Surprise Geeks

I sent an instant message to a coworker in another country asking how many pages were in a document he was working on:

Coworker: 42

Bullgrit: Thank you very much.

Coworker: …and isn’t that the answer to everything?

Bullgrit: Life, the universe, and everything.

Coworker: That’s right. :-)

Bullgrit: :-)

I’ve never met this coworker in person, and we’ve only had a very brief introduction through instant messenger some weeks ago. But this subtle exchange was sublime. I feel a little connection to this guy, like we just shared a secret handshake.

I love it when little references like this pop up in unrelated situations, mentioned by people you didn’t expect to hear such from. This kind of thing just shows that:
1. There are geeks everywhere, in all walks of life.
2. Many things thought to be geeky are actually liked by more than just geeks.

For those who don’t recognize the reference:
The answer to life, the universe, and everything is “42” comes from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series of novels, by Douglas Adams — full of wonderful British-style humor (or humour).

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com