I brought a banana to work yesterday and, when I finished it, the peel was lying on my desk. For some reason I found myself staring at it, wondering whether that old TV trope about slipping on a banana peel had any accuracy. I thought about throwing it on the floor next to the break room, and then sitting back and observing. The scientific method and all.
That seemed a little mean-spirited, even though I thought it highly improbable that someone would actually slip on a banana peel. I’ve never seen it happen, except to Wile E. Coyote (and let’s face it, that bastard had it coming).
But, I reasoned, there are a lot of things I have never seen with my own eyes. The sinking of the Titanic. A no-hitter in baseball. The aurora borealis. That doesn’t make them any less real, unless you’re a conspiracy theorist. Something I am not, unless you count the government covering up the existence of UFOs.
The truth is out there, guys.
In any case, I decided to turn to the internet to see if there’s any evidence supporting the idea that banana peels are slippery. And, what do you know? It’s true! According to Smithsonian Magazine, a reputable source if ever there was one, banana peels are especially slippery due to the polysaccharide molecules in the peel. Another article in Science Direct states that slipping on a banana peel “is not only a gag seed but also a genuinely tribological phenomenon” due to a significantly lower frictional coefficient (fr = Fr/N for the math geeks) than other common objects, one that is similar to well-lubricated surfaces.
This was all pretty compelling stuff, but I still wasn’t 100% convinced. I decided to dig a little more deeply and turn to two of the brightest scientific minds in history for final confirmation. That’s right: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, aka MythBusters.
“Adam has definitively proven that banana peels are slippery,” Jamie concedes. That’s good enough for me!
We’re gradually settling into our new house this week. Needless to say, it’s not a difficult adjustment, though I’m still in the habit of asking Tara whether she needs the bathroom before I shower (we had to share a single bathroom in the apartment). I also keep thinking the walk-in closet in the master bedroom is an en suite bathroom, because that’s exactly where ours was located in the Rapid City house. Plus, we have two other regular closets in there. We may, in fact, convert it to an en suite someday, but that’s way down the line.
It’s been weird not painting every night. We actually have time to kick back and watch a little TV now, which feels like a luxury. This is not to say we haven’t been working; lots of unpacking and organizing still, mainly in the kitchen. The majority will have to wait until the flooring and carpets are installed next month, hence the downtime. I did replace Dick and Carol’s thermostat with a shiny new Nest learning thermostat. We had one in Rapid City and loved it, and we get a rebate from the local energy company for installing smart appliances.
One thing we have learned is, it gets dark here at night. Really dark. You can’t see much once the sun goes down, especially on clear nights. It took me a couple of days to figure out why: there are no streetlights here. All part of the rural experience, I suppose. I’m not complaining!
By the way, I love my new office so much, I wish I could work from home every day.
Gotta jam. I picked up a paint roller for the first time in eight days this afternoon. All the upstairs bedrooms and the living room and dining room looked great, but the hallway was dirty, dingy, and white. Figured it was high time I fixed that! Just about time for the second coat…
Mark My Words 
I wonder if the stars will be especially visible because of the lack of streetlights. That would be a huge bonus – almost as good as the heated driveway!
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I’m thinking that will be the case, and once it warms up enough to walk outside in the morning again, I’ll report back!
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Good to get everything painted and finished. I used to wonder why people didn’t install their baseboards after a remodel… then we remodeled. At a certain point you are just DONE. It took me a couple of years to get around to it. Enjoy your dark sky!
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That’s how I felt when painting, especially toward the end there. I found myself being a little less careful just so I could have the whole thing over and finished with.
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sounds like life is slipping back into place
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We’re getting there, little by little!
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Oh, I envy you the stars on your dark nights! It’s disconcerting, yes, but so beautiful.
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When Tara was still living in the high desert of northeastern Nevada, we’d drive out to the middle of nowhere (even more so than the town itself already was) and be treated to the most amazing display of stars ever. I’d love to see something similar to that out here.
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Just one more reason that house had to be yours- now you can see when the aliens fly over without any annoying extraneous light sources. I wonder if they guided you in some way to say yes to this house… hmmmmmmm.
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LOL! They know they’re welcome to visit me wherever I live. Just as long as there’s no probing.
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I once sued a banana after I slipped on it, but it won the case on a-peel. 😉
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That banana’s smart. Can’t get anything potassium.
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I know of which you speak about really, really dark nights. We used to live where there were no streetlights, lots of trees, and artificial lights were far away. I like living “closer to civilization” as we do now, and don’t mind artificial light at all. I also like to keep the house lit up in the evening as well…enjoy the residence’s “different” appearance. After all, if we ever need to escape to a starry, rural night for awhile we only have to drive several miles west and get our wish. As for bananas, slipping on one of them definitely has little a-peel to me.😀
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The darkness takes some getting used to. We have yet to see wildlife in the backyard, though there is always evidence they were there the night before. I’m sure we just can’t see them roaming around!
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Really fun post –
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Thank you!
