I am having a very difficult time keeping a straight face right now in my research meeting. For the majority of my life, I have suffered from inappropriate laughter fits. The worst case I can remember is during an SAT prep class in eleventh grade with my high school boyfriend. I was shaking and sweating in my efforts to contain my giggles over the formulas and hints. Finally, when I could no longer stifle it, I erupted into laughter and fell on the floor. I do that, sometimes; I laugh so verily that I have problems maintaining an upright posture. In any event, I give you awkward family photos (www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com), a website sure to elicit many a giggle, snicker, chortle, guffaw, laugh...
Exihibit A. I posted this one because this could have been me. I had a similar cabbage patch doll and I was just awkward enough as a wee tot to insist that she be included in the Christmas '87 J.C. Penny's family photo.
Exhibit B: Check out g-ma. This is funny because...well...who fails so much at photography that they neglect to notice good ole' Grandma chillin about 4 feet stage right, mid-pout?
Exhibit C: This is funny because this is going to be my family in 15 years. Verbatim.
Exhibit D: This is the first day of school photo op. The children on the right wear an adorable expression of cuteness. The one on the left, however, personifies the word awkward. She dons Harry Potter glasses before they were cool and a plastic baggie safety pinned to her 80's decade neon style matching outfit. In that plastic baggie, you will find her name and bus number, as if she might get lost; trust me, this is not the kind of child kidnappers coerce into their vans with puppies and candy. Those children are of a different breed; they have perfectly coiffed braids and sweet little gingham dresses. No, she is not of that caliber. This child is the one who is mistakenly ushered into the Special Ed classroom upon first aesthetic assessment. When she's not banging her head against the wall, flapping her arms, or biting other children, the administrators re-evaluate, finally taking time to peer into her little baggie and read her name. They notice that this child should be in the mainstream kindergarten class at Nova Eisenhower Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, FL. When they gently guide her to her class, they direct the finger painters and reading groups' attention to the front of the room. "Mrs. Brumbaum's class, meet one of your peers, Jaimie Krause."
