From the Cradle to the Grave

The other day after work I walked out of my building and saw a man pushing his kid in a stroller. He looked like a nice guy so I asked him how he liked his stroller. It's a well-known fact that women have that special "connection" with each other. It's fairly strong once puberty hits and we have cramps and bloating to bond over. It get stronger when we get pregnant and have morning sickness and weeks to count together. Rumor has it when the kids hit and you can compare potty training techniques this relationship is permanently cemented. Of course men are left out of all this fun and occasionally I've wondered if they're savvy to the fact. I think this man was. When I asked him about his stroller he not only told me about it (the B.O.B. Revolution) but about their first stroller, the research he and his wife did to find this one, how his kid likes it... he even let me push his kid so I could test it out for myself. I have to admit I was expecting little more than a grunt of like or dislike and he gave me more than what I was looking for.

That night Brent I attended a lecture at Harvard Medical School. Yes, we're geeks but at least that's one of the things that bonds US together! The lecture was on aging and longevity. Aside from the med students who were speaking I think Brent and I were the youngest ones there. Normally there's one or two people in the crowd who ask some bizzare questions but it was like a night at the circus... and all the animals had Alzheimers.

"So can I reverse the length of my telomeres by reducing my stress level? Can they like, grow back?" (This one had been answered earlier... TWICE)

"Do they ever let the monkeys out in the wild? I mean, not the wild but you know, a wide open space so they can roam free?" (This had about as much to do with the lecture as a can of SPAM)

"So by doing caloric restriction I could live longer?" (Asked by a VERY geriatric man)

Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln people! Brent and I just wanted to learn a little bit more about the science we see in the news and these people were looking for something akin to the movie Cocoon. Next week's lecture is on nanotechnology so we'll see how that goes.

In an unrelated note, I've done the absolute most scandalous thing I've ever done and started listening to MoTab, voluntarily, on weekdays. It's not quite a sign of the Second Coming but it IS a pretty big step for me. This morning Brent sang the Battle Hymn of the Rebublic with me while I drove him to the T stop. I made him sing the women's part so I could do the "Truth. Is. Mah. Ching." part. I LOVE that!