Extraordinary Intergalactical Upsets

OK, first? I am embarrassed to admit the number of times I read through your comments on the last post and how many of those times I got a little weepy. Thank you for responding with empathy and empowerment (and more than one crotch-kick to The Man), rather than scorn for my wimpiness.

As a weird/sad corollary, there was an article in the paper yesterday that a local teachers' union is, in the face of impeding layoffs, fighting for insurance coverage...of Viagra. Now, I'm all for equal coverage--meaning that if you cover my birth control (and only if), you can also cover whatever male enhancement drugs you like--but, people! Jobs versus penile uppers? Focus!!

And now, because I have been so navel-gazey and somber and adult over, I give you Things That Have Made Me Laugh Out Loud in the Past Week:

Thing #1: Hanging out with some friends yesterday, their five-year-old opened a conversation with, "Hey! You know what's cool about me?" It was rhetorical, and he went on to tell me about how he could count to five in Spanish or had vestigial wings or something, but I completely lost what he was saying, so tickled was I with that opening gambit. I exhort you to go forth and try it yourself: at the bar, at the PTA meeting, with your partner. Lemme know how it goes.

Thing #2: As part of a show several years ago, I made a large, Muppety monster puppet, which I named Smudge. I found him in the basement last week and took him in to school for the kids to see at circle time. One little girl, E, was quite enamored of him, but couldn't quite get his name right. When I went to put him away, she protested, "But I love Smut!" (Aaaand, hello pervert Googlers!)

Thing #3: As is contractually obligated when you have a baby, we have several of those hooded baby towels. After a bath, I wrap Tankbaby in a towel before he lunges his slippery wet body at me. He likes to hang on to the corners and help wrap the towel...and he also loves to fling the towel open, catching a nice breeze on his...um, block and tackle. Being mature, I like to yell, "Flash!" when he does this. And on Thursday, I followed with "Ah-ahhh! He'll save every one of us!" So now, while Tank waddles around, his towel hood up over his head while the rest flows majestically behind him, looking from behind like a miniature sheik meets E.T., you can shout, "FLASH!" and he will crow, "Ah-ahhh!" And show you his junk.

That's my boy, savior of the universe.