Play: It's the Real Thing

Now there's a mangled title phrase for you.

So what is this play business all about anyway. What is it about certain activities, objects, and stimuli that we humans find so pleasing? This question occurred to me watching Laz play tonight, and seeing him totally fascinated by a clear plastic box of wood screws, and squeal in delight at the sight of a plastic Coke bottle. Not exactly standard issue baby toys. Makes one wonder what sort of subliminal programming Coke is putting into their logo that stimulates the pleasure center of a ten month old child!

What Lazarus finds really exciting does seem sorta random. We discovered he gets super-exicted when he sees pictures of David Tennant in Doctor Who Magazine. He can't really be bothered with the rest of the magazine though. Pictures of Billie Piper do nothing for him, though he does show a mild interest in Cybermen. (Apparently he found them incredibly funny this spring while watching The Age of Steel with his Mama. Not that he should have been watching TV, but Daddy was in China at the time, and Mama was feeling a bit overwhelmed and needed a break.)

Anyway, I'm sure that what adults find interesting and exciting is probably just as random, it's just not so obviously so. Although, having said that, there are some pretty bizarre adult hobbies too. Trainspotting; what's that about?!

Speaking of Trainspotting, I love that Brits use the word "anorak" as a synonym for "nerd." Apparently an anorak is what Americans would typically call a rain poncho. It is part of the traditional attire of trainspotters who spend lots of time standing in the rain next to train tracks. This is almost as fun as rhyming slang, which is really bizarre and a bit harder to explain. Plus it tends to lose something in the translation.

Ah well... time to move on...

The magic numbers are: 45, 39, 51.