What is that?

Another sign I'm getting old...

I was listening to Plain White T's with Haley and singing along to a chorus that keeps repeating "like a broken record."

Haley sang along happily enough until it ended, then asked: "What is that?"

"What is what?"

"A record."

I explained that records came before CDs and cassette tapes and we used to use them to listen to music. I told her about how I remember having a little red record player that I used to play records with kids' songs. But that was when I was pretty young and mostly I had cassette tapes when I was a kid.

Of course, that led to: "What's a cassette tape?"

Knock Knock

The kids like to tell each other knock knock jokes. A couple of nights ago, they started off making sense and somehow slid downhill...

1st joke - told by Haley
knock knock
who's there?
who
who who?
stop talking like an owl!

2nd joke - told by Preston, trying to copy Haley's joke
knock knock
who's there?
an owl
an owl who?
stop talking like an owl!

3rd joke - told by Brekken... apparently trying to tell a joke like the last two
knock knock
who's there?
pineapple
pineapple who?
stop acting like a pineapple!

Challenger: 25th Anniversary

I just heard on the radio that today is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle explosion. It's hard to believe that it's been so long, because I still remember it very clearly.

I was in 6th grade. They were remodeling the middle school and junior high buildings that year, so we were on a strange school schedule to allow the middle school and junior high to both fit in the same building. The junior high kids went very early in the morning and were done at lunchtime. The middle school kids stayed home until after lunch and then had a late school day.

So I was home eating lunch before school and watching the space shuttle launch on tv. I remember watching the space shuttle rise majestically from the launch pad and streak away across the sky. And then there was a strange puff of smoke and for some reason I vividly remember the strange shape of the smoke trails - with the two trails leading off from the main ball of smoke. I was confused. Was this normal? Was this what was supposed to happen? And then the shock as everyone realized what had happened and what a disaster it was.

I went to school and that was the only thing talked about. I don't remember if we had a regular class schedule, but I do remember just watching the news coverage on tv all afternoon and talking about what had happened. I remember one of my teachers with tears running down her face as she watched.

I also remember President Reagan's amazing speech about the Challenger disaster. Probably one of the most moving, beautiful speeches I've ever heard. If you haven't heard it, or haven't heard it in a while, you should listen. The line about how the astronauts "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God" still brings a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.

Speaking of my memory problems...

I have two things that I really worry I will forget about lately.

#1 When I get dressed for work in the morning, I dress in everything except my shirt. I save that for the last minute before I walk out the door. This is an attempt to avoid having Rylen drool his medicine, spit up, or get any other unwearable substances on my work clothes. I don't want to take the time to change my clothes before I run out the door to catch the bus. But I worry that one of these days I'll be in such a hurry that I'll forget about the shirt. I probably double-check 2 or 3 times each morning on the way to the bus stop to be sure that I did finish getting dressed before leaving the house.

#2 Since I'm breastfeeding, I pump milk for Rylen while I'm at work. I'm fortunate enough to have my own office, so I can just shut the door and pump there. But each time I start to unbutton my shirt and get ready to pump, I get paranoid that I forgot to close the office door and I'm about to give my co-workers an eyeful. I always have to look over my shoulder to double-check that, too... just to be sure. :D

Like a Sieve

That's what my memory is like these days. Full of holes that just let my thoughts slip away. I try to remind myself of things I need to do, and then forget. Yesterday I walked to the supply cabinet three different times... and then stood staring into it as I tried to recall what I was there for. (I did finally grab the push pins I needed on my 3rd trip.)

I have all these little tricks to try and help myself remember things.

I set reminders on my computer. Actually, I'd be really lost without my Outlook calendar. It has everything from business meetings to appointments for my kids to reminders of people I need to call (work and personal) to lists of things I need to get done. So that helps while I'm at work. But then I have to go home where there is no Outlook to remind me any more.

So I write myself notes. I have a couple of whiteboards and pads of sticky notes. I stick notes to the door with magnets. But then I shove the note in a pocket and forget to read it. Or I remember that there's a note written on the whiteboard but can't remember what it says.

I call myself often. I leave messages on my home phone or work phone about things I need to remember. Like, "Don't forget to pay the water bill before it's late!" (After hearing the message, I often write myself a note about it... you know how well that works.) But leaving a message only works if you can keep the thought in your head long enough to dial and leave a message. Here is the actual transcript of the message waiting for me on my work phone this morning:

beep
"Oh shoot. ... I forgot what I was calling about. ... What was it? ... I can't remember! ... long pause ... I needed to call... someone. ... Or was I going to look something up online? ... Darn it!"
click

Why Is It...

• That if I put Rylen down on a bed, pillow, puffy comforter - anything that's a SIDS risk, really - he will snuggle down and go right to sleep... but put him in his nice safe crib and he wakes right up?
• That Rylen likes to stay up half the night... but the sound of my alarm going off in the morning puts him straight to sleep? Of course, by then it's too late to do me much good! Maybe I need to learn to sleep with the alarm on. ;)
• That when it's nice and dark on the bus in the morning - perfect for a nap to catch up on all that lost sleep from the first two points - the only person who decides to disturb the darkness by turning on the reading light is sitting right in front of me?

Quick Funny from Haley

Haley, while playing with Rylen:

"Look, Mommy! He's almost like a little human!"