funeral processions

i don't understand funeral processions. is it really so crucial that everyone get to the cemetery at the same time? is it worth interrupting traffic and inconveniencing hundreds of people along the way? i mean, everyone has directions anyway. i don't get this rule. how did it start anyway? one day people just declared that people going to a funeral have right of way, ignoring all red lights and other drivers? i bet it seemed like a pretty stupid idea when it was first introduced, but somehow it has become accepted in our society.

the other day i saw one going through this huge intersection near me, grant and the boulevard (i always brag about how it's the 3rd most dangerous intersection in the country, although they put those red light cameras up there a year ago, i got caught once, 100 dollar fine, i ran a red light by .03 seconds i think, what a joke). anyway, this one procession was going through, the light turns red, they continue to go. i don't know if the opposing traffic didn't realize what was going on, or just didn't care, but the procession just got totally obliterated. it was great. no accidents or anything, we all just inched our way forward until they slowed down and then we went through them. it was a like a rebellion or something. very surreal. i was glad to be a part of it.

deal or no deal

so i was watching deal or no deal the other day. i really don't like that show. i mean, they just give away money. i keep thinking, how do you become a contestant on this show? you can win thousands of dollars just for calling out numbers on briefcases. why doesn't everyone in america try to be on this show? it's free money. just seems weird.

but on to my point. every time i watch one of these game shows (millionaire, greed, weakest link, etc), i always have the same thought. say you were on deal or no deal, and you didn't take the banker's offer because you wanted more money, and you end up getting the 5 dollar briefcase or something when you could have had like 500,000 dollars. my question is: how could you live with yourself after that? knowing that you blew 500 grand on a hunch you had on a TV game show in front of the whole nation. or gambling on the million dollar question on millionaire and getting it wrong and only getting 32,000? i mean, how can you go home and sleep that night? or go to work the next day? i would be haunted by it forever. any money problems i had after that would just be that much worse. it could potentially ruin your whole life.

i also don't get how, when this happens, the contestant just smiles and takes it in stride. if it were me up there and that happened, i'd be catatonic. i'd start yelling and flipping chairs. i don't get how these people can have so much money on the line and hide their emotions so well when they blow it all. it's probably all fake.

this also happens on jeopardy at the end during final jeopardy. as they reveal everyone's answers and wagers, all the contestants are stone faced. wouldn't they be nervous about their opponents' answers? and when they see them, wouldn't they quickly do the math in their head to see what their new total is and if their wager was enough and all that? they never do that at all. i think trebek tells them they can't have any reaction whatsoever. they probably already know the result.

more random game show thoughts while i'm on the topic. whenever i watch wheel of fortune i start believing pat sajak has seen that wheel turn so many times in his life that he can tell where it's gonna stop before everyone else can. sometimes he'll say what it's on when it's like 4 spots away. it's amazing.

chicken tenders

so i'm at work tonight (i'm actually still at work writing this, don't tell anyone), and around comes dinner time so some people from the office (can i call it an office? it's not really an office building, more of a complex). so three people from the complex get food from this place we frequent called angelo's, i pass because i'm not that hungry. so the food arrives and the two guys i'm with start eating right away. but the third guy, nick, can't be found anywhere in the complex.

so the aroma wafts my way and of course i start getting hungry. and i start wondering what to do in this situation. can i eat this dude's food? how long do i have to wait? i joke to my colleague brad, who got the food, that if he's not back in 5 minutes i'm eating his food. half joke, that is. i mean, i was hungry, and we all know i love food. so 5 minutes later i'm about to eat it and brad says you better give me the 8 bucks for that if you eat it. the following conversation ensues.

J - 'but nick already gave you the money for it right?'
B - 'yeah'
J - 'so i shouldn't have to pay you'
B - 'but you're eating his food, you gotta pay for it'
J - 'but not you, if nick shows up then i'll pay him'
B - 'if nick shows up he'll wonder why you're eating his food'

i realize i am stuck. i say look, i'll go look for nick so at least i can say i made an effort to make sure he didn't miss out on his food. of course i really just wanted to make sure he wasn't still here and about to burst in and see me gorging myself on his chicken tenders.

long story short, i pay brad the 8 bucks and eat the tenders, which of course were cold after all this deliberation. but i can't help feeling i got screwed here. i should've gotten that food for free, and that way, next week, if nick says anthing, i'll pay him. if he says nothing, then oh well, his loss. don't buy food and not eat it. if i were him and i came in the next week and found out someone had eaten my food, i'd feel like an ass asking for the 8 dollars for it.

this touches on another tricky food related topic. when people order food and there are leftovers, i.e. pizza slices, and everyone is full, can the guy who didn't get anything have it? does he have to pay? are the original buyers entitled to save it for tomorrow? after 4 years of encountering this in college, i still don't know the answer.