...of charm and strange: the blog

Before taking off for Vancouver, I was at the bank depositing some cash, which included a bunch of stiff, brand new $1 dollar bills. Like, REALLY new. They hadn't even been folded or bent yet. (No, the fact that I go to the bank to deposit $1 bills is not the funny part.) So I go up to the teller, with the same small talk anxiety I always get in situations like these. This is what happens:

Teller: How are you today?

Eric: Fine, thanks.

Teller: [counting money] New dollar bills, huh?

Eric: Yeah. They're pretty weird.

Teller: They sure are hard to count!

Eric: I'm always afraid to use them because I'm afraid that people will think they're counterfeit and call the police on me.

Teller: [nervous laughter]

Eric: In retrospect, not a bank joke.

Teller: [hastily finishes my transaction] Can I help whoever is next in line?