The tightest conversation of my week

Me (at the office doing my daily, 6 a.m. newspaper search): I am shocked--shocked!

Becca (replying to my email -- but addressing Pepper): that was hilarious. I felt like I was right there with him spitting on me.

Me: if we are going to enjoy the fruits of the glover embassy parties, we should all at least acknowledge the ethical quandaries they present... no?

Pepper: You mean eating delicious treats and sushis financed by the fruits of Ashcroft's labor and connections? I see no ethical quandries [sic -- tighten-up pepper, seriously; gmail has auto spellcheck for gods' sake] in such treats.

Me: i agree we shouldn't bring delicious treats into this. nothing so delicious deserves such scrutiny. (they may threaten to revoke their deliciousness, after all.) the sushis, however, are on my list....

but if we take a serious look at your criticism: i don't question ashcroft's labor, or his connections -- only when those connections subvert a fair, free-market bidding process irrespective of and provide under-the-table favors forged during his time in elected office.

Pepper: I saw a sashimi wearing a wire once. it was wireless and the battery was concealed in the rice mattress.

Me: "rice mattress" is the most delicious thing i've heard all week.

Pepper: i was pretty shocked at how delicious it ended up sounding. imagine at full scale, like...california king

Me: i would furnish my rice mattress with fruit-roll-up sheets, peep pillows, and a hot-pocket comforter.

btw, as long as i'm being an ornery, uppity TUer T-upper, here's my comment on your recent TUR post.

Becca: I think that Taco Bell is fine. Pepper's a big whiney [insert TUR card here] academic.

Pepper: Wow darling, thanks for backing me up! And Bones Bone donor, I appreciate the compliment.

But seriously, it really doesn't matter that it looks beatiful [insert TUR card here] --that's not the point at all. I'm all for more beautiful taco bells. the point is, if we craft a public policy that derives its legitimacy from the importance of protecting a certain thing, we can't allow the administration of that public policy to trivialize the very thing that is in the public's interest to protect.

maybe, as far as most people are concerned, "better is better", and the pretty taco bell is a good thing. fine. but if i have to take a theoretical look at why we craft public policy, and examine its methods and outcomes, i cannot back down from criticizing misplaced attempts at exercising the policy.

Becca: I smell.


Ok, that last entry was false*, but the rest was verbatim.


*The author, that is -- not the fact that Becca smells.