Ay Dinich–why is it you rarely give me a constructive criticism? You’re letting me get away with this. BTW, the message was not recieved because I saw “Donna” on the metro a few years later and lets just say she had let things go:)

lol not really….But I really see it as the best way to motivate the lady to go out and do something about it….

It would be nice if some friend could get up and say to her….”Look at you. You r so fat u look like a pregnant woman….Go do something about it…”

EJ embarrassed himself but delivered the message….:)

I’ll tell you though, you’re better than this guy. Can you imagine seeing a jam packed elevator open and steal a peak to see there is no standing room left and still ask ‘is it full?’ Wasn’t me. But it has become a greeting amoungst these present that day. Instead of hi, it’s ‘is it full?”

Take it this way: U give her the truth with no sugar coating. She needs it.

My first professional job…maybe a year into it, I meet the head of the Human Resource department in the elevator..the elevator was quite full but that didn’t keep us from exchanging pleasantries. When the elevator reached the third floor all of the people in it exited leaving the director and myself the lone occupants. I had notice a belly bump on her and decided to strike up a conversation–I know, I should have known better:
Me: So, “Donna” are you expecting?
Her: Nooo,
Me: I didn’t know you had a baby recently?
Her: Well that’s because the last time I did was 14 years ago. (with a smile)
Me: I’m really sorry!
Her: No worries

me thinking at this point—min ale yeElevateru shaft tekefto beweTegn—afen beqoreTew. I’m so fu**ing stupid!!! Stupid!!! Here I am thinking she pregnant and I have a belly that looks I’m 9 months preganant. With TWINS! Fu** me!

For anyone who hasn’t already seen David Letterman’s take on this: This is a True Story…

On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room.

But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. “I’ll be right back and we’ll go to eat,” she told her husband and she carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was big..very big… an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me.

Her next thought was: Don’t be a bigot; they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn’t read her mind . Surely they knew her hesitation about joining them the elevator was all too obvious. Her face was flushed. She couldn’t just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator.

Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn’t move. Panic consumed her. My God, she thought, I’m trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore.

Then … One of the men said, “Hit the floor.

Instinct told her: Do what they tell you. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator carpet. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely,

“Ma’am, if you’ll just tell us what floor you’re going to, we’ll push the button.” The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. She lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up.

Confused, she struggled to her feet. “When I told my man here to hit the floor,” said the average sized one, “I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn’t mean for you to hit the floor, ma’am.” He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.

She thought: My God, what a spectacle I’ve made of myself.

She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you?

She didn’t know what to say. The 3 of them gathered up the hundred dollar bill.

The card said: “Thanks for the best laugh we’ve had in years.”

It was signed,

Eddie Murphy & Michael Jordan

besaQ motkugn!

two tall attractive african american males are going out of the elevator as I rush in thinking there’s no one else. it’s not even 9am so there’s no earthly reason i should be this flurry of energy to get into a quaint little office.
ahem. especially given the audience…!

so …i pause- or halt, depending on who was looking to say “ohh so sorry! please go ahead…”
one of them men looks at me and pitches a know-it-all declaration “this elevator is going down.”

i stand aside dutifully.
thinking.. klutzy! shlutzy! smutzy!…until i see the light on the elevator. *ding*

“It Is going up!” my smug self announces

and just as soon as the elevator door closes behind the middle aged white woman and i, the lady starts her hissy fit: “ha! what does he think? that he can control the gelavator with his mind?”

i say “…maybe they thought since they came down on the elevator that it’s going down?” nonsensical logic for sure!
she responds- “Or maybe It’s cause they’re men!!”

and there it goes… a serendipitous episode of two strangers sharing a male-bashing moment.

“lol…could be that too! you have a great day!”
and off i get from the elevator.

In canada too ppl find it offensive. Even myself I dont want no stranger adult talking to my kids, especially when they r not with me…..Beteley White dudes 30-60 scare the hell out of me….but a lot of the older italians in my neighborhood are more into talking to random kids saying how cute minamin and they kinda set the norm….I have run into some gilmiCHa minamin from parents when I do that….

dinich- thank god u are in canada… in the US if a random black guy said hello sweetie to a random little white girl… they will definitely find it offensive..

There are places – not in dc but there are where old white woman hold their purses tight if they are in the elevator with a black guy!

I like kids and everywhere i see them I try to talk to them minamin…..

One day I was visiting a friend and got into the elevator of his apartment building….this little cute girl came in and she definitely looked like a 7-8 years old….I stooped and got closer to her face and I said…”hi sweetie” only to discover that this is actually a baby face adult…..she was frightened….I jumped back and apologized…..

They dont even have a constant nick they just use What, SOWhat yemil..

Also i am receiving emails from random people – saying i read your blog.. keep it up minamin.. these days though the negative comments are more than the positive notes…

we do get a lot of postive notes about bernos in general.. saying nice tees .. keep it up from fans and customers though…

but the ones i get personally are negative…

I will rephrase
Nolawi you suck…

not that bad and not that straight forward.. but that

And so i am kinda annoyed by some of my readers… but i like them because they keep reading….