The Art of the 30 second conversation

Hello everyone,
Well, it is Friday night in Calgary (July 27, 2007) and I have one final thought on Winnipeg and this thought has only been confirmed in Calgary. Somewhere along the way I have developed what I now considered the annoying habit of having 30 second conversations with people in Toronto. While we were in Winnipeg we were buying a lottery ticket (I didn't win) and if you think about it...think of how many conversations we have with people and it is a 30 second conversation. When it goes longer than that...my body motion starts to walk away. Why is that? I then stutter step back to the person who is still wanting to converse with me. They are not rushing off anywhere...why am I? This happened while I was buying my losing lottery ticket. In Toronto, this usually takes 30 seconds...in Winnipeg it took 3 minutes and while I was buying the ticket the lady and I (who I was buying it from) not only found out a little about each other but we had also decided that Paris Hilton (at that time) should remain in jail.
I found that the same is happening in Calgary. People actually stop to talk to each other. We used to do that in Toronto but I can only speak for myself...I don't anymore but I am going to start. So if you are behind me at Tim Horton's or at the bank I will speak WITH the person on the other side of the counter. Visa versa if I am behind you in line and you are doing this...I will be much more patient (or try). We do this in the rest of the country, I can do it in Toronto. It is a special gift the people of Manitoba and Alberta have...I wonder where I lost it but I will find it again.
Thanks Manitoba and Alberta for teaching me this....it is a gift we have as Canadians. This trip only gets better and better.
With love and thanks,
M.J.