It's Rotten Old

Happy Anniversary, dear little blog! And hello to you, dear reader. Thank you for sticking around while this whole year happened. I suppose there's no reason to wax poetic about it, though. Let's get down to business, for crying out loud!

"Business," as it were, will consist of a conversation that I heard today between a boy and his mother, the boy being perhaps seven and the mother being, well, his mother. It was in a coffee shop and it was both funny and awkward. I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear. Their table was two inches away from mine. Okay, three. Or four. But really. It was close. (I also had the cupcake gelato, and it was actually very good and not as weird as it sounds. My decaf espresso tasted like burnt marshmallows -- in the best possible way.)

Mother: How was school today?
Boy: (eating gelato as fast as he can) Um.
Mother: Well, what did you do?
Boy: (still eating) Um?
Mother: Who did you play with?
Boy: (swallowing) Shannon.
Mother: Oh! How nice. What did you play?
Boy: (intensely peering into cup) Um, I don't know.
Mother: What else happened?
Boy: Math.
Mother: Do you have homework? Is there anything in your bag?
Boy: (still eating) I don't know.
Mother: Your bag is light! That means there isn't anything inside!
Boy: (watching cartoons on a muted TV that is mounted on the wall) Okay.
Mother: This is our special date and you're watching TV. And it doesn't even have sound!
Boy: (scraping cup with tiny spoon) Mm hmm.
Mother: Look at me! Say something!
Boy: I used my ticket at lunch.
Mother: Did you run out of money on your lunch card again?
Boy: I think. I gave it to the person and then they gave it back to me.
Mother: What did you have for lunch?
Boy: Breadsticks.
Mother: Oh! Did they have cheese?
Boy: No.
Mother: What else did you have?
Boy: Yogurt.
Mother: Oh! Did you like it?
Boy: I didn't eat it.
Mother: Why not?
Boy: I never like yogurt, not ever.
Mother: What do you like?
Boy: Breadsticks! Cheese! Nachos!
Mother: And cupcake-flavored gelato.
Boy: (still scraping cup) Not really.
Mother: Oh.
Boy: Do you see that robot?
Mother: (glancing hurriedly and frustratedly at the TV) I guess.
Boy: Why is it chasing that guy?
Mother: I don't know. Should we go?
Boy: No. Can we watch TV?
Mother: I think let's go. Do you want dinner?
Boy: Oh! Dinner? I like dinner!

And that was that.

Happy new blog-year, everyone. I'll see you (in our special, non-live way) very soon.