Random Threads of Conversation

Went to my friend John's housewarming party today. Unpacked boxes are still scattered around his new apartment despite the fact he moved in at the end of April. An eclectic group of people came together of drink wine and beer and nosh on quinoa and potatoes salads, chicken pesto wraps, cheese and crackers, hummus and flat bread. And to talk.

Among the random conversation topics:

1. The idea that turkeys are so dumb that they will drown when it rains from looking up at the sky with their mouths (beaks?) open. This was stated as fact by a very well-spoken and intelligent guest. A quick search on Google proves that to be a myth.

2. The birthstones of each month:

January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearl
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Opal
November - Topaz
December - Turquoise

3. The concept of art vs. skill: i.e.; you can improve your writing, drawing, dancing, acting skills, but basic creativity is an art that cannot be taught or learned.

4. The inherent coolness of Santa Monica for banning smoking and leaf blowers.

5. What the IRS considers reportable income:

• Kickbacks
• Bribes
• Rewards
• Utility rebates
• Found property
• Gambling winnings
• Lotteries and raffles
• Money earned from illegal activities such as drug deals

As you can see, the IRS don't mess around!

6. The recent writers strike and how the internet is becoming the new source of programming content. Which led to a discussion about a project ANOTHER friend named John is working on: ffwd.com which bills itself as "your personal remote control for video on the web..."

7. An unusual fish story that included great words like "scuffle" and "ruffian." Scuffle--I have to remember to use that more often!

8. What the hell "Ruby on Rails" means? I asked my friend John, who works as a computer programmer 'cuz I've been seeing a lot of job openings for "Ruby on Rails." And because it sounds wicked cool... (Ruby is a programming language like Perl or PHP while Rails is a web application framework written with Ruby code.)

Pretty diverse topics of discussion! And great food...