Looking back, I have probably emptied the dishwasher over 100 times or more in my life. Still this time I noticed something for the first time. In our cupboard we have sets of cups associated with table ware sets that we have purchased over time – some still complete and some slightly diminished through breakage. Located at the back of the cupboard are all the one-off, two-off cups that are less frequently used. These could be gifts; these could be giveaways from exhibits and shows or craft projects that we or our kids participated in over many years. As I was lining them up in the cupboard it occurred to me that collectively these cups can tell a pretty good life story of our family. There is the JEOL cup – issued by an e-beam mask writing company I collaborated with for many years in my line of work, there

Having friends with whom one can discuss a wide range of topics like family, life, politics – is a blessing. One can learn, test ideas or just have fun recounting stories old and new – some awkward, some embarrassing or just funny. There are lighter topics; and some are heavier, for example caring for one’s elderly parents. A nearly unlimited field of course are topics of daily politics. The fact that the personal convictions in our group of friends point in all kinds of different directions creates ample opportunities for discussion or even arguments. In such conversations inadvertently one finds oneself attempting to convince the other participants of one’s own opinion. In a recent get-together we got into a heated discussion that ended not in a good spot – we finally paused, individually exasperated, exhausted and even somewhat angry. It felt like nobody wanted to arrive at such a point

This saying sounds familiar! Triggered by a sign at an Airbnb we stayed at recently I got curious to see if I could find its true origin. The search yields plenty of signs with a rich selection of designs and also contents. Amazing what people can envision to flush – beyond the expected items that have common presence in a bathroom there are self-written poems, T-shirts, diapers, kittens and puppies, old phones, your ex’ sweaters, gum, unpaid bills, junk mail, goldfish, old phone bills, cherry bombs, leftover salad, frogs, love letters, random socks, your money, toys and bowling balls…..this is when I stopped searching. Upon some consideration it is fair to say that flushing things down the toilet puts them out of sight immediately and cuts off all other sensations associated with it. (Note: That may not hold if you are the owner of the device that clogs during the