Cuff 'em, Danno
Ugh, so tired today! Partly from the heat, and partly my own fault for staying up too late to watch the two latest episodes of the K-Drama "Big" that I've been following. (Only two eps left next Mon-Tues. I will greatly miss the awesome adorableness of Gong Yoo. Also - the ending better not suck! At least there's still four more eps of A Gentleman's Dignity left.)
So, I had the kids over for the weekend - well, Friday and Saturday. Every year on the second Friday in July (barring rain) my city has a big Fireworks Extravaganza on the beach. It's not like the NYC fireworks, but it's a nice show, and everyone comes down to the beach/boardwalk to hang out for the night.
Anyway! When I was cleaning out my hall closet two weeks ago, I found an old pair of handcuffs that I had acquired back in like 1981 at sleepaway camp. Not sure if I should keep them or toss them, I just kind of left them on the dining area table. When we got back to my apartment Friday after stopping to pick up some food for the weekend, of course it's the first thing the kids notice when they come in. I told them to leave the cuffs alone while I went into the kitchen to put away the groceries. And because they always listen to me, about 30 seconds later I hear giggling and come out to find that they've handcuffed themselves together. (Kids!)
Yeah, except when they tried to unlock the cuffs, the key broke. Josh was able to wriggle his hand out easily - he's small and didn't make them tight. Hannah on the other hand ...
It was clear the slather-her-arm-with-half-a-bottle-of-lotion route wasn't going to work, so I grab my purse and the broken key and drag them down to my Super's apartment. Except he's not in. Plan Two: Off to the police station while I bang my head on the steering wheel and Hannah laments that she feels like a criminal. To her credit, she didn't panic or cry. It was more surprise and abject mortification. And thankfully the desk officer at the station didn't ask me why I had handcuffs in the first place. Alas, his key was too small and didn't work, so it was on to Plan Three: The Fire Department next door.
After a few head shakes and hand-over-mouth gestures to unsuccessfully hide their amusement, followed by ransacking their office for anything and everything they could use as a lock pick, one of the firemen was able to trip the catch in the lock. Success! (Which nullified the need for the final Plan Four: Locksmith.) Hannah was very grateful, to say the least. (So was I!) We threw the cuffs and broken key in the trash on the way back to the car as Hannah lamented the fact that she'd forgotten to bring her iPhone and didn't have any pictures to commemorate the event. (I was too busy wondering what time the locksmith closed (it was after 5) and what I was going to tell my sister to think about taking a pic with my phone.) We got take-out sushi and the kids went swimming in the pool, and then it was off to the beach for the fireworks. All's well that ends well.
When I told my mom, the first thing she said to me was, "I'll bet they all wondered why you had a pair of handcuffs and thought you were kinky!" Well, yes, the thought had crossed my mind, but thanks for the confirmation, Mom. (I'm sure there were plenty of jokes made after we left, but they managed to refrain in the presence of the kids at least. Not to mention I was grateful that I didn't actually know any of the firemen at that station, or the police officer for that matter!)
The moral of this story? Always make sure you have a spare key for your handcuffs (or a handy set of lock picks!) and don't leave them lying around when your niece and nephew come to visit. As a memento, I gave Hannah my Azkatraz keychain - a mini set of handcuffs. If she gets them stuck on her fingers, she's on her own.
(best_of_five - maybe it's a good thing after all that I didn't try to cuff you to my sofa. :-P)
**
mindabbles is in town for work purposes this week, so I got to hang out with her Monday and Tuesday nights. Last night bethbethbeth met us as well. We went to St. Andrews - the Scottish pub in NYC - but were so busy yapping that we completely forgot to ogle the bartenders in their kilts! (Heresy! I know!) (And yes, red_squared, I gave her extra squishes for you!) Saturday is Batman with the gals, next week inksheddings is coming to visit, and there's lots more fannish-related get-togethers on the horizon as well in August, September, October and November. \o/ MM's Casa del Playa is open for the season.
But alas, it is now handcuffs-free.
So, I had the kids over for the weekend - well, Friday and Saturday. Every year on the second Friday in July (barring rain) my city has a big Fireworks Extravaganza on the beach. It's not like the NYC fireworks, but it's a nice show, and everyone comes down to the beach/boardwalk to hang out for the night.
Anyway! When I was cleaning out my hall closet two weeks ago, I found an old pair of handcuffs that I had acquired back in like 1981 at sleepaway camp. Not sure if I should keep them or toss them, I just kind of left them on the dining area table. When we got back to my apartment Friday after stopping to pick up some food for the weekend, of course it's the first thing the kids notice when they come in. I told them to leave the cuffs alone while I went into the kitchen to put away the groceries. And because they always listen to me, about 30 seconds later I hear giggling and come out to find that they've handcuffed themselves together. (Kids!)
Yeah, except when they tried to unlock the cuffs, the key broke. Josh was able to wriggle his hand out easily - he's small and didn't make them tight. Hannah on the other hand ...
It was clear the slather-her-arm-with-half-a-bottle-of-lotion route wasn't going to work, so I grab my purse and the broken key and drag them down to my Super's apartment. Except he's not in. Plan Two: Off to the police station while I bang my head on the steering wheel and Hannah laments that she feels like a criminal. To her credit, she didn't panic or cry. It was more surprise and abject mortification. And thankfully the desk officer at the station didn't ask me why I had handcuffs in the first place. Alas, his key was too small and didn't work, so it was on to Plan Three: The Fire Department next door.
After a few head shakes and hand-over-mouth gestures to unsuccessfully hide their amusement, followed by ransacking their office for anything and everything they could use as a lock pick, one of the firemen was able to trip the catch in the lock. Success! (Which nullified the need for the final Plan Four: Locksmith.) Hannah was very grateful, to say the least. (So was I!) We threw the cuffs and broken key in the trash on the way back to the car as Hannah lamented the fact that she'd forgotten to bring her iPhone and didn't have any pictures to commemorate the event. (I was too busy wondering what time the locksmith closed (it was after 5) and what I was going to tell my sister to think about taking a pic with my phone.) We got take-out sushi and the kids went swimming in the pool, and then it was off to the beach for the fireworks. All's well that ends well.
When I told my mom, the first thing she said to me was, "I'll bet they all wondered why you had a pair of handcuffs and thought you were kinky!" Well, yes, the thought had crossed my mind, but thanks for the confirmation, Mom. (I'm sure there were plenty of jokes made after we left, but they managed to refrain in the presence of the kids at least. Not to mention I was grateful that I didn't actually know any of the firemen at that station, or the police officer for that matter!)
The moral of this story? Always make sure you have a spare key for your handcuffs (or a handy set of lock picks!) and don't leave them lying around when your niece and nephew come to visit. As a memento, I gave Hannah my Azkatraz keychain - a mini set of handcuffs. If she gets them stuck on her fingers, she's on her own.
(best_of_five - maybe it's a good thing after all that I didn't try to cuff you to my sofa. :-P)
**
mindabbles is in town for work purposes this week, so I got to hang out with her Monday and Tuesday nights. Last night bethbethbeth met us as well. We went to St. Andrews - the Scottish pub in NYC - but were so busy yapping that we completely forgot to ogle the bartenders in their kilts! (Heresy! I know!) (And yes, red_squared, I gave her extra squishes for you!) Saturday is Batman with the gals, next week inksheddings is coming to visit, and there's lots more fannish-related get-togethers on the horizon as well in August, September, October and November. \o/ MM's Casa del Playa is open for the season.
But alas, it is now handcuffs-free.