Overheard Convo's

Two male college students sit with laptops in Starbucks enjoying their over priced "artisan" coffee's. And of course they have full beards that disturbingly become soaked in the very same drink they are sipping on. The friend that can be easily described as the leader of all hipsters looks away from his laptop to engage in what some might say is a boring conversation to the non-millennial ears, though I am unfortunately a part of this category.

"Have you tried Austin's coffee?"

"No, I haven't but I think I know the place you're talking about. They have like open mic nights and poetry right?"

"Yeah man that's the one."

Both men begin texting as though it had just been created.

"Dude I just got the dunkin doughnuts job in Casselberry."

"So free doughnuts for life right?"

"I wish man, that would sick."

A text drives one of the friends out of the conversation.

"Allie just texted me I gotta go."

"Oh yeah, alright then."


2.  Secrets are horrible. Why do I always find things out about people that I have no business knowing. My daughter Emily goes to Lion Middle School so I see everyone's mother five days a week. Emily's friends mom was with a man that is not her husband Mark. I know what Mark looks like and that was definitely not Mark.

Last Wednesday I was leaving Jade's flower shop and across the street is a Hilton hotel. Well, she was going in with some guy that could have taken George Clooney's place as sexiest man alive. Mark isn't an ugly man but he most certainly isn't in his twenties anymore.

Now I'm not the one to spread gossip but how could I possibly hold this in. It is completely killing me.



3. Whole foods is a place for the worldly conscious and yet also a place where those without common sense shop. A petite brunette peers over at the cashier as she is asked "Would you like to donate a  dollar for a world hunger organization?"

Seemingly an ordinary question but not to her. This sends her immediately to her soap box.

"Will they feed them meat? I'm a vegan and I really wouldn't want my donation helping the killing of animals."

Everyone still waiting behind in line reflexively squint there eyes at the idiocy of the response.

"Ma'am can you just say yes or no, it doesn't have to be this serious."

"Excuse you sir. I think it is."

The man gives a deep sigh of disbelief.

"If they are starving, what does it matter if they have meat, they need whatever they can get lady."

"Just give them the dollar, okay fine. Thank you."

As the woman leaves the store embarrassed everyone in line claps as they can move on with there day.


Part 2.

In reading Maugham's stories, "Rain" and "The Razors Edge" I got the impression that he enjoys writing to describe the complexity that is life in different ways. Rain was about secrets and death with people stuck together first on a boat and then on land. Razors edge about a WW1 veteran taking many paths that lead him throughout many parts of the world. I liked that each story was very entertaining and talked about what a lot of people go through whether they want to or not, like being a prostitute in the story of "Rain", or the experiences of war in "Razors edge." The style of writing was  definitely in the realistic fiction category. The voice in each of the stories were calm yet building up to something. Rain led up to murder with having someone's throat slit "From ear to ear." Maugham does repeat the idea of experiencing and living life through the eyes of different people. In Razors Edge, a soldier is taken to many parts of the world aiming for self discovery.

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