travel games

I’m in Phoenix AZ.  I flew.  Actually the plane flew, I simply sat.  Before I sat to Phoenix I stood in the Lindbergh Terminal for a couple hours.  While standing I enjoyed watching men in business suits sitting in awkward positions on the floor huddling near the few and far between outlets conveniently located for the cleaning folks to plug their vacuums into.  That’s business class if I ever saw it.

My brother used to watch star trek and I remember a character/people group called the Borg.  They were all assimilated and part human and part machine and had wires hanging off them and lacked personality.  I couldn’t help but notice all the people moving in blobs not talking to each other with all their wires hanging off them.  I-pods, cell phones, laptops, goofy ear things connected to their cell phones.  Those little headsets gave me an idea for a game.  Here’s how to play.

It’s called ‘How close can I get to your ear?’

It sounds complicated but it’s actually quite simple.  The object of the game is to see how close I can get to the person’s ear before… well before some sort of altercation goes down.

There’s a couple ways to do this.  The first is to act as if the person is crazy because it appears they are talking to themselves.  Look at the them with inquisitive concern.  Step closer and closer slowly, nodding your head and moving cautiously as if to say, ‘It’s okay, I’ll get you to a safe place.  I’m here to help.  Together we can find you a mental health professional.”

(Sidenote – isn’t it a greater sign of crazy to choose to carry on personal and business calls in a crowded terminal?  I’ve been privy to so many asinine calls that have only made me think less of the caller.  In fact I’ve never heard a conversation thats made me think any better of a public caller.  Stop being crazy, talk in private.)

Anyways back to the game.

The next technique is more subtle and quite simple. I call it ‘The Nudge.’  Start about three feet from the person.  Every 15 seconds nudge closer about 3 inches.  In about 3 minutes you’ve either made it to the ear or made the person move.  As much as I like claiming the prize, it’s way more fun to get the person on the run.  It makes the game last longer too.  Yippee!  Fun Game!

The last technique I like to employ is called, ‘Join the Conversation.’  Pretend the person is talking to you and reply to the persons statement/question to the best of your ability.  Eventually the person will address you and let you know they are on the phone.  Try one of these replies.

‘Me too.  Please don’t interupt.’

‘I like phones too!’  Then use your hand phone to continue where you left off.

‘I know!  I’m playing a game with you and I just won!  Your bad!  Better luck next time!’

So there’s the game.  Go to a public place and have fun playing, “How Close Can I Get to Your Ear?’  Makes a great team sport too!

Posted: May 17th, 2008
Categories: games, technology, travel
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