Just asking . . .

Short Answer Exam:

(1) This morning I went to Starbucks and ordered a grande drip with extra room. The Barrista was cute and nice: she asked if I preferred to have a grande in a venti cup. I told her I preferred extra room in grande cup. I tendered my $1.83 and she gave me 17 cents change. I kept the change for two reasons: (a) (lesser reason) 17 cents seemed like a lame amount to throw in the tip box; and (b) (major reason) that 17 cents is probably the only coinage I am likely to receive today and I really need it for the parking meter at the gym tonight. And the question: does the barrista think I'm lame for keeping the 17 cents, or does she realize it means more to me than it does her?

(2) My office building has its own parking garage with 8 levels of parking. The parking is always full. One full-time parking attendant works the exit gate. She sits in a little booth and reads. All day long. 95% (I assume) of the parkers have parking cards that when swiped open the parking exit arm. So the attendant can generally sit and read without interruption. But because parkers have to stop and swipe their card near her booth, it is only natural to wave her. I wave every time. So the question: does she like people to wave at her (and interrupt her reading hundreds of times a day) everytime they exit, or would an occasional wave be more in order?

(3) My office building has roughly 20 floors of offices served by six elevators. If, for whatever inane reason, I exchange small talk with a fellow elevator passenger on any particuar day, am I obligated to say "hello" to them should I ever again find myself in an elevator with them? What if I see them at lunch across the street?

In my head I am hearing the voice of Larry David not only asking these questions, but answering them as well. Lucky me.

Listened to Hysteria by Def Leppard on the way to work this morning. Awesome.