Forty-two things to do as preparation for life as a
mermaid."
Written by: Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
Copyright: (c) 1993 by me. You have permission to do whatever you like
with it, so long as you admit it's mine and don't make a fortune
from it (if you want to make a fortune, I'm willing to discuss
terms).
Author's Note:
While it's not strictly Disney, this list has enough references to
allow me to put it here. The numbers in brackets refer to footnotes at
the bottom of the document. Warning - this list is rated PG; some of
the items are probably a bit explicit for youngsters, though there's
nothing they probably don't already know.
- Donate your shoe collection to Imelda Marcos.
- Practise wearing a dress or skirt rather than jeans. It'll be far
more comfortable in the end. Give up on conventional underwear.
- Drink like a fish. Try to get legless.
- If you dye your hair, don't use water-soluble dyes. It is hell
trying to get the colour out of your eyebrows.
- Drive a car with an automatic transmission.
- Talk to fish. Sooner or later, they will talk back.
- Stand (or sit if you are more advanced) on the shore and sing at
passing ships. Score a point for each one that runs aground.
- See a psychiatrist about your hydrophobia.
- Try to appreciate sex with your knees tied together. (This may be
slightly more challenging if you are female.) [1]
- Discover that you *can* eat seaweed.
- Act like a cartoon character. Most of your companions will be.
- Don't become a concert pianist. They use the soft pedal as *well*
as the damper. Be thankful you never liked organs, because you don't
stand a chance.
- Come to terms with the fact that mermen seem to be few and far
between. (Well, how many have *you* seen?)
- Learn that sharks aren't just there to be eaten. Some of them are
getting the hang of this newfangled role-reversal stuff.
- Stop worrying about your varicose veins.
- Hang around with dolphins, carrying a large pair of scissors in case
you meet a tuna fishing boat that hasn't learnt about driftnets being
illegal.
- Buy your chiropodist a farewell present.
- Go water skiing, but keep the other ski as a spare.
- Find a matching pair of shells that feel comfortable. This is
harder than it seems, especially if the shells are still occupied.
- Sabotage Sea World shows, chanting slogans about "Tail Rights".
Explain the concept of striking to the dolphins.
- Forget about the problem of ingrowing toenails.
- Write to your local council complaining about the lack of mermaid
ramps on public buildings.
- Trade in your Harley-Davidson for a motor scooter. That way you
won't have to make a choice about whether you get to change gears, or
use the brakes.
- Learn to be wary of Japanese and Norwegians carrying spears.
Anything that's warm-blooded and swims is fair game to them.
- Try, just once, to do the lotus position. You'll never get the
opportunity again.
- Throw away that vibrator device that is supposed to take fat off
your thighs. Admit it, the thing never worked, did it?
- Accuse fun-run organisers of discrimination.
- Never fret about losing a single sock in the wash again.
- If you like riding horses, consider going back to the traditional
side-saddle mode. You will fall off far less.
- Throw out your Walkman. Face it, you only ever used the thing when
you went jogging, didn't you?
- Confuse a public servant by asking exactly what they mean by
"height" on that long form. Ask them why they think "green" isn't a
valid answer for the "complexion" question.
- Develop a close, personal hatred for chlorine. It's bad enough
having to drink it; imagine having to *live* in it.
- Don't settle for anything less than a Seiko Sports 100.
- Don't trust seagulls to explain anything. It's a *fork*, and don't
forget it.
- Throw away that useless lump of pumice that never could remove the
slightest bit of dead skin from the tiniest bunion.
- Experiment with new ways to visit the toilet. Whatever you're doing
now, it's not going to work. [2]
- Give up on aerobics. Aside from the problem of how to wear the
leotards, or just how you plan to do star jumps, there's not going to be
a lot of air where you're going to be. Experiment with hydrobics
instead. [3]
- Join the Anti-Football League.
- Don't worry about ladders in your stockings.
- Sell your mountain-side chalet. You never used it much anyway.
- Stay well clear of Bondi Beach. Surfboards can *hurt*, not to
mention the presence of that smelly pipeline coming from the mainland.
- Tear out all but the first thirty or so pages of The Joy of
Sex.
Believe me, all those advanced positions are just not going to be
possible. [4]
Notes:
[1] Kids, if you're reading these out to Mum or Dad (particularly Mum),
skip this one. You have been warned.
[2] This is probably another one you should skip, kids. Odds are you
didn't get it anyway, right?
[3] What's hydrobics? *I* don't know - *you're* the one reading the
list.
[4] Kids, if you read this one to your parents, don't blame me if you
get kicked out of the house.
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