Bubbles

Today's pointless photo is not of bubbles.

I'm sure you noticed.

Oh, and before I say what little I have to say of bubbles, I want to state for the record that I have a rather sore back end. The muscle part of it, that is. It's just a side effect of sitting on the floor in slightly contorted positions while doing yesterday's planetarium shows, but I thought I should mention it all the same. Lately the blog wouldn't be the blog if I didn't complain about some pain or other.

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Anyway. Bubbles. Of the gum variety, if you were wondering.

I recently bought a different brand of gum from my usual. Yesss... I have to admit that I'm a gum chewer. I imagine that some of my two fans likely find it a disgusting habit, but I'm too far gone at this point to give it up. It helps keep my throat from getting too dry if I have to do a lot of talking, and since a fair amount of my job consists of doing a lot of talking the gum is generally there. I mean, I can do without if I have to, but life's easier if I don't have to.

Usually I buy... oh, wait. I don't really want to advertise gum. Let's just say that usually I buy one of those minty types that comes in little squares. The last time I bought gum, though, they were out of my usual minty little squares so on a whim I bought a pack of a brand that's currently running ads emphasising its long-lasting flavour.

I can't really tell you if the flavour is all that long-lasting compared to all the other gums out there, but I can tell you that the pieces are far too big.

The problem with big pieces of gum? They make me blow bubbles.

Make me, yes.

If I have anything more than a small piece of gum in my mouth I am forced to blow bubbles. I can't help it. My tongue starts to wonder what all that stuff is doing in its way and decides that it must be there to play with.

Ergo, bubbles.

Snapping, annoying, sticky bubbles.

Even I hate them, but I still end up doing it.

The solution? Well, I don't want to throw out a pack of perfectly innocuous gum just because the pieces are too big, so I've taken to cutting them in half. Seriously. Right through the paper wrapping. Half a piece is all I need, so half a piece is all I'm using. It's going to make one single pack of gum last nearly a month, but I'm doing it anyway.

Gee. Do you think that's what they're referring to when they advertise long-lasting flavour? Maybe it's not so much that the flavour itself lasts a long time; maybe it's more that the gum will last you forever if you only use a reasonably-sized piece at a time.

Or maybe this particular company would prefer that I spend my day forever blowing bubbles (and no, I don't follow West Ham. Or any football for that matter. English OR Canadian). It isn't going to happen, though.

Long-lasting or not.