Shenanigans~

I really wanted to come up with something witty and cool. I did a search on the term and even checked the Online Etymology Dictionary. Cool site, by the way. Great for us historical authors. My good friend and critique partner, Sharon Cullen, turned me on to it.

Anyway, other than learning what shenanigans means and that its first recorded appearance was in the 1850's, I got nothing. Well, there was the image I got when I read about how one could Call Shenanigans at a carnival game when they thought they were being taken by the carnie. I immediately started thinking about how that would work in today's society. Think about it. What if you could pull up to a gas station and when you read the exorbitant prices, yell out "Shenanigans! I call Shenanigans on this gas station!", and then the owner would be taken to task. Now that would be cool.

There are so many instances when I'd use this. Like, when I'm at the movies and I take out my equity loan for some popcorn, and they try to foist the stale stuff that's been sitting in a bag under the heat lamp for like an hour! "Shenanigans!" I want the fresh stuff if I'm paying $30 per bag. And don't be stingy with the butter, either! "Shenanigans!"

But, shenanigans has another meaning...those silly, harmless pranks some people play on each other. I was never good at this. I wonder if it was my "goody two-shoes" label that kept me from honing my prankster skills. Not that I was a "goody two-shoes", but I suppose when you don't fall under the peer pressure bandwagon for smoking, drugs, and alcohol, they have to call you something. Anyway, I did attempt some shenanigans once. God! I am so lame. ROFL!

Get this, it was Halloween and I was a senior in high school. My friends decide they want to go egging. Right off the bat, I was uncomfortable with the whole thing. But, I did want to live on the edge once in my life. So, I really pushed my limits and grabbed one of the eggs from the carton. I held it in my sweaty hand (Hey! I was nervous!) and, when my time came, I threw my egg out the car window at the random house.

Only, I am SOOOOO bad at throwing things. I give new meaning to "throwing like a girl". My heart stops as I watch my badness soar through the air. What an arc it made as it descended toward the nicely sided house. I'm in awe of my bad self. I THREW and egg! It's going to splat at any moment and I am going to join the ranks of my shenanigan making peers. Yes! NO! My egg did NOT just BOUNCE off of that house! What?! Eggs are supposed to BREAK! They're supposed to goop all over! They DO NOT BOUNCE OFF OF SIDED HOUSES AND LAND SAFELY ON THE LAWN!

At the urging of my friends, I jump out of the car to retrieve my very intact egg. By now, I've had time to think about my actions. What the hell am I doing? I can't throw eggs at unsuspecting houses? Devine intervention kept my egg from shattering all over the random house. Cause raw eggs don't bounce. At least none that I'd ever seen before that night. But this one did. And, yes, it was raw. I know this because I take charmed egg and whip it down on the sidewalk to see if it's going to bounce again.

It didn't. Nope. It broke all right. All over my shoe. Did I mention I throw like the proverbial girl? I never got up to those kinds of shenanigans again. Thank you very much. I learned my lesson and embraced my goody two-shoes self.

What's the worst prank you ever pulled? Did it go according to plan? Or did it totally backfire?

Sandy :-)

*April 28, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Leslie Dicken ~ Secret Intentions