222: Small Talk Title text: But surely I owe you an accurate
answer! Cueball is approached by his friend who offers the
standard greeting of, "What's Up? How've you been?" In standard
"small talk" an appropriate answer would be only one or two
words (e.g. "Fine", "Pretty good"). These are generally positive
responses, with negative ones only offered in extreme
circumstances. In this situation, Cueball forgets that this type
of answer is what his friend is expecting. Instead, he
contemplates thoroughly on his condition, wanting to provide
accurate, detailed information to his friend. His response sheds
light on the many layers of meaning a simple question such as
"What's up?" can have. His friend, thrown off by the delayed
response, snaps to regain Cueball's attention and reminds him
that they are having a conversation, which is best facilitated
by the standard short responses. The title text shows that
Cueball was more interested in accuracy than the ease of the
conversation. - Cueball (Thought): Sometimes I