Natala la la la ... ... ...

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Saturday, July 19, 2003

phyllis...an oral history

tonight i went out with my mom and step-dad and my aunt (who came up from santa barbara) and my cousin sammy (who flew in from australia) ... it was sooo much fun! Ely, the dog that i'm dog-sitting, came with us too. It was really great to see my mom and aunt interact and tell stories about growing up in India. They were telling us about how my grandparents went to England in 1954...by ship!!! They were gone for three months, much of it spent on the ship!

They were also recapping old jokes my grandfather used to tell. My mom, wonderful as she is, really isn't the best joke-teller. I've decided that my sister should learn these jokes because she's a great joke teller, just like my grandad.

What's the shortest poem?
Fleas
Adam, had em.

What's the longest poem?
Go On.
Go On. Gooooo Oooon. Go On. Go. On. Go On. Go On Goooo On. Go Ooooon. Go On Go On go on Go onGo On. Go. On. Go On. Go On Goooo On. Go Ooooon. Go On Go On go on Go on Go On. Go. On. Go On. Go On Goooo On. Go Ooooon. Go On Go On go on Go on...

Then there all the jokes you've got to see live....like the one about the man who gets a suit made at the tailor. And he goes back to the tailor because the sleeves are too long, and the tailor says "oh, just hold the sleeves like this" and then the pants are too long and the tailor says "just hold the pants like this" and the story goes on and on and evenutally the man is holding his suit in all these weird poses! it's hillarious, but you've got to see it live. My grandpa used to tell this story with uncle jack, his high school chum. they'd laugh for hours.

My favorite joke is the one about phyllis the flea. I can remember my grandad telling this story and loving it and always falling for it :-)
It's all about this circus flea, phyllis. "Jump Phyllis, Jump" (note: my grandad's hands are out in front, fisted with the thumb on top and you have to imagine phyllis is jumping from one thumb to the other thumb). "Do a cartwheel phyllis" "Do a loop-de-loooooop" "good phyllis, good" "Jump Phyllis, Jump" "Phyllis! Phyllis! oh! Phyllis No Phyllis" (at this point my grandad would pretend that phyllis had jumped off the stage and down his shirt and down his pant leg...it's physical comedy at its best.

it's moments like these that make me cherish every precious minute i have with my family.

Chase Family Reunion, Brisbane Australia 2002

Sammy and all the girl cousins