By Mark Bazer As someone who has talked a number of times in his life, and heard other people talk as well, I’ve become somewhat knowledgeable on the subject of What People Love to Say . . . •People love to say that they love all kinds of music. •People love to say that they’re thinking about quitting their job and becoming a teacher. (Real teachers really appreciate this.) •People love to say that Whole Foods is expensive. •People who are allergic to bee stings love to say that they are. •People, typically women, love to say that their mother is their best friend. •People still love to say that they wish last year’s World Series had been between the Red Sox and the Cubs. •People love to say that they don’t like zoos. •People, regardless of whether they’ve seen the movie, love to say that Charlize Theron is going to win an Oscar for “Monster.” •People love to say that they’re totally obsessive-compulsive. • People love to say that they love going to the library. People love to say that they’re not religious, but that they are spiritual. People love to say that they were a camp counselor. People love to say that they were really depressed in college. People love to say that they’ll have just a little bit more coffee. People love to say that Woody Allen’s last movie was terrible. People love to say that they don’t want to have a big wedding. Or, more often, “We didn’t want to have a big wedding, but . . .” People love to say that Minneapolis is a cool city. People love to say that it’s ridiculous that not just Big Bird but everyone on “Sesame Street” now knows Snuffleupagus exists. People living in Chicago love to say that they don’t really like Chicago-style pizza. People love to say, “Hey, do you mind if I ask how much you paid for . . .” People love to say that they know the best burrito place. (Oddly, it’s usually down the street from their home.) People love to say that New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick is a “defensive genius.” People love to say, “There’s hardly any gin in here.” People used to love to say how much they love Krispy Kreme. People who don’t live in California still like to say how much they love In ‘n’ Out Burger. People love to say that the Israelis and Palestinians are BOTH wrong. People love to say that they hate reality TV, but they’re totally obsessed with (fill in reality show here). People love to say that they love Boggle. And, “Oh, you have Boggle!” People love to say that they just like a band’s early stuff. People love to say that they would have fought in World War II. People love to say that they like Philip Seymour Hoffman. People love to say that everything’s been said before. (Mark Bazer can be reached at mebazer@yahoo.com.) (c) 2002 Mark Bazer, Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

©Mark Bazer | Site Design: Spudart Productions