Assessing My Character

According to Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing, Maya Angelou once said

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I don’t know if she really said that, but I thought it would make a nice blog post to explain how I’d handle those three things, so you folks can learn something about my character.

Rainy Day

I guess I don’t understand this one. Except for cancelling activities that require a clear day—outdoor photography, washing the car—rain has no effect on my day. I don’t mind driving in the rain, and I have rain gear to keep myself dry.

Lost Luggage

I would be filled with righteous rage. All manner of indignities are inflicted upon air passengers in the name of false security, but when it comes to keeping our luggage secure, pathetic failure is considered an acceptable standard. My anger would be tempered only by the knowledge that yelling at front-line customer service people never really helps me get what I want. I would keep the white-hot fury inside me as I fill out the paperwork.

Tangled Christmas Tree Lights

Those tiny lights don’t last very long and they only cost something like $2.99 for a string of 100. If I need some, I just buy new ones.