Left and right brains

Tom: "Okay, let me give you this scenario and you tell me what you would do."
Me: "What kind of a scenario? Is this real?"
Tom: "It's more like a puzzle. You are in a room."
Me: "I'm in a room?"
Tom: "Well, like in a theater. Like Darcy's theater. You are in the theater and there are these three light bulbs."
Me: "Okay."
Tom: "There are three light bulbs and then over in another room are three switches. You have to turn on the lights..."
Me: "Okay, just stop right there. First, of all, I'm confused. Secondly, you are so bad at setting up these types of things."
Tom: "No, I'm not."
Me: "Yes, you are. You said I'm in a theater so I pictured myself seating in the seats and now you want me to turn on these light bulbs? Why would I do that if I'm there to see a show."
Tom: "I never said you were there to see a show."
Me: "I know you didn't, but you set it up that way by saying I'm in a theater. What else would I be doing?"
Tom: "I said like Darcy."
Me: "But what does that even mean? Like Darcy? You actually said "like Darcy's theater" and I pictured myself in the school cafeteria because that's where their theater is right now during the school's construction."
Tom: "You are so all over the place."
Me: "I'm not. I'm in a theater. And apparently not in the audience."
Tom: "Okay, okay. You are working backstage in a theater. On the stage are three light bulbs hanging down from the ceiling."
Me: "Okay, that's better. Keep going."
Tom: "In another room off the stage are three light switches. You don't know which switches turn on which lights."
Me: "Why wouldn't I know that if I'm the stage manager."
Tom: "I never said you were the stage manager."
Me: "I gave myself a promotion."
Tom: "Either way you have to turn on the lights. But the only way you can do that is in one shot. You have to turn on the lights and tell me which switch turns on which bulb and you can only go out on the stage one time."
Me: "I hate these kind of things."
Tom: "Why? It's simple. Tell me how you would do it."
Me: "I hate these things because as a stage manager I would have an assistant who would stand under the bulbs to tell me when the light came on as I flipped the switch."
Tom: "You are in the theater alone."
Me: "But I wouldn't be. And who cares which switch turns on which bulb?"
Tom: "Why can't you just play the game? You don't know the answer, do you?"
Me: "Okay, okay. Let me think."
Tom: "I'll give you a hint."
Me: "No, no don't do that."

I spent a lot of time mulling over the puzzle. Eventually he told me that I the hint was I could touch the light bulb.

Me: "Why would I do that? That seems dumb. Who touches a bulb?"
Tom: "That's the hint."
Me: "Oh. Okay. Well, I would turn on one switch and leave it on for like ten minutes and then I would turn it off. I would turn on another switch for five minutes and turn it off. Then I would turn on the other. I would go to the bulbs and the one that was hot would be the switch I first turned on and the one that was sort of hot would be the second and the third would be on."
Tom: "You got it. Not the right way, but you are on the same track."
Me: "Oh, I see. You want me to  turn on the first switch until the bulb gets hot and then turn it off, turn on another switch and then go out to the bulbs."
Tom: "Now you got it. That's the answer."
Me: "Interesting."
Tom: "I saw it on this show about the differences between young and old people put into different situations. It was interesting."
Me: "Well, I get it, but what I find fascinating is how different minds are wired."
Tom: "All minds are wired the same."
Me: "I don't agree with that. You and Madison have analytical brains where Darcy and I don't. If we all sat in a room with someone who told us a thirty minute story complete with all sorts of details, you and Madison would not be able to tell the story back with all of the details, but Darcy and I could, down to the last little thing. You and Madison, on the other hand, are great at the puzzles you just gave me."
Tom: "I don't know about that."
Me: "And Darcy and I would have set that puzzle up in better detail than the way you did it. We would have said right off the bat that we were on the stage instead of "in a theater"."
Tom: "The problem with you is that you don't let me finish. I couldn't tell you that because you jumped right in as soon as I said you were in a theater. And then you added all sorts of nonsensical things that didn't have anything to do with the puzzle."
Me: "Okay, I'll give you that. I did jump right in, but only because you changed it up and I was confused."
Tom: "You didn't let me finish. I would have eventually gotten around to it."
Me: "My point exactly. Darcy and I would have laid it all out straight in the beginning. Our minds are different than yours and Madison's. I find it fascinating. The only person I knew that had a mind that could do both was my mother. Did you solve that puzzle quickly while you were watching it?"
Tom: "Yes, but after the hint, and then I got it right away."
Me: "What was the host of the show wearing?"
Tom: "What? Who cares?"
Me: "I would have known that. Just saying..."