Holding-hands...

Why is it that most people our age, girls...even guys surprisingly, feel the urge to 'meet-up' before heading out to a specific place. This process only wastes time and makes someone drive out of the way, just so everyone can walk into wherever it is they're going, at the same time. I completely understand if your trying to consolidate the number of cars that are driving, going somewhere where you don't know anyone, or need directions...but most of the times those reasons are not the case. Maybe people think they're more important if they show-up with a larger group...or maybe people feel insecure to go somewhere alone. I'm sure both of those explanations are wrong...but I honestly can not think of anything logical...so that's the best I can come up with. I always like to point out to people that meeting up for no earthly reason is just a waste of time...."Yeah that's a good idea, lets drive out of the way to meet up everyone, then drive all the way back towards this direction to go out. That way we can all hold-hands and walk in together." This is the point where I usually get blank stares...as everyone senses my sarcasm...yet can not justify the reasoning behind the unnecessary course of action. I think it was about the 3rd grade, when I gave-up on holding-hands to cross the street....apparently some of us still hold on to old habits.

Babysitting...

We all have those friends that are fun to be around, well most of the time, share similar interests, someone you share a lot of history with....and a few other positive characteristics/traits that make them one-of-a-kind. However, there is that one aspect of them that makes you scratch your head time-to-time. What I am referring to is the babysitting aspect. This person is the type of friend that is a winner in all other categories except that they need to be babysitted, taken care of, etc... Which is quite an amazing feat if you think about it...to have been brought up in this modern-day society for 20+ years and still need someone to take care of them. Someone to get them out of trouble, to make sure they pay their rent on time, to take care of once kicked out of a bar...the list goes on. I look at some of my one-of-kind friends and wonder where did they go wrong. What path did they take in life which brought them to the point where they still need to be babysitted? We don't get paid $7.50 an hour, we don't get free food/drinks in the fridge, no free cable to watch....nothing. In fact, we usually get in trouble somehow for helping these people out. I personally have never been a babysitter while growing up, never had younger cousins or neighbors that trusted me with their kids, but I'm sure that job was a lot more luxurious then the job description I just described. I'm far from perfect....very far....and need the occasional kick in the ass or piece of advise to get me back on track...so I'm sure I have a few babysitters of my own. As I know how annoying it is to babysit someone, since I've done it one too many times...whoever it is that takes care of me when I can't do so myself....please give me a harder kick next time....I don't want to be that guy!

Chameleons...

Growing-up you come across people from all walks of life. Take the high school cafeteria for example....there is a fine line that divides the different seating available: the 'smart but semi-cool' area, the 'smart and geeky' area, the 'die-hard band members' area, the 'thespians' area, the 'future sorority/frat people' area, the 'druggies' area, the 'Gothic' area and alas the 'non-English speaking' area. We all know where we belonged. As such, we would buy our lunch and sit at our respective tables. And time-to-time snicker or crack a joke amongst our lunchroom peers about the other tables. The first day of school was always the day of declaration. You would declare to the rest of the school who you were going to be this year, based on where you chose to sit. Any drastic submissions would be rejected....but for the most part people never tried to fit in where they didn't belong. We all knew our place and were happy with who we were. However, there was always that one person that moved from table to table. The person that seemed to have the golden ticket that allowed them to sit at any table of their choice. This person was like a chameleon...they would blend in with their surroundings by finding something to relate to with each table. These chameleons were the most powerful people in school...usually destined to have their picture above the caption, "Class President" in their senior-year yearbook. Fast forward about ten years to Corporate America and you'll find yourself in a similar situation...just replace cafeteria lunches with after-work happy hours. You drink and hang-out with those that are in your group and time-to-time venture off to another group.....but only for a brief moment....not long enough to have a meaningful conversation but long enough for superiors to see that you are taking some imitative. Whether or not to try to find something of similar interest with everyone you meet is a personal preference. In the end, we tend to hang out with people of our own type in our personal lives, so why bother putting the extra effort at work. People often say that you just spread yourself thin by befriending everyone you meet...this may be true...but sometimes I'd like to think that you also develop more as a person. Knowing how different types of people function and think seems to be something that could come in handy later in my life. Besides, if anything...you get invited to more happy-hours...

Demoted...

