“This hasn’t been washed… or if it has, it was with a stick of butter…”
– Shannon, upon retrieving a pot that the girls “washed”

First stop: the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, as we approach their newly opened “Dinosaur Trail”

“It’s starting to get a little Jurassic-y around here!”

Next stop: the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, leaving the “Warhol’s Polaroids” exhibit (which was more of historic interest than artistic, IMHO)…

“Well, he sure had a lot of fun with his camera!”

… and leaving the museum…

“Amanda?”
– John

“Yes?”
– Amanda

“Did you like the museum?”
– John

“Yes?”
– Amanda, unconvincingly

“Do you want to go there again?”
– John, trying to get to the truth

“Maybe when I’m older, and I appreciate ‘art’ more.”
– Amanda

On the way to the last stop (Northgate Mall’s merry-go-round), driving through the day-long rainstorm, now a massive downpour…

“I sure am glad we didn’t go to the zoo!”

… and on the way home…

“So, what was your favorite part?”
– John, curiously

“I think my favorite part was…”
– Amanda, interrupted

“You’re not allowed to say ‘the merry-go-round’. If you say ‘the merry-go-round’, then next year we’re going to the merry-go-round, riding it twice, and then going home.”
– John, despairing

“Oh… in that case it was the Dinosaur Trail.”
– Amanda, prudently

(During a conversation in which Shannon and I seriously consider getting some hens to raise in our pet-less, fenced-in backyard)

“We could name one ‘Henny’ and one ‘Penny’…”
– Emily

“… and one ‘Nickel’!”
– Amanda

“I just love the word ‘asymptote’. I mean, how many words have ‘m-p-t’ in them?”
– John, after just having used “asymptotically” in a sentence at lunch with Dave

“Um… ’empty’?”
– Dave, John’s best-work-friend (or work-best-friend, or… whetever), after about five seconds of thought

“Okay, other than that one…”
– John, somewhat embarrassed

“Scrumptious?”
– Dave, again after about five seconds of thought

“Okay, okay…”
– John, giving in

“My name is Humpty, pronounced with a Umpty…”
– Dave, singing, refusing to accept my surrender

“Okay, so anyway, as we were saying…”
– John, dragging the conversation back on track

Dave nods to acknowledge that we can continue the conversation and abandon the hunt for “m-p-t” words

“You’re still thinking, aren’t you…”
– John, after another five second pause, exasperated but laughing

“Verklempt?”
– Dave, now laughing as well, secure in his total verbal domination of the moment

(The following items were heard back in February 2009, written on our wipe-off board, photographed from there with my camera-phone, then quickly forgotten about. I just found them again and now present them here for your enjoyment.)

Apparently, Olympics >> American team-sports

“Is the USA in yellow?”
– One of the girls, while watching Super Bowl 43 (Being a Pittsburgh fan, I told her “Yes”.)

And if it’s the Super Bowl, where are the pins?

“Is this football?”
– One of the girls, again, while watching the Super Bowl

“Is what football?”
– John, wondering what they could possibly be missing

“What we’re watching.”
– Same girl

“Yes, this is football.”
– John, thinking “I’ve shown them this before, haven’t I?”

“Then why are they throwing it with their hands?”
– Same girl, apparently having been exposed to the term “football” more often in another, more international context.

Well, she’s got a point…

“It’s snowing and we bought ice cream! What kind of weirdos are we?”
– John, pointing out the irony of the situation

“We’re Straffins!”
– Amanda, pointing out a thorough understanding of her weirdo heritage

“Should I bake? I should sew, though. No! No. I’m not going to sew right now… I’m too tired. I’ll bake…”
– Venus (aka “Shannon”)

(In a stereotypical American Indian “How!” sort of voice) “I am too tired to use sharp things, therefore I will use fire!”
– Mars (aka “John”)

(Tired giggles… for the next two minutes…)
– Venus

“One-Minnesota, Two-Minnesota, Three-Minnesota…”
– Amanda (shortly followed by Emily saying the same thing), showing preference for the mid-western state over the traditionally-used and southern “Mississippi”…

“Well… color me crazy then…”
– John

“Sorry sweetie, I used up that crayon a loooong time ago.”
– Shannon