"So..."

"So. It's your birthday tomorrow."

Plotnik is doing this now too. It seems like just a few years since "so" has replaced "well..." to open a conversation. Plot first heard it from his neighbors Athena and Carlo, but they'd obviously been doing it for quite awhile. So, when did this start? So, do you do it too?

It seems to be be how an implied question is answered, a little like in Japanese, where a short neutral word like "so" indicates politeness.

"So. We could go for sushi, if you like."

Sometimes Plotnik starts a sentence with "So..." and then stops. The Great Ducknik stares at him and says "So, what?"

This means Plotnik was thinking about something but then wandered off into the ozone and got caught.

So. Tomorrow is somebody's birthday. It will also be the height of the Perseids meteor shower. Last year we were in Glacier National Park. This year we are completely socked in by morning and evening sky-erasing fog.

"So. How far do we have to drive for clear skies?"