I’m never exactly sure what to say when I blog, especially since this particular blog doesn’t just represent me, but a whole group of very talented women. I was given entirely too much freedom. I was told that I could choose anything at all that I wanted to write about, which left me with nothing to say. Then I got to thinking about what groups of women enjoy talking about amongst themselves, and it occurred to me that one of the hottest topics is horror stories about pregnancy, labor, and delivery. So, let me tell you about my episiotomy. And, oh by the way, April Fools!

Yes, it is that day again, April 1st, so bring on the pranks! Long before MTV taught us that you could get away with doing just about anything, no matter how cruel, as long as you screamed, “Punk’d!” when you were through, there was April Fools’ Day. This day has long been celebrated by school children convincing their teachers that their shoes are untied, and by people placing small plastic insects in other people’s food. But April Fools isn’t just for kids, a surprising number of seemingly serious organizations, corporations, and even governments have participated – with varying degrees of success. I thought that in celebration of this fabulous holiday, I would share a few of my favorites with you.

1. The Left-Handed Whopper – USA Today ran a full page ad in 1998, in which Burger King announced that it was releasing a new sandwich, so as to stop discriminating against the 32 million left-handed Americans. This new version of the Whopper would have all of the same toppings, but they would be rotated 180 degrees for the convenience of their south-paw customers.

2. Disney Buys the Eiffel Tower – In 1986, the French government announced that it had made an agreement with Disney that the company could dismantle the Eiffel Tower and reconstruct it as an attraction at the new EuroDisney, which was about to be opened.

3. No Surfing While Under the Influence – PC Magazine ran an article in 1994, stating that congress was working on passing a law that made it illegal to use the internet while drunk. This bill was going to give the FBI authority to wire tap homes to verify that people were not surfing and drinking. It said that Ted Kennedy was responsible for this new bill, and so many people believed it, that he had to hold a press conference to deny the rumor.

4. Big Ben Gets a Facelift – In 1980, the BBC announced that in order to keep up with technology, the clock faces in Big Ben were going to be removed and replaced with a digital readout.

5. The Taco Liberty Bell – in 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-paged ad in the New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and they were going to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. Some reporter actually asked about this at a White House press conference later that day. Proving that he had a sense of humor, Mike McCurry, the white house press secretary, replied by announcing that the government had also sold the Lincoln Memorial and it was going to be renamed the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

There are many more examples of “official” April Fool’s pranks out there, but it all just leads back to the same conclusion. Whatever you are doing today, try to keep a sense of humor and DON’T TRUST ANYONE! – no matter how serious and official they may seem. Now go forth and fool someone else!

Alright then, back to the painful medical interventions involved in my son’s birth … April Fools!