November 23, 2007
FOUR FOR FRIDAY - THE "BETTER LATE IN THE DAY THAN NEVER" EDITION
Q1 - Luggage: You can't stand in an airport for more than a minute or two before hearing: "For security reasons, please do not leave your baggage unattended. Unattended baggage will be confiscated." Keeping that in mind, what would you do if, while waiting to board a plane, a complete stranger asked you to watch their luggage while they head off to the bathroom? If you're reaction to this question is to automatically say: "I wouldn't do it," would your answer be "Yes" if you were physically attracted to the person?
Q2 - Thanksgiving: How would you rate the amount of food you ate on Thanksgiving day -- same amount you eat during an average day, less than you normally eat, more than you normally eat, or a ridiculously large amount of food/you can't believe you ate the whole thing and actually wish you hadn't?
Q3 - Holiday Shopping: According to the National Retail Federation, the average U.S. citizen plans to spend an average of $816.69 on holiday-related shopping. The research also suggests we will spend an additional $106.67 on special "non-gift" purchases for ourselves. Do these numbers ring true for you... will you be spending nearly $925.00 this holiday season? If not, do you think you'll spend more or less?
Q4 - WAKE UP!: When you travel, do you use the hotel's wake-up call system or do you prefer to futz with the hotel's alarm clock or a clock of your own?
Posted by Mikal at November 23, 2007 11:34 PM
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1. I travel almost weekly, I don't think anyone I don't know has ever asked me to watch their luggage. I am not sure what I would do if asked.
2. I ate , more than I normally eat, but not quite "a ridiculously large amount of food/you can't believe you ate the whole thing and actually wish you hadn't?"
3. I normally don't spend that much, but me be close this year. Most of it will be on me because I am pretty sure I will be buying a 42 or 46 in flat screen TV.
4. I am in hotels weekly and usually use the clock in the room. I generally stay in Hampton or Hilton Garden Inns and their clocks are easy to use.
1. I have been asked, and it's usually some woman with kids who needs to take them to the bathroom. One time a guy parked his carry-on bag and coat next to the seat I was sitting in (meanwhile there's a million other empty rows of seats) and takes off. I was a little paranoid about it and moved away, but he eventually returned. I was surprised no one checked why it was sitting there unattended. I don't like when people ask me to keep an eye on their bags, and it doesn't matter who they are or what they look like, I don't want the responsibility.
2. I ate more than usual, only because there was a lot left over and it was good and I felt like eating it. Usually, I have to prepare my own meals so I just do the three, but since everything was already made, I had second helpings.
3. I rarely spend that much, and don't usually shop for myself when I'm buying Christmas gifts. This year I won't be spending anything near those amounts.
4. I use the alarm clock.
1. I don't think I would, whether the person was attractive or not.
2. About the same.
3. Good lord, I hope not. I'm pushing for a 'no gift' holiday with my family, but that never really works out. Still, I'd be splurging if I wound up spending 200 bucks total.
4. A clock of my own place on the other side of the room so I have to get up to turn it off. It's too easy for me to ignore a ringing phone or turn off an alarm on a bedside table.
1. Luggage: If I'm just sitting there and don't plan on going anywhere, I'll say, "Sure." Then when he/she is out of site, I'll move the luggage over a few rows and sit next to it over there and see how long it takes the person to find me after returning. When they find me, I pretend that I didn't move. Attractiveness does not effect whether or not I accept the task, nor whether I play the trick on them.
2. Thanksgiving: I eat about the same as normal. I have an aversion to feeling full, so I generally only eat until I'm satisfied.
3. Holiday Shopping: I can't stand Christmas, so my spending habits don't change at all. In fact, I usually tell people not to get me a gift. I do this because people have a habit of getting offended if they don't get a gift back from me, which they won't because, you know, I can't stand Christmas. My wife on the other hand will spend about $100... only because we're relatively poor though. Otherwise I'm certain she would spend more.
4. WAKE UP!: Well, if I'm traveling on vacation (which is usually the only reason I travel) then I just sleep until I wake up on my own. In Vegas, my most common traveling destination, this usually means waking up at 6 or 7 am. For some weird reason, I always sleep much better when I'm in Vegas. When I travel for business (maybe once a year) I'll use the hotel's alarm clock, though I usually make my roomie fiddle with it.
Airport: If someone asked me to watch their bags, and I was in the 'sterile' part of the airport, I probably would do them a favor. After all, it has been screened just like mine. If I saw a fuse sticking out of it, I may have second thoughts.
Thanksgiving: I ate the same. I always eat a lot.
Holiday shopping: I will not be getting any holiday gifts for anyone. I don't celebrate the holidays. I may consider a flat screen TV later this season though, to watch other people celebrate the holidays by going broke.
Alarmed: I use the hotel (alarm or wake-up call) as a back up. I bought the little "Bob" wobble clock from Brookstone about six months ago and I absolutely love it. I know the time is right, I know how to set it, and it's only the size of an egg in my suitcase. (Why I have an egg in my suitcase I'll leave for another story.)
Q1 - Luggage: HA HA HA. I have never been asked to watch luggage before, and I would be surprised if someone did with all of those intercom announcements. But, I guess I would just have to follow what my gut told me, judging the person's outward appearance of course. And yes, if it was an attractive female, I would say yes.
