Sasquatch Lives

We like to think that when our time on earth is up, we'll be remembered for our good deeds and notable achievements.

I like to think that as well. But - as I recently discovered - a clear early contender in the "things people will remember most about Peter" contest is a coat.

It's not just any coat. It was a winter coat I bought at the Burlington Coat Factory in anticipation of another cold Ithaca winter at Cornell. It had, as you can see above, a rather distinctive look.

In my defense ... ah, forget it. There is no defense. I just liked the coat. It kept me warm. And I acquired a new nickname in the process - at least when I wore the coat: Sasquatch.

I loved that coat. It was warm. It had lots of pockets. And it amused untold dozens of my Cornell classmates.

Eventually, the coat wore out and was discarded. (There's no truth to the rumor that it got up and left one night to return to its former home deep in the woods ...) I forgot about it and went on to more traditional forms of winter wear that weren't quite as distinctive but certainly invited less abuse.

Recently, I was digging up old pictures to scan for Facebook and came across one of me wearing Sasquatch. I figured if any picture was a "must-post", that was it. So I did.

Not 20 seconds had gone by since I'd clicked "save" when I got an IM from a college friend: "OMG!!!! The coat!!!".

A few dozen comments later, it came to me. My defining moment had been in the books for 30 years, and I'd never realized it. Even my current group of friends and co-workers took the opportunity to comment on Sasquatch. I enjoyed all the comments - even the semi-abusive ones (all in good fun, of course).

I hope, of course, to have a few more memorable accomplishments. But for now, it appears that having owned Sasquatch is at or near the top of the list. You know, I just noticed my current winter coat has a few rips in it ...

The Sheep Toss And Other Fun Facebook Activities

Let me admit something right up front: I love Facebook.

I love that it puts me in touch with old friends. I love that it lets me know what my current group of friends is doing. Even if some insist on updating their status about 20 times a day. I find that more amusing than annoying. "Joe Smith is leaving the house. Joe Smith has left the house. Joe Smith has arrived at work. Joe Smith is going to the gym." Me, I probably only update my status about 4-5 times a week. I'm either not that creative, or just not that exciting.

But I have to admit, I've yet to fathom why Facebook asks me to do certain things.

The other day, it suggested that I might want to "throw a sheep at" my wife. We've been married for almost 10 years and have discovered many and varied ways to have fun together. Amazingly enough, the idea of "sheep throwing" has never come up. Not once. Although perhaps I should have "thrown a sheep" at her, since she "twittered" me. I'm still not sure what that means, but apparently it's something good.

It was also suggested to me that I might want to throw a "flaming Tabasco snowball" at a friend. So I did. Hey, the friend threw some sort of ersatz snowball at me first, so it was only fair that I respond in kind.

Today alone, I've been challenged to take a movie quiz, invited to be a "poker buddy", given and received good karma, and been the recipient of a matzah ball.

I'm not really sure how I got involved in all these activities, and I'm not really sure what I actually did, if anything.

But so far, whatever I did do, did not involve a sheep.

Which is usually a good thing.