Immediate discount Dec 9, 2009
I showed up to a thing in a faraway place recently and this guy asked me what route I had taken to get there.  I said something like (and this will only make sense to Jerseyites), "80 to 287 to 24 to 78 to the Parkway."  How did I know that combination of roads off the top of my head?  Because that's how you get everywhere in New Jersey when you live where I live and go where I tend to go.  Sure, you could take a bunch of stupid backroads and go 25 mph through towns and traffic lights, but the absolute quickest way to get from my house to pretty much anywhere is on major highways.  And in my little world, that's really not up for debate.  I'm not open to new ideas about this.  I've tried some different options, but I've made up my mind, and I'm sticking to it.  So the guy says, "Oh, you should've taken 80 to 287 to 27 to Main Street to Stupid Road.  That's the quickest way."  It might've been a product of this "type" of guy (argumentative, annoying), but right when he said that, I immediately discounted him and decided to never listen to another thing he said.  So far it's been working out well for me, though I can't be completely sure because I stopped listening to him. 

The same thing happened recently when I filled out a health risk questionnaire online.  I inputted my height and weight, and I was promptly and simply told that I was overweight.  I've been called many offensive things in my life, such as "scrawny," "pasty," and "furry," but "overweight" has never been one of them.  And while I admit that I've gained a good 15 lbs in the past five years, I absolutely refuse to think of myself as overweight.  That being said, I immediately discounted anything else this stupid questionnaire had to offer (such as the never-before-heard "diet and exercise") and finished it as quickly as possible. 

It's not that I won't discuss differing opinions with people or won't accept new ideas, it's that I've made up my mind on certain simple issues, and if someone or something tries to disagree with me, I'll stop listening.  I think that's fair. #psychology
Airport psychology Dec 9, 2009
As I was standing in the security line at Newark Airport last week, I was in a rush.  Or at least I felt like I was in a rush.  In fact, I was well over an hour early for my flight, but I felt compelled to try to rush through security and get to my gate, where I would sit and wait and be annoyed at how long it took for my plane to board.  I don't know if it's all the people who are actually in a rush, or the cold, oppressive feeling of being in a linoleum and stainless steel airport, or if it has something to do with the militaristic TSA people, but there's just something about being in an airport that makes me nervous and anxious. 

Jump ahead to my return flight from Tampa, FL, and things were different.  I don't know if it was because the airport was carpeted, or the TSA people were nicer (they were), or because I wouldn't have minded missing my flight and staying in Florida a little longer, but I didn't feel like I was in a rush.  I even got pulled aside for the private "stand in a futuristic booth while some gizmo rotates around your body" security screening, and I had a wonderful time.  I even made a joke to one of the TSA people, who responded to me in a semi-human manner.  Come to think of it, there weren't as many people in line with me, and there was Christmas music playing in the background.  I was whistling along with the Christmas music.  How can you not? 

This experience brings to mind the idea of airport psychology.  It seems obvious that airports could do a few things to ease the tension experienced by travelers.  Paint the walls in calming colors.  Play some music.  Make those TSA idiots smile at least once per day.  In the world of "we'll treat you like a criminal until a strip-search proves otherwise," it would be nice to feel calm and relaxed every once in a while. #travel
Descriptive product names Dec 9, 2009
Four overly descriptive product names: 
  1. Snot sucker
  2. Urinal cake
  3. Puke bucket
  4. Poop candle
You're welcome. #products