21 May 2002

Last night, during the regular MeadeHall session, Ross - who is still in school - asked us a question, and even I was a little surprised at where it all led.

<Ross> (hmmm... in English, when you're making a list in a sentence, do you need to have a comma after the second to last item? Like, "I take it, drink it, and walk?" Or is "I take it, drink it and walk" correct also?)
<Karen> Either is correct.
<Karen> Without the comma is somewhat more common usage in this country.
<Karen> (I personally think it's clearer and more consistent to use it than not.) And, of course, if you have items that are paired by comma, then you separate the items with a semicolon instead.
<Liz> ::nod:: The bear, which was furry; and the crocodile, which was not...
<KT> thank god. A furry crocodile sounds unnerving
<Karen> ::grin:: Then it's a good thing the crocodile wasn't furry. Tho' personally, I think a furry crocodile would be cute.
<Karen> Sort of like an oversized, very toothy otter.
<Liz> Or: I had dinner with Matt, the blonde; Colleen, the redhead; and Carl, the brunette.
<Liz> Though why I'd be writing about peoples' hair color, I don't know.
<Liz> Personally, I'm more likely to write about the furry crocodile.
* Liz is now feeling curiously compelled to write tomorrow's journal entry about a furry crocodile.
<Ross> What would a furry crocodile's name be...
<Karen> Ziffy.
<Matt> Harry.
<KT> Egvard!
<Karen> Oh, I like Egvard.
<Jeff> ::chuckle:: Go for it Liz.

And so now, without further introduction, I present:

<Liz> "Egvard the Furry Crocodile: A Collaborative Effort" Once upon a time there was a crocodile named Egvard.
<Ross> He wasn't much like his friends. In fact, he was furry. But they liked him anyway.
<KT> All except for the beautiful crocodile, whose scales glittered like emeralds.
<Karen> Of course, his friends were, by turns, feathered, scaly, and pink crocodiles, so their taste in matters crocodilian might well be called into question.
<Matt> But, his good friend, Rupert the Eccentric Egret told him, "Who cares about the shiny crocodile! You've got fur! That feels good on my feet. Have you seen my cheese dip? Whoop! Whoop!"
<Liz> Egvard cried as he bit Rupert in half. But they were crocodile tears.
<Ross> He tasted vaguely of cheese dip.
<Jeff> The Egvard discovered that the shiny crocodile liked cheese dip and he was sad because he'd already eaten Rupert rather than sharing with the shiny crocodile.
<Karen> For the truth was, Egvard had lost his cold little reptilian heart to the beautiful crocodile, the one amongst the crocodile clan who had no use for him.
<Liz> But the a plan hatched in his crocodilian heart! He would go on a quest! A quest for cheese dip! And then she would love him, too!
<Karen> (For the truth was, having consumed Rupert, Egvard was developing an odd yen for cheese dip, himself.)
<Ross> And so he set out, bristling with determination, and with matted, brownish fur.
<KT> In his journey, he came across Harold, the green and blue polka-dotted Lion, who said "Here there be cheese dip, but yea, thou must first fetch me Black Jack bubblegum!"
<Matt> Egvard waddled along, looking for bubblegum, eating an annoying Australian on the way, for truly the man deserved it by now. The man had a camera team, but no cheese dip nor gum.
<Jeff> Egvard then travelled far and wide, across marshes and swamps, playgrounds and parking lots until he reached the fortress of 7-11 where was held the sacred Black Jack.
<KT> Naturally, however, he showed up on Sunday night, which was the Day of Stocking... and they were *out* of gum!
<Ross> Egvard was more than a little irritated by this.
<Liz> And in any case, poor Egvard, being only a crocodile, had no money with which to pay for the gum.
<Matt> Nor pockets to keep the money in.
<Karen> Egvard attacked in frustration, swinging his tail mightily, and the people ran, screaming, "Help! We're being attacked by a giant toothy otter!"
<KT> He consoled himself by snapping up half a case of twinkies followed by a giant Chocolate slurpee.
<Jeff> But now, he forgot his quest for cheese dip, for he had found something greater. So he gathered up all the chocolate and returned to his nest to be the envy of all the chocolateless crocodiles.
<KT> And when he returned home, he discovered that the shining crocodile, her scales like the finest jade, had moved in with Harold the blue and green spotted lion. And he said "Ah well, who needs her anyway?"
<Liz> For he had chocolate!
<Ross> All crocodiles, feathered and pink alike, came to visit Egvard on his return. They were transfixed, awed by his Chocolate.
<Liz> (Which - though he didn't like to brag, being a modest crocodile - matched his fur perfectly.)
<Karen> But now Egvard lived in a quandary-- would he reward his friends for their kindness? Or would he be true to his reptilian nature, and hoard it all for himself like brown gold?
<Ross> In the next episode: "Chocolate: The Root of All Evil"

I blame Matt, Jeff, K.T., Karen, and Ross for this entry.

--Liz