Little Things

Sometimes all you have to appreciate in a day are little things. But that's okay. I'm okay with little things. I was raised to be content. Now, before anyone shouts "Whoa girlie, wait just a minute", I will admit that I'm also a whiner. But bottom line is I don't expect much.

Today I got to work early enough that I could make a slight detour and check out this bakery that is only one block away from my office. While I expected aromatic artisan breads, I was delighted to learn they also had breakfast sandwiches, lunch soup and sandwiches, and an array of completely indulgent looking deserts (including canoli.) They were slow in making my breakfast sandwich (small establishments are not typically quick), but it was definitely worth the wait. As I waited, the person working the front busied himself with inserting long baguettes into paper sleeves and arranging them in a huge vase-like container on the front counter. Only $2.50. (Note to self - stop by at lunch one day and pick up one to take home.) Anyway, back to the sandwich. I'll have to remind myself to ask them to only use half the amount of egg for the next sandwich - it was so thick with egg that it kept falling apart. But completely delicious! All for about what I would have spent at the 'arches' for a breakfast sandwich.

And if that serendipitous discovery wasn't enough for the day, I found a parking place right in front of my house when I got home. My day was complete - what more could I ask for?

Until tomorrow.

Quick Trip to the Grocery Store

I stopped at the grocery store last night on my way home to buy ant traps (yes, it's that time of year again.) But there is something Twilight Zoneish about the grocery store for me because I go in thinking I only need one or two things and end up with a cartful. Last night I spent $25 - not too bad.

I know other people have issues with other stores (my daughter's is Target) but for me it's the grocery store. I just can't go in and get one thing. I suppose that would be a credit to someone's design layout or marketing plan or something. I've heard that there are specialists who plan every detail in how to get you in, how to get you to the back of the store, and how to make you pass everything tempting to get back out again.

I worked at a department store one time that I continually got lost in. I just couldn't get through the store easily. I asked the Operations Manager one time about it. He laughed. He said that Corporate paid big money to make sure that people saw every part of the store before leaving and that there was no quick way out. I wonder what that person's job title is? Manager of Store Mazes. Director of Labyrinths. Vice President of Quagmire.

It never ceases to amaze me how easily we can be manipulated.

Rain, Rain Go Away

We used to sing a little song when I was a child asking the rain to come back another day. Now, I don't mind so much. Don't get me wrong, I don't like driving in it. I don't like it when my basement leaks. And I don't like getting wet on my way to and from my car. But I don't mind the rain.

I like rainy nights for sleeping. I like hearing the rain tapping on my windows. I like watching the rain through my office window. I especially like watching people get wet as they walk the promenade (through my office window.) I really like watching storms - it's better that "must see TV". Something akin to the people who watch fish tanks I suppose.

What part of growing up changes you from not liking rain to not minding, or even enjoying, it? Maybe when we stop going out to play daily. Maybe when work takes up most of our lives. No, that can't be it. I remember as a young mother hating to see the rain because that meant my son would be drenched by the time he got to school - he felt the need to jump into every puddle. And huddling everyone around one umbrella (because the kids surely couldn't be trusted with one of their own) meant my butt was going to be in the rain. And listening to children whine about why they couldn't go outside was shere torture. So the dislike for rainy days carried into adulthood.

So, when did I start liking rainy days?

Children by Marriage

I think I've realized one of the reasons I love my children-in-law (and the reason some mothers probably dislike their children-in-law.) I am no longer the first person my children run to - in good times and bad. They now turn to their spouse. These spouses have releived me of a burden - not a bad burden or a burden that I didn't carry willingly, but definitely a time-consuming one.

I know that there are some things that both my daughter and son still come to me for - and for that I'm blessed, but they now have a partner to help them guide through life. I don't know my son's marriage as well as I do my daughter's (son's aren't as chatty.) But in my daughter's case, she picked perfectly - and by that I mean she chose someone who had strengths that she was lacking and who needed the strengths she brought to the marriage. I'm a big believer that, while in many ways you should be alike or very similar, opposites defintely can help grow a relationship if you are wise enough to let them lead you in the areas they are strong.

I like my new role as mother. It's not nearly as daily or hands-on, but still feel needed. Sometimes my role is just that of listener. Sometimes it's a role of helper. Whatever it is, I'm grateful. I enjoy being needed, but my days of helping them through their daily activities is over. As it should be.

Thanks to my children-in-law.

