It was at a ripe young age that I first saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/). It was on A&E, and yes, I did watch that channel in 8th grade. If you have not seen it, then take the time, otherwise, this post may sound like gibberish. (Let’s be honest, it may still sound like that, but we’ll see.)
At the beginning of the film, the dramatic opening credits are cut short due (twice) and finally they hire another crew to finish them. Due to budget cuts, they hire a super cheap group peopled almost exclusively by llamas. One of the crew was named Ralph the Wonder Llama. By the end of it I came to love Monty Python, and I was starting to learn the subtleties of their humor.
So, it was the very next day in school that I was in Georgia History when things came together. My teacher was Mr. Sweat. Seriously! His name was Mr. Sweat! If you think that is bad, his first name was Delmos. I swear, it is like his parents didn’t think he had to grow up in school. But I digress…
So we were discussing women’s suffrage in history, and one of the girls in class was up on her soapbox about women’s lib. I saw the opportunity and I couldn’t resist. I raised my hand and threw in my two cents worth:
Me: Mr. Sweat, I agree. A woman’s place is not in the kitchen…
Classmate: Finally a guy who gets it!
Me: …we need her in the rest of the house: to do the laundry, make the bed, clean the living room…
Needless to say, this did not go over too well with everyone. Some laughed, but my colleague got quite irritated, and challenged me:
Classmate: I swear, you really are just like every other guy I can’t believe you. Just who do you think you are?
Me: (Thinking of the intro to Holy Grail) “I am Manuel Llama”
Her: Huh?
Me: And not only am I a llama, I am a Wonder Llama! And nobody messes with a Wonder Llama!!
And this was the official creation of Manuel the Wonder Llama. It is silly, stupid, and crazy. The name kind of died for a little while, but after I got my first car while in high school, I got a custom sticker that dubbed my car "Manuel the Wonder Llama" I even kept the nickname when I moved to Russia. Nonetheless, this is where the term came from. Sorry if it is a bit underwhelming. But this is where my love of Llamas started. Perhaps that is why I like Carl from "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron." Oh, and if you are interested, this is an artist's rendition of a Wonder Llama looks like. As I'm sure you can tell, this was done after high school, hence the notebook paper. (Thanks Preston!)
