Observations while home, etc

There were a lot of little pieces of interest I wanted to post in the big recap that I didn't get around to mentioning, and now, as a big program compiles, seems as good a time as any.

Originally, I planned to pay attention to my interactions with Southerners to decide whether I thought they seemed more polite, but I finally realized that the general behavior that constitutes being polite just isn't something I pay any attention to. Maybe I'm a really rude person, and I have been going through life offending people, all the while ignorant of my abhorrant behavior. At any rate, there were plenty of things about Southerners that I did notice.

First, they smile all the time, for no apparent reason. I don't know if I think this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it gives people the appearance of being friendly. On the other, it's a bit unsettling, and it's harder to tell whether people genuinely appreciate nice gestures. I have a theory that the tendency of people to smile for no apparent reason is directly correlated with the amount of sunlight they are regularly exposed to. The sunniness of SC was always something I liked, until I spent months in the Northeast. When I was home, I was generally hoping for a few clouds to partially block the sky so that I could see better. As Judson put it, we have truly become Northeastern moles.

Second, I honestly missed hearing the variety of Southern accents. They sound more musical and less uneducated when you've been away for a while. And I learned a whole new ebonics expression! Here it goes: "Is thays be yohs?"

Third, Carolinians have some of the worst driving in the country. I used to think the people of Massachusetts were worse, but I am now confident that I would rather drive with even those crazy Yankees than drive around SC.

Fourth, all the roads are huge down there, and no matter how much traffic there is, people are always in the left-most lane. This is a mystery to me, as we are generally well-behaved, even though our roads (including interstates) are typically no more than two lanes in each direction. I'm sure part of it is that we drive a more consistent speed, but all in all, it remains a mystery. People may occasionally cut you off in New York, but you can be sure that they at least knew you were there.

Fifth, Zaxby's is no longer a big factor in my life. Our chicken wings are so good that I don't miss it. On the other hand, I was much bereaved to leave Bojangles territory.

Sixth, one thing that I really like about the North but hadn't noticed is that they put a lot of attention into how they pack up your groceries. You would never get a bag full of canned veggies in the North, and if you wanted them to do that intentionally, they would certainly double-bag it for you.

The nicest thing that happened to me while I was in the South that was not in any way related to my friends or family was that at Starbucks, the barista made me a sample of the new cinnamon latte by putting the syrup in regular coffee. I think this may have been because I kept asking whether it would be too sweet, but it was a nice gesture regardless of motive, and I ended up just buying the coffee rather than experimenting with the latte.

Well, the program's compiled, so I must get back to work.