It’s surprising to me just how entertained people near me have been by a couple of incidents of mild misfortune that have come my way. Karma, I suppose: I’ve certainly derived more than my fair share of amusement from schadenfreude in my time; it’s only reasonable that others will get to have a chuckle at my expense, too.
Let’s get the facts straight, though:
RUMOR: I got a student to call a radio station in the middle of class on Friday and request “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas.” She got on the air and I got in trouble.
STATUS: True. I’ve perpetrated this cute diversion in other classes over several years, but this time both my name and the name of my school were aired, and as the DJs had a tone of mildly confused consternation as they talked to the student, there were those who worried it made us look bad. Suffice it to say, I won’t be doing this again.
However, they did play the song, so it was pretty much worth it. :)
RUMOR: On Saturday morning, I left my baby in a bookstore.
STATUS: True. My wife was taking the kids to a store next door so I could purchase some Christmas items without them seeing, and I foolishly neglected to notice the carrier with our two month old in it right there at my feet. I bought the items, then joined my wife at the store next door. When she asked where the baby was, I seriously asked, “Don’t you have him?”
We then dashed back to the bookstore, where he’d just been found and placed behind the counter by employees. My horrified desperation must have told them that I was the father as I jumped back inside the store, because they smiled and gave him to me. They tried to calm us with stories of their own children left places in times past, and my wife amiably explained what had happened, but I was stuck in embarrassed silence.
I can tell these will keep coming back at me for a while. A guy at church heard the radio bit, and, apparently, a former student was in the bookstore. *sigh* There’s supposedly a Chinese curse which says, “May you live in interesting times.” I’ve recently wished my life were less eventful. I could go for some boring right now.
Gently Hew Stone 