Where do you draw the line of who is a friend and who is an acquaintance. Most people have gone thru a list of supposed friends through-out the different eras in their lives: pre-high-school friends, high-school friends, college-friends and alas work-friends. However, sometimes an individual that was a friend before is no longer one now...they have now been demoted to a mere acquaintance. Is that really such a bad thing? To be demoted to an acquaintance. With some friends it's almost like who are we kidding to think that the two of us are still friends. The last conversation you've had with them, that was non-internet based, was over two years ago. You never see them, you never talk to them, all you do is send an occasional ping on GTalk or AIM and forward them a funny email with no personal content within. Does that stuff really count towards friendship? I would like to think that to be a friend you have to actually know something current about someone...other then what can be found on their facebook profile (i.e. single, works at Merrill, fav movie is Departed and fav book is Kite Runner). Furthermore, being demoted from a friend to an acquaintance does not make you a bad person...nor does it prevent you from being promoted back to friend sometime in the future. And there's plenty of benefits of being an acquaintance that friends don't enjoy...such as not being obligated to call on a birthday or having to offer a ride to the airport. If your a mere acquaintance and forget to call someone on their birthday...so be it...it's not your job...those duties are for a friend. People often feel that an acquaintance is the bottom of the bucket. This is not true...you still have strangers beneath you and further down the hierarchy are enemies. So in fact, an acquaintance is a 2 out of a 4 (with #1 being the best and reserved for friends). I don't mind being a 2....shoot, that's like getting a B in class without having to do any work!

Radio Star...

Video Killed the Radio Star was a hit back in 1979. Most everyone....who's anyone....has heard the original by the Buggles or by one of the numerous other bands that have done a cover of it. Back in its time, this song's message was that the new generation would not appreciate the past...that teenagers in the 80s did not appreciate the radio stars that were created thru drama shows that were broadcasted on the radio for the listening public in the 50's and 60's. It goes without saying that this song/message is a bit outdated. As, not only have the radio stars fizzled away...but so have the videos. I don't think I have seen a full music video on MTV in 5 years. Its always a mere 30 sec snippet of a video or some stupid high school reality show. Which gets me to my original thought....if someone was to make a sequel to this original song, Video Killed the Radio Star...it would have to be titled...Reality Show Killed the Sitcom Star. Gone are the days of Seinfeld and The Cosby Show and here are the days of Jerry Springer prancing around stage competing against Jerry Rice in a ballroom dance-off.

Courtesy...

To be successful in Corporate America, I have been told that you need to learn how to play golf, keep up with current news, come in before your boss, leave after him, be flexible and about a few other things which I don't care to get into at this moment. I don't possess many of those traits, but what I can bring to the table is more important then anything listed above....the courtesy laugh. I have found that if you simply laugh at people's jokes, no matter how funny they are.....or are not...then you quickly become the most popular guy in the office. Everyone loves the co-worker that laughs at their jokes. You see...when you laugh at someone's jokes you give that person a sense of pride...a sense of accomplishment...something that money or even a $10 an hour out-sourced employee in India can't provide. Every office has a few of these make-shift comedians...people that make jokes about everything and are rarely funny. Instead of staring blankly right back at them or giving them an obviously fake laugh, I give them a perfected courtesy laugh. A laugh that sounds genuine...giving them a sense of accomplishment...and in turn, me good reviews. Look around and try to figure out who's the make-shift comedian in your office...I'm sure you will find a few...if not, then it is probably you.

Commercials...

2008 Superbowl ads are $2.8mm for a mere 30-second spot. Agreed...that you have a ton of people watching these ads, so the big-wig executives of these multi-million dollar companies that approve the expenditure are making a good decision in terms of exposure. However, who gets anything for the ad, other then their company's name thrown out on all the big screens in America? That's why I think 'The Eels' are smarter then the rest. They're a music group that is considering to pay $100k for a 1-second spot that simply flashes the letter "U" on the screen. The letter U is the first letter of their new album "Useless Trinkets". Agreed that doesn't tell the viewer much, but there have been various articles online/magazines on this possible commercial scheme.....which in turn gives the company/band what they wanted in the first place....exposure.

Popcorn...

Whoever invented the unlimited refills on 'large' drinks and popcorns at movie theaters is a genius. It's hard enough to justify getting the medium when the large is only $.75 more, in spite of just coming from a restaurant for dinner. But when they throw "Unlimited Refills" in the mix, then it seems almost stupid not to get the large. I don't get popcorn often, but when I do it's definitely the Unlimited Refill size.......to this day, I have yet to get-up in the middle of the movie to wait in line to get a refill.

Friday...

Fridays are supposed to be the best day of the week. However many of times I find them to be the most nerve-racking, as I spend hours on in debating whether or not to go out.