of arms and mattresses
Somewhere there is a clip (that I wish I could find) from one of Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routines about a mattress. Specifically, he calls our attention to the practice of tying a mattress to the roof of a car to move it, and then holding on to it with your arm. Because of course, if the tie-down job should prove insufficient at highway speeds, the average guy will be able to hang on to said mattress with his arm. Of course, when he puts it that way, you can see the ridiculousness of holding onto the mattress with your arm. Right?
Today, my dad was listening to the New Orleans traffic report and just had to share it with me. This afternoon, the traffic over the Mississippi river bridge was backed up to kingdom come. "Why?" you ask. Because of two large mattresses blocking all the lanes. Apparently, two guys had laid the mattresses on top of their car and then proceeded to attempt a drive over the bridge--you guessed it--holding them down with their arms. Seinfeld comedy routines should now be classified under "Educational Material."
Comments
Hey, Renee, thanks for the comment. Do you get to pick out the books for the literature class?
Posted by: Sarah | April 30, 2008 10:24 PM
I think it all comes down to control. In the end, we have to feel like we're somehow in control of that mattress's fate. Ropes be damned, we'll be the arbiters of its making it to the final destination!
Like people who put their arms in front of children who are belted into their seat when they stop quickly. Most people know that physics will beat them, but they'll throw that reassuring arm out anyway.
Posted by: UCLAri | May 1, 2008 08:20 PM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=A7yVSj5ViKA
Skip forward to about 9 minutes.
Posted by: faithinformed | June 4, 2008 06:16 PM
faithinformed:
That's it! Thanks! I looked everywhere for that clip. lol
Posted by: dramatic ren | June 7, 2008 07:02 PM