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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Winning like Charlie Sheen:P

   I was a bargainer when I was a kid.  I never took things at face value convinced I was always being low-balled.  I think it comes from being raised in a city with so many immigrants where in markets and most commissioned stores my family took price tags as the starting negotiated price.  "Time to go" in the park would lead to "three more slides", my mother countering "one more slide", "Two more", deal.
   Bedtime was a negotiation of stories.  One story was the rule but then the "short ones" would come in to play.
   One day (no memory of this but heard about it enough I almost remember it) when I was about 3 or 4 maybe, driving to Toronto: "how much longer?"
My mother "Half hour"
Me: "Five minutes"
My mother: "No a half hour"  Oooo, someone wants to play hard ball.
Me: "Fifteen minutes."
My mother : "No, we cannot get there any quicker Jamie.  It's going to be a 30 minutes", Oooo now we have room for negotiation.
Me "Ten minutes."
At this point my dad is laughing and my mother is getting frustrated and asks him what is so funny.  "You arguing with someone who doesn't know how to tell time."
My Mother : "Fine ten minutes"
I win.

5 comments:

  1. Low ball- only works with short men or if someone is kneeling. otherwise it's just called SAGGY

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  2. I hate haggling. I'm just too damn whitebread.

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  3. You've got quite a talent there, Jamie, and I reckon those negotiation skills will help you in all sorts of situations. ;)

    "You're arguing with someone who doesn't know how to tell time." Hahaha, funny stuff. :D

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  4. Booyah! A total winner from babyhood! Love it!

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