Banter Bites

An Apple A Day …

The pandemic didn't stop apple fans from buying apples. Or, Apple fans from buying Apple products.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red didn't even know that Apple stores had closed, so didn't realize that all Apple stores in U.S. open for business for the first time since start of the pandemic, until Black let her know.

That's probably because Red isn't a huge fan of technology, and except for an iPad (which she mostly uses for Zoom and FaceTime sessions because her computer monitor doesn't have a camera) doesn't own any other Apple products. Yes, both her daughters keep telling her to get an iPhone. But Red hates touch screens, so getting her to switch from her Blackberry (which she loves due to its keyboard) would be a huge change and nothing that will happen in the near future.

So, initially, it didn't make any difference to Red whether Apple stores are open or closed. Until Black pointed out that throughout the pandemic, Apple had opened and closed stores around the world depending on local conditions, so this was a milestone for Apple. And an indicator that Apple thinks the worst is behind us. However, Black couldn't help but add one more thought,

Apple has advised that just because its stores are open does not mean they are fully open for walk-ins. It may require an appointment. Hmmm … make an appointment to spend money shopping in person versus just doing it online in your PJs …?

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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