Automotive Design and Architecture Edition

 To be honest, driving the boys from their house to my house in the morning, cooking them their favorite breakfast, and taking them to the bus can be tiring.  It's a lot of driving, it's early rising, and by the time I am scheduled to start work, I've already been up and moving for four hours.  FOUR HOURS.  

The flip side is the reward.  Having kids captive in the car (ok, I'm also captive...) for a half hour, then feeding them and checking off the requirements (backpack? check. mask? check. tablet and charger? socks?  glasses?  snack? check, check, check...sometimes) and waiting at the bus stop gives us all a predictable, reliable routine.  I know that living closer to their school would get them possibly an additional hour of sleep, but having that hour with me, I tell myself, cannot be all bad.  We talk a lot most days.  And most days, they're great.  One or the other of them may start off on the wrong foot because their shoelace is frayed and won't go through the hole (yeah, that was a big frustration) or they stayed up too late, or they didn't like being awakened by the overhead light, or whatever, but usually by the time I'm standing in my spot, waving at the bus and making a heart shape with my hands, they're smiling and life is good.

It's usually Messiah who does most of the talking, and in the car it is 95% questions and 5% statements.

Many of the questions I simply cannot answer.  Things like, "Why did that guy buy a black Charger?" or, "Where is she going?" totally stump me.  My pat answer for those is, "That's a question I cannot answer; we'd have to ask her/him/them, but we can try to make up a story about why."  Sometimes that works and the three of us list reasons for the choices of other people driving/biking/walking on our route.  Sometimes my non-answers frustrate him.  Yesterday, he really had me baffled.  There were many questions I didn't have good answers for.

Messiah:  Why does that truck have such a long trailer?

Gaga:  Hmmm, looks like maybe cars go on the back part.

Messiah:  How many cars?

Gaga:  Geez, Messiah, I don't know.  Looks like maybe 8? 10?

Messiah:  But why are there no cars on it now?

Julian:  AW, COME ON, MESSIAAAAAH.  HE'S NOT EVEN WORKING NOW.  HE'S JUST DRIVING THE TRUCK.  HE'LL GET THE CARS ON THERE WHEN HE GETS TO THE DEALERSHIP!

Gaga:  Julian, don't get so frustrated with him.  He's asking to learn.  He's trying to figure the world out.

Messiah:  Why is the truck black inside?  

Gaga:  Messiah, that's my eternal question for car manufacturers and dealers:  how did a black interior ever come to be?  It makes cars SO HOT in the summer.  Especially in the South, where we live.  It makes no sense.  I hate having a black steering wheel.  It burns my hands sometimes.  I think all cars should have light gray or tan interiors.

Messiah:  Or rainbow.  Rainbows inside.

Julian:  Aw, come on, Messiaaaaaah.  Who would buy a rainbow car?
Gaga:  I would!

Messiah:  I would!

Gaga:  Well, Messiah, when you grow up, maybe you could be a person who designs car interiors.  I bet a lot of people would buy them.  

Messiah:  I want to design buildings.

Gaga:  You want to be an architect?  You could do that.

Messiah:  Howcome glass buildings don't come down in a storm?

Gaga:  Like skyscrapers?

Messiah:  Yeah.  Glass breaks.  Howcome they don't break?

Julian:  Because they have metal frames.  They build them stronger with metal frames.

Messiah:  And brick frames?  Brick is strong.  And wood.  Wood is strong.  But wood burns.  And brick and metal don't burn so much.

Gaga:  Well, I think when they design buildings, they-

Messiah, interrupting.  Gaga!  Look at that woman!  She's laughing in her car! What's she laughing at?

Gaga:  Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........