In his comment yesterday, Ray remarked about people who "contemplate their navels". Which was surprisingly perceptive - perhaps you might even say prophetic.
Today's "Finding your inner Citrus Fruit" looks like being a real winner. The Beaker People will sit around and consider the spiritual fulfilment that can be found by contemplating a navel, satsuma, grapefruit or ugli. Their roundness represents the earth, of course, while their dimples each represent the little imperfections that yet, somehow, make life worth living.
Then after everyone's spent half an hour contemplating their navels, we fire lemon juice out of a super-squirter at the Beaker People and they all stagger out into the daylight, blinking.
Call me an old romantic. But we hold this ceremony every year, and it always brings tears to my eyes.
Am sure you recall the following from Tom Lehrer's introduction:
ReplyDelete"A few years ago he was inducted... forcibly... into the United States Army and spent most of his indenture in Washington as sort of Army liaison to the Office of Naval Contemplation. About his service record he is justifiably modest, but it is known that in a short time he rose to the rank of brigadier general. However, before he could acquire a tenure, he was discharged, and owing to nepotism and intrigue, he emerged with only the rank of specialist 3rd class, which was roughly equivalent to the rank of corporal without portfolio."