[Tango-L] Tango on a tile floor in Italian Restaurant

[Sandhill Crane]

--- On Fri, 9/18/09, Myk Dowling <politas at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, it might be best if you defined your terms, rather
> than leaving us all to guess what you mean by "speedboat"
> and "washing machine". I mean, I _think_ I can guess what
> you mean, but I can't be certain.

Well, it's probably just what you suspect.

Speedboat = careening around the floor much faster than
everyone else, swerving left and right and leaving others
annoyed in your wake.
Navigation? I'm GOOD, I didn't bump into anybody!

Washing machine = stay in the line of dance, but take
more room than anyone else, and use it to spin this
way, that way, this way again, that way again ...
Bonus points for rocketing back and forth between the
guy in front of you and the guy behind you. Hey, they're
not using that space! I'm GOOD, I can use it if I want!

I think I actually prefer the speedboats. At least they
zip through and you don't see them again. Well, not for
a few minutes anyway. But getting stuck behind a
washing machine is like being behind a big truck
in rush hour traffic ... hard to get away. It's curious
that despite their endless whirling, they don't
actually advance in the line of dance. I find, to my
annoyance, that even though I'm just walking forward
very sedately, I'm often overtaking the washing machine
in front of me.

A little anecdote. Once there was a couple speedboating
around and I happened to overhear a by-stander say to
her friend, "Oh, how lovely. They create their own space."
I should have interrupted to say, "They took that space
from everyone else, who are not happy about it."
But instead I just bit my tongue.