Salade Niçoise

Sometimes I think it is the tuna that makes it Salade Niçoise, but I suppose it's actually olives that are the important thing. This version of the famous salad does not really come close to the one Esther's dad made, and that I ate of, and that changed my outlook on this whole food thing about twenty years ago. But it does have the advantage of being modestly sized, in keeping with requests from various parts of the household, that I keep my portion sizes smaller.

Salad greens
1 handful French green beans, cut and blanched
1 hardboiled egg, don't forget the cold-water step at the end
2 sliced radishes
1/2 Kirby cucumber, roughly peeled, sliced
1/2 tomato, chopped into chunks
3 slices red onion
1/2 avocado, sliced into chunks
salt
pepper

Vinaigrette:
vinegar (don't be an ass, just use the regular white stuff from Key Foods)
olive oil
sliced thyme leaves
seedy German mustard
salt
pepper
some blobs of goat cheese, just for fun
about 10 Niçoise olives, pitted and chopped a bit

No potatoes, anchovies, or tuna this time. I hope that's ok. While you assemble all this it's a good idea to think about painting, drawing or maybe poetry. Don't be thinking about PowerPoint, sculpture or video games, those things would only distract you.