Random Thoughts of Today

(Actually, not today -- but Thursday. I just never got around to publishing this post until now.)

1.    And now, for something completely stupid.
      This one is worthy of the Ignoble. Guys, what are the unwritten rules of the urinals? You know what they are, even if you haven't thought about them consciously. If you're totally unaware, then read on -- and be aware.
      What are the rules of urinal occupancy? There is an order for which the urinals should be successfully occupied:
   
   
   
   The numbers represent the order the urinals should be occupied. As the number of urinals increase -- complexity increase -- a mathematical pattern emerges.
   
   
   
   
   Of course, those are the optimal positions to take. Some guys of course are just plain confused, and then shit like this happen:
   
   
   
   What happens next is known as the urinal conundrum. A guy will call on his basic instincts to choose a position. The "fight or flight" instinct is relied on to make a choice. A guy will choose a position next to the other guy he feels least threatened by. This problem occurs of course, only when you have capacity issues with supply and demand of urinals -- or when you encounter an even number of urinals. The scenario above illustrates what happens when an ill choice creates an even number of free urinals from an odd number of possible positions. It takes away from the next guy from making a choice.
   
      Am I the only one who has given this any thought?
   
   
2.    Similarly, there is the elevator dance. I really noticed it this past week when I had a long elevator ride, on a fully loaded elevator. As people emptied out of the elevator, the remaining occupants shuffled themselves to allow the maximum amount of space between each other. As I observed and then took part in this dance, it occurred to me that while this was psychosociological -- it bore a striking resemblance to the behaviour of molecules/atoms in a gaseous state. As the elevator emptied, the individuals reoriented themselves to fully occupy the elevator.
      Again, am I the only one who gives things like this any thought?
   
   
3. On Thursday I went to the dentist on the way home. To come home, I had to enter the subway system at Sheppard/Yonge. I dropped my token into the machine to enter -- and it got stuck. For a moment I just stood there and stared at the damn machine. I wasn't angry -- just incredulous. Two women came up to the entrance -- realized my predicament, and suggested I used something to push the token down -- and they entered the underground via the other carousel. As they entered, a third woman came up to the entrance and she too saw my predicament. She came up to me and said she'll help, reached into her purse and took out her nail file and got the better of the machine. I entered the underground -- waited for her to enter, and thanked her. The whole episode took less than one minute.
      Evidence that perfect strangers aren't entirely cold -- and will sometimes make a little effort to help someone else.
4.    Today when I was grocery shopping at Costco, I flirted with a little cutey -- or maybe she flirted with me. She was sitting in her Mom's shopping cart, and was trying very hard to look around her Mom to see me. So, when I passed by her, I looked at her, smiled, then stuck my tongue out at her. She giggled and hid her face in her hands.
      Too bad kids have to grow up.