Be careful what you ask for...

I enjoy doing logic and crossword puzzles, quote falls and syllacrostics - really, almost any of the puzzles found in a variety puzzle book. My grandfather used to do his crossword puzzles in pen - I don't dare try. Pencils with erasers are my friends.

Sometimes, though, I don't discover I've made a mistake until the majority of a puzzle grid is filled in. That kind of redo calls for more erasing power than a little pencil-tipper. Alas, when I packed my carry-on bag for our latest trip, I discovered that my fat eraser had gone missing. I was not a terribly successful puzzle-doer on those flights. My book now has a page or two awaiting erasure.

So when my father-in-law started scouring the back-to-school sales for great deals (as he so LOVES to do!), I requested a big eraser. I didn't specify - I just assumed that "big eraser" meant "something like a Pink Pearl, about an inch long and somewhat rectangular."

This is what showed up in the mail today (along with lots of other goodies):



I don't think I'll be carrying it on any planes with me, but maybe I'll keep it just for the laugh value. If only we could just rub out our truly big mistakes...

PS Yes, I'm using a Christmas mug in September. It's the biggest one in our cupboards, so I grab it whenever it's clean.