Things to know when you grow up.

There's certain thing I think everyone should know when you grow up. Or at least are living outside your parents home.

-How to balance a checkbook
-How to do your laundry
-How to boil water. Not so much too cook, but in case of emergency you can have water that won't give you dissentary.
-When to get your oil changed in your car
-How to buy condoms without being embarrassed
-How to load a dishwasher

Just a few "how to" and "whens" so you can at the very least pass for an independent, capable adult who isn't going to die in the face of day to day living. The basics. I'm not even talking about things like how to put out a grease fire.

Sometimes I worry about my roommate and her ability to do some of this on her own. Don't get me wrong R. is great, a very smart chick. And she's been living on her own for a long time. But, I swear to god, the girl does not know how to load a dishwasher. And I'm not talking about difference in dishwasher loading technique, because I understand some opinions vary. Things she does to load the dishwasher just defy common sense sometimes.

She just throws things on the racks. sometimes pans laying on top of plates, and never mind space efficiency. Now I've always taken a bit more responsibility for the kitchen because I do more of the cooking. In fact, I'm the only one does real cooking. R. thinks she's cooking if she microwaves chicken. But she can feed herself. That's what really matters.

I'm fine with loading and unloading our dishwasher. But, so many times I come in and find that R. has put some of her own things into the dishwasher and the way she put them in, the dishwasher is full. I have to spend the next 10min fixing thing. so I can actually get more stuff in. But, what I really don't understand is if she's filled the dishwasher however inefficiently why for god sake didn't she run it. She has to know how to add soap and turn the thing on.

I seriously don't know if she knows how to turn the thing on. In the five years we've lived together, I don't think she's ever -- ever run the dishwasher. I go out of town, I come back and she hasn't run the dishwasher once. Two week absence, no turning on dishwasher.

But, this weekend I had a revelation. It's not that she doesn't know how to load and run the dishwasher. Because really she's just not that dumb. She just knows she doesn't have to. R. knows she can throw things in willy nilly and i'll fix it, and I'll run the the dishwasher. That R. is a smart girl.

And it's a relief really. Because now I know that if R. was alone in the apartment and lets say the refrigerator fell on her, she could dial 911 on her own. If she could get to a phone that is. Refrigerators are a bit heavy.