Go Ask Your Father: Floating, Neurosurgeons, Disney, and A Joke

We took the boys ice skating after school today. Crash is getting better. Though he still has a tendency to crash when he tries to go too fast in an attempt to keep up with the big kids. Bang gave up the skate trainer and was wobbling along. He skated the entire length of the rink without it! Twice! I love seeing them improve so quickly. Though, in their eyes it’s taking forever. Needless to say, DW and I left the rink today pretty proud.

We got a touch of snow this evening. Just enough to turn everything white. With all the Christmas lights twinkling I can feel the magic working. DW is starting to shed some of her stress and she can feel it, too.

Why can’t I float in the bathtub?

Probably because you float like your father; like a rock. I have no trouble laying on the bottom of the pool. Floating on the surface? I can’t do that so well. In the bathtub, though, it’s not really deep enough to sink. That is, unless you’re a petite five year old and the tub is full enough to include Free Willy. In this case, you can’t float because you have expelled the air in your lungs. He noticed that he would sink when exhaled out and he float back to the surface when he inhaled. Air makes you buoyant. Buoyancy makes you float. It’s the same scientific principle that allows bubbles to rise. They are less dense than water so they rise to the surface to allow the denser materials to settle on the bottom.

What’s a neurosurgeon?

Wealthy, earning a mean salary of $240,440/year. Technically, they’re the people, surgeons, who operate on brains. They fix brains when they’re not working right or if they get cancer or tumours or haemorrhages. It takes years and years to become one. A person first needs a bachelor’s degree, typically taking fours years to earn. Then they need to attend medical school which is another four years. Then they have to pass the Medical Licensing Exam. Then one must complete a 1 year hospital internship followed by a 6-8 year neurosurgical residency. Afterwards, they will want to become state licensed and board certified if they want to stand out in their field (this is not the same as the farmers who stand out in their fields). Like all great professions (teaching, nursing, first responding) a continued education is a must. I asked him if he wanted to be a neurosurgeon and he told me he did. I was secretly proud because that meant he would be able to afford to put DW and I in a nice nursing home when we’re 80. I asked him again the next night and he said, “NO! I don’t want to cut people’s heads off!” I guess my explanation was kinda confusing.

Who was Disney’s first Character?

You might be surprised to find out it’s not Micky Mouse. Mickey Mouse first appeared in “Steamboat Willie” in July of 1928. It was the first animation with syncronized sound. However, Walt Disney created a character before he created the Disney company we all know and love. He worked for Universal when he brought Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit to life in September of 1927.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Can you tell me a knock knock joke?

Crash wanted Bang to tell one and tell one he did. I’m still laughing at it weeks later.

Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Potato
Potato who?
Potato duck!

I’m not sure if he was instructing us to get down because an errant potato was headed our way or if he just created a spud that quacks. Really, it works either way.

Thanks to the internet, here is a potato duck…

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