Everyone has that friend who throws out random hypotheses and theories. I have at least two of them, which keeps me busy in the mulling and contemplating department, but at least life around them is never boring. A recent discussion on Satan and whether or not the church has historically ever looked at him as schizophrenic, led me to realize two things. A) Most of my common conceptions about the Devil are written post Reformation. Which makes sense since my circles are Protestant B) My Latin is not quite up to snuff for the older than Reformation writings. Julius Caesar is a piece of cake to some of those old monks. C) I had totally forgotten that weird “s” exists that look like “f”. I feel like I’m going cross eyed and literally feel exhausted like I worked out when I read it for any length of time. If that’s what dyslexia and visual processing disorders feel like then t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶ my children have my renewed sympathy.
I came across the 1600’s version of Saturday Night Live. A play called “The Devil Is An Ass” and got so sucked in I almost gave myself a migraine reading it. It was so funny though and so cool to see how they were just as witty and crazy and divided as we are today. It’s about how this demon is begging to go live it up in the DC swamp, so he’s allowed to go, but Fake News has its way with him and he eventually pleads with the Devil to let him back in Hell because it’s better down there (modern retelling). But see what I mean? I dare anyone to read this for any length of time.
The Devil is not quite as big of a… donkey as Science Fair though. Every year I swear it’s the last year I’m doing it, and then somehow I find myself in some sick twist of fate where a year later I’m up at eleven o’clock gluing things to a trifold board. William is a hundred percent more into it than I ever thought a Kindergartner could be. He should win on sheer enthusiasm and joy. He (we) built a marble run out of hangers and cardboard. His hypothesis was that the bigger marble would get through it faster, and he happily sat with a clipboard and stopwatch for a half an hour, timing and recording trial after trial after trial. (long after I was done…I kinda figured 5 trials was good enough for a five year old.) I like to take credit for all of the good things my children do, but this one is all Jim. I do not carry the data, spreadsheet maker gene.
“And if this Science Fair thee do not like? The Devil is in’t.”