I could have danced all night...

12/20/10.

I don't know how I end up in conversations like this one, but they happen all too frequently. You know, like seeing a terrible movie and wishing you could get that money and time back.

Mom: I'd always wished I could have danced with Fred Astaire. But what chance did I have?

Me: I'm sure a lot of women wished the same thing. [beat] He didn't have many partners, though, did he?

Mom: A few. [beat] He ended up marrying a young one.

Dad: I saw her. She was uggggggly.

Mom: You never saw her.

Dad: I did. I remember it distinctly on the Edward R. Murrow show.

Mom [rolling eyes]: You stay in your dreamland and I'll stay in mine.

It's times like these I never know who to believe. Blissful ignorance is often preferred to the amount of time and energy it would take to determine the accuracy of any of these statements.