No Monday, Monday we can't trust. No Manic Monday. It's not Tuesday, and it's not Belgium, and Fat (Shrove) Tuesday was three days ago. Got beads? Hump Day has come and gone, and I can't think of a damn thing to say about Thursday. Oh wait! Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, is comin' up. Which reminds me of a private joke from an old friend, Arthur Beck. We were both teachers in a Lutheran elementary school in southern California. It was the mid-80s. He'd been a teacher for a long time. He was one of my son's teachers, and he sang in the choir I directed. A Minnesotan transplanted years before, he might be dead now. He was probably 20 years older than me then. He retired years ago and moved back to Minnesota, 'cos he missed the mosquitos he said. I use past tense now because I've lost touch with him and don't know if he's still alive ... he was one amazing human being. His eighth graders borrowed money from him, despite a sign on the wall of his classroom that read: This is not the Bank of Beck. I helped nurse him through a back surgery and a coronary bypass. I cleaned up the garden patio of his little condo once upon a time. I miss him. Art knew how to be exquisitely silly. He could teach eighth graders. They loved him. We loved him. Anyway, one of Arthur's standard jokes at school for any Friday before Easter (even in September) any year went like this: (and everyone knew what they were supposed to say for the joke to be funny and "in")
Art: I wish it was Friday.
Us: Art, it is Friday.
Art: I mean Good Friday.
So, it's another good Friday. It's good because we're conscious. We woke up yet another time, a bonus day on the Happy Planet. I'm typing. You're reading. Goodness is where you find it. It's pouring down life-giving water here in southern California since just after midnight. And I wanted to say, "I love you, Art."
And... I wanted to give ASZers a little fun for our TGIF, if you like games, that is.
Yetisports (Chris Hilgert et al) are the game-makers who first came up with the Yeti-Penguin games. They now have seven of them, and their main site is: www.yetisports.org. I found the first "pingu" game a couple of years ago and just recently found the rest. Amazing fun from a wonderfully creative team of dedicated game developers. You must do a brief registration to play, but it's well worth it. My current favorite of the seven games is Albatros Overload. Once you register you can play them all. Make sure you have your sound on. Take time on a Bonus "good" Friday to fritter a bit and smell the Yeti (or the Penguins).
I'm not giving up fun for Lent. ;-)
(Addendum: The playwright, Arthur Miller, has died, as reported at the top of the 8 AM Pacific hour. "The Crucible" has us.)
