Laundry List Friday (Sort of) 5 things everyone should know. Everyone. No exceptions.

Good afternoon!!

Sorry, I'm running a day late.  I did an interview yesterday at SOS Aloha, (You should check it out...someone MIGHT win a free copy of Lies in Chance!)

Anyway, this week I talked to my mother...and the phrase "That's just walking around information" came up.  I realized in talking to her that I'm not alone in working closely with someone who is woefully unaware of basic information to get them through their day.  Forget college education and what they teach in schools, these are five things everyone over the age of 12 should just know.  Not sure I'm right?  Try sitting next to someone who doesn't have basic walking around knowledge and NOT yelling at them  "HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS?"

(Also, while I did not set out to write yet another column on LCW...this one sort of turned out that way.)

5)  How to locate your country, state  (or province) county and city on a globe or map.

Geography seems to be something so many people lack.  I had a friend once who said she didn't know how to get anywhere except to the places on her "little goat path."   And this isn't about world travel or knowing where a foreign county is...this is about me, pointing to Wisconsin on a globe and saying, that's Waukesha County, and I live there."  (You'd be shocked at how many people can't do that.  And then again, maybe you wouldn't be.)

4)  John, Paul, George, and Ringo

Anyone over the age of 12 and under the age of 82 should have at least a rudimentary knowledge of who the Beatles are/were.  I'll admit, I'm not a gigantic fan, but I know most of their songs  (who doesn't?  Oh, wait, people for whom this blog is written.) and I cannot miss the influence that they have, even today, in music across the world.

3)  E  Means empty.

Basic rules of car maintenance.  It should come as no surprise to you all that LCW has run out of gas and had to borrow money from co workers no less than three times  (That I know of) since I started working with her.  E means empty.  You shouldn't drive on a flat tire.  Get the oil changed every 3000 miles.  When smoke starts coming out from under the hood  STOP THE CAR!

2)  The "Tour De France" is in France.  And yes, it is a sport.

Granted, not everyone in the world is a cycling fan.  However, if you say "Tour De France" to pretty much anyone, wouldn't you think everyone would know it's in France?

You would be wrong.

I'm not going to point fingers, but I had a very depressing conversation with a French Canadian gent and LCW.  The topic of sports came up.  The gent and I spoke about hockey, football, soccer, baseball.  I then asked if he was following the Tour.  He didn't know what I meant.  I then said, "The Tour De France."  He was, again, unsure about what I meant.  LCW, trying to be helpful said, "Is that a sport thing?"  I said yes, it was cycling.  Both of them looked confused, and the gent asked  "Is it in France?"  And LCW piped up, "France, the country?"

(Yes, there is a dent in the top of my desk...why do you ask?)

1)  20% of 100 is 20.

I realize I'm not good at math.  I'm okay when it comes to adding and multiplying and dividing.  I have issues with subtraction and geometry, and don't get me started on higher math.  I barely eked through high school algebra with a lot of tutoring and prayer.  That said, I think anyone and everyone, especially those armed with a calculator, should be able to figure out 20% of any number without asking their co worker.  Hubby says I should just give LCW a different answer each time she asks.

To prove my point, I asked both my children a neighbor, a friend, another co worker, and a complete stranger if they were able to figure out 20% of any number.  While I got 6 different ways of doing it, every one of them had a way to go about it.

So my friends, these are five simple things that everyone over the age of 12 should know.  If you find someone who doesn't know this five things....make them a T-shirt that warns those around them. These are dangerous people and should be marked as such.

Now, on to other topics.  I have decided, after much encouragement, to put to publication my workplace stories.  No, they won't all be about LCW, but she will be featured.  Bossman, NBM, they will all be there. 

What I'm looking for is a title.  I'm terrible at titles.  So, feel free to make a suggestion here...or friend me on my Face Book page.

Top five suggestions will be put to a vote in next week's Laundry List blog.