Not that the two are connected, but both have been in my life a lot recently.

I found a pasta maker in the recesses of my pantry the other day and the string of questions that arose went something like this:

Wow, how long have I had this?
Have I ever used this?
Who gave this to me?
What exactly is in pasta anyway?
Maybe I should try this?

So I did. I spent a couple days reading up on pasta in my here-and-there spare minutes,...