On two recent Amtrak journeys, I've sat near women who -- total strangers on the train -- start chatting, find common ground, and continue to talk for several hours straight. I've overheard intimate medical details, tales of woe concerning offspring including drug addiction and abuse, and various other facets of their lives that I certainly wouldn't have been airing out in public, to a near-stranger.

Who to blame? Soap operas? The talk-show/"reality" TV culture? Self-help gurus? I don't know where it comes from, but there must be some balance between being an open and approachable people and maintaining a modicum of privacy about oneself.

I (and Bob, on my behalf) have been known to ask folks to stop talking about their latest surgery while we are trying to enjoy a meal. . . glad to know it's not just me.