Lynxcub architecture
Background: the Lynxcub had been having a meltdown over me not being willing to make a see-through visor for the cardboard fireman's helmet I'd been making for him until tomorrow, despite that it was way past time for him to be settled down in bed being read to. After much jumping up and down and screaming that he wanted the visor NOW NOW NOW, he finally flopped on the bed and rolled around while crying and whimpering through tears how much he hated all sorts of random things. This led to (still through tears at this point) "I want to get rid of the ceiling!"
Me: "You want to get rid of the ceiling? Why?"
Lynxcub (still sniffling): "I want to get rid of ALL the ceilings everywhere! I don't want ANY house to have a ceiling!"
Me (somewhat bewildered, but used to his random topic shifts, and just glad he's not talking about the visor any more) "But wouldn't that leave all the pipes and wires exposed?:
Lynxcub: "NO! There wouldn't be ANY of those things! No wires because everything would be SOLAR! And the pipes would be in the WALLS!"
Me: "But you'd still have a ceiling of some kind, because the people upstairs would have a floor, and the underside of that is generally known as a ceiling. Unless all the houses would be just one story, no basements or second floors?"
Lynxcub: "Yes! NO BASEMENTS ANYWHERE. (thinks for a minute) Except other people could have them if they wanted them, I guess."
Me (trying to parse this): "So... Other people could have basements, it's just that your ideal house wouldn't have one? But it would still have to have something on the inside of the roof..."
Lynxcub (becoming very animated, and illustrating everything he's saying with hand gestures): "No, just a roof. A pointed one, like this (positions his hands like a peaked roof). And the only thing inside it would be... (thinks for a minute) pieces of wood! Pointing down the other way, like this (makes a V-shape). With grooves along the inside of them, and a ball that would roll up and down, because when it got to the bottom it would just bounce off and roll up the other side! Because that would be a cool game."
Me: "Is there anything else your ideal house would have?"
Lynxcub (without hesitating for even a second): "INVISIBLE LASERS!"
Me: "You want to get rid of the ceiling? Why?"
Lynxcub (still sniffling): "I want to get rid of ALL the ceilings everywhere! I don't want ANY house to have a ceiling!"
Me (somewhat bewildered, but used to his random topic shifts, and just glad he's not talking about the visor any more) "But wouldn't that leave all the pipes and wires exposed?:
Lynxcub: "NO! There wouldn't be ANY of those things! No wires because everything would be SOLAR! And the pipes would be in the WALLS!"
Me: "But you'd still have a ceiling of some kind, because the people upstairs would have a floor, and the underside of that is generally known as a ceiling. Unless all the houses would be just one story, no basements or second floors?"
Lynxcub: "Yes! NO BASEMENTS ANYWHERE. (thinks for a minute) Except other people could have them if they wanted them, I guess."
Me (trying to parse this): "So... Other people could have basements, it's just that your ideal house wouldn't have one? But it would still have to have something on the inside of the roof..."
Lynxcub (becoming very animated, and illustrating everything he's saying with hand gestures): "No, just a roof. A pointed one, like this (positions his hands like a peaked roof). And the only thing inside it would be... (thinks for a minute) pieces of wood! Pointing down the other way, like this (makes a V-shape). With grooves along the inside of them, and a ball that would roll up and down, because when it got to the bottom it would just bounce off and roll up the other side! Because that would be a cool game."
Me: "Is there anything else your ideal house would have?"
Lynxcub (without hesitating for even a second): "INVISIBLE LASERS!"