Tom Terranova

Anomalies

2007-09-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Almost every day I make jokes
that go unnoticed.

Today 2 co-workers were getting
South American food. They said,
"We're going to South America for
lunch. Does anyone want anything?"

I said: "Bring me back an 8-ball
of coke and a pan flute."

But no one noticed.

They've done studies on how the
human brain goes into different
brain-wave states. At supermarkets,
people tend to go into a passive,
almost hypnotic state. When a
bizarre and inappropriate item is
placed on a shelf - such as a big
hunk of red meat in the cereal aisle -
most people don't notice it because
of their brain state. Even though
the visual info may flow past the
optic nerves, it's not tagged for
recognition or analysis.

In life, I often feel like I'm that
piece of red meat in the cereal aisle.

PS - This is not a sad post.

I Took a Lickin'

2007-09-18T15:00:00.001-07:00

I Took A Lickin' From A Chicken

I've wanted this electronic game since the 80's.

Here's a description from the Internet:

"This is a primitive handheld electronic game
from the 1980s in which you play tic-tac-toe
against a chicken. You choose your square on the
keyboard; and then the chicken, pecking away
under a plastic bubble, makes a selection from
his own little keypad. And the chicken
is very difficult to beat."

Internal Memo

2007-09-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

If you're in a social setting
where you're surrounded by friends and admirers
look for someone who's alone and awkward
and engage them (without being patronizing)
so that their personality shines
and others are drawn to them.
Simply connecting the dots
can change the geometry of a room.

[Most people can read body language
but not everyone can spot a subtext.]

Friends, fans, and acquaintances
create a comfort zone around you
and can induce a kind of glamnesia -
but you must struggle to remember
the things that you'd rather forget
and stop yourself from looking away
when you see your own reflection.

Actors and Liars

2007-09-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes great actors make terrible liars.
And sometimes great liars make terrible actors.
It's an interesting dichotomy.

If you seek to understand either one -
whether an actor or a liar -
it's often best to ask yourself:

What's their motivation?

Mirrors

2007-09-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stood in front of a mirror
and looked yourself in the eye?
Sometimes when I do that
and I hold my own gaze for a few moments
something strange and chilling happens.
Suddenly it's as if
there's a stranger in the mirror
looking back at me with malevolence
and I could almost swear
that someone else was there.

It's Me Again

2007-09-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

It's me again.
I know - I should have called first.
I should have done a lot of things.
But that's neither Here nor There
and I don't have a lot of time.
There's some things I need to tell you.