I knew it would eventually happen.....

My grandson was over yesterday for a bit. He was thumbing through a magazine while I finished up paying a bill online. He said to me:
GS: Grandma?
Me: hmmmm?
GS: Do you know what a Circadian Rhythm is?
Me: (blinking a couple times and trying to rewind my brain) a what honey?
GS: A Circadian Rhythm.
Me: (knowing that I have heard the term before but can't put my finger not only on WHERE but a definition for it) Ah, it sounds familiar but I can't think off the top of my head right now what it is.....why?
GS: Well, its a sleep rhythm and I'm doing research into it for my project at school.
Me: That sounds intriguing . What is your project? (I am sure I saw his shoulders 'square up' a bit)
GS: Well, I'm arguing that school should start later in the day because teenagers are programmed by their Circadian Rhythm to sleep later and they are at their best later in the day. Even teachers are aware of this and that's why in the first two hours of school they really don't get on to you if you happen to fall asleep in class.
Me: (feeling certain he must have first hand knowledge of falling asleep in class) Don't you think that these rhythms could be altered if teenagers would simply get to bed earlier?
GS: Not really. Who wants to go to sleep when its still daylight outside (because of daylight saving time).
Me: Well, what about the teachers? Don't you think they should be at their best also? How can they effectively teach a class if the "adult" rhythms are programmed to be their best earlier in the day?
GS: I have to do more research but I'm confident I can find a good argument for that too.

I knew it would happen eventually.....that one day soon he would ask me a question that I didn't have the answer to. Part of me is glad....its as it should be, I guess. Our future depends on our children and we want them to be more knowledgeable than we are. The other part of me feels like he may not have as much respect for me since "I'm slipping". I wonder if I can find an effective way to "stall" him when he asks me something I don't know the answer to long enough for me to run and google it. That same day, later on, feeling he was on a roll....he asked me if I knew how to do algebra. I don't. I never had to take it in school and never felt the need to use it. He whipped out a pencil and begain to show me a sample problem. The smile on my face was wide....God, I'm proud of him.

Still Learning After all These Years.....

You know you’re never too old to learn stuff and I was thinking about some things that I’ve learned:

Just because you’ve read a good book by a particular author doesn’t mean everything that person writes will be good.

Directions, receipts and warranty info you save FOREVER can never be found when you want to use them.

A part or piece to something (extra screws, labels, etc.) can never be located later on even though you KNOW you have them.

If you are going through boxes looking for something, it’s a guarantee that it will be in the very last box in the assortment.

Sit on the toilet and the phone will ring or someone will come to the door.

Never eat spaghetti while wearing a white top.

Throw something away that you’ve had for a long time and you will need it within 24 hours.

Brag on how good something works and it will break down the next day.

Never let a puppy near an electric blanket.

After the grandkids have visited, its not a good idea to walk barefoot through your house in the dark.

What prompted the above list was my inability to locate part of my coffee pot that I put away for safe-keeping and now I want to use it since my other one is taking 20 minutes to brew a pot. Well….OF COURSE….I can’t find part of it and to add insult to injury, I can’t even locate the book so I can ORDER the part I need. Maybe I can find it online. The Internet has saved me a number of times now.

I used to wonder if my toilet seat sent a wireless message to my phone or doorbell. I’d sit on it…and one or the other would go into action. I solved part of the problem by putting an extension phone in my bathroom. Smartest thing I’ve ever done.