Pistachios (10)

I attended my first behavioral lab the other day, and my experience was far from normal. I would claim it to be a little traumatizing in fact.

In the Tanner Building, I gathered in the hall with other students as time passed and we inched closer to our impending fate. The door creaked open and we filtered in one by one. We each sat in front of a computer and could not see outside of the makeshift cubicles that had been created.

There were two parts to this behavioral lab. The second part was much less traumatizing, so I will start there. Basically, I listened to 10 audio recordings of different people singing "Let it Go" and "Happy Birthday" and then ranking them. I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I am most likely the least musically inclined person on the entire planet and, who knows, I could be tone deaf! After the tedious surveying of vocals I indicated to the instructor that I was complete and got up from my chair.

Back to part one though. After being seated we were instructed on how to proceed. The first question was to describe how a pistachio tastes. Wait, what? I have never eaten a pistachio. So, of course I made it up. The next question was how do you see yourself when you picture yourself eating a pistachio? Again, I have never eaten a pistachio. I start to feel like a complete idiot and incapable of participating in the lab. Then we get to a stopping point and the instructor comes over to each of us individually. When the instructor came to me he motioned toward a box covering a bag of pistachios and utter a few simple words. Words I heard as: "Open the bag." I didn't hear anyone else opening their bags, but I decided to go for it anyway.

BIG MISTAKE! The pistachios exploded everywhere with a loud burst. I was petrified. I tried to hurriedly clean them up but there were dozens scattered all over the desk and floor. The instructor came over shocked, possibly enraged and irritated. He told me to continue forward with the survey and not to mind the pistachios. Ha. Not to mind all of the nuts covering everything I can see in vicinity? Oh, ok. From there I finished part one and transitioned into part two.

Finally, the lab was complete. I walked into a room and the instructor told the girl in front of me that the computer was a random number generator and she would be generated a number from 1 to 10. If she got 10 she would win. Sadly, she got a 6. So she returned to the hallway we originally gathered in. Suddenly I found myself next. The instructor didn't re-explain the guidelines he just pushed the button. And, guess what? 10! Congratulations! You won! I stared at him in disbelief. In my mind I couldn't help but wonder what on Earth I would win. Then the second instructor walks in the room and hands me, none other than, a bag of pistachios. Embarrassed, I laugh and explain how I was the one who opened the bag. The two instructors exchanged looks and then ushered me out the door.

Ha. Life can be so funny sometimes. Awkward, traumatizing, and many other things, but it's always good to laugh 9especially at yourself).