8:50 p.m. | 2003-05-30 Back To The Basics. This entry of buntsign�s made me breathe a sign of relief. So, I�m not the only one who�s missed some lessons in the basics. I do know how to fuel up my car, but there are lots of other things I�m clueless about. Some things I choose to be clueless about � such as car-related stuff � but I have other knowledge deficits that aren�t purposeful. At 38, I�m old enough to know that I don�t really know squat about much of anything. Fortunately, learning is a life-long process. When I really need assistance with something, I often task Mr. Engineer next door. One of the main reasons I seek his help is that he teaches me basic stuff without being condescending about it. For example, when he changed my outside light bulb, and discovered my blatant ignorance about tripped circuits, he told me that I shouldn�t apologize for my lack of knowledge because, if I haven�t been taught something, how would I know about it? And, I actually didn�t know that I didn�t know about it. See, I know the signs of a blown circuit, I know how to locate the proper box and I know how to throw a circuit or two. What I didn�t know is that when a circuit is tripped, the switch moves from the right side to the middle, thereby making it very simple to identify which one needs to be thrown. Hell, I just threw all of them blithely unaware of this obvious indication. And, that always worked for me so I didn�t feel a compulsion to learn more about that. However, invariably, I had to reset all the clocks in my house, but heck, I know how to do that. Excepting the VCR, of course. (I save the VCR time-setting activity for bored youngsters who happen to get stuck in my home while the �grown-ups� visit. It keeps them entertained.) Anyway, being on my own from such an early age, there are a lot of things that I�ve never learned how to do. However, I do know how to surround myself with people who can teach me a lot of stuff. And, I do know that THIS is what happens when you hurry because you�re running late. your thoughts? seed flower