Clean House

I cleaned house today. I've been putting it off for a few weeks because the weekends just always had so many things planned into them that I just didn't want to add one more. But I decided yesterday that I was going to get up and start cleaning before I did anything else.

My good intentions were somewhat waylayed by a poor night of sleep followed by sleeping in. But by 10:00 am I was awake, fed, and ready to start. I cleaned until 2:00 pm and quit. I had one or two things left to do, but I was tired and hungry.

There is something about cleaning that feels good. It's so obvious when you finish that you accomplished something. It's a good feeling. Unfortunately, the good feeling lasts a day or two and then everything is covered with dust again and the little items of day to day life are strewn about in organized piles of clutter.

But, for a day or two anyway, I'm going to enjoy the decluttered home.

Friday

Sometimes all you have to look forward to in a week is Friday. You wake up almost giddy knowing that it's the last work day of the week. There is almost nothing that can happen on Friday that will ruin the mood - and trust me, things happen on Friday a lot.

Sometimes I can't hold in the excitement and I take myself out to lunch on Friday. But that typically doesn't work out to be as fun as I want it to be. Today my bread was a little stale. I went to Subway, but didn't leave for lunch until almost 1:30 pm. I guess the bread is made in preparation of the lunch crowd and if you wait until 1:30 to eat - what can you expect?

Driving home on a Friday is a killer. I think the DC workers must stay in the city during the week and all drive home on Friday. Even getting on the highway is difficult. Sometimes I'll wait in line for quite a while as one care at a time in front of me squeeze into the highway. But, again, it's hard too bothered by it because it's Friday.

The problem with Friday is that it heightens expectations. It's really hard for any weekend to live up to a Friday "high."

Clothes Make the Woman

Sometimes when you dress in the morning, everything is right. This morning was one such morning.

I bought some new clothes a few weeks ago. One shirt was a bit bright and very stylish. I saw it on the hanger and thought it was okay. I knew the colors would work with pants I already had. I tried it on and liked the way it fit. It looked much better on me than it had on the hanger.

This morning I wore it for the first time. The longer I had it on the more I was impressed with it. The fabric was very soft. The fit was wonderful. I felt like I looked good in it. I felt good.

It's not often that clothes can make such an impression. Most of the time, clothes are just clothes. Today my clothes made my day. I like it when that happens.

Morning vs Night

Are you a morning person or a night person?

Everyone asks that. And you are supposed to answer. You are supposed to know. What if you don't know? Why is it that you can't be both?

I am sort of both. Let me explain. I hate to wake up and if I close my eyes for a second, I can be back asleep for an hour or more. Once I'm up and showered, however, I'm alert, energetic, and ready to take on the world. For a while. Then I want a nap. My mind starts to drift, the eyelids start to feel heavy, the energy wanes, and I'm ready to become horizontal. Driving home is a chore. Once home I hear the sofa calling to me.

But . . . once I get the second wind, I'm good to go. When I know that I should be getting ready for bed, my mind is ready to go. I can get a lot done in that period of energy and alertness. And then I toss and turn and fidget in bed trying to turn my brain off.

So, am I a morning person or a night person? And does it matter?

Evaluations

I really dislike workplace evaluations. I hate getting them and I hate giving them. I think they are pointless. I would prefer, that if I do something good or something incredibly dumb, my boss point these things out to me and give guidance on how to move on AT THE TIME THEY ARE HAPPENING. This, in my humble opinion, is more constructive. In all fairness, he does say "good job" if I perform some miraculous accomplishment, but he saves the bad until it's time to decide whether or not I get a raise. This is wrong on two levels. First it makes me dread my yearly evaluation like a death row inmate waiting for the needle. It's never good. Second, on the off chance that I didn't know I screwed up, it keeps me in that incorrect mode for several months before telling me to change. I've come to the conclusion that evaluations are often simply a way to justify not paying us what we believe we should be paid. But lets not go there.

So, my yearly evaluation for 2009 hasn't been done yet. Typically it's done in December in preparation for March raises, but this year has been extra busy (moving the office and all). It actually should be coming any day now but I have decided that I'd rather skip it. What is the point? Why the elaborate production to justify not giving me a raise (or giving me a less-than-cost-of-living raise) when I already know none of us are getting a raise this year? I'm not bitter about this. I'm thankful to have a job. I know what times are like and I'm not so egocentric that I can't see the bigger picture in our organization. But why waste my time and submit to ego-shattering criticism for no reason. I already know what I've done wrong this year (I'm my worst critic) and I know I'm not getting a raise. So, lets skip the song and dance and just work on next year.

