When I brought in the mail on Tuesday, I found a largish envelope with the name Squish on the return address. So right away I knew something interesting was afoot.
Squish is one of the many colorful characters populating my world. Lots of people refer to her by her nickname of “Amy,” but I’ve long found the sobriquet “Squish” to fit her well.
When we first met, Squish’s job title was GUI Engineer which meant she worked on (among other things) creating web pages. In the unique language of computer geeks, the acronym GUI (short for “Graphical User Interface”) is usually pronounced “Gooey.” Naturally (and somewhat inevitably), this eventually led us to a deep philosophical exchange on the topic of what the requirements might be for becoming a Squishy Engineer. For example, could you qualify by walking through a puddle while wearing sneakers?
So when Squish unexpectedly sends me a package, it’s immediately clear that something silly is about to happen.
I wasn’t disappointed. When I opened it, the package contained a Pig Catapult and a New Mexico UFO operating license.
Now the UFO operating license makes all sorts of sense. The authorities tend to take a very dim view of unlicensed pilots, so it’s good to have that legality taken care of.
But the pig catapult took me off guard. Why is it that a pig catapult would make Squish think of me?
When I asked her, Squish replied, “Who ELSE do you know who might ever use a pig launcher??”
She has a point. And as a bonus, I’m now prepared for the next time someone tells me something will happen, “…when pigs fly!”