I was reading through some back page type news articles the other day and came across one entitled, "Women May Enjoy Humor More, if It's Funny." This got me thinking about the difference between mine and Golden's sense of humor.
In order to understand our senses of humor, you would have to look back to how our humor was influenced in our more formative years.
Golden grew up watching TV and movies with her brother and his friends, and so the humor that the article described as male is not far from what she enjoys. She tends to laugh at physical humor and bathroom humor.
I had some male influences on my humor (my dad and a few friends), but some of the strongest influences come from my mom, my sister, and one of my aunts. I tend to laugh at wordplays, banter, and satire.
Unlike what the story said should be the case Golden tends to laugh at things prior to analyzing whether they should be funny. I do the opposite and analyze the joke to death in my mind. Sometimes I have to think about something for a while before determining whether I truly believe it is funny. Once I do, I tend to overenjoy the joke by recalling it to mind at random times of the day.
Golden likes the fact that I work mostly with men because it helps me appreciate her humor more. On the flip side, though, my humor is like a commercial jingle that you don't like at first, but later on you can't get out of your head (Co - stan - za). So, joking around people for an extended period of time makes them use my humor more, which reinforces my humor on myself.
It is the circle of humor in my life.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
dear ________,
I have never been good about writing letters. In fact, I am very bad at it. I don't know why. I just am.
When I moved 800 miles from home to go to college, I think my mom expected me to write more. I may have written to her twice. It was more than I wrote to anyone else, though, so it's not like she was the only person to whom I did not send enough letters.
Eventually, my mom got a sense of humor about the whole thing and wrote a letter for me that I was supposed to fill out and send back to her. Golden came across that letter a few days ago. What Golden found was a copy, so I think that I actually did fill out the letter and send it back. Here's what the letter says (the names have been changed to protect blah, blah, blah) .
When I moved 800 miles from home to go to college, I think my mom expected me to write more. I may have written to her twice. It was more than I wrote to anyone else, though, so it's not like she was the only person to whom I did not send enough letters.
Eventually, my mom got a sense of humor about the whole thing and wrote a letter for me that I was supposed to fill out and send back to her. Golden came across that letter a few days ago. What Golden found was a copy, so I think that I actually did fill out the letter and send it back. Here's what the letter says (the names have been changed to protect blah, blah, blah) .
Date __________
Dear _______,
a. Dad
b. Mom
c. Miss Carisma
d. All of the above
I am doing ________
a. fine
b. wonderful
c. so-so
d. terrible
My classes are ________
a. interesting
b. challenging
c. too easy
d. boring
My job is _______
a. going well
b. a piece of cake
c. too much to handle
I've been spending the majority of my time _______
a. studying
b. sleeping
c. on the phone
d. socializing
The food is ______
a. just like home cooking
b. better than home cooking
c. like Mrs. O'Mealy's
d. now I know what cardboard tastes like
I think about you _______
a. all the time
b. on occasion
c. almost never
d. "What was your name again?"
Please send _______
a. money
b. food
c. a plane ticket home
d. ___________
My least favorite class is ________________
because ____________________________
My favorite class is ___________________
because ____________________________
Well, I had better go.
Your _______,
a. loving son
b. adoring brother
c. friend
d. __________
Dust
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
fall
When Golden and I bought our house I viewed the three
trees in the front yard and two in the back as positives that provide shade in the summer and maintain the value of the property. I didn't think through the fact that deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.
It seems every neighbor I have happily spends their time blowing or vacuuming their leaves into bags, even though the majority of the leaves are still in the trees. This does not seem right. I tried something like that last year but was simply frustrated when, after raking the yard for an afternoon, the yard looked about the same the next day. I eventually decided to leave (ha!) a coating of this tree trash in the yard throughout the winter and mowed it up last April. I don't know what I am going to do about it this year.
trees in the front yard and two in the back as positives that provide shade in the summer and maintain the value of the property. I didn't think through the fact that deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.It seems every neighbor I have happily spends their time blowing or vacuuming their leaves into bags, even though the majority of the leaves are still in the trees. This does not seem right. I tried something like that last year but was simply frustrated when, after raking the yard for an afternoon, the yard looked about the same the next day. I eventually decided to leave (ha!) a coating of this tree trash in the yard throughout the winter and mowed it up last April. I don't know what I am going to do about it this year.
Monday, November 07, 2005
vandalized
I generally view vandalism as a stupid crime that I hope I don't have to deal with. Who wants to pay to have a keyed car repaired or a spray painted wall cleaned? I had to smile at the defacement that I saw a couple of blocks from my house yesterday, though.