Loved

I know I am loved. I have amazing kids and kids-in-law and grandkids. But I think my dog loves me best - or maybe that's just what she wants me to believe.

She had dental surgery on Friday and wasn't feeling her normal self this weekend. And because of her neediness, I found her on top of my constantly. She would crawl behind my neck and lay down. She would climb atop my boobs and lay down. She would snuggle in beside me and bury her head beneath my hand. Nearby just wasn't cutting it - she wanted complete security that only touching me would bring. And so, feeling a little guilty in the knowledge that I was the one who decided on the vet visit that did this to her, I let her have her way.

If only she knew how I was also laughing at her the whole time. One of the teeth she lost was a canine on the upper right. So, in addition to being not as full on that side of her mouth, she can't keep her tongue from the empty space. She would lick her mouth and the tongue would linger an extra measure of time out the right side of her mouth. It is hilarious. She looks at me so intently while she's doing it, as if to say "Mommy, I'm not sure what it is, but something is different." I just tell her she's pretty and give her an extra cuddle.

I'm not telling her it was my idea.

Present in Life

I went for a walk today. I took my little dog out into the sunshine and walked a few blocks. She enjoyed it tremendously. I enjoyed it most of the time. It's hard to enjoy walking with Winnie - because she feels the need to pee every five steps.

But as I strolled along the sidewalk, I noticed something about all the people in cars who passed me. Most weren't really there. Once I saw what was occuring, I started to take note. The passengers in 9 out of 10 vehicles were on the phone. Who was more important to talk to than the people who were in the car with them? The front seat passengers didn't even glance over at each other. The driver stared straight ahead to the road and the passenger stared ahead with a phone attached to their ear.

The only exception were children in the car. They gazed out the window - often smiling at Winnie. They paid attention to what was happening in the world around them. The irony here, is that we accuse the children of having an attention deficit, when we adults aren't happy unless we're multitasking through life.

Maybe I should take a stroll more often.

Margarita

Yesterday, for the first time this year, I left the door open. It was warmer outside than it was inside (with the heat on) and so I opened the door and enjoyed the weather.

Winnie enjoyed it also - but since she is afraid to walk across a floor without a rug, she won't venture in closer. It seems that hardwood floors are scary to tiny dogs.

Maybe it's because the weather has been nice for a few days, but I could use a margarita. Tis the season.

Microchips

Today I got my dog microchipped. She's only 3 1/2 pounds and can't wear a heavy tag on a collar. I was excited about the microchipping, but when I dropped her off this morning and I heard that there was a very large needle involved, I got a little panicy.

Now it's in and I get to go online and register her. So, in the event that she is lost, someone can find me. Which, is $40 well spent, but in all likelihood, won't ever come into play. First, she is either safely in my house or on a leash at all times - usually the former since that nasty hawk incident. Second, if she were to get lost, her tendency when she's scared leans heavily toward hiding and snapping. So, maybe no chance for anyone to scan the chip.

But, all in all, I feel safer. And she isn't complaining.

Ice Cream

There is a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop in my building. Just down two flights of stairs and a short walk to the west.

After I ate my lunch yesterday, I decided to get a small cone. I went down and introduced myself to my new neighbor and, after a few samples, I decided on a small, chocolate-dipped cone of chocolate fudge ice cream. It was $4.50. No kidding. It was a very small waffle cone that had been dipped (about 1 1/2 inches) into chocolate. That was 75 cents just for the cone dipped in chocolate. So that meant the amount of ice cream that would fit on that cost $3.75. For $3.99 I could get an entire pint at the grocery store and bring it in to the freezer in our office kitchen.

This really bums me because it would be such a nice afternoon treat to walk down the promenade on a sunny day and get a small cone of ice cream. Unfortunately, I can't afford a $3.75 afternoon snack on a regular basis.

Oh, well. Maybe the sushi restaurant beside them will have better prices.

St. Patty's Day

Some things that you learn in childhood stick with you for life.

When I was in grade school, if you didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day then you got pinched. By everyone. It didn't take long to create the habit of wearing green. When we were in Jr. High we got cute and hid the green. Now people had to look at our socks before they pinched us - just to be sure. When we were in High School, we got cool. No silly green shirts for us - we would wear green earings or a green headband. Subtlety was key. Flashy was for uncool people.

