Why So Serious?

I was watching the Chris Nolan Batman trilogy again not too long ago. In one of the pivotal scenes of the second film, the Joker (brilliantly played by the late Heath Ledger) asks "Why so serious?" And, because I am rather weird and pick up on strange things, I thought to myself "Why am I so serious?" Yes, I do understand that the fact that I identify on some level with a psychopathic killer clown is a bit concerning, but hear me out. We live in a day and age where, all around us, the world is going belly up. Crime is at an all time high (and that is just in the Government), the prices of literally everything are going up and depressing news is everywhere. So in the face of all of this negativity we can either give in and hide in our fallout shelters (not that I have one, I'm just saying) or we can enjoy what we have.

Since having a daughter I have learned that it is okay to be silly sometimes. There are times where I have to just sit still and have her paint my face, usually making me look like I got farted on by a unicorn. Other times I have to duel with her and, because she is my daughter and thus just as weird as I am, she is usually in a dainty princess dress and tiara while wielding her mighty sword and chasing me around the garden. So, in short, it is okay to be silly at times.

This morning I saw a poster that went "I am a mature adult. I am a mature adult. I am a mature.....ah screw it! I am building a blanket fort! You need a password to get in. The password is monkey butt."
So today I am throwing down the gauntlet. To everyone out there reading this, whether on purpose or because you Googled the phrase monkey butt and ended up here, be silly! Lighten up! Build that pillow fort! Have your face painted badly by a 4 year old! Remember what it is to have fun!

Annual Suffering

A few weeks ago I caught a cold. Up to that point I had successfully been avoiding all the cold viruses that seemed determined to infect me. But alas, one can only resist it so long when everyone around you is coughing and sneezing up a storm. So, involuntarily, I joined the club. It started with the usual suspects: a sore, scratchy throat, a slightly runny nose and a bit of a fever. Naturally I got myself the usual round of cold meds and just kept going. But no, this cold was on the warpath! It would not go down without a fight!

Now, medical research, pharmacies and doctors everywhere maintain that there is still no cure for the common cold, something that has been around in some shape or form for centuries. I still firmly believe the cure was discovered long ago, but the pharmaceutical companies keep it under wraps because they make more money out of our misery. So needless to say, with a cold as determined as this one, regular meds were not cutting it. I woke up one morning with my voice missing in action and my throat swollen shut, so I finally decided to call in reinforcements and went to the doctor. He asked me about my symptoms and listened patiently while I whispered them out to him. Then he had a look at my throat, proclaimed that I had viral pharyngitis with a secondary bacterial infection, and promptly wrote me a prescription for half the meds in the pharmacy. He also sternly told me that he was sending me home where I had to stay quarantined for 3 days.

After working my way through the course of antibiotics, pain meds, corticosteroids and stuff to protect my stomach from the rest of the meds, I finally started to feel better. The cold still tried to hang on for another week or so, but faced with such an overwhelming onslaught of medication that I can't even spell or pronounce, it finally gave up.

Again, pharmaceutical companies, if you are listening, or browsed to my page by mistake while looking for the Dummies Guide to Raising Leeches please, I beg of you, release the cure for the common cold. End our annual suffering! Then you can focus on more important matters, like trying to figure out why politicians are all so darn dim-witted......