The cable repairman was on my street and asked me what time it was. I told him it is between 8 am and 1 pm.

A fellow commuter walked onto the train while talking on the phone to his mother. From what I could glean, he was trying to end the conversation, but she wasn't having it. I say that because the man finally declared in a loud, exasperated voice, "No, I don't want to talk to the dog!"

My 35-year-old son and I had just finished our meal when I realized I'd left my wallet in my truck. As I headed out the door, I told the waitress what had happened. "But don't worry," I said with a grin. "I'm leaving my son for collateral."

She looked at him. He winked at her. She turned back to me. "What else you got?"

Q. You can break me without touching me, or even seeing me. What am I?

A. A promise

My six-year-old loved his pet fish. He watched and fed it faithfully, morning and night. But one day while he was in school, his fish died, so I flushed it down the toilet. I told him when he got home, and he was inconsolable. Nothing I said helped. After a while, I asked, "Why are you crying so much?"Arching his back, he shouted, "I wanted to flush!"