Have you ever seen that credit card commercial where several scenarios with products are shown with their prices and at the end of a scenario the announcer says, “Priceless.” Put a conundrum spin on that concept and I had a day like that commercial last Friday.
Scenario One: I was driving back from work on Highway 212. I had my speed control set at 57 mph. There were two cars ahead of me. The nearest car was at least 8 – 10 car lengths in front of me. As I was heading to Granite Falls, I saw a Highway Patrol car waiting along the shoulder of the opposite lane. Naturally, the car in front of me braked and, naturally, the distance between us diminished. After I passed the Highway Patrol car, the office made a U-Turn in the middle of the highway. He closed in behind me. I still had my speed control set. The officer got closer. The driver in front of me slowed down. The distance between us diminished. I had to brake to disengage my speed control. The driver in front of me continued to slow…55, 54, 53, 52, 51, and 50. I continued to slow down. The officer behind me kept his distance at…oh – two, maybe, three car lengths behind me. After tailgating me for about a quarter of a mile, the officer passed me. Now the car ahead of both of us slowed down again. I braked to try to keep the distance between my car and the Highway Patrol car at 4 to 5 car lengths. The officer passed that car and gunned it. About a mile down the road he turned on his flashers and pulled over the car he was after. Conundrum One: Why do law enforcement officers, with an air of insouciance, set aside the laws of the road the rest of us are expected to obey?
Scenario Two: Another instance of insouciance. Later that day, a friend of mine and I decided to go to Willmar to see the movie Avatar. We went early enough to have a nice dinner before the show.
Conundrum Two: Be suspect of service at a sit down restaurant when the management and wait staff do not wear name tags. The tags simply state ‘Trainee’ or ‘Supervisor’. The restaurant was very busy. We were seated by a hostess and a waitress came to take our order. Everything seemed to be going as planned. The waitress brought my meal and told me they were out of apple cinnamon muffins. I ordered a blueberry muffin instead. She did not bring my friend’s meal. She turned to leave without a comment about my friend’s meal. There was no silverware on the table. I asked for silverware. She left and came back with the silverware and still no comment about my friend’s meal. She turned to leave again, leaned against the table next to ours to visit with a group of her friends. I called to her three times, “Miss. Miss. Miss.” (Remember no name tags only a ‘Trainee’ badge.) She came back to our table and we explained that my friend hadn’t gotten her meal. She looked in her order book… like the meal was gonna be in there…and went to find out about the missing meal. As she walked away she turned and said, “Oh, we’re out of blueberry muffins too.” I agreed to toast. She bought my toast. The missing meal was still missing. She never returned to our table, nor did any other server. My friend went up to talk to the ‘Supervisor’ (Remember no name tags). He explained that our server had gotten ill. He assured her she would get her meal. Forty five minutes after we arrived, the missing meal still missing, we left. Next time you go to Willmar and you’re wondering where to eat, ‘Perkins or McMillans?’ May I suggest McMillans. (In fairness, the ‘Supervisor’ apologized … he said he’d forgotten all about us…and I did not pay for my meal.)
Scenario Three: Another instance of insouciance. This time mine. Since my friend had not eaten we decided to stop at Cub Foods so she could pick up a quick snack. I pulled up and let her off by the door, drove ahead to the next door, put my flashers on and waited for her to come out. Conundrum Three: Why, when I have the flashers on in my car and I’m pulled up to the curb, do people pull up right behind me and expect me to drive away?
Priceless: Sitting in a dark movie theatre, the entire audience adorned in 3-D glasses, staring straight ahead at the screen.
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Have you ever seen that credit card commercial where several scenarios with products are shown with their prices and at the end of a scenario the announcer says, “Priceless.” Put a conundrum spin on that concept and I had a day like that commercial last Friday.
Scenario One: I was driving back from work on Highway 212. I had my speed control set at 57 mph. There were two cars ahead of me. The nearest car was at least 8 – 10 car lengths in front of me. As I was heading to Granite Falls, I saw a Highway Patrol car waiting along the shoulder of the opposite lane. Naturally, the car in front of me braked and, naturally, the distance between us diminished. After I passed the Highway Patrol car, the office made a U-Turn in the middle of the highway. He closed in behind me. I still had my speed control set. The officer got closer. The driver in front of me slowed down. The distance between us diminished. I had to brake to disengage my speed control. The driver in front of me continued to slow…55, 54, 53, 52, 51, and 50. I continued to slow down. The officer behind me kept his distance at…oh – two, maybe, three car lengths behind me. After tailgating me for about a quarter of a mile, the officer passed me. Now the car ahead of both of us slowed down again. I braked to try to keep the distance between my car and the Highway Patrol car at 4 to 5 car lengths. The officer passed that car and gunned it. About a mile down the road he turned on his flashers and pulled over the car he was after. Conundrum One: Why do law enforcement officers, with an air of insouciance, set aside the laws of the road the rest of us are expected to obey?
Scenario Two: Another instance of insouciance. Later that day, a friend of mine and I decided to go to Willmar to see the movie Avatar. We went early enough to have a nice dinner before the show.
Conundrum Two: Be suspect of service at a sit down restaurant when the management and wait staff do not wear name tags. The tags simply state ‘Trainee’ or ‘Supervisor’. The restaurant was very busy. We were seated by a hostess and a waitress came to take our order. Everything seemed to be going as planned. The waitress brought my meal and told me they were out of apple cinnamon muffins. I ordered a blueberry muffin instead. She did not bring my friend’s meal. She turned to leave without a comment about my friend’s meal. There was no silverware on the table. I asked for silverware. She left and came back with the silverware and still no comment about my friend’s meal. She turned to leave again, leaned against the table next to ours to visit with a group of her friends. I called to her three times, “Miss. Miss. Miss.” (Remember no name tags only a ‘Trainee’ badge.) She came back to our table and we explained that my friend hadn’t gotten her meal. She looked in her order book… like the meal was gonna be in there…and went to find out about the missing meal. As she walked away she turned and said, “Oh, we’re out of blueberry muffins too.” I agreed to toast. She bought my toast. The missing meal was still missing. She never returned to our table, nor did any other server. My friend went up to talk to the ‘Supervisor’ (Remember no name tags). He explained that our server had gotten ill. He assured her she would get her meal. Forty five minutes after we arrived, the missing meal still missing, we left. Next time you go to Willmar and you’re wondering where to eat, ‘Perkins or McMillans?’ May I suggest McMillans. (In fairness, the ‘Supervisor’ apologized … he said he’d forgotten all about us…and I did not pay for my meal.)
Scenario Three: Another instance of insouciance. This time mine. Since my friend had not eaten we decided to stop at Cub Foods so she could pick up a quick snack. I pulled up and let her off by the door, drove ahead to the next door, put my flashers on and waited for her to come out. Conundrum Three: Why, when I have the flashers on in my car and I’m pulled up to the curb, do people pull up right behind me and expect me to drive away?
Priceless: Sitting in a dark movie theatre, the entire audience adorned in 3-D glasses, staring straight ahead at the screen.
