Things of Which We're Proud, Plus Plumbers

 The episode centers around the etymology of the word "plumber" and segues into a broader discussion about pride, personal achievements, and learning styles.

Key Points:

• Origin of "Plumber":
  The hosts discuss the word "plumber," tracing its roots to the Latin word plumbum (meaning lead), which is why the chemical symbol for lead is Pb. Historically, plumbers worked with lead pipes, hence the profession's name.
  .
• Learning Styles:
  The conversation touches on different mnemonic techniques, with one host preferring visual mnemonics and the other auditory, highlighting how people remember information differently.
  .
• Periodic Table Discussion:
  The hosts briefly explore the structure of the periodic table, mentioning there are currently 118 recognized elements, with some theoretical elements extending the table further. They compare this to how definitions change over time, like Pluto's reclassification as a non-planet.
  .
• Reflections on Pride:
  In honor of Pride Month, both hosts reflect on moments in their lives that made them proud:
  • One host is proud of graduating college with a degree in engineering and two minors, completing multiple senior projects, and participating in Spartan races.
  • The other host is proud of earning a cosmetology license in high school, graduating college with a major in sociology and minors in psychology and biblical studies, and personal achievements like saving up for an American Girl doll as a child.
    .
• Childhood vs. Adult Pride:
  They discuss how sources of pride shift from external validation in childhood to intrinsic motivation in adulthood. Achievements in adulthood, such as career milestones, marriage, and parenting, become new sources of pride.
  .
• Closing Thoughts:
  The episode ends with a lighthearted exchange about possibly doing a series on the etymology of all periodic elements, and a reflection on how expanding one's comfort zone can change the sense of accomplishment over time.
  .

Overall Tone:
The episode is conversational, blending educational tidbits with personal anecdotes and humor, while encouraging listeners to reflect on their own sources of pride.

---

Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice.

Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.

