Commercial Effects
Sometimes when I’m watching TV and commercials come on they can get me to thinking. I guess part of the reason commercials air in the first place is to get us to think about and want their product. That does happen to me on occasion like the other day when I saw an Arby’s commercial and realized I hadn’t been to an Arby’s in probably 10 or 12 years. It made me think of college days when I used to visit the Arby’s on SDSU’s campus. So yesterday Norm and I decided to go Arby’s for a quick dinner. I don’t think he and I have ever been to Arby’s together. So we order our food and sit in the dining room to eat. I look around after few minutes and see his brother (who we see maybe once a year) heading right towards us with his food tray. How weird is that? He joined us of course and we had a nice little quick visit.
Later last night while watching TV with Norm I saw a commercial for a cruise line and it reminded me of my Aunt Emalie. She loves to take cruises with her husband and grandchildren. She thinks cruises are a wonderful way of taking a vacation. I once considered taking an Alaskan cruise, but it was a short-lived idea as I get shivers thinking of being stuck with hundreds of people I don’t know. Once you get on board the ship you can’t get off until they come to another port. For some reason that bothers me. It doesn’t bother Aunt Emalie at all because she loves a party!
Some commercials just elicit the wrong response. For instance, whenever I see that certain cell phone company commercial where hundreds of people follow you it makes me glad I don’t have a cell phone.
You have to look for the smaller cruise lines. I, too, have panic attacks in crowds, and we found a Chandris cruise decades ago. 300 people onboard tops.
Surely there must be some like that today? It made a big difference for us. I ate alone, just little old me and the waitstaff, nearly every morning.