An Expert?

I went to Home Depot today with the purpose of getting a new thermostat. Ours is broken - again - the second "energy efficient" model that has decided to die. I went to the store, hoping for a Home Depot thermostat expert, willing to not only show me the absolute best in thermostats, but also able to tell me why that certain thermostat was the best and would make my life complete.

But apparently that dude was on vacation. Instead, I got Buford, who knows as much about thermostats as I do - in other words, he can read. I proceeded to explain my dilemma of broken thermostats. He seemed sympathetic, and gazed with me at the scads of possibilities on the shelves. I explained what I wanted, to which he replied there were none like I described. He picked up one from the display and handed it to me. It was the cheapest, which I figured he thought was appropriate, based on my attire (I still had on my jog togs from my training walk). Anyhow, after more mindless conversation, I left with my thermostat. Now all I have to do is wait for the a/c dude to come for the fall tune-up and install it. Hopefully, the weather will hold out until next week's appointment.

I guess the point of this rambling is to say that I don't know if Mr. Home Depot was really helpful or not. He did choose a product that was inexpensive, whereas I would have thought the more expensive, the better. He did seem to believe that the product he chose was better than the one I was eyeballing. He did hang around until I left with my choice, although then he probably bolted to the back of the store. I just don't feel that confident that he knew what he was talking about. Would I have chosen an inferior product if he waxed poetic about a different one?

The question is - what makes an expert? A person who boldly talks like he knows about something, or a person who quietly stands his ground and persistently and consistently remains steadfast about what he believes?

I don't know for sure, but in this case, I guess I'll know when the temperature drops!
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Things that make today great: 13 mile training walk; Whole Foods lunch via Molly; picking up Steve and Barry from the airport