1. It really shouldn't have mattered to Betty.

That's what she kept trying to

convince herself even if she knew it mattered to Betty more than
practically anything else. Why was she trying to convince herself
otherwise? As she stepped forward to knock on Betty's door, she still
didn't have a convincing answer to this question that she'd been asking
herself for more than two years now.

2. The robot clicked disapprovingly, gurgled briefly inside its cubical

interior and extruded a pony glass of brownish liquid. "Sir, you will
undoubtedly end up in a drunkard's grave, dead of hepatic cirrhosis," it
informed me virtuously as it returned my ID card. I glared as I pushed
the glass across the table.

3. They needed to find a place to eat. The kids were beginning to get
grumpy in the back seat and if they didn't find them food soon, it was
just a matter of time before they were faced with a complete meltdown.
Even knowing this, the solution wasn't easy. Everyone in the car had a
different opinion on where the best place to eat would be with nobody
agreeing with the suggestions of the others. It seemed to be an
impossible no-win situation where not everyone would be happy no
matter where they decided to eat which in itself would lead to a
meltdown. Yet a decision needed to be made and it needed to be made
quickly.

4. It was a rat's nest. Not a literal one, but that is what her hair seemed to
resemble every morning when she got up. It was going to take at least an
hour to get it under control and she was sick and tired of it. She peered
into the mirror and wondered if it was worth it. It wasn't. She opened the
drawer and picked up the hair clippers.
5. I inadvertently went to See's Candy last week (I was in the mall looking
for phone repair), and as it turns out, See's Candy now charges a dollar --
a full dollar -- for even the simplest of their wee confection offerings. I
bought two chocolate lollipops and two chocolate-caramel-almond
things. The total cost was four-something. I mean, the candies were tasty
and all, but let's be real: A Snickers bar is fifty cents. After this dollar-
per-candy revelation, I may not find myself wandering dreamily back
into a See's Candy any time soon.

6. Betty decided to write a short story and she was sure it was going to be
amazing. She had already written it in her head and each time she
thought about it she grinned from ear to ear knowing how wonderful it
would be. She could imagine the accolades coming in and the praise she
would receive for creating such a wonderful piece. She was therefore
extremely frustrated when she actually sat down to write the short story
and the story that was so beautiful inside her head refused to come out
that way on paper.

7. "Explain to me again why I shouldn't cheat?" he asked. "All the others

do and nobody ever gets punished for doing so. I should go about being
happy losing to cheaters because I know that I don't? That's what you're
telling me?"

8. She tried not to judge him. His ratty clothes and unkempt hair made him
look homeless. Was he really the next Einstein as she had been told? On
the off chance it was true, she continued to try not to judge him.