Macaroni and cheese with serrano chile and applewood bacon

And onions!

The kidney specialist called in a prescription last week but I suddenly became too sick to pick it up from this grocery store.

Flu. Whatever. Sick as a dog. Couldn't sleep, couldn't walk around. Couldn't drive to go get the pills. I feel really bad because I wasted a whole week when I could have been on the regimen. 

So here's the thing. It's time to pay and young woman joins the young man to break down all the specifics of pill-usage. I knew all this already. The specialist specified the details, I used the details to specify the prescription and to distinguish it from another that was available, but the woman is talking like it's all brand new information. I let her complete her spiel. 

"I accept the terms." 

Both the young man and the young woman cracked up laughing. So good natured. So easily given to laughter. There is just something that's funny to people about that phrase. They never expect it. They need to hear something that conveys what they said is understood. They're expecting something like, "I understand. I'll do my best with the timing." Something along the lines of confirming their instructions are understood. But they never expect, "I accept the terms." I don't really know why that is so funny but people never fail to crack up laughing at it. I've thought about why this is so funny and I cannot put my finger on it. Possibly my sincerity. Possibly the fact that they're not actually delivering terms. Possibly the false importance of it. The phrase works. And it is funny. Universally funny and I wish I knew why. 

It's new years eve. I'm still quite ill. I've run out of energy and ended shopping before I was actually done. But there is always enough energy to extend a little bit of grace. Un poco de gracia goes a very long way.

The check out woman is quite fat. The lady bagging is rather stupid. I ask them if they're ready to ring out the year and the lady bagging says, "I'm ready for a new president." 

Now right there she indicates she's too stupid to know that not everyone thinks the same way and that she might be offending someone by an innocent remark. She assumes her opinion is universal. Her comment invites contrary opinion. It demands being corrected. She is assuming since Trump is being half-heartedly impeached that the first step of him resigning is set. She accepts American reporting as all this reflecting on the president and not reflecting poorly on the opposition party. She has no idea how her own low-information status is used cynically by political operatives. She has no idea what is going on. All she knows is what she hears on t.v. and all that she hears is accepted as valid. She's quite stupid. She told me so by her first remark. I let it go. There is no point in arguing with stupid people. I cannot wise her up in the few minutes available. 

"You two make a good team."  They make an ordinary team, but what the heck. I lie sometimes just to be nice.

     "I know we do. We do make a very good team. It's awfully nice to hear that stated by somebody else from the outside." 

See? It takes so little to be nice and state something about their world. While it takes no effort to ignore their poorly informed politics. Even though I haven't got the energy for irrelevant idle conversation. It means something to them. It makes that peculiar task pleasant.