First, a lesson in human behavior.
Let’s say you are at Store A, buying yourself a nice new blender. It costs $60, but will be well worth the price. As you near the front and prepare to check out, a friendly patron tells you that Store B, just two blocks away, has the exact same blender for $30 less. Ask yourself, do you travel the two blocks to save 50%?
Now, imagine a week later you are back at Store A, this time buying a desktop computer for $900. Your neighborhood bargain shopper is in line with you, and again informs you that you can get a better deal at Store B, as the same computer is just $870.
You are all smart people, and you probably already see my point. Studies show that 80% of those surveyed in the first case say yes, they would travel the two blocks to save $30. However, almost 70% of respondents said that they would NOT travel the two blocks to save $30 on the computer.
It’s the same $30!
I find this completely fascinating. Especially since I absolutely would have answered along with the majority in both cases, as I’m sure most of you did as well.
I could ramble on and on with cool things like this - and I’ve only been in school for two weeks (three if you count orientation). Needless to say I am having a blast so far. I don’t remember enjoying class like this in my undergrad. I’m not sure if it is the material or the fact that I actually care about doing well (umm, not that I didn’t care about engineering – err, look a butterfly!)
While classes will be challenging, they are nothing compared to the challenge it will be adjusting to a studying next to a different kind of football fan.
As Jen mentioned, we attempted our first TCU tailgate on Saturday. They opened the season against Baylor, to my knowledge their biggest rival. I received an email stating where everyone would be, and that they’d be set up by 8am. Well, if this were a Sooner game I would have been there by 8:05 and would have been there all day until kickoff (in this case 5pm local time.)
(quick aside – nothing currently disturbs me as much as this new Heineken commercial. It has just come on the TV and completely paralyzed my ability to continue writing… Some sort of female robot with a keg in her belly. Words fail me.)
Well, being as I don’t have any particular desire to be a rabid TCU football fan, I figure the party would be rockin’ by 10am, we could make a quick appearance, accept multiple comments on the beautifulness of our baby, have a beer and a few Frog Dogs and be on our way.
When we got near campus, traffic resembled nothing of a rivalry weekend. Parking was available by the bushel, and I could hear crickets chirping due to the lack of fandom. We made our way around to Lot 2, where we were supposed to be. Of course, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum guarding the gate wouldn’t let us in because it was the donor parking lot. What student hosts a tailgate in an area students can’t get into?
After reluctantly using my Jedi mind powers to get a weak-minded guard to let us in, we drove around looking for the party. We finally stumbled across 6 dudes (presumably the place we belong as they were the only 6 people within the zip code) standing around their truck with a TCU flag waving. Yup, this was it. This is what TCU comes with against their biggest rival on opening day?
So, being the old married couple that we are, with baby in tow we headed to Panera Bread and Baby Gap instead. We stopped by Albertson’s on the way home and picked up the makings for our own tailgate. Before the Sooner game, we grilled some dogs and Jen mixed up some nice pasta salad to go with our chips, dip and cut-up fruit. Ellie sported her OU cheerleader outfit and the Sooners dominated North Texas.
I guess Sooner Fans have a different vision of rivalry tailgating than Frog Fans. Or maybe they were all two blocks away saving $30 on a blender.