Now that I'm an adult - way into adulthood - I still wear green on St. Patrick's Day. And I'm not worried about anyone pinching me. It's just some habits stick for life.

Bra Shopping

A couple of days ago I went shopping (see earlier post.) My mission was to get some new clothes because mine were wearing thin and I hadn't had time to get anything new. But my ultimate goal was bra shopping. It was way past due and the 2 bras i currently owned were way past their life expectancy and not even looking fit enough to be a rag.

I detest bra shopping. Why? Because I always end up buying something that is just "okay." Nothing is what I want, nothing fits just right, nothing is really comfortable. So I try on several bras and then . . . settle.

Now, part of the problem is my fault - I'm quite a bit overweight. This means that my circumference under my cups is not that much smaller than the circumference at the cups. Now, I'm sure that I'm not alone in the problem, but to go into a bra store you would swear that anyone with my "circumference" must be a double D or E. It's the same when I buy pants. They assume someone with my waist MUST BE 6 feet tall. So, when I found one that fit and was close to what I wanted I bought 2 - and it cleaned out their inventory. Yep, they had 2 in the whole store that met my needs.

One of the other issues is bra style. I've never had a problem with simple cotton bras, and until now have worn only that. The problem with them now is . . . I'm getting older. The girls don't necessary stand at attention (or even a uniform parade rest), well . . . ever. So with a "single-ply" bra, it's often very obvious that one girl is looking north and the other is looking west. It's, to put it mildly, a little embarrassing and requires constant attention. So, for the first time in my life I decided I want something that was "lightly" padded. This way I can let the girls do whatever they want. But it seems that "lightly" padded is only available in cup sizes A and B. Cup size C and above - which are already quite big - only come in thick padding - I could probably stop a bullet with this bra.

So, back to shopping. I saved the bra shopping until last - or should I say put it off as long as possible. Found one bra that fit my basic needs and bought both in stock - and I didn't even ask the price. Then Monday morning I looked forward to putting it on with all the dread of a dentist visit. I knew it wasn't perfect and I knew I'd settled. Then on Monday evening as I was taking it off I realized I hadn't pulled at my straps all day - I hadn't adjusted the bottom band because of ride up - I'd actually been comfortable in my bra all day.

I think I'm going to take the tag to other stores and see if I can get another.

Pre-Ordering

I had to return a book to Borders today. It's not because anything was wrong with the book. It's not because I decided that I didn't want it. It's because I got two.

Borders.com has this wonderful program where you can pre-order a book that you want. It saves you from remembering the release date - when it comes, they'll charge your card and send you the book.

But sadly, at my age, my memory isn't as it used to be. I pre-ordered the book back in November. Than a week ago I saw that a book I'd been wanting had been released and I ordered it. Yep, the same book.

Imagine my surprise when I received two identical packages on the same day. So, I shamefully walked into the nearby Borders store and returned one for a refund.

I used to know what vitamin/herbal was supposed to be good for memory . . . but I forgot.

Time

I'm not sure I like Daylight Savings Time.

It has nothing to do with losing an hour - which is what we did last night - but more to do with technology.

I dislike moving through my life changing the clocks, microwave, televisions, and even my car. Thank goodness the cable box and cell phone do it themselves. You don't realize how many things show you the time.

Hmmm. . . . maybe that's why I rarely wear a watch.

Rain

Today I did something that most people would consider a bit strange. I went shopping in the rain.

What maks t so strange is that I wasn't at the protected, roofed mall. I went to the outlet shopping center. While most of the walkways were covered, the rain didn't seem to care about that vertical protection - it came horizontally.

Why did I do it? Because I had planned to go shopping and I stubbornly refused to change my plans. So, all alone, I weaved back and forth along the sidewalks - drying my glasses regularly - and did as much shopping as I could stand.

But I had fun.

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day today and I can't keep myself from looking out the window at they grey, overcast world around me.

This has proved to be interesting. I have a neighbor that seems to watch sports on a big-screen TV all day long (with the drapes open, of course). I have another neighbor that props open the french door to her small balcony nearly every day (the sheer on her french door blows out the opening and catches my attention). I have another neighbor with no drapes on her french doors who walks around in a towel (probably thinks it would be hard to peek through a 4th floor window). And it appears that one still has their Christmas tree up.

Aren't neighborhood's fun?

Dusting

I brought a duster to work today. Yes, we have housekeeping service that we pay for, but as far as I can tell, our housekeeping consists of someone taking out the trash.

