a soldier, a golfer, and a snob walk into a bar...

the soldier. not too long ago, i was driving around the hulen mall area of fort worth--the continuous flow of traffic always reminds me of my hometown, houston. when i stopped at a red light, i allowed enough room for the eager cars to pull into the shopping center. my psychology teacher would tell you that this act of kindness is directly linked to the fact someone must have shown kindness to me, but at any rate, i did it. and then, the unexpected happened. as the white, pickup truck pulled in front of me to enter the shopping center, the white male driver, probably in his early thirties, paused to salute me. i didn't know how to react. are you supposed to salute back? i have never even been a girl scout. saluting just seemed wrong. it could even be insulting if i tried. and since when does kindness deserve an expression of patriotism? could not a universal smile have done the trick? what about the very american beauty queen wave? so, i just sat there. in my little, silver toyota echo, i sat and pondered this. well, until a not so unexpected, not so kind honk was heard from behind me. God bless america.

the golfer. as a rule, people have the strangest habits. but i have to say, in my opinion, the golf swing is by far the oddest. do you know these people? the ones who will mime the act of swinging a golf club and hitting a golf ball. they seem to be the average joe or jane until--and this is what makes this so weird--in the middle of a conversation, not even about golf, they start practicing their swing. they keep their arms straight, lift them together, look down at the ball, and swing. is the conversation so boring that they rather look like idiots swinging invisible golf clubs than to pay complete and total attention to what is being said? do these people have a golf tournament in the near future where they must practice during every waking hour? do they even play golf? and i must admit, it takes every ounce of my self control not to scream "fore."

the snob. that would be me. i am a snob. how so? well, it annoys me to no end when people don't think. a lot of this has to do with the fact that i cannot turn my brain off--as evident in the two prior paragraphs. i am constantly thinking about this issue or that issue, seemingly pointless occurrences or the strange habits of my fellow man and woman. i just don't understand how people can not think. i become so frustrated with my peers and even more frustrated with those older than me, which i believe should know better. think, people. and the thing is, i don't even care if you think differently than me. all i ask is for people to think about something--other than the party they are going to and the boy/girl they are or are not presently dating. ask questions and try to find or come up with answers. do you know what kerry and bush's stances are on homosexual marriage, the war in iraq, the environment, education, minimum versus living wages? do you know how they raise and kill the animals you will be eating later on today? do you know what events have made the world news today? do you know why, out of all the stories in the world, the network(s) chose those particular stories? thinking is a good thing, and knowing facts and having opinions is even better.