In case the photo is too small for you to tell, that sign is outside the fire station in South Arlington, on Wilson Boulevard. It looks like Peter Griffin in a fireman’s getup, with a big porno moustache, about to put Stewie into a bathtub. The family dog Brian, mysteriously missing part of his nose, is following the sign’s advice to “test the water before putting baby in.”
Let me tell you what happens when a We Love DC writer sees a sign like this. Tom takes a photo of it with his iPhone and emails it to the group, saying only, “WTF?!” The conversation then proceeds like this (verbatim, from the We Love DC authors mailing list):
Donna: “I can’t tell if he’s gonna put concrete booties on that kid, or throw baby out with the bathwater. Hilarious.”
Carl: “I guess babies need to be put in really, really hot water, like lobsters.”
Jenn: “That’s the best way to get the skin nice and slick before you bake them. Like bagels.”
Katie: “JENN!!!” (note: she didn’t say “CARL!!” We’ve come to expect that sort of behavior from him.)
Ben Rome: “I prefer rolling them around in bread crumbs and some seasoning, then a nice dip in the fryer, myself. :D”
Jenn: “Hahaha, blame the excessive amounts of nyquil in my system. Or that fact that I’m really an evil queen who eats babies. Or something.”
Tiffany: “I am blogging this entire conversation.” (If only there were some website where we could talk about things we see around town…)
Jenn: “Uh-oh, secret’s out. Yes, this is how I keep my youthful looks. Just call me Bathory, baby.”
It’s like that South Park where they showed where the writing for Family Guy comes from.
:O)
That’s it. You’re off the babysitting list.
Jenn, that is. Tiffany, you would be welcome to babysit my children any time you like (even though we’ve never met).
Jennifer dear, that’s hardly fair, I don’t have a taste for toddlers at all. Once they hit that age it’s a bore to do all the prep necessary for proper boiling and such.