tell me about it

There is an art to dialogue. When two people meet for the very first time, there are the usual introductions. First, you get to know eachother's names. Second, where they are from and what they do. Then you officially become acquaintences. Being at boot camp I saw this pattern everyday. It usually started with your name, then your job in the service, then where you're from. If there was more in common, then it escalated into a possible friendship. We were all scared for our dear lives by our superiors anyway, that we bonded whether we spoke to each other or not. I've always thought of how funny we sound socially. Like how we just say these phrases like; "Oh no way really?" or "What's going on?" then there are the usual responses like; "Good, good" and "Nice". Probably the one that is most common would have to be; "Pretty good" It is either good or pretty good. Maybe we just don't like making it awkward by saying something like; "My dog died and I have diarrhea, but how are you?" So "pretty good" must be the abbreviated sugar coated response instead of the actual bad news. Three way conversations for me are the worse. It can sometimes feel like a slippery slope for the odd man to eventually be muscled out and left behind. There are the reunion type of conversations between two friends. They start with catching up on the past. Then shift into reminiscing the past. Which then usually ends in "We should do something later on" feeling they need to make a resolution to not be such strangers. There's the date conversations where it's a thrill not knowing eachother and you try to make a memorable impression by making your date laugh or spark up something worth their attention. Some conversations go through the motions, and then there are the ones that catch you by surprise. People can either talk too much or not at all. Sometimes people know their limits by avoiding the topic of politics or sports. South America for example, you just absolutely do not bring up soccer. There is the dreaded silence between two people which has been deemed as "awkward silence" accompanied by the feeling that one of the two should do something about it through creating small talk. This almost never is successful. Others are completely comfortable when very little is said. Usually good conversation starts with food. Not sure how, but that has been the case with me in the past. Maybe because eating certain foods makes you feel good. That's probably why people like to meet in a restaurant to make an announcement. Like a break up in a relationship. The offender is hoping the food ordered for the soon to be heartbroken victim will be compensated by the blow. . . I don't know. In other cases, meaningful conversations usually come when you least expect it. Once, I was riding a Greyhound bus back to Washington from California and I met this 40 year old punk rocker dude. His name was Al. He was heading to Portland to see his little girl. I was 18 at the time and got some fresh insight from him on what to expect up to his age. It is fascinating how our mouth is the only way we can directly express our feelings and opinions to others. Try to observe the anatomy of two people talking or arguing for that matter. You'll be amazed by what you hadn't noticed before.