Monday, May 23, 2011

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Chapter Two: Don't Stop In Your Tracks

What is it about an escalator that befuddles people?  I never get on an escalator when I don't observe riders in front of me getting that "What am I going to do when I reach the top/bottom?" blank look on their faces.  Here's an idea:  When you reach the top or bottom, move out of the way!  The top or bottom of an escalator, directly in its path of entry or exit, is NOT a good place to get your bearings.  


It's OK to take a few extra steps away from the escalator while you figure out if you need to go left to get to the Cinnabon kiosk, or if you need to go right to get to Popeye's Chicken.  In fact, it's a GREAT idea to take those few side steps.  An escalator can be a dangerous mode of transportation if you don't.






While we are on the subject, here are some other places where you should not stop in your tracks:

  1. The entrance to the ladies' room.  
  2. The entrance or exit to a store.  
  3. At the shopping cart corral inside the grocery store.
  4. In the middle of the street as you are crossing from one side to the other when there are people behind you.
  5. In the doorway of an elevator while you are shouting out to your friend, "Don't hurry, I'm holding the door for you!"
  6. In the movie theater as you enter after the movie has already started and you are looking for your friends who are already seated.
  7. In mid-cycle of a revolving door.
  8. When you are directly in front of anybody with a cup of coffee in their hands.
  9. When you reach your car that is parked in a prime location and there are cars waiting to get it.
  10. If you are a man and you are with your wife and you see a really, really beautiful woman.

Friday, February 18, 2011

'Nuff Said No. 2

The time to get your form of payment out is not when the cashier has completed ringing up your purchases.  The time to get it out is at the beginning of the transaction.  Come on!  This is not your first rodeo!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Chapter One: Your Purse Does Not Need Its Own Seat



If you've been in an airport in your lifetime, you know that there are always ten times more people waiting at the gate area than there are actual seats.  I took this picture recently because it illustrates the point I want to make:  Your purse does NOT need its own seat.  Neither does your luggage or your soft drink for that matter.  Look at the nice gentleman in the foreground.  He has placed his coffee on the ground.  And I dare say there's a better argument for coffee needing its own chair than those other items!

Interesting ...

I think about people taking up precious seating space with inanimate objects a lot and I think about it on several different levels.  First, there's the obvious.  Why would anybody think it's OK to let scores of people stand around -- juggling babies, food, reading material, travel documents, etc. -- while their possession is comfortable in a chair of its own?  Second, nothing says "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" more than this.  No, the person is not actually shouting this but their actions are!  And this brings me to my third thought.  Why are we so averse to people being near us physically in an age when we bare our souls emotionally to people every day (for instance, this blog!)?

Funny ...

And I find it funny on a couple of levels too.  Invariably, people who allow their "things" to have their own seat refuse to make eye contact with you.  What do we all do when we feel guilty? We avert eye contact!!  You know who you are!!  And the most hilarious thing of all is that as soon as we get seated on the airplane, there will be people REALLY close to us.  Why not prep for the real deal?

But mostly just plain ...

Rude.

Soooooo .....

Next time you are in a situation like this (it doesn't have to be an airport), think more highly of others and a little less of your things.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

'Nuff Said No. 1

Just because you can squeeze into something doesn't mean you should actually wear it.

'Nuff said, huh?

The Book In My Head

I am privileged in that I get to travel.  A lot.  And on those travels, sometimes the best (OK, sometimes it's the worst) part is the people watching.  You get to learn a lot about human nature in an airport.  Whenever I observe something that is to my liking, and more often when I observe something that is NOT to my liking, I look over at Steve and comment, "That's going in the book."

"What book?" you might ask.  Well, it's the imaginary book that has been written, rewritten, added to, edited and shelved in my head for several years now.  The book about how people either thrill me or frustrate me. Steve will tell you it's more about the latter than the former.  I keep adding chapters to The Book In My Head as I wander through life.   I need to get some of those chapters out of my head and onto "paper" so that I can make room for more chapters in my head.

There is an endless supply of topics jingling around in my noggin.  Some topics require full chapters.  Some just a paragraph ... I call those my "'nuff said" chapters.

Stay tuned for Chapter One!