Here's Your Sign

[Freedomlover]

I've had a wonderful time reading all these posts! But just remember, they not only reproduce, they vote too!

I think the proof of that is all over the evening news.

[Sir William]

I can add a few of those from my time in NPS, but the number one is:

Why did they fight all of the battles in the Civil War in National Parks? (So the soldiers could hide behind the monuments!)

The other good one was when a tourist asked several of us at a living history event if that was a "real fire" we were standing around.

T.

I once overheard at the Gettysburg National Battlefield, "How did you keep all the monuments from being damaged during the battle?"

At a living history event at Colonial Williamsburg, my 5 month old daughter was sleeping in a period cradle. People would gaze at her and say how "life like" the baby looked.

At a recent living history event while portraying a Highlander of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion I was asked "is your kilt real?" I assumed they meant "authentic" but after answering the question I'm wasn't so sure.

[bowser]

I've got one;


"How long have you been in the U.S.? Say something in Australian" ()

Here are a few I have had in the center of London when on duty,

An Australian - "where can I get a train to Loobaroo" Pronounced Loo Ba Roo three distinct syllables, after much thinking and scratching of the head we worked out he wanted to go to Loughborough a town in the Midlands.

A number visitors have asked for Buckminster Castle.

A bit of a contraction for either Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey or Windsor Castle. The first two are quite close together but the third is 30 miles outside of London, and hardly walking distance from Nelsons Column.

A bit scary but, a fellow officer I used to work with was trying to arrange time off to attend his daughters 5 birthday party, he went on to explain that they were having a visit by "postman pat" (this is a cartoon character from a children s TV show in the UK), quick as a flash someone asked "is it the real one?" there was a long pause and he replied "I don't think so I think its just someone dressed up in a costume" there really is no helping some people.

Last but by no means least, standing on tower bridge in the cold one day doing security for the visit of HMS Britannia on her last trip to London, a couple were seen looking over the side of the bridge into the Thames, and overheard to say, I wonder where all the water goes? We couldn't resist the reply "It goes in to the English Channel" oh she said I have often wondered about that ?

Not only do they vote they have kids that vote as well !!!!!!!!!!

[Freedomlover]

Here is a great piece about signs:

http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/heresign.asp

[smaughazard]

The best one I can remember came from doing tech support: a lady called in to say, "The screen says 'Press any key to continue.' Where is the 'any' key?"

[Squeaky McMurdo]

My dad is the king of Here's your sign. A couple months ago he couldn't get his computer to turn on. I tried to tell him that he needed to flip the switch on the power cord back on. He said he didn't want to mess with any buttons and void the warranty. So he called Tech Support, who told him to flip the switch back on. (Wow, why didn't I think of that?)

[Pleater]

I'm crying - and I am not sure why. It could be due to laughing so much, or perhaps it is just despair.

I remember once making a fire at a Civil War event (English Civil War, that is) and I used a magnifying glass to ignite it. Someone asked to see it, and he held the glass up to the sun and was about to look through it when I punched him. He was really perplexed as to why I should have done that.....

Anne the Pleater

[Cassidy]

I'm crying - and I am not sure why. It could be due to laughing so much, or perhaps it is just despair.

I remember once making a fire at a Civil War event (English Civil War, that is) and I used a magnifying glass to ignite it. Someone asked to see it, and he held the glass up to the sun and was about to look through it when I punched him. He was really perplexed as to why I should have done that.....

Anne the Pleater

Oh wow. Yeah, I've used burning lenses before and cripes, I'd have punched him too!

As for your question, Nighthawk- yes, people get VERY weird when confronted with a situation like living history. I did it for so long that it became second nature to me- being Thomas Curtis, son of a blacksmith in a small Indiana village in 1836, was easy and a normal thing to do. But after going back to the museum after being away for a couple years, I realized even for ME that it's a bit odd being on the other end of living history.

When you go into a situation knowing that people are going to be pretending to be people they aren't, wearing clothes they don't usually wear, in houses they don't ACTUALLY live in, it's not a far jump to start thinking EVERYTHING is fake. Even the fire, the flies, and the knife you're eating with.

[derosa]

The best one I can remember came from doing tech support: a lady called in to say, "The screen says 'Press any key to continue.' Where is the 'any' key?"

I was a computer consultant at a university and recieved some really dumb ones, some tragic and some just funny.

I actually recieved the question "how do I fix my cup holder". I had to ask what cup holder and the person pointed to the CD drive.

My hotmail doesn't work, can you fix it?

[Nighthawk]

I was a computer consultant at a university and recieved some really dumb ones, some tragic and some just funny.

I actually recieved the question "how do I fix my cup holder". I had to ask what cup holder and the person pointed to the CD drive.

My hotmail doesn't work, can you fix it?