Daily Dose of Common Sense

Waiting in line sucks. We all hate it, yet most of us do it every day. At the grocery, post office, drug store, restaurant, Target…. we’re in line waiting to pay. Well, here’s a gripe: Why isn’t everyone READY to pay when the time comes? You were in line. You knew money would be exchanged soon. You had the time to get your credit card or cash ready while standing in line. So, why are you fumbling around in your wallet once the cashier gives you the total? The rest of us are behind you and we’re READY to pay.

While in line, get your finances ready, people. That way, the line moves faster!

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The fastest growing group on Facebook is the 35-54 set, which can lead to sticky situations with real consequences for many people. Therefore, who you friend is as important as who you don’t. As an example, a survey out this week found that 56% of people believe it’s irresponsible to friend your boss on Facebook. Seems there are more categories to be considered as well. So, here’s our common sense list of “To Friend, or Not to Friend.”

Should you friend…

…your boss? As the survey lends us to believe, it’s probably a bad idea. Not only are you possibly exposing awkward photos, status updates, and Wall posts, but your boss can actually SEE if you’re on Facebook at any given time. (The “Friends Online” feature reveals who is logged into the site.) Unless you plan to do all your Facebooking after hours (ha!), then let the boss actually think you’re working. Also, it’s hard to claim a “sick” day when you post photos of your impromptu trip to Six Flags the next day.

…your parents? This is tricky. It really depends on your parents. Are they the judgmental type? Do they disapprove of your lifestyle, job, or friends? If they’re the easy-going, we-love-you-just-the-way-you-are parents, then you’re probably safe. However, you don’t want to become the black sheep over your online revelations. Plus, if you connect to your folks, you might learn more than YOU want to know. (Be prepared for a barrage of Farmville.)

…your kids? As we just talked about, you might learn more than you want to know. Are you invading your child’s internet privacy? Or, are you just trying to stay more connected? If it’s the later, that is certainly a noble reason. Just don’t expect them to appreciate it. More than likely, you’ll just embarrass them.

…your ex? Before you try to maintain a friendship (albeit an online one) with an ex, ask yourself if you’re ready to hear about his or her new relationships. If you can handle seeing vacation pictures of he and his new girlfriend in Bermuda, then it’s probably OK to be Facebook friends. But, if hearing about how happy he or she is without you sends you over the edge, it’s not worth it. Also, if you friend an ex just to keep tabs on him or her “just in case” (or worse, for some revenge plot), then that’s just wrong.

…randoms? If you can’t remember the person from high school, then why stay connected to them on Facebook? Ditto for a friend of a friend, or someone who was blindly suggested by Facebook. Yes, you can hide friends from your News Feed. But, if you friend someone knowing that you’re just going to hide them, why friend them in the first place?

Facebook isn’t just about collecting as many friends as you can. It should be about interacting with a network of people you’re interested in. Don’t let the friend requests bog you down. When in doubt, IGNORE!

It never fails: A subway car is packed to the gills and some knucklehead still has a giant backpack on. If you commute by anything other than a car, or if you’re frequently around tourist attractions, you have likely had the same unhappy experience at some point.

A lot of backpack wearers never take the pack off. Ever. So, even in a crowd, the big ‘ol backpack is whacking people in the face, back, or chest. The owner usually seems oblivious and continues to barrel on through the crowd.

What is it with you backpackers? Have some consideration for the rest of us!

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If you live in close confines, chances are your neighbors hear you having sex. Most walls just aren’t that thick.

A group of New Yorkers were polled, and…

According to the survey, the most common sounds heard through the walls were thumping (60 percent), moaning (56 percent), screaming (28 percent) and “other” (23 percent).

But just 12 percent of New Yorkers said neighbors ever complained about their lovemaking, and only 24 percent said they went out of their way to pipe down.

So, you can assume that your neighbors hear you getting it on, but the good news is that you won’t receive many (if at all) complaints about it. Pretty good news the day before Valentine’s Day, huh?

[Via PatsPapers]

If you’re a fan of wearing your PJs in public, be glad you don’t live in Shanghai or in Cardiff, Wales.

With the World Expo 2010 looming, officials in Shanghai have launched a campaign encouraging citizens to leave their pajamas at home. If you look at the photos, it’s hard to see what the fuss is about. The pajamas look quite respectable: They match, they’re bright and colorful, and we don’t see any obvious stains or signs of wear. I mean, most people don’t have PJs this nice.

A grocery store in Wales is now refusing service to anyone shopping while wearing PJs. I understand that a few folks might be uncomfortable at the thought of someone, fresh from bed, frolicking amongst the cantaloupe in his or her night clothes. However, there isn’t much difference between pajamas and most of the casual “workout” clothes you see people wearing all the time. In fact, athletic clothes are usually tight, and some of the folks wearing said outfits should be in much, much looser clothing.

It can be a hard call, too. Some pajamas don’t look like pajamas, and some regular clothes might be confused for PJs. How can you really be sure?

I would much, MUCH rather see people in loose-fighting, tasteful pajamas than some of the outfits I’ve seen while shopping in Target and Walmart. Not to pick on those two fine retail establishments, but…well, there’s a web site you can check for verification. We made fun of the “pajama/jean” concept here, but perhaps this is a just a bigger trend to get us all in pajamas 24/7. (Sure would come in handy after a big meal!) So, lighten up on the PJs, folks. It could be worse.

