A few observations from the weekend

Being that I am a people watcher, I love to make observations, not make some prolific statement to the world but just notice something of human nature and get a kick out of it. So here are a few I was thinking of today that caught my attention:

• Have you ever thought in another language? I mean like random musings in something other than what you were raised with? I studied and speak Spanish for several more years than German but I caught myself rambling (to myself) in German today. I put my food in the microwave and walked down the hall to the bathroom and caught myself saying…Ok, heute Ich muss 4 referrals machen…und dann spaeter Ich muss meinen Bruder anrufen und Ich muss Bild wire finden. I have never made random thoughts in Spanish and I haven’t a clue why I decided to do it in German today.



• So my second observation is how long does it take an image seen by the eye to register? Or is it that people are feeling a little manner less in the office today? While eating my lunch someone came in my office and started asking work related questions. Here I sit, mouse in my right hand, fork in the left, with the forkful of food about an inch from my open mouth, but they kept asking their questions. I asked if we could finish after I was done eating my lunch and the response was, “Oh, I didn’t know you were eating your lunch.”



• When a person takes a risk while driving the car are they aggressive or just not all that bright? Germany does require aggressive driving, that’s for sure and I have noted that German’s will take advantage if they think you don’t know any better, but to what extent if it risks damaging you or your car? Back to the right of way rules, over the weekend I was at an intersection that was a four way but not. The priority road veered to the left, or you could go straight or make a right. So with the priority road all other directions must wait until it’s clear before proceeding into the intersection. So while going down the priority road and following it to the left I was challenged by this guy at my 12 o’clock. He figured that since I was American I would stop for him and let him go because I don’t get priority roads.
  
  Well hells bells, I wasn’t stopping, I had the right away and couldn’t figure out what the heck he was doing. So of course one arm flings up in the car, with an open hand (yes all my fingers were out) in a gesture of “what’erya thinking buddy?” Then he apologizes as he reverses out of the intersection. So is tempting fate that the American won’t know right away rules worth the chance of being broadsided? So is this aggressive or reckless driving?



• Oh and seriously I am the reincarnate of my mother. I had a friend’s 16 son stay at my home for the weekend while she went out of town. Since he can’t drive over here I carted him about for different things over the weekend. In exchange he helped me with a video game I was stuck on. While tidying up a bit I found the towel wadded up in a ball on the bed and all the lights on everywhere. Without a second thought out comes the voice of my mother, “Hey you want a smelly moldy towel then leave it wadded on the floor of your own home not mine….Oh and by the way – light goes on, light goes off, light goes on, light goes off. Turn the lights off when you are finished in that area.” I walked out of the room and came back in a minute later laughing telling him how scary it was to channel my mother while bitching at him. We both found it totally hilarious.