I Saw The Sign

I saw the sign, and it opened up my mind!

Hiya, Friends!  Have I told you that I've been learning how to talk with my hands?  I think in Big People parlance, it's called sign language.  It's pretty fun.  I have a whole set of DVDs that teach me how to talk with my hands, and I'm getting pretty darned good at it, if I may say so myself.

See, I'm still just learning how to verbalize in your language.  Babese is my first language, and Big People is proving to be pretty tricky for me to wrap my mouth around.  I have some words I say, but mostly, I fall back on the language of my people, still.

It causes me frustration and Mommy confusion when I do that, so we agreed that I'd learn some of this sign language.  Plus, I think someday, if I meet another little kid, and that little kid can't hear, I can talk to them with my hands!  And then they won't feel left out!

So anyway, my favorite word to sign is "banana."  I picked right up on that one, because you stick up your pointer finger on one hand, and then pretend it's a banana, and peel its imaginary peel with your other hand.  "Cracker" is another favorite of mine.  You knock on your elbow to sign cracker.  "Cereal" and "milk" are other favorite signs of mine.  I think the sign for "apple" is fun, too!

Really, I haven't met a sign yet that I didn't like.  Some of them are easier than others, and there are some that are really fun.  And I betcha noticed all my favorites have to do with food.  That's because I really like to eat.  Always have, for my whole entire life.  I have had a lifelong love for food, Friends!  I don't understand those babies that hafta be begged to eat, because that has never been me.

I wanna EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!

I guess if I had to tell ya which literary character I relate to the most, it'd be the Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Most of the time.  Of course, Mommy would say it's all five of the Five Little Monkeys.

You know, sometimes, I just don't understand where Mommy's coming from.  Take the whole thing about me being like all five of the Five Little Monkeys.  Sheesh.  You know, I take one swan-dive off the couch in my office, and I climb the stairs all by myself one time, and next thing you know, Mommy's nerfed the whole inside of the house, and the stairs are all blocked off with gates.  What a drag!

Five Little Monkeys, indeed!

But anyway, back to my signing.  I think it's a very useful thing, even if you can hear, and the person you're trying to talk to is able to hear as well.  I still think you ought to learn sign language.  That way, if your best friend at work works at a desk WAAAAAAAAAAAAY across the cubefarm from you, and you wanna tell them it's time you guys headed to lunch or that you didn't get your TPS reports finished in time, you can sign at them from across the room, and they'll know.  And you don't have to rely in instant messaging, just in case your computer's being watched.

If your computer's being watched right now, let me just say I love your boss's choice of ties and/or footwear and accessories.  You TOLD me they were very snappy dressers, your bosses, and that all their jokes were hilarious, and also that you love working there, and now I see you were telling the truth, Friends!

... Are they gone?  Anyway, you can sign to your friend across the room, then.  And don't worry about everybody else in the cube farm seeing what you're signing.  Most people won't take the time to learn, and if they happen to look up and see you signing to your friend, just do like I do in a pinch and put your finger up your nose and wave at them.  They'll think you're gross for the time-being, but at least they won't be horning in on your lunch with your best work friend, and they won't rat you out about those TPS reports.  And besides, everybody picks their nose at one time or another, so anybody who gets all funny about it is kind of a hypocrite.  That's what I have to say, about it.

So there ya have it, Friends!  It's never too late to learn something new, and I think you ought to learn to use sign language with me, because it's a lot of fun, and it's easy, and it's useful.

But even if you don't learn it, I'll still love ya, Big People!  Always!  Muah!