Sideswipe: May 6: Plenty of warning

You have been warned.

Something nice, please

Diane from Hillsborough would like her children to try and get her something she would like this Mother's Day. For a change. "Every year hard-case grown-up daughters try to outdo each other with the most cliched, kitschy gift they can find. It's become something of a tradition. I have a wardrobe full of ugly slippers, a foot spa, potpourri, an assortment of novelty mugs, a set of pink screwdrivers (they broke!) a Jane Fonda workout video, cellulite cream, personal lubricant (for your mother?!) and, hilariously, a waistband stretcher thing. Although I appreciate a good joke, this year girls (you know who you are because I've told you to read Sideswipe this week) I would like something sincere and heartfelt. Got it?"

Lessons in eccentricity

I'm still convinced our German professor was a bit cuckoo. He ended classes with: "I can't even look at you anymore." Or he'd just walk out without even dismissing us. He would often be 30 minutes late because he was playing chess. He would randomly give us exams (they had to announce them) and he never had a grading system. He would start yelling about random things while teaching. He did a DNA test when he found gum stuck under a desk in his classroom and made sure the student was expelled. His mum used to drive him to work. He was 50-something. (Source: via Reddit)

Looking for a treat

Brittany writes: "At the supermarket the other day, looking for a pastry treat I found this!"

Babes and arms

News you may have missed. The February gun-and-baby-carrying workshop in Johnston, Iowa, was so successful that instructor Melody Lauer and CrossRoads Shooting Sports owner Tom Hudson are planning another. Lauer insisted she did not necessarily encourage a baby-holding mother to arm herself, but if the woman chose to, safety would of course require that she be familiar with the tricky procedure of drawing, aiming and firing even though she might be "wearing" a baby in a sling in front of her body. Hudson, noting the fast-growing market of gun sales to women, said scheduling the workshop was a "no-brainer". (Source: yahoo.com)

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz