Post by JVH (f/k/a Bob Dubilina) on Jun 16, 2008 14:51:12 GMT -5
Windy City Reprise:
The Best Songs of 2007
CD IV: PAM! PAM! – The Best of What's Left
The Best Songs of 2007
CD IV: PAM! PAM! – The Best of What's Left
M. and I coined this term in the summer of 2006, but it didn't catch fire (or become the target of relentless teasing and exaggerated eyeball-rolling) until early 2007 when I first explained it on BFN. "PAM! PAM!" is an acronym for the phrase "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!" It was inspired by M. just after I moved into her Tenleytown apartment in June 2006. Because I had arrived in D.C. without a plan, I spent the entirety of that first month puttering around the apartment, doing chores, tinkering with various radio projects and submitting my resume to countless staffing agencies and job postings. After a few weeks this loose schedule had become routine, and one day I found myself so engrossed in one of my projects that when M. came home, instead of running to the door to greet her with a kiss, I kept my focus on the task at hand.
I was sitting on the floor of our bedroom and in the process of installing a new hard drive in my computer when M. came in, kissed me "Hello," and then sat down on the bed. After watching me at work for roughly ninety seconds, she suddenly broke the silence (and my concentration) by exclaiming, "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!" The tone in her voice was quite playful, and she added to the silliness by bouncing up and down and hitting her fists on the bed.
"Excuse me?" I feigned surprise.
"Pay. A-tention. To. Me! Pay attention to me!"
I did my best to maintain a quizzical look on my face, but her pout trumped anything I could possibly bring to the scenario and I finally broke into a smile. It was obvious that my girlfriend had gotten used to me eagerly greeting her at the door after a long day at work and didn't like finding me wrapped up in something else. Fake tantrum or not, my affections had become routine to her as well, and she needed her fix.
"Oh Miffer," I said as I put down my tools and climbed onto the bed, tackling her, "No need to throw a fit. You know I'll pay attention to you anytime."
Throughout the rest of our relationship, we would both use this statement as a light-hearted demand. Over time I abbreviated the command to "PAM! PAM!" in an effort to make it even more urgent and absurd (and, yes, sickeningly cute). Of course, the moment I brought this up on BFN in February '07, it instantly became both a definition and a punchline for my relationship with M. I've been ruthlessly mocked for it ever since, but it's a teasing that's almost as endearing as the sentiment behind the phrase itself – not to mention that it helps remind me of the good times with M. – so I don't mind one bit.
Justin Holt
"Bob Dubilina"
BFN Networks
Bob@BFNinYourEars.com
June 23, 2008