The referee has just whistled for half-time. The teams return to the locker rooms. I'm just over half of my 40s, it's kind of like hitting the road ahead. I only have the return. You have all noticed that the "outbound" trips often seem longer than the faster returns. I have found several explanations for this often observed phenomenon. The first answer implies the fact that the discovery of new settings, new universes, attracts our attention and gives the journey a feeling of length. On the contrary, the return being now known, our attention is relaxed and the feeling of time seems shorter.
Psychologists from Tilburg University (The Netherlands) have a much more subtle and convincing explanation (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review). Here is their reasoning. When you take a trip for the first time, they often tend to underestimate its duration. This optimistic vision conditions us without our knowing it. The faster you expect the trip, the longer you are likely to find it. Upon return, the situation changed. This time, we tell ourselves that the journey will be long and that is why we are surprised to arrive so quickly at our destination. Niels Van de Ven and his team tested their theory. The “return trip effect” is so strong that it exists even if we take another route of the same duration to return. All this to say that I really hope the second half of my 40s will be faster. I will confirm this theory with pleasure in the coming days.
With amazement, and happiness, I finally see a human. A real one who walks visibly, freely in the street. This is the first since I have been interned here. I even have the impression that he is not wearing a mask! The freedom to walk in the open air. The odor-laden fresh air, caressing my face, is terribly missing. It reminds me of my first leave of absence from the School of Reserve Officers in Evreux. When we got on the train, a lady passed by diffusing vapors of perfumes that made our heads spin. We were no longer aware of the subtle smells. Just the sweat and torn feet, the oil from our weapons and the canteen where we ate our lunch in less than three minutes. A bit like here, but more action.
Still with my nose glued to the icy window, I noticed a tree that had escaped my vigilance. He is surrounded by a bench where people, who do not exist, could come and sit down. I promise that my first action as a free man will be to go say hello and tell him not to give up hope. One day, maybe, real humans will come and cherish him.
I really like the design of the Hangul symbols, the South Korean alphabet. Except when my phone vibrates at fixed times mentioning an absolute emergency with text only in Korean. To get it translated, I took a screenshot with my phone. The strangest thing about this story is that my screenshot has disappeared from the phone! I am now certain that the authorities have access to my phone via the applications installed by the Humanoids at the airport. It's quite stressful, especially since I can't find any trace of the software, which remains invisible like humans behind my window. I will definitely be forced to format everything and reinstall everything.
But we'll see that at the end of the Match. Let's go for the second half. T
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