On the way to church I noticed a change on the sign for a housing development near my house
that wasn't there the day before. Later, Golden and I drove by to snap a picture, but there were three or four people near the sign and I didn't want to raise suspicion that I was the perpetrator come back to revel at the scene of the crime. I drove around for a couple of minutes then Golden snapped the picture quickly as we passed the sign again.
It brought a smile to my day, so maybe it will bring a smile to yours as well.
On the way to church I noticed a change on the sign for a housing development near my house
that wasn't there the day before. Later, Golden and I drove by to snap a picture, but there were three or four people near the sign and I didn't want to raise suspicion that I was the perpetrator come back to revel at the scene of the crime. I drove around for a couple of minutes then Golden snapped the picture quickly as we passed the sign again.It brought a smile to my day, so maybe it will bring a smile to yours as well.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
confession
Today's theme in church seemed to be confession. Forrest opened our class up with an ice breaker to discuss any bad attitudes we had about church. In the main service the title of the sermon was "Confession." This is a very long post, so I don't expect everyone to read through it. As T might say, I have no pictures, so I decided to use a thousand words.
I must confess (and I did confess in class very honestly) that I actually have always disliked going to church. After the way I described my feelings this morning, I feel I need to have a post that more completely explains the cause of those feelings. Someone who didn't know me might have thought I hated everything about church if they heard my "confession."
I was always a little jealous of the people who looked forward to Sunday services, because the day actually filled me with a sort of dread. I always hated dressing up because I didn't really ever see the point, and dressy clothes are uncomfortable. I don't have much of a need for people to look at me and notice my clothes, and that could be the main purpose for dressy clothes. I think, though I am not sure, that a lot of people who say they like to go to church like it because they can show off their clothes. It isn't really a bad or a good reason, but it certainly isn't a motivating factor for me.
People may also enjoy church because they get to talk with friends. This is something that I do like about church. As a kid, though, it was rough because boys don't want to sit around and talk. They want to run around and do things that will destroy the dressy clothes that they are wearing. Any more I wear jeans, so that isn't a problem. :)
Some people like corporate worship. I like it too, kind of. I have found, though, that my worship is very personal, so I tend to block everything and everyone else out in my worship. I could do that at home, but I don't, so it is a good reason to go to church.
I want to address the three reasons beyond dressing up that I have had a bad attitude about church.
First, I hate to see people put on a show that doesn't match up with their real life. This hasn't been a big issue for me lately, because I have noticed that there isn't really such a thing as a person who is 100% genuine and there isn't such a thing as a person who is 100% fake. I just have to work on not being fake myself.
I have also noticed that some characteristics that I thought were fake in other people were actually the furthest thing from fake. I have to be more careful before judging.
The second reason is something that we mentioned in class, which is marketing within the church. Sometimes stuff gets hyped up into something it isn't. Really, that isn't a good reason to have a bad attitude about church, though, so I don't need to focus on that. So long as I am not expected to be a salesperson I'll deal.
The third reason for my bad attitude is the one that has gotten to me the most throughout my life. Within my denomination I have classified three types of preachers: the bad, the good, and the great. I classify them based on the typical sermon content.
The bad preachers focus on what I believe to be neither milk nor meat, but rather spiritual cotton candy. This is very typical for some traveling evangelists who believe that they can substitute Scriptural teaching with half-hour rants about Hollywood or the end times. I am very thankful that my pastor makes it a point to stay away from the cotton candy.
The good preachers teach milk almost exclusively. This isn't really a bad thing, because the milk is the necessities. The author of Hebrews describes the following as milky topics: repentance, faith, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. I certainly don't think any of it is unessential, but these are topics that the mature in faith should not need instruction in.
The great preachers teach milk and meat. Unfortunately, if a preacher only taught meat, half the congregation would probably not be ready for it. Therefore, no relevant preacher can focus only on meat. Based on Hebrews 5, I assume the details of the New Covenant are what best represent meat.
There is very little of the milk topics that I don't already understand, and there is a lot about the meat topics that I don't understand. When I hear a sermon on a topic for the fiftieth or one hundredth time in my life I realize that there are probably people who need to hear that sermon. Maybe I do too and I just don't realize it. I have a hard time with my attitude, nonetheless.
This is going to sound arrogant, but I sometimes feel like the kid in school who already knows what the teacher is going to say. I look forward to and crave the meat that I have never tasted. I feel like I have to go through a lot of milk to get to that meat. I know it's out there. How do I find it?
