I found a new internet penpal. It's been a long time since I had a new pen pal. It's interesting the things one reveals to a stranger.

For example: he said he was a vegetarian for ethical reasons.

I said, “I'm a vegetarian because I get physically ill when I eat meat. I'm pretty sure its all in my head, its a texture thing. I don't eat meat, I don't eat wiggly deserts (jello, puddings, flan etc) and equally as random I don't eat anything artificially purpled. (thus I am against all things grape that are not actually a grape) The one thing that defies both the wiggly and the purple principle is jelly, but I never said any of this made sense.”

He understood. He said wiggly deserts (except jelly) have gelatin in them, which apparently is unethical, he doesn’t eat wiggly deserts either.

I said, “I’m trying to get back into the groove of eating eggs. I stopped eating them about 6 years ago, but I want to start eating them again.”

He said he does eat eggs, but only ones laid on “cage free farms.”

Wow- that's dedication

I remembered, but did not comment on my childhood experiences in the chicken coop. How my brother and I had to go collect eggs, how the coop was full of fleas and how he would gallantly volunteer to “stand guard” outside the coop so that once I scared all the hens out, they wouldn’t come back in and peck me as I stole all their babies. Inevitably I came out with dozens of flea bites and a few eggs.