Anecdote #2531-B

Today at lunch, the Brain demanded that he get a new phone. He is traveling to Las Vegas next week and, having lost his phone on his last business trip, needed a new one. Chuck the Eater was driving, since my truck was in the shop getting a tow-hitch installed.

Trying to be practical and responsible (to work), I suggested that we eat near the Cingular Wireless store to save time. This left us with pitiful and pitiable choices for lunch.

We narrowed our poor choices down to the Corporate Burito Palace (aka Chipotle) and the Dreary Salad Bar (aka Souper Salad). We deferred the choice to the Brain, who despises both. He selected the Dreary Salad Bar.

Lunch was predictably dull, consisting of lettuce. Sigh. We chowed down quickly and almost silently, all three of us not really enjoying the food and in no mood to talk about it.

After eating, we skipped next door to the Cingular store to get the Brain a brand-new Motorola Razr. As we entered the store, a handsome young man behind the counter called out to us, "Welcome to Cingular über Alles!"

I was a bit shocked, not expecting to run into any national socialists in my daily grind, but I let it pass. The Brain and I began chatting with one of the drones, when another customer walked in the door and the cheery young man called out again, "Welcome to Cingular über Alles!"

This must stop!

"Excuse me," I said, addressing the young man. "What did you just say?"

He looked a bit surprised, but he answered, "Um...welcome to Cingular Wireless?"

Chuck looked at me similarly confused (Why are you accosting this harmless young man, Blu?), but had a good laugh -- being german-light himself -- when I told him what I thought the fellow had said. The young man, of course, didn't understand at all.

If you are more like the young man than Chuck, you may edumacate yourself here.