Thursday, July 4, 2013

I Got Nervous At The Redbox Line

I’ve only rented movies from Redbox a couple of times.  So, I don’t work my way through their system of screens and prompts quickly. 

I know you’re probably thinking, “Sheesh, Dan, it’s not complicated!”  And you’re right, it’s not complicated.

But, although I didn’t realize it at the time, I made a tactical error in my approach to this situation, this evening.  You see, it was already early in the evening on the 4th of July when I embarked on my movie rental excursion.  I should not have waited that late to rent a movie.  When I arrived at the Redbox station, there was a line of people.

When my turn finally came, I did not know in advance which movie I wanted to rent.  I really wasn’t sure what would be available.  I was unwisely counting on the time and freedom to scroll through the various movie options at a leisurely pace.  But as I worked my way through the Redbox screens I was keenly aware that there was a group of people looking at their watches and waiting.  In fact, I think I may have heard a couple of deep sighs and some impatient toe-tapping from those who were in the line behind me.

So, the pressure was on.  Unfortunately, I don’t perform well under pressure.  Also, I am not particularly fast when it comes to selecting movies.  I like to think it over—pondering the subtleties of the mood that I’m in—and weigh my options carefully.

I suppose all of these stress factors help to explain how this nervous, rapid selection process resulted in my accidental rental of, “Barney Meets The Smurfs.” 

Oh sure, this is probably a wonderful film with outstanding acting and a brilliant plot, but it was not the movie that I was hoping to view, this evening.



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