Californian Geography

Happy Groundhog's Day to one and all. This time last year, Jon and I were very newlyweds and I was surprised when he insisted we watch Groundhog's Day the movie to commemorate the holiday. I thought he was faking excitement until we were at Blockbuster. The event was tied to a joke from Jon's childhood (as things often are) about one of the mentally disabled guys his family took care of named Larry Yap. When Larry saw the movie in the theater and it got to the point when Bill Murray was waking up again to the same Sonny and Cher song he exclaimed, "Not a-gin. I hate this movie!" The joke I now attach to our Groundhog's Day memory is the mini-geography quizbowl I initiated after the movie had ended. Knowing Jon's foundational California education, I turned to him and asked "What state is Philadephia in?" He sat there thinking until a sly smile spread across his face. The look in his eye told me he figured out the answer to my trick question. "Wait a minute," he said, "Philadelphia is a state!" This was his Aha! moment. I busted out laughing partly for his honesty and partly because he thought I was asking a trick question. Happy Groundhog's Day, everyone.