Two dialogues...

A couple perenial favorites of discussion in Alaska are energy issues, and firearms. In the last 24 hours a couple snippets of conversation on these subjects struck me as, well, interesting. I'll try to reproduce them more or less here.

First Dialogue.

Setting: the audacious fireplace at Barnes & Noble, 8pm. Speakers: a father, early 40's, leather jacket, jeans, local union baseball cap, 5 o'clock shadow. A son, 4 or 5, leather jacket, jeans, no cap, no facial hair.

Son looks up from a picture book at the fire, and asks his magazine-reading father "Dad, are those logs made out of real wood?"
"No. They're um, imitation logs..."
"How come they're not real?"
"... Well I suppose 'cause they'd have to have somebody keep adding logs if they burned real wood."
"Oh."
"... so, instead they can use propane... er... natural gas, you know..."
"Oh."
Long pause here.
"... Dad, what's inside fire?"
Longer pause here.
"... well... I guess, you see... there's energy... it's energy, fire is essentially made outa energy..."
"Oh."
"You ready to go?"
"OK Dad."

Second dialogue.

Setting: the West Ridge Cafe, UAF, 9am. Speakers: college aged cashier, blue polo shirt, conductor style cap. Grad student. late 20's, long-hair, bushy beard, carhart jeans, black fleece (me).

I put a strawberry yogurt on the counter.
"Just the yogurt?"
"Yep."
Rings it up. I'm grabbing a spoon made of recycled corn when he asks:
"So how's you're day shaping up?"
"Um, good, yea."
"So what's on your plate for today?"
"Um, well, let's see... "
At this point I think, yea, sure, I'll tell this friendly/nosy dude what I got going, why not?
"I guess I'm going to work on my programming homework for a couple hours, then go to the range, then come back for a class and a meeting with my advisor this afternoon... yea."
"Man, I wish I could go to the range."
"... yea, I'm thinkin of using my brothers Remington 870 with a slug for a hunt I've got comin up..."
"But I can't. Not allowed to anymore. Can't have a gun."
"Oh... right..."
"I guess that's what happens."
"..." huh?
"You know, since the restraining order and all..."
"Oh... yea, of course... well, you know..."
"But that's OK now... Big misunderstanding... Anyway, good thing is I get to leave town next week."
"Yea, me too, spring break."
"Yea, I can hardly wait to get out."
"Cool man, enjoy your break..."
"See ya."