Transcript

0:29

Welcome to episode 61 of I Hate Talking. Hi everyone. Now we're gonna switch it up a little bit because you have the word or phrase of this episode. Oh no, I do. Yep, and actually, it's interesting because a few of our listeners mentioned this as a potential word and I guess everyone was looking at the same viral posting on one of the social media sites, I think probably Instagram. It's still not ringing a bell. Keep going.-- I'll get-- there. Well, it might not ring a bell because I don't think bells are usually made out of lead. Oh yeah. OK, now I know. Mine wasn't an Instagram reel. I, I get a word of the day from the dictionary, it pops up and it was one of those. So it might have gone that way to other people or maybe on Instagram for them, who knows. Yeah, I shared it with you and then like later on, I think in the same day, maybe, or different days, people commented on that, right? Correct, yeah. OK. So let me see if I get this right, and then you can fill in the gaps because this was a while ago. So the word lead. In the periodic table is LD PD OK, see, OK, you just need to do it. I'm gonna butcher it. You go. No, continue. I'll just jump in when necessary. OK, so I'm pulling this back, way back. Lead in the periodic table is PB and The Greek word or Latin word for you gotta go. I'm I don't remember it. I believe it would be Latin and it would be the word plumbum. And pipes back in the day were made out of lead. So, if you were a plumber, You literally worked with lead pipes. So that's the name, that's how a plumber got its name. Cause it makes sense, right? I've never thought about it before until I saw that information pop up on my screen, but like an electrician works with electricity, you know, all these different jobs, and I never stopped to think, why is it called Plumber, but it's because of the lead in the pipes. And lead in the periodic table is PB. For plumber. There you have it. So that in a roundabout way is our word or phrase of the roundabout is plumber, which as described does come from the root Latin word plumbum, which is. Indicated on the periodic table by the letters PB which comes from that Latin word that literally means liquid silver. So that is actually how even the Latin phrase or word came to be used in terms of literally meaning liquid silver, but then as mentioned, lead as an element was used in. Pipes back in the day and that's where we get our modern word plumber. Yeah, that is interesting. I forgot that I thought that was cool, but I think it's cool again. Indeed, maybe we can do a whole series on all the different Latin elements in the periodic table. Oh my goodness. Do you know that I took chemistry for 2 weeks? I did not know that. I would have imagined it would have been longer. And it's not because I aced it and got to leave. I got put in it because of the course I was gonna take got filled up. And they shoved me into chemistry in high school, and about a weekend, I realized, I don't want to do this, this is not for me. And the course was gonna open up in like a couple weeks. So I dropped chemistry and just waited and then picked up the course I wanted. Well, there you go. So you, our listeners can let us know if you'd like us to do a 131 part series on all the elements. I doubt it. So that's a bit of a joke, but probably not one that you, my co-host really appreciated, but I laughed. I thought it was funny. I thought it was a pity laugh. I think, I don't know how many elements there are, and so I think it's funny that you do know it. Yeah, it was a rough guess. I think they probably have found some more since I originally studied chemistry, so I actually might be a little bit low. Do you know the song? Isn't there like a tune people sing to the periodic table? There probably is. I don't actually get that much benefit from song mnemonics when remembering things. I actually will remember things better with a visual mnemonic, where I will picture something that reminds me of something, so. In the example of plumbum, maybe I'll think of a bum on the side of the road wearing a plum jacket, and then that picture will actually remind me of plumbum. So interesting connection, perhaps that's the difference between me as a primary visual learner and you as a primary auditory learner. Yeah, that's interesting. So actually, I guess I was a little bit high. Apparently, according to AI there's 118 elements on the periodic table.-- You-- said it was so much confidence. I believed you. Yep, there's even some results here that would counter that and saying that there's more, but I think they are probably counting only the ones that occur naturally because I think there are some elements that you can generate by just adding a bunch of electrons and protons and stuff and it will never occur naturally in nature, but you can create, quote unquote,-- another-- element. OK, that might answer my question. My thought is, have there been elements that get removed from the periodic table? Because I will tell you. I hate the shape of the periodic table. I don't like it. I want it to be a line or a square rectangle. I don't like how it juts out. Well, you should have studied it a little bit more than 2 weeks because then you would learn that it all has to do with the molecular weight, the number of electrons, protons, and whether it is naturally stable or not, or whether it is naturally in a gaseous state or a liquid state or solid state. And really it all hinges on the noble gasses. That's really why it sort of lines up the way that it does. That's why it's not like a rectangle. OK, I did not learn that in my two weeks. Yeah, I'll have to look and see if I can find it. There was an interesting like 3D representation of the periodic table that I saw a long time ago that actually made a little bit more sense, similar to how, you know, maybe something doesn't quite make sense when you're looking at a flattened map. But when you look at it on a globe, it actually brings things into a 3D perspective. OK. And to your knowledge, have there been elements removed though? Just like our solar system. When we were growing up, there were 9 planets, and now there's not. And because of more knowledge and such, right? So, were there 130 elements when you were growing up, and now there's only 119 or 18? Perhaps so, yeah, current research shows 118, but Maybe they have removed some because they only can create that in a lab and it's not naturally occurring anywhere. Yep, just like Pluto. I understand the reasons why Pluto is no longer a planet. But I love that little guy. I think he's so cute. And so it bums me out that he's not on our planet solar system. So, there is a theoretical periodic table that I guess goes out to 141, but this is purely hypothetical because some of these have never even been made because they are in the category of quote unquote, super heavy elements. So, that is the the highest that I guess the theoretical limit goes. But that is apparently some of the background on there. So an interesting discussion that all came about from a simple periodic symbol, PB and some interesting insights perhaps into