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On August 28th,1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most powerful speeches in modern history. Commonly referred to as the “I have a dream” speech, King spoke bravely and wisely, and called for an end to discrimination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, celebrated every third Monday in January, honors his birthday, which is January 15th. The day is one of only four United States federal holidays which commemorate an individual.

So, on this third Monday of January 2010, take a moment to listen again to (or reread) his iconic words spoken 47 years ago. The words are just as relevant and important now as they were then.

Read it

Listen to it

Photo: The U.S. National Archives

One thing I’ve noticed about suburban shopping is that it’s hard to return a shopping cart. Why else would you see a parking lot like this:

Actually, it’s not hard to return a shopping cart. It’s fairly easy. There are cart return sections all over most parking lots. Some people just won’t expend the effort. In this particular photo, there were at least six parking spaces rendered unusable because of the unreturned carts.

I have also seen carts bang into cars, people, and buildings. All because someone wasn’t courteous enough to take two minutes to return the cart to a proper place. Come on, are we so lazy?

Is it me, or has 911 become a self-help line? In recent news, there have been some crazy requests called into the hotline that is supposed to be for EMERGENCIES only. For example:

• In November, a Florida man called 911 looking for sex. He claimed it was the only number that would work since his cell minutes ran out.
• A volunteer firefighter in Colorado was just arrested last week for making 48 phony 911 calls. Depressed and suicidal, the woman seemed most interested in monitoring the law enforcement response to her calls.
• A Texas woman called 911 to report that her husband wouldn’t eat his dinner. She has also called the emergency line to report her dogs missing or that she couldn’t find her clothes.
• Today, a mom in Boston called 911 because her son would not stop playing video games. Police responded and were able to convince the child to go to sleep.

It seems that some people have lost the ability to judge what is an emergency. I was taught that 911 should only be used in a life-threatening situation. Minor injuries, routine medical check-ups, parental assistance, and loneliness don’t count.

This article has a great discussion of the increasing abuse of the 911 system:

If you call 911 because your toilet is overflowing, the fire department will come. Call 911 because you’re lonely, the fire department comes. If you call 911 but call back to say you changed your mind, it’s too late.

The fire department will come.

“We err on the side of responding,” [Lt. Jake Nyhart of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue] said. “That one time you miss a real call and someone dies, you’re liable.”

Some communities have carried out 911-awareness campaigns to educate the public on when it is appropriate (or not appropriate) to contact emergency services. According to the article, these sorts of efforts generally only increase the number of non-emergency calls to 911.

The unfortunate part is that these trips cost money, sometimes three or four hundred dollars a pop. And, since it’s taxpayer money at work, that means you and I are on the hook for it. I think anyone who calls 911 for a non-emergency situation should be issued a bill. They should be expected to pay back their frivolous waste of taxpayer money. Then, perhaps they would think twice about calling the next time a non-emergency occurs.

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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Just not when I want to travel.

You’ve probably heard about the 2,000 or so folks stuck in the Chunnel for 16 hours on Friday. No heat, no food, no water, no bathrooms. For SIXTEEEN hours. Doesn’t it seem incomprehensible that any person would be forced to endure these conditions in this day and age? After 4 or 5 hours, you think someone would have come up with a solution to get those people out of there. Or, at least found a way to get them food, water, and blankets.

Remember the Jet Blue incident a few years ago where passengers were left sitting on a runway for over 10 hours? They were so close to the terminal but no one was allowed to get off the plane. Again, this was during an intense winter storm.

Delays beyond three hours are rare and occur in extreme circumstances, usually during peak travel days in the winter, when extreme weather can have a huge impact on scheduling.

Over the 2008-09 winter period, U.S. airlines reported 373 tarmac delays in excess of three hours, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

So, the good news is that the DOT has just mandated that the maximum length passengers can be confined in a plane on the runway is 3 hours. It seems pathetic that we needed the government to get involved in this no-brainer. But, airlines see us as little more than cattle. In fact, they are complaining that a 3-hour cap is going to cause “more cancelled flights and greater passenger inconvenience.”

Yeah, because sitting for 10 hours on a runway isn’t inconvenient for us AT ALL.

I would much rather have my flight cancelled or rescheduled than sit on the runway for a few hours. Wouldn’t you?

Photo: Carl Court / AFP/Getty Images / December 19, 2009

You’re driving down a busy road, looking ahead to your destination. You see it, and–lucky you!–there’s a parking spot on the side of the road. You pull in and then go to get out of your car. Do you:

A) Open your door quickly to get out. You’re in a hurry, after all!
B) Open your door quickly and stick your leg out onto the road. Oncoming traffic will stop, right?
C) Check the traffic flow to make sure that you can exit your car safely. You don’t get out until you’re sure that your car door will not get taken off by an oncoming car.

If you answered C, congratulations! You show enough common sense to procreate. It is AMAZING how many people do either A or B. Besides really stupid and dangerous, it’s also selfish. Why is it my responsibility as a moving vehicle to stop and wait for you to get out of your car?

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