The story behind 'Arnold'....

Here's a short anecdote for you... one that will be of no interest to you whatsoever... and in fact will leave you scratching your head as why anyone would post something like this.

On the other board someone asked a 'who' question... to which I answered "Arnold". Out of the blue meaningless, right? Well, yes... but why would I do that? Answer: It came from a cereal box.

I was maybe 10 when this happened, and I don't remember which cereal... darn shame I don't because the maker's of the cereal deserve recognition. The back of the cereal box was one of those that was 'meant' to be read.... you know, not just ingredients but a story perhaps, or some jokes, or riddles, anything to entertain you while whiling away the time at the breakfast table. So I was reading the 'story', (if that was what it was)... and came to a line that read something like this, "nobody knew whose fault it was, (Probably Arnold)"..... "Arnold" was not in the story... the name came from out of the blue. The entire story had a kind of "Mad Magazine" feel to it. So the point here is that.... it struck me as funny.

How to explain? It didn't 'just' strike me as funny... it struck me as the funniest thing I had ever heard in my entire life... and that I ever would hear even if I lived to be 100. Needless to say I couldn't even finish my cereal that morning... I could barely breathe.... BUT... my Mom didn't accept that as a legitimate excuse to 'stay home for the day from school'.... thus, off to school I went on the school bus, and for the entire trip unable to tell any of my fellow bus riding friends why I couldn't breathe from laughter. I arrived at school... went to my classroom, the bell rang and school officially came into session.... BUT... my laughter hadn't even begun to ebb.

My teacher noticed..... teacher's are good at spotting things like that. She gave me a warning, then another, and on the third warning I was officially designated a "class disturbance".... on the 4th warning I was sent to the Principals office where I was to remain until I could get control of myself.

Sadly I don't remember how long it took me that day to 'settle down'.... maybe an hour, maybe all day..... but I do know this - to this day if anyone mentions the name "Arnold" around me, or leaves me an opening in which I can interject the name "Arnold" - - - - I am officially a 'class disturbance'. - JamesJM