100 Days of Gratitude: Day 10

Okay, this is a big one!!! Oh my gosh! I was wondering what I could blog about today, but now I know!

We haven't exactly been telling people this because we thought it'd never really happen and didn't want to start a rumor going, but... for some time now we've been talking about moving to Texas. Brian even looked into a transfer to Dallas and last week was offered a position at a branch there. We didn't think it'd be that easy (or fast!), and started getting cold feet. We didn't know if we should take it because we weren't sure if we'd be able to sell our house in this crazy market. But a realtor friend of ours had a client he thought might be interested, so he brought them over last night. This morning he called to tell us they made a cash offer, for just a little less than we were asking, but it's a cash offer and close enough and we're taking it!!! I can't even believe it! Freaking Dallas!!! Well, we won't be living in Dallas itself, but one of the burbs. We're going to start by looking close to Brian's brother. How cool is that???

I'm excited but nervous too. I'm going to miss everybody! But you don't need to worry about missing us, because I'm totally kidding.

Heh heh.

You do realize what day this is, don't you?

Which brings me to my real item of gratitude for the day: Google. Where else can I take two seconds of my life to find the top April Fool's jokes of all time, and get inspired to try a little practical joke of my own? I've pasted a couple of my favorites below, but if you want to see more you can go to the link here. Happy April Fool's Day!!

#5: San Serriffe

1977: The British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica. The Guardian's phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the island was named after printer's terminology. The success of this hoax is widely credited with launching the enthusiasm for April Foolery that gripped the British tabloids in subsequent decades.

#8: The Left-Handed Whopper

1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."

#10: Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity

1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth's own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. When 9:47 AM arrived, BBC2 began to receive hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.