today i was sitting in a deli doing my free-write, and listening to four engineers discuss their daughters. one of them said that his daughter argues about everything. sometimes, she has no idea what she's talking about and still argues for the sake of arguing. another said that he and his wife know another couple who have a daughter the same age as theirs, so they'll get together sometimes and discuss. have you guys come up with any answers?, one of the engineers asked. no, he said, no answers, but it's nice to commiserate with people going through the same things.

i was listening to the conversation and laughing inside. these poor guys. here they are, each one having finally found a woman they can understand enough to marry, and along come daughters that are even more confounding.

women are perpetually mysterious creatures to men. i mean, life comes through us--that's how powerful we can be. but it's like taming a river...you just can't. the best you can do is go with it, and try to steer away from any sharp, pointy objects that may lead to gaping flesh wounds.