mnemonics that may benefit the auditory learner versus the visual learner. That's interesting that I think that connection exists, haven't really thought about that before. OK, yeah. So this particular episode should air on June 5th, so it's Pride Month, so I think it's only right that we talk about what makes us proud. Cause that's what Pride Month is all about, right? It's not. Well, that begs the question then, if there's Pride Month, is there humble month? Do we have a month for celebrating humility? You shouldn't put that on the calendar. Put it on there. Uh, I think probably some people might say that you celebrate Humble month, the other 11 months of the year. It's like the whole Mother's Day, Father's Day, when's Children's Day. In Japan, we know when Children's Day is. And here in the US we don't have one, and we say, every day is Children's Day. Even Father's Day and Mother's Day, it's it's about them, I guess so. So I think probably the top thing that comes to mind is probably some of my collegiate experiences, so. Graduating from college with a degree in engineering and then actually had two minors, one in math and the other in computer science. So I was able to do that and then probably the particular thing that I would be most proud of for my collegiate experience is the fact that I had I think 3 senior projects, so I just guess I couldn't pick one and I just did 3 and perhaps just because I'm a bit of an overachiever as well. Mhm. And then obviously, you were not able to complete your chemistry course, but certainly you were able to complete some courses in your high school and college career. Yeah, well, for college, uh, similar and dissimilar to you. I had a major in two minors, but mine were on the easier or more interesting to me side. Sociology was my major and my minor was psychology, and then biblical studies. And I was proud of all those, but I actually was probably more proud in high school. I graduated high school, and I also graduated that time with my cosmetology license. And that was many years and a lot of work. It goes straight from high school to cosmetology school, and then straight from there, I'd go to work for a few hours at a salon to do my internship. So it was a big sacrifice, and I was actually really proud. That's something I still use to this day is my cosmetology license. And not so much your master's or your social work degree. I don't have a master's. No, yeah, well, we did talk about you pursuing that at one time. Yeah, I still want to. I dropped out so I could marry Adam. There you go. We saved a couple of dollars. It was a good investment. It was a good investment. It's called a good, a good decision from a cost benefits. I don't regret it. I'd like to get it one day. Oh, yeah, I'm proud of my degrees and all, and I really love my college life. I think from a standpoint of setting me up for success and hard work, high school was actually probably harder cause it was a long game I was playing, and I knew that the sacrifices I was making were gonna pay out. There you go. So, I'm trying to remember if there would be anything that I'm particularly proud of in my childhood, like specifically. Like I certainly remember that there were achievements that I did, like project fairs or science fairs and things of that nature that probably did have a sense of pride about them, but I'm having a difficulty pinpointing one exact thing. In my particular childhood, so I don't know if that's just because. There was no particular one thing that really stood out amongst the others, or if I just didn't really have any particular sense of accomplishment with any of those things, I'm not quite sure. Mhm hmm. Yeah, I mean, my high school is when I definitely see it. Materialize. I think of like pride moments are much more Interpersonal kind of things. Like, I remember my sister was born. I was very proud of that. I remember that day. Very, very well. I remember when I got baptized in my church, that day really stands out in my head. So, I agree with you. I don't feel like there's, oh, OK. No, there's 11 that stands out now as I'm thinking about it is I wanted the American Girl doll, Molly, so bad, and I made a countdown sheet and like saved up my money for so long. And I got her. And I was so proud of that. I can still picture my paper that I'd mark off every time I got like a new $1 and where it was in my room and how proud I was when I earned enough money to get Molly. And I still have her today. Well, there you go. So, maybe worth some more money than when you purchased it, or is it just not longer in mint condition? Yeah, she doesn't have a normal clothes or anything like that. So, not being. At all. She was very loved. Still a good investment, nonetheless then. So as I'm reflecting on perhaps my personal childhood sense of pride, I wonder if the The sense of value that I derived from accomplishing certain things was derived by words of affirmation, so outside recognition by others on a job well done, and I was proud of that, but I wonder if the fact that my collegiate experiences and perhaps some of the things later in life that I'll describe in a moment. are more of an intrinsic value to myself because I find a sense of pride in and of itself because it was something that I wanted to do and I wanted to accomplish and therefore and even give myself praise about accomplishing those things, whereas perhaps some of those things in my early childhood were done not exclusively, but at least primarily done for The affirmation of others. OK, that's valid. I see that. So another example I think where I am proud of an accomplishment in my adult life is something that we talked about many episodes ago with Spartan races and being able to do the obstacle course racing and be able to complete certain obstacles or at least complete the penalty burpees or lapse if you are unable to complete the obstacle and Finishing that race and having some camaraderie with other racers that I knew that were participating with me. Yeah. I think that is something you should be proud of. I think that is a lot of hard work. Physically and mentally. And it's also interesting that as you expand your comfort zone, I think your comfort zone becomes larger because perhaps I don't have quite the sense of pride and accomplishment anymore when I do those. So perhaps that's a similar thing that in my childhood, maybe I had some of these particular experiences of a sense of accomplishment and pride early on and then it sort of just became routine, so to speak, where now I can go do a Spartan race and do the obstacles or take a penalty here and there, complete the course, and then it's sort of just something that I do once a year and I know I can do it and still derive some sense of accomplishment and pride from it, but not near the degree that I did for my very first few races. Do you think that if you, cause you do it for fun, but there is a competition element? That you could enter, I don't think you've ever chosen to enter. But if you up your game and entered the competition part for best time or whatnot, would that give you a new sense of pride, do you