After working in consulting for a long time, you forget what life in the "real world" is like.  In particular, I had forgotten how chatty middle-aged women are in the workplace.  In my first day and a half at my current client, I have heard more about American Idol than in the last year and a half of my normal life.  Just this morning I got to listen to an utterly fascinating discussion on the motivation, quality and authenticity of last night’s winner’s tears.

In a previous job, I got to listen to endless conversations on topics just as banal, that is until I bought a radio and some headphones.