ASK ME

My brother usually meets with a group at Starbuck's every Saturday morning, but apparently most everyone had said they couldn't make it. So, he told me, he was lying in bed early Saturday, wondering if he should go to Starbuck's or not.

Finally he decided to go and here's what he did. He made a little table-tent sign that said "ASK ME". He got a cup of coffee and the book he's currently reading, sat down at a table and set up the sign.

First thing that happened was a woman stopped and said "Ask you what?". Tom said "Anything". She replied "Okay, why is the sky blue?" Tom said "Great question. You want the serious answer or the funny answer?" "She said "Gimme the funny one", so Tom gave her the funny answer - an old Professor Irwin Corey routine.

"'Why is the sky Blue' is a two part question. The first part is 'why?' This question has stumped philosophers for centuries. It's too complex to get into right now. The second part, 'is the sky blue?' Yes."

Then she asked for the scientific explanation and he gave that to her. It turned into an interesting 10 minute conversation.

A few moments after she left a couple walked in. Same bit. The guy says "Ask What?" and Tom says "Anything". The guy looks at his wife, says "Honey, get me a cup of coffee" and sits down with Tom for 12-15 minutes of conversation that began with "What are you reading?"

Tom told me he figured that a) almost everyone has questions, and b) a lot of people don't feel like they have anyone they can ask. So he decided to let people know they can ask him.

I think he's on to something.