I cannot speak on behalf of the entire population but I am pretty sure a majority of people, at least college students, have a hard time falling asleep at night. Whether it's due to stress, friends blowing up their cellphones or homework, there are a million types of distractions that can keep a student awake at night. One of the things I find myself doing as I fall asleep is asking myself wildly ridiculous questions that I try to reason out and answer in my mind. Here are some things I have thought of.
1. What would it be like if people had to drink all liquids like dogs and cats?
Let’s just say the world would be a very sticky place. Water and soda bottles would be a real pain to drink from and soup would be a disaster waiting to happen. Our tongues are not anatomically capable of lapping liquid like a dog’s so we would be a very dehydrated species.
2. Is the “s” or the “c” silent in scent?
Pulled from a popular stoner meme on social media this question is actually very intriguing. The English language is a very weird thing. The Reddit community seems to be in firm belief that there isn’t a single letter that is completely silent, rather there is a fraction of each letter that is pronounced. For instance, 3/4 of the “s” is pronounced in combination of ¼ of the “c.”
3. What super power would I most like to have?
I think telekinesis would be an awesome super power to have. However, I would become morbidly obese and probably eventually have an episode of "My 600-lb Life," as I would never leave my couch. I realize that that sounds rather pathetic considering one of my friends said she would make and throw snowballs at people with her mind, as they walked across campus. I think I would also love to have super speed or teleportation because I would love to visit my boyfriend (who lives six hours away) whenever I wanted to.
4. Do radioactive cats have 18 half-lives?
I did not come up with this question myself; rather found it at a gem of a website that has a never ending 99 thought provoking questions. My inner chemistry nerd geeked out with this question. I also have a strong love for cats. Eighteen divided by two is still nine. So wouldn’t a normal cat have 18 half-lives as well?
5. Why do you park in a driveway but drive on a parkway?
My father finds himself hilarious and asked me this when I was young. And once again coming upon this question I fail to understand the workings of the English language. I feel so bad for any person learning English because I am sure driveway and parkway have literal meanings in other languages that makes those words much easier to understand.
6. Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
Once again the English language fails us all. Interstate literally means connecting two or more states. Hawaii is a series of islands which as far as I know is not linked by a major highway to the continental United States. Why are the highways in Hawaii not just called highways? If one Googles this question they will find that that "interstate" does not require the roadway to go from one state to another.
7. Why is it that doctors call what they do practice?
I want to be a doctor once I am completely done with school and I am completely terrified by this question. However, practice according to the dictionary is also the exercise of a profession. It is also the term for a business for a professional person. With these definitions I hope this makes this question less scary.
8. If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
Testical! Ha. That is all.
9. Why do people say “heads up” when you should duck?
I find this so applicable to my life. My school has men and women’s ice hockey teams. When I drag my friends to games I find myself saying “heads up” when the puck leaves the ice and has the possibility of coming over the glass surrounding the rink. The only other alternative would be to say “duck,” which makes me think of the old show "Zoboomafoo" when a duck would come flying in and they would yell “duck!”
Anyway, I hope I am not the only person who thinks all of these crazy thoughts as I fall asleep. At least I do not just lay in bed looking at my ceiling.