Q2 - Thanksgiving: This Thanksgiving was a little mild, so I would rate it at the normal amount of food I usually eat. My pre-Thanksgiving dinner of steak and crab legs though is a completely different story.
Q3 - Holiday Shopping: I will probably end of spending about that, though I normally wouldn't. I don't buy a lot of gifts, but my wife wants the bathroom remodeled for her present, and that should rack up the bill pretty quickly.
Q4 - WAKE UP!: I don't use the wake-up call system, and I usually unplug the provided alarm clock in fear that it is already set to go off at some rediculous hour (happened before). I always just use my cell phone. Works like a charm!
1. LUGGAGE: I wouldn't do it for anyone - no matter how attracted I am to them. Now, if it were Elijah Wood, Justin Timberlake, or Shia Lebeauf, I'd do it because they aren't really strangers, although I've never met them.
2. FOOD: I ate more food than usual, but not as much this year as in years past. I just couldn't bring myself to do it for no good reason - and plenty of bad reasons, so I held off. I was full and enjoyed my mom's down-home cooking.
3. SHOPPING: I've already spent more than the average amount and still have more shopping to do. I've spent a LOT more on "non-gift" purchases for me, too, but . . . I always do.
4. WAKE UP: I never bother with the hotel alarm clock. I always get a wake up call AND use the alarm on my mobile phone, which I use almost exclusively at home, too.
Q1 - This actually happened to me over the Thanksgiving Holiday. This very innocent old man asked me to watch his stuff. He had more carry on stuff than he could handle by himself. So I said yes, and I watched his things. I did not for one second think that in that particular situation, it was a bad decision.
Q2 - This particular holiday, it was not the same to other Thanksgivings, but was still more than an average day of eating. I was sick and didn't have too much of an appetite, but was bored so I ate anyways.
Q3 - I will spend way less. It is easy when you don't have any money to your name.
Q4 - I always use my own wake up system, which is my inability to sleep anyways...because I can't even trust an electronic device. I can trust me waking up at least 3 times a night.
1. I would recommend that the person ask someone else and politely excuse myself from the situation.
2. I would say that I ate a normal ridiculous amount of food on Thanksgiving Day. No matter how you slice it, it is a ridiculous amount of food. I heard an average person consumes 5,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day.
3. My wife and I should spend about that much, but hopefully less. I am a big fan of buying local consumable gifts for people. Check out www.cottonwoodinstitute.org/blog for a list of socially and environmentally friendly recommendations.
4. I use my cell phone these days.
1. Nope. Not even for George Clooney.
2. I ate just a bit more than usual. Two helpings of pie.
3. Nowhere near that much. I'm trying to buy locally made or handmade goods, and books. Always books.
4. I use the hotel alarm clock or ask for a wake-up call. I can barely remember to pack my own socks, let alone an alarm clock.
Better late than never?
Q1: I would say no, only because I usually have enough to worry about, I don't need more stuff to keep track of. I'd feel terrible if someone walked off with it because I wasn't paying close enough attention.
Q2: I always eat more than usual, in one sitting, though I don't usually eat much up until the meal starts, so overall it's just slightly more.
Q3: I spend about $150 for everything, I spread out some of it throughout the year, so I don't know for sure how much I spend. If I had no budget, I'd still spend under the average, that's a crazy huge amount to spend on one Holiday.
Q4: I have never traveled for business, so no need for an alarm clock. I suppose if I did need one, I'd use the hotel alarm clock or my cell phone.
1) I have done that, beyond the security checkpoint. I have a hard time saying 'no' to people, no matter how hot they are. However, if the person didn't return in 15 minutes, I would tell the gate agent.
2) Thanksgiving dinner itself was definitely a larger-than-normal meal, and if that were it, I wouldn't feel so bad. But, during the entire 4 day vacation, I pretty much ate chocolate and pie and cookies from morning till night, pausing long enough to get a little hungry for the main meal. So that's what I'm working off now.
3) I think that has to be a family of four, and maybe when we're there, we'll spend that kind of dough. But since it's just the two of us, and we don't have tons of nieces or nephews, we'll probably spend about $150 on gifts. The bulk of our expenses will be on travel.
4) Usually, I'll just use my cell phone as an alarm. The exception would be if their clock will use my ipod as an alarm, and I felt confident enough in the clock to try it. I'd set my phone as a back-up.
1. its not likely, but being bigger than the average person combined with the fact that i'm always surly before i have to cram myself into an airplane seat, people tend to not want anything to do with me in the airport.
2. i ate a ridiculous amount, but only slightly more than i expected to, and i certainly don't regret it.
3. not even close, a hundred is more like it maybe a bit more.
4. depends on the hotel, but i generally set my phone alarm as my wake up insurance.
Luggage: I've done it but only if I can see the restroom and can watch whether the person enters and exits in a timely manner.
Thanksgiving: I'm dieting so I ate less than I normally might have.
Christmas: I'll probably be spending less but only because I'm a bargain shopper and was able to find some really great deals this year.
Traveling: I can NEVER figure out the hotel alarm clock so I always use the wake up service.
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