Thursday, April 2, 2009

Genes

MEMO: Human Genome Project
RE: One You May Have Missed

When my daughter Kate was a little girl, money burned a hole in her pocket. As a result, she spent it on a lot of dumb things. Once, on a vacation to Mackinac Island, we gave her a very serious lecture about being sure to spend her souvenir money wisely. She seemed to be listening, then went off exploring with her older sister. When we met at the dock, a few hours later, she ran to greet us wearing a red, white, and blue umbrella hat. We were speechless, which was probably just as well, because she was thrilled with her “sensible” purchase. A hat to keep you cool in the sun and dry in the rain: what could be better than that?

Yesterday, Kate sent me this photo of her daughter Heidi with the “sensible” purchase she made at the Science Museum in Seattle: a cup with a curly straw that takes the beverage up one side of her head, through a pair of goggles to the other side of her head and, finally, into her mouth. Heidi was thrilled with the efficiency this purchase allowed. “You can walk and drink at the same time,” she said.

I’m just saying…

Are you guys sure you’ve got them all mapped?

4 comments:

Lisa Jenn said...

That's hysterical. I love the photo!

Barbara Shoup said...

She's a hoot!

Bibliovore said...

I don't get it--both purchases sound completely sensible! Girl needs an all-weather hat, right? And a pair of sunglasses and a straw? Makes perfect sense!

Maureen

Barbara Shoup said...

Clearly, you've got the gene, too!