The last few days were sunny enough that I could see the accumulating dust on the windowsill. It ruins the view. I can't see the creek from my window, I have to stand up to do that, but I can see the promenade on the other side of the creek in front of the condos. Today there was a young man sitting on one of the benches playing guitar for quite a while. There are always people waking dogs - today I saw a woman come out of the condos with 2 matching dogs - Shelties I think. I wish I could see our side of the promenade too - that's where the restaurants are and I can hear people at the cafe tables talking and laughing. I live vicariously through them and tell myself I'm going to go down there at lunchtime and enjoy the sunshine too. But so far, I haven't.

Spring is coming. I'll get there yet.

Birds and Children

I saw a bird this morning that was walking around the middle of the road. I was stopped at a light so I had time to watch him.

They're a lot like children. In order to see what things are, they put them in their mouth. If it's not good, it gets dropped, and they move on.

Somewhere along the way we learn that there are other - more astute - ways to evaluate our surroundings. Namely, our other senses.

I guess that babies haven't learned enough to know what the other senses are telling them, so they stick with what they know.

What are bird's excuse?

Low-Hanging Apples

I had a fortune cookie once that said: "Reach for the high apples, you can get the low ones anytime."

How interesting. But most of us - myself included - don't do that too frequently. We like immediate gratification. How much can we check off the 'to do' list. What results can we see now.

Am I settling too much in life? Is this something I need to work on? Am I filling up my time with the "low apples"? What can I strive for that is just a little beyond my reach?

Or is it just one more thing to add to the 'to do' list.

Chocolate

I first tasted milk chocolate when I was 10 years old. I know, that's old, but there were food allergies involved - but that's another post. Until that time I ate Pay Day candy bars - good, but no chocolate.

Since that first taste of chocolate at age 10, I've had a love affair with chocolate. My favorite is chocolate brownies or chocolate cake with no icing. I also love Entemann's chocolate covered donuts and hot chocolate. I can eat peanut M&M's until I'm ill and chocolate covered pretzels are completely addictive.

But all of this was before I tasted dark chocolate. Now if it's worth making it's even better if you make it with dark chocolate. Brownies with dark chocolate are heaven. Ghirardelli makes a wonderful small dark chocolate square that is as satisfying as a whole candy bar . . . dark chocolate Snickers, of course.

Reading

I've told this story to many people, so I thought I'd put it out there for everyone that hasn't heard it.

I love reading. I used to sit next to my mom when I was little while she read me Little Golden Books, but I wasn't in love with books. Until third grade.

When I started third grade I had a small older lady who was my teacher. Except for her size and the grey bun on her head, I don't really remember anything about her. She left within a week or so and I found out later that she died. Our substitute was a young teacher (possibly fresh out of college - that young)named Mr. Thomas. He initiated a new thing into our daily schedule. Once our lunch recess was over, we would rest our flushed-from-recess cheeks in our hands and have quiet time while he read to us. It would only be a chapter or two a day, but it was the highlight of my day.

It started with The Wizard of Oz. I was mesmerized. I was right with them as they traveled the yellow brick road and into the Emerald City. It was then that I learned that I could travel to amazing places within the pages of a book. I was captivated. We finished that book and Tom Sawyer before the year ended. This jump-start was all I needed. I was hooked on books for life.

Thank you Mr. Thomas.

Power Surges

I am so over hot flashes.

They don't come regularly, or unexpectedly, or too frequently. But they come at times that I can't stop. Yes, I can drink less tea or wine - but those are mini ones. The worst hot flashes come when the heat kicks on in my house. I can't imagine the temperature changes drastically, but my body screams in protest.

I turn my heat down when I sleep so the heat won't kick on as much. But as soon as it does, I'm kicking off covers as my body attempts to regulate the overload. I sleep better in the summer when I can turn the air conditioner down to frigid and never feel the heat.

I am so over hot flashes.

Social Networking

I'm continually amazed by the things that people can invent to put more pressure on their lives. Aren't electronics supposed to ease some of burden? I think that much of what we have available to us to "help us keep in touch" actually takes time away from our lives. And if that isn't bad enough, we're keeping in contact with people we may not have wanted to.

Am I on Twitter - yes. Do I use Twitter - no. I'm a pretty private person (except for putting my every weird thought on this blog.) And maybe it's low self esteem, but I cannot imagine anyone wanting to know my constant thoughts in 140 character bursts. I do believe that it has marketing uses and am looking into that for my job, but the real personal need is so that the narcissist can keep everyone up-to-date with their lives.

