What is thy bidding, my master?

A couple months ago I added six new ring tones to my cell phone. All six were audio of Darth Vader of Star Wars fame. Here are the lines:
"If you only knew the power of the dark side."
"All too easy."
"The force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet."
"The emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
"What is thy bidding, my master?"

I originally added these with the intention of poking fun at a situation at work. It definitely adds some humor to the workplace to hear the Dark Lord's voice booming off the phone. Depending on the audience when it goes off, reaction ranges from confused to downright giddy! Some of Vader's quotes were better; James Earl Jones' pitch and volume being more dramatic but they were just too long for a ring tone.
"Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans. And bring me the passengers, I want them alive!"

I've been stopping at a different Dunkin Donuts lately and my first impression was that the store manager must be Darth Vader. The employees greeted you at the speaker and again at the pick-up window with all the unbridled enthusiasm of an Imperial Storm Trooper. Seriously, the faces were as grim as the expressionless stormtrooper helmet and the lack of friendliness made me feel like I was inconveniencing them when I ordered a medium coffee (I don't know what the Starbucks equivalent of a medium coffee is for you SB loyalists. Is it tall, grande, venti? Why don't you stop reading and go do something that requires the metric system?)

Anyway, I finally cracked their Imperial armor yesterday. I made them laugh by doing something unexpected. It wasn't by design. I was having a Monday moment on a Tuesday following a long holiday weekend. I got in the drive thru lane and when it was my turn to shout into the speaker, I drove a half car-length too far past. Behind me was a diesel pick-up and there was no way they could hear me if I shouted back towards the mic.

The young woman with the headset on looked out the window helplessly at me. She looked confused. Her expression reflected her thoughts, "You can't do that! You can't drive past the speaker without ordering! What do we do now? This wasn't in the training!"

When I got to the window, we had a good laugh. My order was simple and easy to fill. I was out in about the same time as if I followed the rules. But what made it worth it were the smiles I saw on the two employees as I drove off. They actually lightened up for a minute. Their Imperial training forgotten because of a blundering customer. Probably part of a rebellion resistance of some kind.

There's a great video on the TED conference site by a Bulgarian guy Steve Keil who thinks the problem with their country is the lack of PLAY. It's a fascinating watch. Check it out at http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_keil_a_manifesto_for_play_for_bulgaria_and_beyond.html
Now get out there and smile!