Real Life Curriculum

I was tagged on the 1st with this by Deb:

Rules: Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It's more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you'd also like to take. Tag five.

The class that Deb is already offering that I would most like to take is:

Listen Up- Talking to someone and they just stare at you nodding, but not really listening to you. Then get out your rolling pin and take this class. They will learn to the difference between "hearing" and "Listening".

My husband and I used to drive truck cross-country for a living. I am a talker. I need noise like I need air. My husband? Not so much. I decided once to not initiate any conversation and just see how long it took for him to talk to me. You know, we were in the same vehicle and all.
The longer it took, the more aggravated I became. Finally, after 4 days! I exploded! I screamed and yelled and ranted and raved and raged and finally asked him just what the heck was the matter with him.

"I thought we were just getting along".

Yeah.

OK, back to the subject at hand. Additional classes that I would offer:

Manners for morons: I am not talking about which fork to use or which stemware is appropriate for which wine. I am talking about the fact that when I say "Thank you" to anyone, be they a clerk or a waiter or the mailman or my grandson, the correct response is "You're welcome" or anything similar. It is not a grunt or a shrug or total ignorance. OK, that's weird. I meant ignore - ance and it came out ignorance. Hmmm. and no, I did not just call my grandson a moron or ignorant.

Words - they're not just for books any more: Taught in conjunction with the above listed course. Extra credit. Non-verbal communication is appropriate for use in church, movie theaters, and theatre in general. Otherwise, if I ask a question, I would like to HEAR an answer.

Faking it for fun and profit: OK, that's a lie. There's no profit involved in this but it can be fun. If you wake up in a crappy mood, fake it. If you are out in public and someone asks, "How are you?" and it's really just a pit of a day, smile and say, "Fine, thanks. How about you?" Very few people really care and those that do already know (or will read about it in your blog!) There are enough curmudgeons out and about. Do your part to cheer up the world - fake it!

Survival Cooking: Nope, no bugs or odd crunchy things (hopefully). I'm just talking about everyday cooking. No one should learn, at the age of 18, that if you let spaghetti cook long enough, it will get fuzzy. This course would just cover the 5 things that most families eat ALL the time. There are restaurants for everything else.

Now, to tag the unsuspecting:

wolfbaby (where have you been?)
overwhelmed with joy (I don't think we've ever even met but I like to read her)
Juls (because I can)
and C.J. (because I want to know the answers