Gotcha!

Having Slept in sich on Saturday, Sunday was my turn to get up with the kids.

Tigana and Kasia played together nicely, Kasia now being old enough and articulate enough to take part in Tigana's elaborate role plays. At one point Tigana pulled out her kid friendly makeup kit and drew crowns on herself and Kasia's forehead. Tigana's artistic efforts weren't half bad in creating reasonably believable crowns, once I had verified that the makeup came off with just water. As Tigana wandered off to watch TV, Kasia came over to me and proceeded to draw a crown on my forehead.

Kasia worked at her artistic creation for a long time -- maybe fifteen minutes -- taking meticulous care to get everything just so, switching back and forth between the various shades of purple and pink available in the kit. Being semi-comatose, I was happy just to have her somewhere I could see her, so we were both happy with the activity. Eventually, I went over to the mirror to see what my crown looked like.

Okay, let's be real here: my three year old's artistic endeaver's in no way resembled a crown -- what I had on my forehead was a four inch multicolored bruise.

Hmmm, I think. I enlist Tigana's aid to run and tell Mom (waiting for sounds of activity so as not to actually wake her up for this) that Dad had walked into the downstairs pillar while carrying Kasia. (I will confess here to a reputation for a certain level of klutziness that makes such a claim altogether too believable.) Tigana is keyed to say that she thinks I should go to the Doctor but that I refused to wake Mom.

When Mary comes down to start making brunch, she takes one look at my forehead and freaks. "Oh my god, your head!"

Gotcha! April Fool's!

Mary concedes that for the first time ever, I have managed to 'get her' on April Fool's.

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My favorite April Fool's was when the Discovery Channel got me. Back before Mary and the kids, the days sort of drifted into one another and I remember getting up and turning on TV while I made breakfast, and being distracted by a documentary that explained why the Earth was really flat. Round to be sure, but flat. Various experts explained the evidence that proved the earth was flat, why the pictures of Earth as a sphere were an optical illusion, and why the widespread belief that the Earth was a sphere was a conspiracy and ignorant superstition.

Considerably upset that the Discovery would give equal time to this Creationist-style nonsense, I sat down to write a letter/email of protest. Deciding to get the specific details right, I noted the time, 10:30 AM, and the Date, April First, and then wrote about half a line before the April First part penetrated. D'oh!

But it was a brilliant hoax! Completely deadpan documentary, and no commentary by announcers before or after. I wonder how many people were taken in, if just for a moment....