Dumb and Happy?

Last night, for work, Stacey and I went to this Design Conference up in North Hollywood. They were having a lecture and we thought it would be a good event to attend since my job is to be toothy and charming and roll in some new business. Unfortunately, when we got to the lecture, there were only about 30 people and the people speaking were total SNOOZE balls. When the moderator asked one of the award-winning product designers about various projects he enjoyed and he began talking to how he designed a tampon box, we knew that was our signal to beat it - fast.

But let me rewind for a sec. Prior to going to the lecture, we stopped off at the only place in the surrounding neighborhood for a nice glass of organic wine (ick). On our way to the lecture, we passed this tall drink of water standing outside the "cool" bar that we completely missed (even though we parked immediately in front of it). As we passed by, I said, "Holy hotness, Batman." Stacey, of course, stopped, turned around, and stared at him. After a few failed attempts to make me go talk to him, we continued on our way.

So that brings us up to the tampon box design and our immediate departure for the horrid details. As we stumbled out of the lecture hall, Stacey took an immediate left (not right - which was where the exit was and I was quickly walking towards). She wanted to "look at that cool art". There were some art pieces hung over in a corner representing a local gallery. As we were looking at the pieces (and I'm still completely dumbfounded as to why we're doing this), a man's voice came up behind me and said, "Can I interest you in some art?" When I turned around, there was the tall drink of water in all his hotness. It was at this point that I became a bonified mute (which some people would kill to see). I managed to make an ass out of myself, thoroughly entertaining Stacey. I even forgot my name when he introduced himself. Utterly embarrassing. Even though I probably looked like I should be wearing a helmet and hopping into the local short bus, he asked to exchange business cards and then we left.

But it hit me. My acting stupid was not mortifying to me during the time that I was brainless. It only became awful when I looked back on it after coming back to my semi-intelligent self. And it made me think and I know that I've thought of this before. Do you think that it is easier to go through life stupid? I look at some of these men and women that reside in So Cal, and I think, "Wow. How do they make it through a day with such a lack of knowledge?" (I think my thoughts are a little more harsh, but, I thought I'd be semi-friendly.) Perfect example: Jay Leno's J-Walking. These people can't even point out Australia on a globe or name our President. But, the scary thing is, they seem perfectly happy - in fact, they seem far more content than some of the most brilliant people that I know. In my moment of utter stupidity yesterday, I was truly able to sympathize with these "less than brainiacs" and I didn't feel an ounce of humiliation or discomfort.

So, maybe it's true. Perhaps life is easier for stupid people. I'm definitely going to have to ponder that one for a while as well as the additional pros and cons of being "not the brightest bulb in the pack". Your opinions are also welcome......

I just hope that I don't revert back to "Dur" Rachel for a while. "Dur" Rachel is not so smooth. There will be no dates in my immediate future if I keep forgetting my own name.