Ixnay on the Agonday

Maybe, you should worship a fish god.

-- Gene Ray, Greatest Thinker and Wisest Human

After being reminded by the sync fairies of the existence of the Piers Anthony novel Night Mare, I've been rereading it for the first time since childhood. I've just got to the part about the nix that says "Nix, nix!" The nix is described as shapeshifting between human, fish, and half-human-half-fish forms.

Today, I found this whiteboard art in my classroom.

When I asked what it was, I was informed that it was "You! But you're a mermaid!" Then one of the kids said, "美國人魚!" -- a rather clever pun in Chinese, splicing together 美國人 (American) and 美人魚 (mermaid).

Besides the nix in Night Mare, the illustration suggests Dagon, the Philistine god whose temple Samson demolished.

I take anything Samson-related as a good omen. Stand me by those pillars! Oh, and, kids, it's mer-MAN!