Something Routine About It
OK taking a risk here, I don’t usually stay up too late when I have to work the next day. Looks like we’ll see tomorrow if this is a viable option for the future.
I just really am not satisfied going to bed at 11 or 12 at night. There just isn’t enough time. BUT. See really, there is enough time. People always saaay there isn’t in passing like, “I wish I had more time to do this blah blah”. But really, when you think about it, there is quite a bit of time. People just say that sometimes, it seems, for an excuse not to do something, OR just as an excuse to say something. I guess the thing that annoys me is how often people just say things to say them, for no other substantial or meaningful reason. For example, most comments about the weather are purely filler speech and achieve no progress in conversation. They pretty much are used as a way to establish comfort, break the ice etc. Even if it’s with someone you know, it’s usually only when you can’t think of something to say that you talk about the weather. (barring a tornado or the like) Another example.. I do it all the time with things like airplane travel. For instance, I’ll say to the person next to me how much I’m not looking forward to the 14-hour plane ride. To which they will respond with the expected “yeah I know it’s pretty awful etc” . But really, I love airplane travel. I think it’s awesome! So why am I pretending not to to some perfect stranger? I guess, for one, it may seem wierd to profess your love of recycled air for no particular reason, but I think it’s more because it’s expected that I would hate to travel and therefore more reasonable for me to bring it up on a whim. I think things would be so much more interesting if we all just said what we thought all the time, and not be too concerned with how things normally play out.
A great example is at the checkout counter. This is probably the #1 Most Boring place for conversation of all time. A sentiment that has only been cemented in me after working the register a lot this last few weeks at the bookshop. I HATE having the exact same conversation with 300 different people allllll day long. But when leaving the ‘script’ of “how are you sir, would you like bag?” means getting blank and confused stares from the customers, it’s not hard to see why I continue to bore myself. It just gets sooo tedious. I love to be on the other side though, and ask the checkout people all sorts of strange questions. Things like “what’s the most mysterious item in the store? ” (especially fun in a grocery store) “do you all sell plants? ” (great one at a video store) or “where is the nearest ice rink?” etc etc. Anything just to switch it up. I guess it pretty much just all comes down to routine. It just sucks that that’s what a majority of our everyday interactions with other people have become.
