Click, Click, Click, I Can't Hear You!

Yesterday's evidence that I really need to work on my listening skills.

Setting
Coffee shop, busy and quite loud but not enough where you can't have a conversation

Background
A stranger has come and sat next to two roommates, Me and Megan #2. He strikes up a conversation with the two girls after a stranger comes up and engages him in a 15-minute conversation about Unix, a type of computer system.

Strange Guy

Well, it's just something I'm interested in. I guess, I just like learning about things that are kind of related to my job.

Me

Where do you work at now?

Strange Guy

Torrance Unified School District. It's actually a pretty big district...has 30 schools, but we don't use Unix there, so I thought it would be good to learn about.

Megan #2

That's awesome that you're so passionate about your job. There's few people who are that passionate about what they do.

Strange Guy

sldkfnwekrijaowrjawerlknwelkr

Me

(Stops typing and looks up, realizing he's looking at Me, waiting for Me to say something.) Oh, yeah? Why? (Inner monologue: Whew! Great save, Me...he'll never know I wasn't listening to more talk about this Unix thing)

Strange Guy

(obviously perplexed)
Well, I mean, I guess he was just a brilliant man. He really cared about liberty and life.

Me

(obviously perplexed)
Yeah. OK. Mmmhmm. (Inner monologue: How did I miss the transition from Unix to Patrick Henry?)

Megan #2

(trying to save Me)
That's great that you're so geeked up about something. I mean, one time I found this book that I was totally geeked up about...

Later Megan #2 tells me what "sldkfnwekrijaowrjawerlknwelkr" was. When she starting talking about his passions, I guess he said, "Well, my real passion is Jesus Christ and spreading his teachings."