Does anyone else have sudden, overpowering urges to lie to cab drivers? Is this just me? I make up a new life story for each one. I recently told one that I flew back to Houston for the day in order to witness the birth of a female Indian elephant at the Houston Zoo. I explained that I was training to become a zoologist, and this birth was pivotal to my education. I told him I became interested in elephants while backpacking through the north of India and into Bhutan after high school..
My cab driver said he was from Ethiopia. I told him I'd passed through there while traveling through Somalia and Eritrea as a child, but unfortunately didn't remember much since I was so young.
He told me about African elephants he'd seen in Ethiopia, and I ranted about how the Egyptians imported the first elephants of of Egypt from Ehtiopia, which then was referred to as 'the land of Punt.' Then I explained some of the differences between the Indian and African elephant because a while ago I watched something on Animal Planet about elephatns and remembered most of it. I'm filthy smart at remembering random facts like that. 'The land of Punt'-- Ehtiopia really was called that, you know. I have no clue where I learned that or why I remember it. I think in sixth grade we learned about Africa or something.
I'm pretty fucking good at it at lying about global travel, partially because I am a nerd/I know my geography like a cartographer. And I did backpack some for real once, just not in Bhutan. Veena will vouch for the backpacking adventure. I wonder why I make up all these stories... sometimes I think it's because I miss the theatre. Now I've transformed my life into a theatre. I'm always performing.
