The whole encounter really made me wonder–what exactly was I doing that made me seem like a good candidate for sharing that? Was it a facial expression? Was it something I said? Or was he going to say it no matter what, and that just seemed like a good way to preface it?

And you’re absolutely right about the whole connection between purpose and saving. I definitely couldn’t do the lockdown if I didn’t have a clear idea of why I was doing it and what benefit we were going to get out of it.

I kind of dislike black beans. Not enough to just turn my nose up at them, but I don’t actively choose them either. I prefer pinto beans. However, I have thrown black beans into the slow cooker with red peppers, chicken stock, lots of adobo, and a hit of red wine before and served it over yellow rice.

My acting professor gave us homework assignments he called “the invisible theater,” which were a lot like secret social experiments. (Aren’t you familiar with JJ too?) But I’m with Kir on this one; if I worked at Wal-Mart, I’d be extra-weird for my own entertainment’s sake. I do like Zea’s idea that we’re the weirdoes for having so many reservations, but on the flip side of that, I think there may be something about me that puts out that it’s-not-so-weird vibe because I am a typical target for really bizarre outpourings from people I don’t know well. I mean: really bizarre. It’s usually preceded by something like, “I just feel like I can say anything to you, and it’s okay.” And in my head, I usually think something like, “What makes you think that this is appropriate?”

Anyway, I really like Peter Mayle books too. ☺

I am in possession of World War Z, which is an incredibly fun read. I will try to remember to give it to Jesse for you. I love passing on great books!

And, wait, brownies and black beans?! Whaaa??

Dave: This is my first Ayn Rand book. Good so far. Yes, we’ll have to chat about The Road. They’re making a movie, I hear. I’m worried. Also, there’s a rumor going around that you have a copy of World War Z you might be willing to loan out…if that’s true, let me know. Apparently I’m really into end-of-the-world/zombie/post-apocalyptic stuff. Unexpected. But fun.

I heard you read “The Road” recently. We should discuss. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Weren’t you the one who mentioned the brownies you bake using black beans? Go for that.

And if I were someone working at Walmart, I’d probably pull out some odd nuggets of conversation myself. Only I would tell REAL doozies solely to entertain myself with the reactions of the customers. After all, it’s walmart – you need something to laugh about during the day.

And Zea–I like the idea of socially awkward people being normal and the rest of us being crazy for putting up such barriers. Ha! Joke’s on us. Who knows. That Blockbuster guy sounds like he’d be a funny character for a story. Some of us just don’t know when to stop…

Anyway, I am glad you had such a nice time reading and writing and not being distracted by things. More beach time for the summer!

I LOVE yours and Jesse’s theories about your overly communicative cashier. I like that you guys are coming up with stories to explain him.

Some people are just weird and lack that social barrier that most people have developed. Who knows, maybe they are normal, and all of us are weirdos for feeling separate from our fellow beings. But I for one do not enjoy talking to random strangers about things that are way too involved for our 30 second transaction. We had a Blockbuster guys who was the most talkative, annoying fellow ever. (For instance, he would tell every customer (every customer!) not to forget to remind the dvd. Har har har.) We tried to avoid his line whenever we could. But I guess even that is more ordinary than telling someone about your cousin’s death.