Have you ever seen someone that you thought you knew, but when you finally get close enough for a good look, you realize that it wasn't who you thought it was?
Pardon me, I thought you were someone else!
I like to imagine turning that around, saying 'Pardon me... I thought I was someone else!' and since I already write a lot of fiction, tall tales and malarky here, I can safely test it out without getting myself in too much trouble.
The Helicopter
For example; once, I took the controls of an unoccupied helicopter like I knew what I was doing, and very nearly had the thing off the ground and into the air in glorious flight.
I just hopped in, and immediately noticed that the buttons looked just like the ones on my blender. I set it on 'chop', easily found the throttle and located the left and right tail-rotor control pedals down below, and by now a small crowd had gathered around me, yelling and waving their hands.
Ready to fly, I grabbed the gizmo that tilts the blades forward and I nestled into the seat with an expert wiggle, but at the last second, I shut it down and got out to talk to the guys who were yelling and frantically waving at me. I apologized, and I explained to them;
Pardon me, I thought I was someone else!
I'm no pilot, and have never even ridden in a helicopter before.
The Park Bench
Another time, I approached a lady who was sitting on a bench beneath a willow-- a lady who's radiant eyes had captured mine and immersed me into what felt like an eternity-- "M'lady, the radiance of your eyes has captured mine, immersing me into what now feels like an eternity!"
She grabbed her book and scurried away, but not before I told her apologetically;
Pardon me, I thought I was someone else!
The Restaurant
Now that I think about it, there's another one that I made up where there was this young couple at a candlelit table in the back corner who had decided that they knew what they were going to order for dinner. Both smiling, both quite friendly, I told them my name, they placed their order, and I asked the guy if he wanted ranch dressing with his fries.
He had to think about it, but his girlfriend answered for him, and indeed they wanted ranch dressing. This was when their actual waiter appeared, and after a bit of confusion, I explained to all three of them what had happened;
Pardon me... I thought I was someone else!
I admitted that it was peculiar, since I had just walked into this place for the first time, and that I had never waited tables in my life. It was quite awkward and embarrassing for all three of them, as I recall.
That's what would probably happen if I went around thinking that I was someone else. It all seems kinda funny now that I'm looking back, now that I know who I am.
Any similarities in the characters above with actual events or characters is almost certainly your imagination merging with mine in some freaked-out alternate reality, or is the result of a common coincidence occurring in that same parallel universe, or is deja vu or something, because this is all made up fiction, for entertainment purposes only. This is not to be taken as instructions on how to fly helicopters, and @therealpaul takes no responsibility for damages, injuries or death occurring as a result of the improper use of any helicopter by any persons who thought this was a serious post.
