Opening Lines

WE all use it. “Are you busy?” or the shorter form, “Busy?”.

The sliced pan of small talk, bland but very handy, a golden key that opens up a treasure trove of anecdotes when talking to a taxi driver. It can be a prelude to conversations about ‘The Regulator’ and whether it’s worth their while going up to the airport or not.

One reply to “Busy?” is “Ah, can’t complain”. This does not mean that the respondent is living in a despotic regime. It just means that work is relatively stress-free when compared to the many people who are worse off in the world. (Some of whom, no doubt, live in countries where you can’t complain)