For years, I'd thought about doing something here for April Fools Day.
Disclaimer: I don't know if it's supposed to be April Fools Day or April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day. A google search reveals all three variants. I'm just going to use the first choice because it's easier.
Anyway, I'd wanted to do a hoax or a prank for a long time. The problem was that, every year, I wouldn't remember that I wanted to do something until around 10:00 PM on April 1st. And by then it was pretty much too late. Well, this year, I remembered around noon on March 31st, so this year, it was on.
It took me a while to decided exactly what to do, though. I wanted it to be something at least halfway believable - something that, if it happened any other day, would solicit some surprise and maybe some shock, but not too much disbelief. I also wanted it to be something good or at least neutral. Like, I didn't want to announce to the world that I had some terminal disease, or that I was moving to Alaska. Those things might have upset some people.
Full disclosure: I actually did consider the Alaska story for quite a while. But I decided against it because there are a couple of people who might have been upset at the thought of me moving so far away.
I told my sisters to ignore anything I posted on April 1st, and then later I told HatGirl the same thing. I felt that HatGirl would make a good co-conspirator, no matter what I ended up choosing for my hoax.
It wasn't until I got home Wednesday night that I decided what I'd be doing. Actually, it was StupidGirl's idea. I'd propose to her, then fly to Las Vegas Thursday morning and we'd get married. Because of her involvement, the entire hoax moved to where it was mostly on facebook, and only on barenada.com as overspray. StupidGirl played along fantastically. She added her own posts to facebook to complement my own. She even found a copy of a Nevada wedding certificate that I could Photoshop and post.
HatGirl added to the hoax as well, by posting how excited she was for us. And then several others unwittingly joined in the fun by believing that it was all real.
It was the perfect choice. It was something that people could actually imagine me doing. Hell, it was something that I could imagine me doing. We had so much fun with it that StupidGirl and I were both actually sad when our fake marriage ended.
I'm already trying to think of something to do for next year. So far, I've got nothing, but there's still plenty of time. It's been suggested that I should come out of the closet on April 1st, 2011, but I would never do that for fear of all the cries of "I knew it all along!"
You may have unwittingly found your "salvation" (for lack of a better word).
Between the realization in the post about hiding ~
"That beautiful destination will forever be unreachable, and maybe, just maybe, it's turned out to be not so beautiful after all."
It wasn't so beautiful after all. . . . that's powerful, and it's power that is in YOUR control.
Now compound that with the hoax. . . .
"It was something that people could actually imagine me doing. Hell, it was something that I could imagine me doing. . . . . StupidGirl and I were both actually sad when our fake marriage ended."
And you have the start of the next chapter in your life. Does it actually involve marrying SG? No! It involves moving on = )
posted by: Iron Butterfly | April 5, 2010 9:47 AM
SG is not the same person as LG.
posted by: dave | April 5, 2010 1:11 PM
>>SG is not the same person as LG.
Yes, I realize S is not the same as Laptop . . . . with the fact that I did not f-up confirmed, please re-read the original comment.
posted by: Iron Butterfly | April 5, 2010 3:10 PM
I just didn't see the connection between the current state of affairs regarding LaptopGirl and whether or not StupidGirl and I ever get married for real.
posted by: dave | April 5, 2010 3:18 PM
The correlation I was trying to draw was between two points;
1) for a moment the "beautiful destination" you've been holding out for, just may not be that beautiful afterall. . . hmmmmmmm
2) there was yet another moment where you imagined giving yourself to someone other than LG. . . . .
Keeping those, abeit distinct, moments in the fore of your thoughts and building onto them other such "freeing" moments and before you know it. . . you're moving onto a different chapter in your life.
Aside from that, how are you doing? Job prospects? It's tough out there. Pool game? Love your new Diamond table! I like the pocket to rail connection on the Diamond better than I do the Gold Crown. The GC has a metal plating with rather sharp pointed pieces which I avoid drawing my cue over. I did something with my table you may appreciate. I created a jig which enabled me to draw straight lines from diamond to diamond (main diamonds, I see you broke the rail up further). Using a sharpie marker a shade darker than my cloth (champion blue) I now have a grid which is rather handy for consistent ball placement when running drills. Yet it doesn't detract from regular playing.
posted by: Iron Butterfly | April 5, 2010 4:13 PM
I've had that table since 2001, I think. I agree, the pockets on the GC have a lot of room for improvement, but I like the way they bank more than the Diamonds.
As for the other thing, there have been a million times when I've thought I'd be able to move on. I've been wrong, every time.
posted by: dave | April 5, 2010 8:23 PM