You ask your coworker if she wants coffee. She stares. You ask again, louder. Still staring. You assume she's having a stroke until she finally says, "Sorry, I was just thinking about whether penguins have knees." Apparently your question entered a waiting room behind her existential crisis and never made it to the front desk.

I asked my roommate if he'd seen my keys. He launched into a fifteen-minute explanation of why he switched to a subscription service for his socks. When he finally finished, I just held up the keys I'd found in the door. He nodded thoughtfully and said, "Yeah, the subscription really saves money in the long run."