Oddities

When you keep your eyes open for the extraordinary, sometimes you find oddities, too. Today I thought it might be kind of interesting to look at some of those.

It's Groundhog Day. I found out today that Punxsutawney Phil lives in the window of the town library when he's not looking for his shadow. That seems odd to me.

Next, here’s a photo of a window of a local ice cream shop. They’ve had the window “painted” for Valentine’s Day, and this is cupid. My boys call him the “devil cupid” because we all think he’s scary and odd looking – not the least bit romantic.

Speaking of romantic, have you seen this story? Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised to abstain from sex until the April 9th election. So many questions come to mind that I don’t even know where to start. First, why do I care if he has sex or not? How will abstinence make him a better prime minister or candidate? Why make this pledge at all? Do I just not “get it” because I’m not Italian and do not know this man? How silly would an American politician sound if he made this pledge? Odd.

I found this sign on the road where I work. I had no idea that Spring Valley Drive had actually been christened something else. I haven’t taken the time to research the General after which they have named this road; I’m sure he’s very deserving. My point is that he is probably deserving of much more. Our road is definitely NOT a “highway.” It’s a two lane, curving road not much bigger than this sign.

Conversation between S and G this weekend. S was in the kitchen, G was is the woods in our neighborhood with a friend, on his cell phone.
G: Dad, do you have a dull ax I could use?
S: No, honey, I don’t have any dull axes. I’m all out.
G: Well, how about one that’s just a little sharp?

Here’s one I found a day ago that ranks in the very sad but odd category. Have you seen this news story? In Washington State, a gentleman crashed his pick-up truck on the side of the road. He got out of the truck, took off all his clothes, and then walked across the interstate. It was the middle of the night. He was struck and killed by another pick-up truck. It would only be a sad story, except, one must ask, why did he take off all his clothes? I was telling this story to S in the car, and G spoke up from the back, “So he was naked when he was hit by the truck?” Yes. “So that’s kind of like a possum.” What?

Two quotes for the day, not in the least bit odd: I was watching an interview with Susan Saint James, her husband Dick Ebersol, and two of their sons. If you remember, Dick Ebersol was in a plane crash a little over a year ago with their sons Teddy and Charlie. Charlie, 21, pulled his father out of the plane, but Teddy was under the plane, and couldn’t be reached. Two quotes I pulled from the interview:

• Teddy, in his 8th grade graduate speech, said, “The finish line is only the beginning of a whole new race.”


• When asked if she were angry about what happened, Susan Saint James said that she wasn’t, that anger would serve no purpose. “Resentment is like a poison you take and then hope that the other guy will die.”