Here are a bunch of mainly mundane things I learned recently (only one of which is related to Covid-19).

1. This isn’t really something I learned but a validation of something I already believed… It always seemed wrong when I heard people say LEGOs, since from childhood I just called it LEGO. Recently on a podcast I learned that the host of the reality show LEGO Masters confirmed that the correct terminology is either LEGO or LEGO bricks, not LEGOs. I’m just relieved to learn that I was right all along. 🙂

2. Speaking of terminology, I love finding out the names of common phenomena. Turns out that when you learn something and then start noticing it everywhere it’s called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (or frequency bias). 

3. The Einstellung effect is “a person’s predisposition to solve a given problem in a specific manner even though better or more appropriate methods of solving the problem exist.” (Thanks, Wikipedia.)

4. The basic reproductive number (R0, pronounced R naught) is the measure of how contagious an infectious disease is, that is the expected number of cases generated by one infected person. For example, the R0 of seasonal influenza is 0.9-2.1 while the R0 of measles is 12-18.

5. You can make a delicious, fluffy 100% whole wheat pancake on a big cookie sheet. It bakes in about 10 minutes, then you can cut it into 24 squares. You have to try this recipe!

6. Our health insurance pays (almost completely) for new glasses every two years. After maybe a dozen years wearing the same glasses, I got new frames this month!  (Also, the optometrist assured me that reading too much or in dim light can strain the muscles around your eyes but not cause nearsightedness. That’s a relief!)

7. Since we bought our house at the end of last summer we are now seeing the spring shoots in our flowerbeds for the first time. Snowdrops and crocuses are blooming now; tulips and daffodils are on their way. I’m excited to discover what else is coming up.

8. The kids and I are able to walk to the east entrance of Harrison Park so they can play down by the river. My rule of thumb is that they can go 1 km one way on foot but they are proving me wrong (I take the double stroller for speeding the littler two along).

What did you learn in March? Feel free to share the serious and the silly.