Parsley: A Window to the Soul?

It occurred to me this morning just how out of touch I am with with many aspects of society and culture. I went to Harris Teeter to buy some groceries (having a friend over for dinner tonight) and was in the checkout line when the guy behind me strikes up an animated conversation about football. As I have not even watched a football game in well over ten years, this caught me off guard and I quickly scanned my cart for anything that suggested I was a football fan (scallops, crab, shrimp, tomatoes, flour, cheese, wine. Nope. Hmmm. Parsley. Must be the parsley).

Evidently there is some sort of big game today and all I could do was stare blankly at the guy and say "Game? What game?" This relevation ended the conversation and for a brief moment I felt almost guilty for being completly oblivious to something about which many people are so passionate. Perhaps I should have put back the items in my cart and instead buy cheap beer, nachos, and hot dogs so I could kick back and enjoy the game along with millions of others (I still have no idea who's playing or the significance of the game). But then again, I don't have cable and my TV lacks an antenna, so all I would be able to do is sit there, wave parsley, and shout encouagement at the blank TV screen.

But I'm not one to go along with the crowd and my cluelessness as to football is but the tip of the iceberg. My youth was spent doing what was expected but as I got older, particularly during the college years, I developed my own strong sense of self. I certainly don't fit into any preconceived mold with respect to hobbies, interestes, academic pursuits, occupation and the like. I'm this ecclectic mix that defies pigeonholing into any particular cagegory.

Perhaps I'll write more on this later tonight. In the meantime, I need to foray into the kitchen and get dinner going. Yeah, it's early yet, but I have a lot of prep work to do. I'll be sure to close the blinds before hauling the parsley out of the fridge, lest I'll have a dozen screaming football fans banging on my door.