Sorry for the randomness today, but here goes…

Yesterday we decided to make a fort. I was stripping the beds, so I had a plethora of sheets laying around. I pulled chairs and pack n’ plays and draped the sheets and blankets to make a pretty cool cave. I thought it was a good idea and we set it up so we could both fit in (baby girl was napping) and watch TV. We had on Scooby-Doo and we grabbed some books. In the cave we snuggled and I began to read “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?” We were doing well (he tells me the name of the animals as we go along) until at one point I read, “Hippo, hippo, what do you hear?” Instead of saying the name of the next animal, my son said, “TV.” I guess this was my son multi-tasking…

So, like I said, we had on Scooby-Doo. I don’t usually watch the shows with my son, though I’m usually somewhat aware of what is on the TV. I was reading email when I heard Velma and another voice discussing Wicca and Wiccans… historically connected to witchcraft! I remember Scooby as a show that had all kinds of scary-yet-fake monsters, so to hear the historical reference to Wiccans made me turn around to watch. Scooby certainly has turned it up a notch from my day. Here’s more on the show: http://www.answers.com/topic/scooby-doo-and-the-witch-s-ghost

Speaking of TV… If you go on Deal or No Deal, you have the possibility of winning $1,000,000.  That’s super.  On the flip side of that, you have to plan what you’re going to wear, who you’re going to bring, if you should color your hair, not to mention the craziness of turning down literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Some people get lucky and win some serious cash.  Surprisingly though, it almost seems like no matter how much they win, it is a disappointment.  The family members come to hug when you finally say “Deal,” but they seem to be hugs of condolence instead of celebration.

On the flip side, if you have seen Cash Cab, you know that they just pick unsuspecting people off the street.  They answer trivia questions (which I love) and they win money.  They don’t have TV hair and they are usually all bundled in coats.  They walk away with hundreds of dollars and some of the lucky ones may reach over $1,000.  They may be sharing the cash with others if they were carpooling that day.  In the end, the cash value doesn’t amount to a whole lot.

Interestingly, at the end of the Cash Cab, everyone is ecstatic.  Even if they lose it all in the end or get kicked out for not knowing the answers, it was a thrill.  They probably call all of their friends to say, “Hey, I just won $600 on the Cash Cab!”  The feeling of joy is prominent though the dollars are hugely less than their counterparts on Deal or No Deal.

I guess how I read this is that, for me, I’d rather be surprised with a small, unexpected token than have high expectations then never reach that goal.  (Note:  If the Deal or No Deal people are reading this, obviously I would LOVE to be on your show!)

Random.  Which would you prefer?  Honey, if you’re reading this, you could read it to mean that those small gestures mean more to me than any grand scheme you may consider.