greek tragedy/drama

[Patrick Schreuder]

     >you'e at the checkout line at Price Chopper, express lane, 5 items or 
     less, >repeat, you must be checking out 5 items or less.
     >now, if you have four different 'items,' yet one of these 'items' 
     happens to >be cat food, of which you are about to purchase 5 cans of 
     said substance, >what do you have?  4 items (with one item in a 
     quantity of 5)?
     
     > PS--I still don't get the "Greek Tragic Drama" bit--
     
     But why, it's obvious: The whole subject of checkout lines is mythical, the 
     people behind you in the queue are the Chorus, and you are the protagonist. 
     It provides a paradigm for human behaviour, there's no onstage violence, 
     and someone's probably going to sacrifice a goat.
     Shame that it's not set in a trochaic metre.
     
     Yours,
     
     
     Patrick