More long talkers Dec 16, 2008
Many moons ago, I wrote about the idea of the long talker:  A person who takes a long time to say a simple thing, often reiterating several points along the way, likely because they enjoy talking and/or like to hear themselves talk.  Two additions to that include the following: 
  1. Long story teller - A person who starts off with the statement, "I have a funny story about Thanksgiving," making you think, "Hey, I like funny things, and I like Thanksgiving; surely I'll like a funny story about Thanksgiving," only to leave listeners so incredibly overwhelmed by the vivid and meaningless details of the plot and setting ("It was raining outside.  Actually it started raining an hour after dinner.  Or was it already raining by dinner?  Either way that's not important.  It was after dinner.  Yeah.") that everyone loses interest until about 15 minutes into the story when some kind soul blurts out, "So what's your funny story?"
  2. Life story giver - This is the person who tells their life story on a regular basis.  This just happened to me last weekend.  I asked a guy a simple question about the church he went to, and he quite literally told me the entire story of his life, starting from when his father was 17.  You know it'll be a long one when it begins before the teller was even born.
A common occurrence when listening to long talkers is the thought of "How do I get this person to stop talking?"  I have to give the long story teller credit.  He/she knows how to command the attention of a group of people and not let go.  But with the life story giver, I had just finished a long day of helping someone move, and I just wanted to go home and relax.  I waited and waited for an opportunity to end the conversation, and when it was finally there, I took it and ran. #psychology
Beer adjuncts Dec 16, 2008
It was brought to my attention today that some beers use ingredients other than the standard mix of barley, hops, yeast, and water.  These mash additives are called adjuncts, and they're usually other grains like corn, rice, oats, and wheat.  We've all heard of wheat beers before (Blue Moon ... you saw me standing alone ...), but has anyone ever heard of rice beers other than Sake?  Ever hear of Budweiser?  Rice is what they use to give a "characteristic lightness, crispness and refreshing taste."  Or it's just cheaper than barley.  And Miller Lite supposedly uses corn syrup, though it's pretty much impossible to prove because alcohol producers aren't required to list their ingredients. #food
Organic products and recyclable packaging Dec 16, 2008
People who subscribe to the idea of organic products usually come from one of two camps:  (1) It's better for the environment, or (2) it's better for the end-user.  The question is, what's more important, the earth or its inhabitants?  Lots of organic products come in non-recyclable packaging, which, when viewed from the environmentalist's perspective, sort of negates the fact that they're organic.  Sure, you're not dumping chemicals into the ground to fertilize those carrots, but the plastic bag they're packaged in will still end up in a landfill, where it'll stay for billions and billions of years.  It's the same with milk.  For whatever reason, milk comes in either a plastic or cardboard container.  But this time, the plastic is recyclable; the cardboard isn't.  I'd actually be willing to pay more money for a plastic container of organic milk whose packaging can be reused, rather than a cardboard container that'll just take up space in a dump.  Hooray for us humans who've reduced the amount of harmful chemicals we introduce into our bodies through our food, but shame on us for not doing anything about the amount of packaging waste we produce. #products
Multiple use coffee cup Dec 16, 2008
I use my plastic and metal coffee cup about 6 or 7 times (i.e. pretty much every day of the week) between washings.  My rationale is that I'm putting the exact same thing in it day after day, so the very thing that qualifies as making it dirty is just an old version of what I'll be putting in it again.  The only reason I end up washing it is because I'm afraid of bacteria and mold-grown super monsters that will likely eat my brains when I'm sleeping.  Unlike some people in my household, I don't feel the need to wash it after a single use. #products