Fun with name badges

[Slave to the Phone]

I lost my name badge, so I was wearing a generic one that just shows the store name. I know, I know...I just forgot to take it off. At least I wasn't wearing my bells.

I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and an older man with a teen aged girl asked me where something was. I didn't know, and I was tired and didn't really care, so I told him that it I wasn't sure but that it was probably in aisle 42, right next to the towels.

The man stepped back and started looking around at the signs, saying something about not knowing that the store was that big. The girl started laughing so hard she had water coming out of her eyes.

When the man looked back and told me that there weren't 42 aisles in the store and that I should know my way around, the girl told him that I didn't work there, that I was just shopping like they were...he grumbled something and she said that she was buying him red towels for Christmas.

I do like her

[Ternasthebard]

If it had gone on, you probably should have told him that you're in the ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha department and things just change around so much there that you can't always track.

[RealUnimportant]

You are one hoopy frood!

[otakuneko]

I'm stealing that. That's going to be my answer any time someone asks me where something is in a store.

...which doesn't happen often, so I'll probably forget.

[sirwired]

The location of the towels can only be revealed to those with GLG-20 clearance.

[Captain Trips]

You are one hoopy frood!

Who no doubt knows where their (red) towel is!

[Ironclad Alibi]

... so I told him that it I wasn't sure but that it was probably in aisle 42, right next to the towels.

... and she said that she was buying him red towels for Christmas.

Anyone who knows the answer is 42, also knows you should always have a towel with you.

[notalwaysright]

Anyone want to let me in on the aisle 42 joke, or is it just a random number?

[EricKei]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams. A "trilogy" of sci-fi/dry British humor books which is now up to six books and a short story or two, along with plenty of adaptations in other media, such as radio, TV, and movies. Worth checking out, and...as you might have guessed by now, quite popular around here. "42" and the towel thing are two of its more famous (or infamous) recurring themes. I believe they have the whole schmeer in an updated collected edition by now (6 books + at least one short story; some older collections lack the later books, for obvious reasons). Sadly, the author himself suffered a Critical Existence Failure partway through book 5, so its remainder, and book 6, were ghost-written based on his notes.

As an aside to my fellow Guide fans -- the Question itself is recognized by Google supposedly, even as a mathematical constant, but I am unsure what precise wording is required to make that actually work.

[sirwired]

To complete the answer to your question (if you don't have time to read the books)

One of the vital pieces of advice dispensed in the book is that when you are hitchhiking across the galaxy, you should always know where your towel is, it being a vital piece of space-faring survival equipment.

And the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, as computed by the largest and most intelligent computer ever made, is "42". (Many pop-culture references to this number originate from this book.)

[AccountingDrone]

[My favorite vacation robe is a caftan made of white terry cloth toweling, and I have little turbans made of toweling as well ... I have occasionally debated embroidering '42' as a repeated design all around the hems]

[Slave to the Phone]

You are one hoopy frood!

And proud of it!

Of course, I always know where my towel is

I'm stealing that. That's going to be my answer any time someone asks me where something is in a store.

...which doesn't happen often, so I'll probably forget.

I guess I don't give off the retail drone vibe, because it only it happens is when I forget to take off my name tag. In my defense, this one is magnetic (which is nice because it doesn't mess up my clothes), but I was wearing a turtleneck sweater and its a pain to take my tag off in public without looking like I'm having happy fun time with myself.

Last week, I was signing someone up for our rewards program and his email address was firstnamelastname42 so of course I said something about him being a Douglas Adams fan. He looked confused while his wife started laughing and said that their daughters were big fans and explained to him that 42 was the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. He mumbled something about setting up the account when he was 42, so I assured him that it didn't matter, it was the perfect number.

[notalwaysright]

To complete the answer to your question (if you don't have time to read the books)

One of the vital pieces of advice dispensed in the book is that when you are hitchhiking across the galaxy, you should always know where your towel is, it being a vital piece of space-faring survival equipment.

And the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, as computed by the largest and most intelligent computer ever made, is "42". (Many pop-culture references to this number originate from this book.)

Ohhhhh! Somehow I've missed that series. The only thing I was thinking was an episode of Dr Who titled "42" but that didn't seem to be relevant.

P.S. Today was my last final of the quarter! I'm officially FREE until next month! Well, except for work, but whatevs.

[EricKei]

Well, then you have plenty of time for reading *hint hint* We might have some suggestions, if yer interested.

Coooooome...Join uuuuussssss...

[greek_jester]

[My favorite vacation robe is a caftan made of white terry cloth toweling, and I have little turbans made of toweling as well ... I have occasionally debated embroidering '42' as a repeated design all around the hems]

You should definitely do this! Maybe you could start a clothing line for geeks...!