Today at work, Sue offered everyone drinks from the vending machine, which is a not-to-infrequent occurence. I was on the phone, so the said ‘just nod if you want one,’ and I said I’ll take the usual (a mountain dew, for those who wonder.) She laughed and said that we were all in a rut, to which I replied “It’s not a rut, it’s just the equilibrium position of the potential energy curve.”