Tyrades!

One of my biggest pet peeves: people who can’t hold up their end of a conversation.

Oh, I’m not saying that every single human being is obligated to bring jaw-dropping factoids, whimsical quips and provocative perspectives to every mundane conversation.

But listeners could at least honor speakers with something more interactive than banal “filler” material like “Uh huh,” “Well, I’ll be!” and “How do ya like that?”

If you reveal, “I lost my wallet on vacation, but a former U.S. president volunteered to pay for my meal,” people with an adequate number of neurons should have a few logical FOLLOW-...