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The Myth Buster – I’d forgotten about them. Well, if they concur about the banana peels we have an answer to a very real question. 🙂
The office looks great and I’m so glad you guys are enjoying some free evenings watching the very awesome paint colors dry. That is until you started on the hallway – there’s something to be said about continuing you on while you are on a roll – or roller.
Congrats again! ❤
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It took about two hours, but the hallway is done now—ceilings and all, because that’s how we roll(er)!
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Ha, ha, ha – love it! Hope you have a Friday that rolls as smoothly into the weekend…
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I remember a long long time ago,we(my brother, sister and neighbor kids )actually tried to slip on a banana peel. Sadly, I don’t remember the outcome,but I’m sure we did slip and fall.Hey, we were kids!
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That’s hilarious! Can’t believe I’ve never heard this story before.
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I was maybe 8 years old,so you know how long ago that was !
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I never thought about it being so dark in a rural area. Maybe you can learn some astronomy. Lol, it does take some time adjusting to what is where. Even after a year, I still turn to get a Kleenex off the top of the toilet tank even though the pedestal sink is history and now there’s room for the box on the vanity in the half bath.
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It’s muscle memory. Even after three years in the Rapid City house, I was reaching for a light switch that was on the opposite wall. My only explanation for that is, the switch would have made better sense mounted on that other wall!
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I’m just thinking about you walking into the closet in the middle of the night
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I had that thought and am really hoping that never happens!
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👍
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It’s funny you mention how dark it is at night because we recently had an old friend spend a few days with us and she was totally spooked when the sun set. “Where are the lights!!!” her city self shrieked. “How can you tell if someone is sneaking around outside?” I assured her it was just deer and possum, but she was still freaked.
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This is completely unrelated, but we once had a friend stay in my townhouse when we were out of town. She commented how creepy it was, so I decided to have a little fun with her. “Oh, you saw the ghost then!” I don’t think she slept a wink after that…
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🤣
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I’ve never explored the veracity of slipping on a banana peel and now I don’t have to. One rabbit hole avoided. Thank you. With no street lights you’ll be able to see all the amazing star and planet phenomenons that I read about but can never see. Take photos please. I’m depending on you.
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Night photography—especially stars—is definitely something I’d like to learn how to do.
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I’ve slipped on many things but never a banana peel. Not saying I couldn’t though if there were one on the ground,
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UFOs are as real as Bigfoot. Who I believe is an extraterrestrial. I should also state that I am not a conspiracy theorist. But those two “conspiracies” are ones that I believe are true.
I love how you have complete darkness out there. That reminds me of where I grew up in rural Ohio. When I moved to suburban Chicago, I didn’t notice how it’s always light at night, either by streetlights, stoplights, or Home Depot parking lot lights. But the first time I returned to Ohio to visit, I wondered, “Why is it so damn dark here?” Funny the things you take for granted.
Now I’m craving a banana.
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The PNW was Bigfoot country. Fun fact: I wrote a book about a bunch of people who go off into the Oregon woods in search of Bigfoot. It’s gathering dust in a box somewhere. Definitely not publishable…I was pretty green back then.
Where did you live in Ohio? The three years I spent in Fairborn during elementary school were among my favorite.
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WHAT?? What’s the title of the book?
Lexington. Central Ohio, just outside of Mansfield. I was born in Crestline and spent 18 years in Lexington and Mansfield. I’ve lived here since I moved here in 1989.
I looked up Fairborn and found it is located just outside of Dayton. We didn’t go that way very often. My brother lives just outside of Columbus, so they’re a little closer. Small world, though!
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Well, the book isn’t published. It’s just a dusty manuscript packed away somewhere. It isn’t very good, if I’m being honest. But writing it helped me become a better writer!
Yes, Fairborn is right outside Dayton. My dad was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB from 1977-1980. I loved my time in Ohio!
We actually stopped by Mansfield on our road trip to Ohio in 2021. Just to see the prison from “The Shawshank Redemption.” Would’ve loved to have taken the tour, but it was early morning and we had many miles to go to reach Cleveland yet.
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The prison was used after I moved, but a classmate of mine worked on that movie.
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Glad you-all are getting settled – the new place sounds wonderful! Also, the part about slipping on a banana peel is a fun bit of trivia. Being the klutzy type, it might come in handy some day too. Oh, and love that lava lamp!
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Thanks! There are about 18 more, give or take a few, still boxed up. I started collecting lava lamps many years ago (and haven’t stopped since).
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As soon as I started reading your post, I started wondering if the Mythbusters had ever tested this one so I had to laugh when I got a couple of paragraphs further on.👍 (Mythbusters exploding cement truck is one of my husband’s favorite things ever.)
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I miss MythBusters! They were always a lot of fun to watch.
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They were. It’s always fun to catch a couple of shows in reruns.
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So funny about the Banana Peel situation; good to know for the future!
It’s crazy how the rest of the house looks like a dirty mess when one area is freshly painted. You had enough of a break anyway, right?
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No. If I never paint again, it still won’t be enough of a break, ha!
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