. 
28th August 2008 at 11:38 am
OMG! You have Johnny Depp’s autograph!!!!
Sigh…you lucky lucky woman!
20th August 2008 at 2:05 pm
How funny!! My son does the same, and I CRINGE when I spy someone I know he is going to have trouble identifying as man vs woman.. So I try and divert pronto..
Love that you found your autograph, that’s awesome!