A Gesture Life

Is it just me or have games like Charades and Pictionary fallen out of favor? I feel like there was a time when those games were all the rage. Like when Win, Lose or Draw was on tv, and you could watch Bert Convy whip all your favorite celebrities into a tizzy over trying to draw phrases like "Broke Into A Sweat." Remember when it got so crazy on that show that Erik Estrada accidentally punched Bill Maher in the face? Oh my god, remembering that is making my day right now. Now THAT'S good tv, people!

I was a big fan of all of those games. I especially had a penchant for Charades. My sister and I would play that game for hours, and it would get pretty elaborate. Granted, my sister and I had the kind of relationship where we could basically read each other's minds, but that didn't take away from the brilliance of the Charades moves we busted. I particularly remember a game of Team Charades where we acted out "mousetrap." I got down on the floor on my side, with one arm flat on the carpet. She mousily crawled over my arm, faking the cheese-eating part of it better than Uta Hagen ever could have, and I swung my other arm up and over with lightning speed, scissoring her neck, after which she proceeded to twitch and "die" with rodent dignity.

These days, I hardly ever play Pictionary or Charades. The last time I did anything like that was two years ago when my peeps and I rented a beach house on the Oregon Coast. Memorable moments from that trip included Nordic Boy splaying himself out on the floor and miraculously getting us all to correctly exclaim "Kathy Ireland!" and Neighbor B showcasing his extreme economy of motion by drawing a square in the air and getting us all to say "toaster."

Perhaps my love of Charades is getting enough play out of being a librarian. I just recently noticed how much gesticulating I do during the course of my day. I don't know why I do this. I don't think I do this when I'm having a leisurely dinner conversation with my friends. Just at work. Some examples:

"I'll show you right where those cookbooks are. Right this way." (With a beckoning Mister Rogers hand gesture.)

"The baseball books will be on these shelves here." (Price Is Right model-hands).

"To print, you have to put your coins into the coin acceptor immediately to the right of the printer." (I'm pantomiming putting coins into the box. Why IS this?)

"Do you want information on how fireworks were invented, or...?" (With a two-handed, either/or, balancing scales motion).

Now if only Bill Maher would show up and whip everyone into a frenzy, I could punch him the the face. I'm ready, people. All warmed up.

Kiss the rings, I'm out.
Librarian Girl