Even when I know I shouldn’t - I jump to conclusions. I try not to but I do judge people (and because my judgements are based on little or no information I admit I judge unfairly._ That doesn’t mean that I am wrong…in fact by my “own judgment” I am correct 75 percent of the time (Full Disclosure: I just made that number up).
A couple recent examples:
1. In 2009 I bought U-2 tickets for a concert they were going to have in Philadelphia in July of 2010. The concert was rescheduled for July 2011 when Bono or some other band member hurt his back. I bought the tickets because I made the assumption that I would be able to resell the tickets for more. Turns out I was right…and I made about $100 a ticket and if I would have had my price higher I would have sold them for even more.
2. Last winter I got notice of a concert by Kenny Chesney in Philadlphia in June 2012. I made the assumption while not as popular as U-2, that the Kenny Chesney concert would also sell out. While I correctly identified that U-2 was more popular than Kenny Chesney I failed to identify just because I prefer Kenny Chesney music to U2 that it was probably not close enough in popularity. So I overpriced my tickets (using stubhub.com) and sort of waited for them to sell. They didn’t. I then started listing them on Craigslist here in Lancaster (and several mentions on Facebook) offering to sell them at cost. Didn’t work. I had also decided that if I couldn’t sell them I would go to the concert. Another wrong judgment was that Esther would be able to go with me. She had to work however Elizabeth was off and it being so close to father’s day I did call in a favor and together we took the train down to Philadelphia. I also wrongly judged that there may be possibilities to sell a ticket (and there may have been) but the crowds were massive and it was hard to know where to begin. A man waiting at the subway was offering to buy tickets but only would give me $20 per ticket and I wasn’t willing to drop that low. He also warned me about “undercover” cops and I jumped to the conclusion that it 1. might be illegal and #2. ..i would get caught. I don’t know if that is true but he convinced me.
3. The concert started at 4:30 p.m. and I judged (estimated, was pretty sure) it would be over by eight p.m. and we would be able to catch the last train to Lancaster at 9:45 p.m.. The first act did start at 4:30 but we also noticed on the big screen the schedule that said Kenny Chesney would be making his appearance at 8:30. I figured it would take about an hour to take the subway and get back to the Amtrak station. I jumped to the conclusion we would NOT see very much of Kenny Chesney. The stadium wasn’t very full when Jake Owens started his act (the 4:30 concert). Although I didn't know any of Mr. Owen's songs...most people seemed to were sining along. The second act was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals…later I found out that she had been at Longs Park here in Lancaster last year. Those concerts in Longs Park are free. By 6:30 the stadium was full and Tim McGraw came on. I know some of his songs and he put on a good show. I sang along when I could and clapped a bit and swayed an inch or two….this seemed to get the guy with the seat to my left excited…he tapped me on the shoulder and raised his hand and gave me a high Five.
It was a pretty drunk crowd and he had probably had more than most but with very tight security to get in and beer at $7:50 a bottle I don’t understand how anyone can afford to drink very much so I have jumped to the conclusion my neighbor and most of the crowd started before they got there (OK I saw several people on the subway drinking from a paperbag...and the parking lot was one big party). Drunk or NOT it was during one of his "HIGH 5's" that I realized I had met a soul mate… A man who also jumped to conclusions. But unlike me he was probably always right...because he leaned over to me and said, “You are a party animal!” High 5. And so it goes.
