Beware of Signs

On the way to pick up Zo from school, I got a text message from Carrie, the mother of Zoe's best friend.  It said:

So our daughters made a plan to go to the park after school.  I had actually told K this morning that we would go but she thinks Zoe is coming and we can't leave until she gets here.  Were u aware of their plans???

I cracked up laughing.  I was not at all aware of their plans, especially since I hadn't gotten Zozer yet.  As soon as I walked into the gym, I was accosted.  "The park!  The park!  The park!  Let's go to the park!  We're all going to the park!"

Seeing as how we had no other plans and it was nice out, we went to the park.  On the way, Zoe filled me in on the conspiracy.  "We're all going to go to the park.  All of us. All the Bear Room friends. And some girl from another room but I don't know her name.  And we're going to have a big party, and we're all going to wear our pajamas, and Sophie is bringing food.  I don't know what kind of food she's bringing, but she's bringing food..."

I interrupted her to say that first of all, no one is wearing their pajamas to the park, and second, I wouldn't count on Sophie bringing food.  Then I had to explain all the reasons why these two things were not going to happen.

When we arrived and parked, I noticed a sign near the car.

The way this reads, if one speaks English and has half a brain, is that we parkers should beware of the foul ball area.  Not foul balls themselves.  I mean, really?  I laughed and whipped out the phone, and then had to have a conversation with Zoe about why on earth I was taking a picture of a sign.

I saw a news story once about a village in England wanting to erect a sign stating that large trucks weren't allowed on a certain roadway.  The townspeople thought it would be good to have the sign not only in English but also in Welsh, as all official road signs in Wales are bilingual.  Someone sent an e-mail asking for translation from English to Welsh and received a prompt reply.  The reply, in Welsh of course, was then transcribed onto the new sign under the English statement.  I'm not sure how long it took for someone to notice the Welsh portion of the sign actually read, "I'm currently out of the office and will return next Tuesday.  If you need immediate assistance, contact Stan."  Or something along those lines.

Awhile back, M and I watched the local news.  (We don't watch it often, and this is just one reason why.)  One of the main stories covered some new signage being created for our very own St. Louis Lambert International Airport, otherwise known as the suckiest airport in the U.S.  The anchor talked about how the current signage is confusing (it is) and how new signs are needed not just for visitors but also for native St. Louisans (duh...I've been going there for years and I still get lost half the time).  As the anchor spoke, before and after photographs were shown - graphics released by the airport authorities showing how much better the new signs would be.  One "before" image showed a series of three signs over five lanes of traffic, and the signs read, "Passenger drop-off: Left Lane," "Passenger pick-up: Middle lane" and "Short-term parking: Right Lane." Or something like that.  Then the "after" image was displayed.  All three signs were replaced by a giant billboard that read, simply, "Welcome to St. Louis Lambert International Airport!"  Yeah, 'cause that's gonna clear up a lot of confusion.

My point is this: signs are important.  People rely on signs.  Therefore, I think it would behoove all of us if someone with actual, functioning brain cells was responsible for signs.  Then again, I'm kinda picky, grammatically speaking.

I know you're wondering, so I won't leave you hanging: yes, the Zoemobile is fine.  Not one bit of damage incurred from the foul ball area last night.