Banter Bites

Simple As … Red Light - Green Light

What does “Red Light Green Light” mean to you?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: OK, one simple phrase (“Red light green light”) conjures up very different things – ranging from the childhood game to the deadly game from “Squid Game” (and even an electronic song), but who’d guess that Red would tie it to something practical, while Black went in the amusing (or maybe it’s the sarcastic) direction.


For a while now, Red has appreciated (and maybe would go so far as to say loved) those little red and green lights that you may have noticed in parking lots – from the grocery store to shopping centers to airports. From the very first, she thought how clever they were but also incredibly practical,

No more driving up and down aisles, no more trying to guess where there might be spots, or racing to grab it before someone else did only to find a tiny car or motorcycle already in the spot.

Black didn’t disagree. But thought it would be more fun to share how the concept’s also being used in public bathrooms, and couldn’t help playing off her childhood memories of “Red Light Green Light 1-2-3” and the numbers 1 and 2 (is bathroom humor becoming a theme with us?).

But when Red expressed her relief that Black didn’t get into a detailed analysis of efficiency and business studies, she didn’t realize that she provided Black with the perfect opportunity to change how she’d look at those red and green lights,

Now imagine if whenever you see those red and green lights, which not only help you in terms of time management and reducing stress, you think of how traffic lights can help you find balance in your life.

If you’re looking for a reason not to mow, there’s logic behind letting it grow …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: As is often the case, Red hadn’t heard of the latest trend, “No Mow May,” which is all about lawn maintenance (or the lack of it) until Black started sending her articles about it.

Keep Reading ...Show less
It’s hard to imagine one holiday celebrates … spring, women’s fertility, workers, and labor rights. But it shouldn’t surprise you that even though it dates back thousands of years, we each “dance around” different aspects of May Day.

If you’ve never thought about May Day, don’t worry, most of us haven’t.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red appreciates that some holidays have historical significance, some have ancient traditions, and some are opportunities for one of Black’s unexpected, but often amusing and clever, comments, but May Day checks all those boxes.

Keep Reading ...Show less

Spring’s supposed to be full of optimism as it represents a new beginning, with longer days, the trees and flowers blooming, the birds chirping, and a general feeling of rejuvenation. So, whose idea was it to rudely interrupt it with Tax Day? And the fact it’s April 18 this year instead of April 15 (when we ran the article below in 2021, we got two extra days) hardly makes it any less, well, … taxing.

This quote is perfect, except that we don't know who said it, "People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women."

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It's probably a safe bet (yes, the IRS even has specific rules on how to handle gambling income and losses) that no one looks forward to Tax Day, but it would be easy to make assumptions that how people approach this potentially stressful day would be impacted by how much, or how little, money they make …

Keep Reading ...Show less