Monday, July 21, 2008
Master of the Claw
Last week my big brother and his blonde family of six were in town to tour around for a few days. Shelly got to get together with them for some of the touring, but as I had to work, my contact was mostly limited to dinner each of two nights in a row. The second evening we went to Generous George's Positive Pizza and Pasta Place, an Alexandria mainstay.
On the way out, my brother handed his eldest, eight-year-old Scrappy,* a couple of dollar bills and told him he could play the Claw Game. You know, the one with the stuffed animals in a bin and you maneuver the big claw to try to grab one and drop it down the chute to you?
Scrappy got two tries for each dollar bill. The first attempt was utter failure. The second attempt he went after a teddy bear close to the chute - a wise choice. He was able to clamp down on the bear, but the claw let go before he moved it at all.
New dollar bill. The third try he nabbed the same bear again, and was able to nudge it right up to the edge of the chute. Then on the fourth try, he got the bear, brought it over the lip of the chute, and it fell with its head over the chute and its feet on the other side of the dividing wall. Fortunately, the bear's head was heavier than his feet, and he fell down into Scrappy's waiting arms.
I have never seen anyone win the Claw Game before. Granted, I don't know how many time I've ever watched anyone try, but I am now convinced my nephew has some extra-special powers.
* Not his real name, but that's really what I call him. Before he was born, when we asked what they were thinking of naming the baby, they were very tight-lipped, so I said, "It doesn't matter what you name him; I'm going to call him Scrappy." And I do.
On the way out, my brother handed his eldest, eight-year-old Scrappy,* a couple of dollar bills and told him he could play the Claw Game. You know, the one with the stuffed animals in a bin and you maneuver the big claw to try to grab one and drop it down the chute to you?
Scrappy got two tries for each dollar bill. The first attempt was utter failure. The second attempt he went after a teddy bear close to the chute - a wise choice. He was able to clamp down on the bear, but the claw let go before he moved it at all.
New dollar bill. The third try he nabbed the same bear again, and was able to nudge it right up to the edge of the chute. Then on the fourth try, he got the bear, brought it over the lip of the chute, and it fell with its head over the chute and its feet on the other side of the dividing wall. Fortunately, the bear's head was heavier than his feet, and he fell down into Scrappy's waiting arms.
I have never seen anyone win the Claw Game before. Granted, I don't know how many time I've ever watched anyone try, but I am now convinced my nephew has some extra-special powers.
* Not his real name, but that's really what I call him. Before he was born, when we asked what they were thinking of naming the baby, they were very tight-lipped, so I said, "It doesn't matter what you name him; I'm going to call him Scrappy." And I do.
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