Greener than thou

I used the word "meamble" in a rhyming contest with Eric yesterday. These happen a lot, especially when we're hiking for a really long time and have completely run out of things to say to each other. We'll be trotting along and one of us will say something inane, you know, just making conversation. When the other person has no intelligent response, this can unintentionally spark a rhyming contest where that person just says a word that rhymes with whatever was just said. This then continues, the loser being the person who can no longer come up with a rhyming word.

Ellie: We'll have to see about traffic. I think it is kind of a gamble.

Eric: Bramble.

Ellie: Scramble.

Eric: Preamble.

Ellie: [silence]

Eric: Ha!

Ellie: No wait! Uhh...meamble.

Eric: No way.

Ellie: Yes! It is a combination of meander and amble. It's one of those new energy efficient hybrid words.

Eric: Does it run on corn?

Ellie: No. It lowers my carbon emissions from speaking because I get more meaning into each exhale.

Eric: Does that make the deaf the biggest environmentalists?

Ellie: Hmm.

Eric: And people who use a lot of contractions and acronyms. And innuendo. They're the lowest carbon emitters.

Ellie: Yes. OMG. They're the real heroes.

Eric: So does exercising increase our carbon footprint?

Ellie: Yeah, I guess it would have to.

Eric: I'm being green by sitting on the couch instead of going to the gym.

Ellie: Nice. Does that mean we should fine people who spend too much time at the gym? Should there be a cap and trade system for professional athletes' carbon exhalations?

Eric: Now you're just being ridiculous.