Tom predicts I would reach for a hamburger, and he would lunge for a video game

Just now I was reading email, while my brother is cleaning his kitchen. I advertently moused over Omst in my contact list, and his profile photo came up.



Me: "Oh no! Omst's photo is of his one-year-old nephew drinking a beer!"

Tom: "Maybe it's a picture of Omst at one year old." [Omst is a huge lush and drinks wine like water.]

Me: "That would be fitting, but I know it's his nephew. Omst is a bad influence!"

Tom: [nodding]

Me: "By the way, do you know the Chinese tradition for determining what a baby will grow up to be? When the baby turns a year old, you put him on a mat, and lay out four things in front of him: a coin, a calligraphy brush, a silk scarf, and an ink seal. If the baby goes for the coin, he'll be a businessman. If he reaches for the brush, he'll be an academic. The scarf means he'll score with the ladies. The ink seal means he'll be a politican."

Tom: "Which one means he'll grow up to be a software engineer?"