Yesterday was April Fool’s Day and many people made a fool out of themselves with the retweetings and facebookings of bogus stories. I like it when the powers that be make it completely clear that the April Fool’s “joke” is something bogus. Google seems to do this very well, with maps.google.come/treasure and Google Nose. Well played multi-billion dollar company, well played. My workplace we without any “pranks” yesterday and that is how I like it. Anyway… the aftermath of April Fool’s Day leaves many a crushed and broken body in its wake, so the topic for today’s 20 Questions is “April Fool’s Day and its Aftermath.”

Thanks this week go to: K, Chris Ring, Ralph Harbison, Chris Corrigan and some other guy. Let’s get to the questions… “Let’s?!?” Really? It is just me here, what the hell is going on in my head?

1. Has there ever been an April Fool’s prank as good as the Taco Bell Liberty Bell ? Little known fact* The Piltdown Man hoax started out as an April Fool’s Day prank and rapidly got out of hand. It ended in the demise of the careers of prominent anthropologists as well as the life of a East London Pauper…. Don’t ask. Let’s just say it was a big messy thing…

2. Seriously, shouldn’t everyone give up on this for a while? I mean, it’s been a long time since 1996 and not one person or corporation has topped the TBLB. In 1996 it took more effort to pull off a great prank. Now, all you need is a good idea and a web designer. No prank could work as well as the Taco Bell Liberty Bell because that one ushered in the new sophistication of pranks, and now everything announced on the 1st of April is suspect… albeit sometimes true… Gmail comes to mind as an April 1st product launch that was not a hoax.

3. What would have been the theological implications if April Fool’s day was yesterday? I imagine it would play out 1 of 2 ways… and only 1 of those 2… No other ways whatsoever..

Way the first: Jesus would make himself visible to everyone and say, “Just kiddin Ya’ll. I never died or ascended into heaven. I’ve been here all along. I’ve just been out of circulation writin the Great American Novel. Woooo! God’s Awesome!”**

Way the second: People would come to the conclusion that all organized religion is a farce of “biblical” proportions and then society would crumble under the weight of the disillusioned and now remarkably apathetic newly atheists.

4. Where did April Fool’s day come from? Yeah, I could Google it but I deciding to Scoottle it. It is nebulous at best as to where it comes from, but the best bet in the Italian, French and Belgian April Fish Day where people would pin paper fish onto unsuspecting people’s backs and say “April Fish.”

5. I recently had a joke go very bad, ever have a joke go really bad? Oh, all the time… not so much bad as just fall flat. I don’t really try and prank people as much as tell teh funny.

6. Is it still easy to fool people on April 1st or is everyone on guard? Nope, it is now an attempt to amuse people with ridiculous pranks

7. Best April Fool’s joke you played?I haven’t really played any April Fool’s Day pranks. It really isn’t my bag.

8. Worst April Fool’s joke played on you? Last year, my lovely wife sent me a text saying she was pregnant. Yeah, that didn’t go over as well as she had hoped.

9. Didn’t the Groundhog already trick enough people? Clearly not enough.

10. IS this the favorite day of politicians since any lie can be covered with “April fools?” If and only if the politician says something radically different from their typical positions. April Fool’s Day pranks should not be about the subtle, and anyone who tries to cover up a gaff should realize that the gaff needs to be monumental and waaaay off message for people to believe an April Fool’s Day excuse.

11. How long is acceptable to seek revenge on a prank? 1 year. You get 1 year.

12. Why isn’t busting someone in the mouth after a prank acceptable? Depends on the prank.

13. Why is there no opt out on this? I would LOVE an opt out on this. Like wearing a black shirt says, “Don’t mess with me today.” or something like that… or maybe you could pin a paper fish on your back…

14. What did you think of the Whitecaps announced retirement of YP Lee, the subsequent revelation that it was an April Fool’s joke and then the sacking of President Bob Lenarduzzi for “unprofessional conduct?” Talk about your doozy of an April Fool’s aftermath! Since Lee has had a couple of his weaker performances, they would have done better using Cannon as a prank… He seems to be sillier than the good Y P. As far as the Lenarduzzi news, I cannot find that anywhere.

15. What is the acceptable way to “get back” at someone who has pinked you on April Fools, and what is the statute of limitations? You have to “get” them the following year, or you can choose to never speak to them again… ever. Or you can pin a paper fish on their back and shout “poisson d’Avril!” That gets everybody.

16. Shouldn’t there be a dinner associated with April Fool’s Day? Yes, there should be a meal associated with April Fool’s Day. There should be a meal associated with every holiday. What other reasons for holidays are there?

17. What would an April Fool’s Dinner be? Well, everyone would need to lie during the chit-chat and small talk portions of the meal and the meal would consist of foods that looked like other food. Vegans and vegetarians eating meat and vice versa…. so many people dead from food allergies and anaphylactic reactions… so many dead

18. Does any good come from April Fool’s day? Yes, many items that ThinkGeek comes up with for April Fool’s Day sometimes make it into market. For example, the Taun Taun sleeping bag… Other than ThinkGeek merch…nope.

19. Any clean-up from April Fool’s day for you personally? Well, my little girl played an April Fool’s Day Trick on me. She said that she could get the ice in her cup, but it turns out her cup was the floor… April Fools! Now clean up the ice, Papa. ha ha ha ha she knows how to play a prank.

20. Does it seem to you that April Fool’s Day is now less about individuals playing small pranks on people they know and more about companies and celebrities making PR pranks and humorous attempts? Yup, you got it.

To Recap:

White Chocolate M&M’s… oh God… the deliciousness

So so delicious

Why hasn’t anyone ever thought about white chocolate with a candy shell before this?

Seriously… Thanks Easter Bunny!

Bach! Bach!

My wife said she had them on a car trip 2 months ago

She said they were amazing

And then we couldn’t find them until Easter week

We all thought she had had a fever dream of deliciousness

She is less crazy and more of an oracle

An oracle of confectionary brilliance

Everything is good here

How about with you?

Check your back for a paper fish

Have a great weekend

*I am making almost all of this up

**Jesus has a US Southern Accent… prove me wrong