"Excuse me, do you have a toothpick?"

That is something that is heard quite regularly. In homes, restaurants, airplanes and even cars when riding back to work after lunch. I suppose it's a normal thing to request after a meal of roast beef, chicken, steak or any other food type that may find a home nestled in a crevice deep in your teeth.

I personally don't have a problem with it in my car because I have two kids that travel with me everyday. You can't imagine the things I find in my car. However, for those of you who do not travel with little ones that eat like the "Cookie Monster" in their car let me ask you this.

You are driving back from a place of "Fine Dining". You, your spouse and perhaps another couple. You are all in the car enjoying your ride home talking about how great dinner was and how you must go there again. There is a lull in the conversation and you hear "thwp, thwp" and wonder what is making such a sound. Then it dawns on you that your buddy there asked for a toothpick as he was leaving. NOW he is picking the dinner out of his teeth and really who knows what else? And you know what he is doing with the smelly little morsels? That's right, he's spitting them all over the inside of your car. So the next time you get in it you may very well see a dried up piece of Ralph's T-bone hanging there on the dashboard, seat or even window for that matter.

"Did you really think he was swallowing them?"

"EWE!!!"

So the next time you see someone heading for the car with a toothpick hanging out of their mouth, I suggest you ask them to "leave it at the door."

Eyes of youth have sharp sight, but commonly not so deep as those of elder age.

- Elizabeth I of England