I feel almost the same about Facebook and Myspace. I'm on Facebook, and I use it mostly to follow business and organizational contacts. I have a few friends who pester me for pics of my grandchildren every now and again - and I oblige them - but I really am not comfortable using these sites. I've had people who told me that they got in touch with high school friends through Facebook. Good for you. If I didn't keep in touch with someone from high school it was probably because they were no longer important to me. If they had been important in my current life, I'd have kept in touch better. Now, I'm not saying that there aren't a few people I would like to reconnect with - on a temporary, intermittent basis - just that if I didn't I wouldn't feel deprived.

And these sites take time to do it right. I've had people invite me to join Farmville or to get Fish or collect Hearts or whatever little gimmick they've created to keep you coming back frequently to the site. It seems if you don't check in on a regular basis and feed your fish or harvest your crops, they die. At the very most I check Facebook once a day - I think I would fail miserably at these ventures. And they are just another way to use up your time in a totally nonproductive way.

Now I don't want to criticise those who enjoy Facebook as a way to keep in touch with the people in their lives. If this is all they have, I am glad they have it. I just don't need it at this time. I use my cell phone, my e-mail (a lot), and the family blog. If I do want to chat with someone, I typically don't want to do it in front of all your other "friends."

So, if I haven't become your Facebook "friend" - don't worry, I probably still like you . . . just e-mail me.

Ouch!

I think I broke my thumb. I don't know for sure because I probably won't go to the doctor - they don't really do anything with broken fingers and toes anyway.

But, back to the thumb. I was walking in my door last night (but not carrying too much - see earlier post - just a purse, work bag, water bottle, and the mail) and somehow my feet got tangled over something or themselves and I went down on my left knee.

I watched throughout the evening as the knot rose higher and higher on my knee, and knew my thumb was sore, but didn't think anything about it. Then during the night I kept waking up with my thumb really smarting. When I woke up this morning my thumb was about 50% larger than the other thumb. I can move it, but it really hurts to do so.

You don't realize how necessary thumbs are until you don't have the use of one of them. Pulling on socks for instance really requires that you hold the sock between the fingers and the thumb. Holding a steering wheel is another. I'm really thankful that I'm right handed or it could be a whole lot worse. And I hit the keyboard spacebar with my right thumb - whew.

So, unless something changes drastically and I feel the need to revisit the doctor option, I'll just go through the day with my left thumb protruding out away from my hand like a semi-useless appendage. Well, it worked for Fonzi. Aaaay!

More Like Dogs

I'm sure you've many comparisons of how everything is like life. But I think that we should be more like dogs. At least I should be more like my dog.

There is something wonderful about being greeted by dancing. Winnie greets me when I get home from work - or even if I'm coming back from the bathroom - by dancing and prancing around excitedly. She gets herself so excited that she has to shake herself off just to calm down. What an ego boost!

Wouldn't that be wonderful if we greeted each other by dancing and prancing? I'm sure it would brighten everyone's day and improve self-esteem.

The only problem would be that women "of a certain age" - like me - might wet themselves during the hellos.

Apples

I'm eating a delicious apple right now.

I have found that apples are either delicious or horrible. This one is called a Cripps Pink. I'm not sure what that means. Who or what is Cripps? It's not pink. But it's good.

When I was young I'd eat any apple - sour were my favorite. Now I'm particular. It can't be too mushy, or too sour, or too drippy. Unfortunately, you don't know any of those things until you take a bite. Just another instance of when it's too late to do anything about it.

Teenagers

I was listening to NPR again this morning as I was driving to work and it told me something that I'd really suspected all along. Teenager's brains aren't wired right.

Yep, it's official. It would seem that the frontal lobe takes a long time to actually fully attach to the rest of the brain. The frontal lobe, they explained is the one that says: 'Is this a good idea? What is the consequence of this action?' It's not that they can't answer this question, but with the frontal lobe not fully attached yet, it takes longer. So by the time a teen realizes that maybe this might not be a good idea, it's really too late.

This connection isn't fully formed even at 21 - so you have college students doing crazy things on Spring Break. Again, shocker.

The newscast didn't say exactly when the neurons that connect the frontal lobe are fully operational or whether it develops differently in men and women. My guess is that some middle-aged men are still waiting for it to happen.