This past weekend, The Family Mikeski (now with Capital Letters!) visited Hershey, PA, a/k/a the Land of Chocolate. A fun time was had by all, especially Los Kiddies, who were given the opportunity to go on the child equivalent of a crack binge and enthusiastically did so. One thing that was amusing (well, amusing in retrospect and in the later telling of the story; while it was going on, it was closer to "make it stop") was how kids turn into whirling dervishes when hopped up on chocolate goofballs, then all of a sudden lapse into a coma-like sleep until it's time to get up and eat more chocolate. My son, out of his mind after a whole day on the rides and stuffing Reeses into his mouth at Hershey Park, came completely unhinged when informed that it was time to go to bed and that his parents intended to watch grown-up TV as he and and his sister fell asleep. Upon being informed that a) there weren't any kid shows on that late at night and b) because I said so, he started ranting incoherently about how nobody would then be allowed to watch TV. This continued for approximately 12 seconds, whereupon he literally fell asleep mid-yowl and crumpled to the bed. His sister, 3 and 1/2 years old, observed this, remarked in an off-hand fashion "he's nuts," inquired "more chocolate tomorrow, Daddy," and, receiving the desired answer, drifted off with a beatific smile on her mug.

Anyway, believe it or not, that wasn't the point of this entry.

On the way out of the place on Sunday, we passed a young couple, definitely teenagers, walking in. He was dressed all slacker-y and she was working the all-black-pseudo-Goth-but-not-quite-all-the-way look.

What got my attention was the leash. She had a dog collar around her neck; he was holding loosely onto the attached chain. She was wearing a leash.

Now, what exactly is up with this? Are they trying to be ironic in some way? Shocking? What? I thought about this for a long time and I still don't know what the point of this was.

I'm sure, if you spoke to this girl, she would say that she's an independent sort ("duh, old dude - don't you see how moody and miserable and all dressed in black I am?!?!"). There's no way that she really thinks she's some kind of possession of his. And he, for his part, no doubt thinks he's some sort of evolved, sensitive guy who would never oppress his girlfriend, yo. So what gives?

A leash, folks.

Posted by mikeski at 4:29 p.m.