There's an old game we used to play in college. Some of you may know it. It starts when one person asks another, "do you want to buy a duck?" The second person turns to the first person and asks, "a what?" Person #1 repeats, "a duck." Person #2 then asks, "does it quack?" to which Person #1 replies, "of course it quacks." The game continues when Person #2 then turns to a third person and says "do you want to buy a duck?" and Person #3 asks, "a what?" Instead of answering, Person #2 turns back to Person #1 and says, "a what?" at which point Person #1 answers, "a duck." and Person #2 turns back to Person #3 and tells him/her, "a duck." Person #3 asks if it quacks and on and on it goes and so on and so forth. If you can visualize it, you can see how this game would be great fun to play in groups and not so much fun to play alone. The more people the better. I don't know where it originated, I don't know the point, I don't know why the game involves selling a duck and not say, a monkey, but I only know that it was a somewhat amazing experience to listen to as a bunch of us sat around with nothing better to do.

I haven't thought about that game in a long time until today. A coworker was passing my desk when I heard him saying something to someone about a duck and I heard the other person respond with confusion. Then he approached my desk where I was talking to someone else and he asked her, "Do you want to buy a duck?" to which she said, "Do I what??" Suddenly I turned to him with great enthusiasm and said, "A what?" He grinned and replied "a duck." "Does it quack?" I asked and he assured me that "of course it quacks."

Apparently, the game caught on like wildfire throughout the office because a little while later another coworker came and asked me if I wanted to buy a duck. While he was still standing there talking to me, I asked another passerby if he would like to buy a duck. I don't know why the idea that we were all suddenly playing a company-wide game really seemed fun, but it did.   ¶ 5:04 PM