I’ve always been pleased to think of myself as a lifelong learner. I am proud, usually, of my intellectual curiosity.

I now have absolute proof that I am a nerd. I should really buy myself a Nerdy Nonni Tshirt.

Here’s what I mean.

I woke up from the pounding head pain last night and realized that the word “disgust” comes directly from the Latin root for taste, or “gustare”. Huh, I thought, holding the icepack to my temple. “Gusto. Gust. Disgust. Offtaste. Bad taste. This tastes disgusting.”

Side note: nobody mentioned to me that I might experience a sensation referred to as a loss of taste or a diminishing of the sense of taste. But I do have that. And guess what? Everything tastes disgusting.

When my Dad had heart surgery many years ago, we were all gathered around his bed as he came out of anesthesia. We asked him what he was thinking, clearly expecting some deep words of wisdom from the philosophical man at the center of our world. Dad paused and said, “I was using Pythagorean theorem to calculate the number of ceiling tiles in my room.”

Oh.

When I woke up from my own surgery (after my round of trying to throat punch all the white coats), I found myself avoiding the pain by recalling all the lyrics to every old Russian folk song that I learned a half-century ago. I was able to recall every word of “Katiusha!”

молодец!

What an interesting experience I am having! I’m learning many new things, about myself and about the world around me.

One thing I have learned is to use my icepack as soon my head feels like it’s being jumped on by a troop of chimps.

Have a good day!