Some awesomely radically random words

 That’s a strange title for one not given to exaggeration. I could have entitled this blog, “Conversations with my grandchildren.”

Teenage grandchildren talk differently than we do. Especially the boys. You all know that. They take perfectly fine English words and turn them on their heads or blow them up to more-than-life-size. Sometimes they merely trivialize them. As examples (“random samples,” I could say), I refer to the following conversations, carried on in two different dialects—theirs and mine. These have been slightly embellished for publication, but they are based on real comments made to me by my grandsons:

1.
That casserole was awesome, Grandma.
     Thank you. Are you OK?
Why wouldn’t I be?
     I just hope my casserole didn’t knock you to the ground in holy fear, what with being awesome and all.
Whatever.

2.
The concert was awesome. It totally knocked my socks off.
     I’m sorry. Actually, that’s better than losing a sock in the laundry. You hang on to the remaining sock, thinking its mate will show up. It never does. At least you lost both at once. Did your feet get cold?
No, Grandma. My feet didn’t get cold.

3.
It was so irritating, Grandma. His comments were totally random.
     Without clear intentionality?
What?
     Were his remarks completely lacking in cohesion and continuity, without reference to context?
What are you talking about?
     Nothing. Just some random questions.

4.
I like your blog, Grandma. It’s totally rad.
     Rad?
Radical. Totally.
     Interesting perception. I don’t see myself as a radical leftist. Actually, I’m more of a pacifist than a revolutionary.
I like your blog anyway

While I don’t get as many opportunities to travel in these years, I’m glad I still have the chance to learn new languages.