According to wikipedia, “The syllogism is at the core of deductive reasoning, where facts are determined by combining existing statements…”

The Wee One performed her first recognizable act of deductive reasoning tonight with a syllogism that went like this.

Major Premise: Monsters are huge.
Minor Premise: Elmo (melmo) is a monster.
Conclusion: Elmo is huge?

Let’s do that in prose shall we?

This morning Le Grande Mermaid asked, while watching Sesame Street;

What is Elmo anyway?
Well, Elmo is…a monster.
Oh.

Fast forward to bedtime. The Wee One approached the unsuspecting Daddy with one of those nose-whoppers that only a two year old could live with. It was hanging on for dear life and I exclaimed,

Whoa! HUGE boogie!
yeth
Mommy, do you have a tissue?
[Mommy, approaching seconds later with a tissue]
Holy cow, yeah, that is a monster boogie! [wiped]

and then, the syllogistic leap, after a moments pause Emma authoritatively stated the obvious conclusion,

Melmo boogie.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new family phrase.

Today and tomorrow are days for ultimate enlightenment if you are a die hard Seattle Baseball fan AND a devout Buddhist.
Why?
Because both the Dalai Lama and The Mariners are doing their respective things at the same time tonight and again tomorrow. Tomorrows gig will even be within 1500 feet of each other.
OHMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

If you are neither a die hard fan nor a devout Buddhist then you can either involuntarily join the Church of TrafficJam or…

STAY AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN!

Okay, so I thought I would have a little fun with photoshop and something about the truthfulness of the hailstorm lent some credence to the story. And, well, maybe a little bit of “I never do anything like that”. But it got me thinking, what is it about the All Fools Day that endures? Why do some among us crave that chance to prank? And also, why do so many think it is funny?

My answer to that is it is a good reminder.
Thanksgiving reminds us to give thanks for our health and family.
Veterans Day reminds us to thank those who have sacrificed for the rest of us.
Valentines Day reminds us to love.

So maybe, just maybe, April Fools Day is a reminder to remain vigilant about information we consume. Especially in this age of digital manipulation, of PhotoShop and realism in movies that make real people doubt even real footage. We must (perhaps unfortunately) be vigilant.
At the root of it I prefer trust. I think trust is the oil in an engine; it makes things run so much smoother.

So, in the spirit of debunking, here is a great resource for debunking myths. Behind the scenes at www.snopes.com is a handful of individuals who expend a lot of energy debunking myths, many of which start on the internet these days.

Now, on to the appeasement. Since most (all?) of my readers are family (or close enough) and don’t really need to hear my diatribe, let’s get to the good stuff shall we?

The Wee One here got some sunglasses for Easter and she wore them for darn near an hour straight…maybe that is why she only found about 10 eggs? Or maybe it is because she put them on upside down?…the sunglasses, I mean.

And her sister, Le Grande has here drawn a self-portrait…with four arms.

And here is a detail shot. Either way it is tough to see the arms but trust me (please!?), she has four arms.