Orange Cones

Orange cones are surprisingly heavy.
This morning I saw, next to the building I work in on campus, a large orange construction cone that had been placed atop a lamp post. It made me giggle. Probably the work of some frat boy or other mischievous student. As I was walking toward the work of art, I imagined how complicated it must have been to get it up there. First you've got to shimmy up the lamp post, which had no helpful texture to it, and then have your comrade pass the cone up to you. But the lamp post is tall and those orange cones are heavy. Very dense, not to mention awkward because you've either got to have the super hand gripping strength of professional road construction workers, or you've got to look silly and pick them up by the square base.

I know about orange cones.
In college, my friend Linton had a penchant for kidnapping orange cones from the road and placing them atop various statues on campus. Thomas Jefferson, James Blair, etc. It was great fun.

Which reminds me of another grand tradition Linton and some of his friends had: They'd dress up the statue of James Blair for holidays and such. One time his face was painted like the freaky guy in the band Kiss. The one I will never forget was Halloween when they (and I got to help on this one) used the hype from the movie "The Blair Witch Project" that had just come out and made him the "James Blair Witch". It was brilliant. I think the little symbols made of sticks that we hung in the trees really freaked people out the next day. It got in the paper and everyone was talking about it. I felt so proud.