think? Yeah, that's probably true. I think if I was able to train accordingly and enter for my age group and actually place in a decent percentile that that would give me a new sense of pride. But there's also mixed in there perhaps some apprehension that I only do things that I have the. possibility of succeeding at. So if there's something that is an outside chance or something that I know I won't be successful at, I will actually probably tend to avoid that altogether. So those are some particular things that I'm proud of, I guess my collegiate experiences and things that I've accomplished with various majors and minors and projects and Spartan racing. So you talked about your high school and college and even your saving money. So anything else in your adult life that you are particularly proud of, either in your married life or even in the last year? Last year, I feel like I'm supposed to say I have an answer, but I don't know. I don't know. Do you or do you not? OK, well, maybe I can think about it as I'm talking. I do think I'm proud of my early career out of college and all. I was pretty young in my job and learned a lot of stuff. So I was very proud of that. I'm proud of marrying you. And nowadays, as a stay at home, homeschool mom, A lot. I feel like a lot of my pride is just entangled in you, and then the kids. And uh today, One of our children tested for next level in his black belt journey in martial arts, and I'm so proud of him because he had an injury a couple weeks ago. That required a hospital visit, and he has not been able to use his hands much. He's gonna be OK, but he is injured and he cannot spar, box, fight, anything like that, obviously. So they did a private lesson with him, because the instructor knows, he's like, I've been seeing him, I know what he's capable of. And you can only test on certain cycles. So if you didn't have to wait till August, which is a long time to wait. So he did a private test today. And it was hard for him. And the instructor would often ask, are you OK? Do you need a break? And they don't do that normally in black belts, but he knew he was injured. And our boy pushed through, and he'd just like, no, sir, and he just kept going. And I'm just so proud of him. So I think a lot of my life currently is just entangled in that. Like, I am proud. Of how hard that was for him, and he did it. So, just standing there on the sidelines, cheering him on, and taking the pictures, and giving him a thumbs up when he looks over at me, that's my proud moments right now. Yeah, that is definitely a valid sense of pride and experience that you had, I think. I was expecting you to say that you were proud of single-handedly opening our community pool because you only have one hand. That is, let's say, well, it's not single-handedly. There are a couple of us that are working on it. But you're right. We have a community pool and it was going to close down. And me and two other people refused to let that happen. So we have been working and since then another houses came on, so they started helping too. And a few other people here and there, but it's been so much work of just pure volunteer hours, and I committed to doing this. In February, and then in March is when I broke my hand. So, it's been hard to balance all this, hiring lifeguards, training people, chemicals, all that sort of thing with literally one hand. But the pools open and it's a success, I feel like so far. Very few complaints, and most people are loving it and enjoying it. The summer's just began, so we're going to keep going. But last week when the pool officially opened, once again, our son was, who was injured, can't swim right now. So we let him get in the pool first, just like his ankles. And then he left, and then the lifeguards blew the whistle and all these kids at one time dove in, and it was so fun to watch. And at that moment I had this like, sense of, yeah, pride or just sense of like relief, like, he did it. The pools open, look at all these families, how much fun everyone's having. We did it. And it's not gonna slow down anytime soon, I think it's gonna be a very busy summer. Uh, I'm learning a lot and yeah, I'm proud of that. Indeed. So as you're talking through some of your things, I guess 4 other quick things that came to mind that I personally am proud of is within my career being hired as an engineer during the economic downturn of the 2000s. That was something that I don't think a lot of people experienced a lot of people had difficulty finding work out of school. So, the fact that uh I was able to do that and be able to procure a stable job would be something that akin to yours in terms of having a job and a successful career early on. And then I think also probably one of the promotions, particularly during that career as well. And then in my martial arts career with doing jiu-jitsu, which is currently on hiatus and probably will be on hiatus for the foreseeable future just because of some of the issues that I've had with my back in the past, but definitely when I got my first stripe as a white belt was definitely a particular remarkable and memorable experience. And then, like you said, I do think a lot of things that we're proud of in terms of our current experience is tied up with our kids. So one example of that is when our youngest was at church and the pastor began praying and without prompting, he bowed his head, folded his hands and closed his eyes and was being part of that prayer. Yeah, I think it's so sweet and you look over and you can see them, like, they're paying attention, they're not just zoning out. They know what's going on around them. And they're participating. Well, there you have it. So those are some things that perhaps particularly we are proud of, maybe some reflections that you, our listener can take and consider on. Particular achievements that you are proud of in your life, or what achievements that perhaps you want to pursue in the future as a particular sense of pride that you can achieve. Do you know what I'm doing right now? You know the new task I've started? I do not. I, I told my brother, he texts about it or texts me randomly, something similar. I was like, hey. I am learning the guitar now, cause I have nothing else to do. Uh, it's a joke. But I told the kids they had to buckle down. Once in a while, we go back and forth on musical instruments, but we don't have a consistent learning schedule. So this summer, I said you have to choose the guitar or the piano, which one are you gonna focus on? And then I told them I'll learn the guitar along with them. So I've had day 2, lesson 2. And it's so fun. I'm really liking it. Indeed, perhaps something that we can get into in our next episode because I also am trying to make a number of changes for the month of June. As well. So when this particular episode here, so if you did enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe and perhaps you would like to share it with somebody else that you think would enjoy the episode. So, from your friends at I hate talking until next time, remember, it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.