As you may recall, while I was back east I had the chance to visit the Met. I love the Met and if I lived near a museum like that I'd be dropping in all the time.
For some time - okay, since I was a kid - I've loved the famous turqoise blue Egyptian hippopotamus (come on, who doesn't love that hippo?). For a long time I've wanted to aquire one of the ceramic replicas from the Met store. Maybe I saw one when I was little and it stuck with me - maybe my mom had one, I don't know. I'd certainly seen them on past visits to the museum store when I was a broke teen or equally broke college or grad student. I knew I could get it online, but where's the fun in that? So, of my goals while at the Met, one was to see the hippo in the flesh again (done, even got a pic of him) and the other was to finally bring home the replica. On the later I failed. I made poor Michael roam the store with me in search of one. I even asked! But all I could find were cheesy toy versions, or keychains, or puzzles. Sheesh. I got a postcard instead.
Then, in Boston, to my chagrin, over the sink, in front of the kitchen window, the hippo! I said to Steve, "Steve! You have the hippo!" Steve had gotten his hippo years ago and it had travelled around with him from place to place and was now a part of his new life with his family in Boston. I told him my sad hippo story and then, each day while I was at the Gallagher's, I gazed on the hippo with longing. Several times I lovingly adjusted its position on the window ledge, thinking, "Awe, such a pretty little guy." Steve, too, suggested I order one online. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that when I get home, though it's not quite the same."
And I thought about it. When I got back to SF I even went to the online shop to check him out. But a rare moment of restraint held me back. After all, I'd already spent far too much on my trip. This would just have to wait.
Tonight I got home to a box on my doorstep. "Hmmm," I said, noticing the museum's return address, "this doesn't appear to be my missing gnome hat order." With great curiosity I carried the box inside, threw my purse on the couch, sat down at my desk with my scissors and began to open the box, all the while wondering, "What the heck?"
And there he was, in all his blue glory, my very own Egyptian hippopotamus!
Isn't he beautiful? He's all, "Yup, I'm a hippo." Thank you, Steve, John, Gina and Isaiah!
Here's some hippo love back at 'cha!
