Foolishness

April Fools' Day, hmm? I usually don't believe anything anyone tells me on this day. "Have a great day?" someone might say. "Yeah, right," I think. I doubt everyone and everything, but sometimes I forget, and sometimes I'll bite because of the news being shared. I'm not going to refuse to congratulate someone on April Fools' Day because I'd rather be seen as foolish or punked rather than churlish. But maybe that's just me. I guess I can't think of any good pranks. I don't know that I've ever tried to prank anyone on April Fools' Day. I just figure everyone is watching out on that day, so it's not a great day to tease people. Besides, I've realized that I have a pretty good poker face when I want, and I can tease people most anyday. Maybe I'm just a good liar, even though that's probably a bad thing to admit. I don't think of it as lying; I think of it as acting, just like I usually act a bit when I go into a classroom. I usually don my happy face whether I'm having a good day or not. It's not their fault my head hurts or my stomach feels unsettled. Besides, bad moods and whininess are contagious, I think, so I prefer to spread upbeat behavior (except on Facebook, where I will whine when I get overwhelmed as I am this week). If that makes me a liar, so be it.

Yeah, I guess I'll switch to foolishness because it's such an easy topic. The world is full of fools--or perhaps just of people who engage in foolish behavior. While I understand that they have their own lives, I also wonder sometimes if they aren't put into my path to give me something to laugh about, to make my day just a bit brighter.

When I'm heading anywhere in my car, they come out in full force. It's like a scene from The Truman Show where I'm driving along, minding my own business, and suddenly I have slow drivers in the left-hand lane in front of me and people pulling out right in front of me, making me slam on brakes, when there's no one in sight behind me. Yep, fools gather when I get on the road.

Wes loves to watch fools who have their foolishness videotaped, so the television in our house is often turned to World's Dumbest Criminals or What Were They Thinking? or Fools on Parade. Okay, I made up the names of some of those shows, but there really are a ton of them showcasing stupidity. And even though I feel silly watching them, it's pretty addictive. Maybe it's just a chance to feel smart, but I'd rather feel smart as I re-read Thackeray's Vanity Fair or Jane Austen's Persuasion. Oh well, I guess I need to take those smart vibes wherever I can.

And yes, I'm as big a fool as anyone else. I've made stupid decisions throughout my life or drifted into stupid behavior when my brain didn't engage quickly enough. Most of the real foolishness happened in high school and college, but I still have brain spasms. At least twice in the past week, I've distributed papers in Studies in Composition Theory by saying, "Take one and pass the rest," only to give the student in front one paper and keep the rest for myself. Let me repeat: I've done that TWICE in one week. I think my brain is shutting down a bit. The twins are sucking up my intellect. I thought I'd have to wait until they were born and sleep deprivation began to start losing brain cells. Oh well, I guess they're over-achievers.

Did anyone prank anyone for April Fools' Day? If so, share.

I can't wait to read your posts later. I'm posting early because I'll be working on taxes tonight, but I'll take a break to read and respond to your posts. It will be a nice, super-appreciated break. So far, I've only entered my income and our family deductions. I still have to do Wes's business. Ugh!

Happy belated April Fools' Day to you all. I hope the foolish people in your life keep your entertained.