flashover – n. the moment a conversation becomes alive and real, when a spark of rust shorts out the delicate circuits you keep insulated under layers or irony, momentarily grounding the static emotional charge you’ve built up through decades of friction.

I sometimes wonder how sad or disappointed (or angry) the authors or this dictionary are at the world.

I don’t get too insulated with irony, but I do have flashover moments when I suddenly become interested in a conversation. It can be with a customer, when they have a cool problem, or they see some excitement in how they might adopt DevOps.

It can be with friends or family, when I hear them tell me something wonderful about their life.

It’s a cool feeling when you might be half paying attention to a conversation, or you feel like you’re having small talk, and all of a sudden you get excited or interested, more invested, in the chat.

I love that.

From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows