When you move to a new place, you often wind up answering a lot of questions about yourself. It’s certainly kind of people to take an interest, and since I find myself to be a topic of great interest, I don’t mind answering. Sometimes, though, we think that an FAQ on Us might be in order. Here is what that might look like:
Q. Do you live around here?
A. We live in Comstock Park. Behind the Best Buy on Alpine. We are near the York Creek apartment complex, but not of it.
Q. Are you from this area originally?
A. No. Andy is from the San Diego Area, but has been living in Muskegon the last few years. Michele is from Lincoln, Nebraska originally, but has been living in Chicago.
Q. Nebraska, eh? I drove through/flew over Nebraska once.
A. Yes, it’s a long way across, isn’t it. [Polite laughter.]
Q. [Some reference to Michigan winters vs. those of California.]
A. [Polite laughter.]
Q. Did you meet at Calvin?
A. No. Andy attended Calvin, but Michele foolishly did not. We met at the University of Chicago.
Q. Really? What did you think of Chicago?
A. Errrm…well…we’re not really big-city people…it was kind of crowded and loud…crime-ridden…and squalid…horrifyingly poverty-stricken. Kind of led us to wonder who was profiteering off the misery of so many millions of people…
Q. Oh. I grew up in Chicago. I love that city.
A. Ah. Ummm…that’s not really a question, is it?
Q. So what do you do? (Question posed to Andy)
A. I work in Muskegon at an internet ministry.
Q. Oh, so you commute to Muskegon?
A. Yes. I carpool with some co-workers.
Q. And what do you do? (Question posed to Michele.)
A. I’m a graduate student at the University of Chicago.
Q. [Confused look] But what do you do?
A. I’m just being a full time graduate student right now.
Q. [Knowing look] Oh. A professional student, eh? Ha ha! Will you be moving to Chicago soon, then?
A. No, I’m done with the classes phase. I’ll take comprehensive exams in March, after which I plan to find a job and start on my dissertation.
Q. A likely story. I mean, how interesting.
A. Thank you.
Q. You guys don’t have any kids yet?
A. No. Sorry.
Please note that many of these Qs and As did not occur as transcribed above. Thank goodness.