I must confess (and I did confess in class very honestly) that I actually have always disliked going to church. After the way I described my feelings this morning, I feel I need to have a post that more completely explains the cause of those feelings. Someone who didn't know me might have thought I hated everything about church if they heard my "confession."
I was always a little jealous of the people who looked forward to Sunday services, because the day actually filled me with a sort of dread. I always hated dressing up because I didn't really ever see the point, and dressy clothes are uncomfortable. I don't have much of a need for people to look at me and notice my clothes, and that could be the main purpose for dressy clothes. I think, though I am not sure, that a lot of people who say they like to go to church like it because they can show off their clothes. It isn't really a bad or a good reason, but it certainly isn't a motivating factor for me.
People may also enjoy church because they get to talk with friends. This is something that I do like about church. As a kid, though, it was rough because boys don't want to sit around and talk. They want to run around and do things that will destroy the dressy clothes that they are wearing. Any more I wear jeans, so that isn't a problem. :)
Some people like corporate worship. I like it too, kind of. I have found, though, that my worship is very personal, so I tend to block everything and everyone else out in my worship. I could do that at home, but I don't, so it is a good reason to go to church.
I want to address the three reasons beyond dressing up that I have had a bad attitude about church.
First, I hate to see people put on a show that doesn't match up with their real life. This hasn't been a big issue for me lately, because I have noticed that there isn't really such a thing as a person who is 100% genuine and there isn't such a thing as a person who is 100% fake. I just have to work on not being fake myself.
I have also noticed that some characteristics that I thought were fake in other people were actually the furthest thing from fake. I have to be more careful before judging.
The second reason is something that we mentioned in class, which is marketing within the church. Sometimes stuff gets hyped up into something it isn't. Really, that isn't a good reason to have a bad attitude about church, though, so I don't need to focus on that. So long as I am not expected to be a salesperson I'll deal.
The third reason for my bad attitude is the one that has gotten to me the most throughout my life. Within my denomination I have classified three types of preachers: the bad, the good, and the great. I classify them based on the typical sermon content.
The bad preachers focus on what I believe to be neither milk nor meat, but rather spiritual cotton candy. This is very typical for some traveling evangelists who believe that they can substitute Scriptural teaching with half-hour rants about Hollywood or the end times. I am very thankful that my pastor makes it a point to stay away from the cotton candy.
The good preachers teach milk almost exclusively. This isn't really a bad thing, because the milk is the necessities. The author of Hebrews describes the following as milky topics: repentance, faith, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. I certainly don't think any of it is unessential, but these are topics that the mature in faith should not need instruction in.
The great preachers teach milk and meat. Unfortunately, if a preacher only taught meat, half the congregation would probably not be ready for it. Therefore, no relevant preacher can focus only on meat. Based on Hebrews 5, I assume the details of the New Covenant are what best represent meat.
There is very little of the milk topics that I don't already understand, and there is a lot about the meat topics that I don't understand. When I hear a sermon on a topic for the fiftieth or one hundredth time in my life I realize that there are probably people who need to hear that sermon. Maybe I do too and I just don't realize it. I have a hard time with my attitude, nonetheless.
This is going to sound arrogant, but I sometimes feel like the kid in school who already knows what the teacher is going to say. I look forward to and crave the meat that I have never tasted. I feel like I have to go through a lot of milk to get to that meat. I know it's out there. How do I find it?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
cheesed
Every once in a while I get sick to my stomach at night and can only get comfortable enough to sleep by -- um -- spending some time in the bathroom. This hasn't happened to me for several months, so I figured it was something that had been temporary and that I was past. That was until a couple of nights ago when it happened again. It was only then that I deduced the root cause.
One of my favorite late night snacks is cheese and crackers. I usually eat colby or cheddar, but I have been known to use cream cheese as well. The crackers have to be saltines. The very thought of a slice of colby between two saltines makes my mouth water.
As my face was hovering over the toilet bowl something occurred to me. Those offerings that I had given to the porcelain altar in the past have always been very similar. Every time I had gotten sick I had eaten saltines and colby cheese shortly before. I was satisfied with that discovery, but it was only an hour and a half later that my stomach was satisfied enough that it would let me go to sleep.
Does this mean that I will not be eating colby and crackers any more? Of course not. It just means I won't gorge myself on half the package of cheese like I did that night.
One of my favorite late night snacks is cheese and crackers. I usually eat colby or cheddar, but I have been known to use cream cheese as well. The crackers have to be saltines. The very thought of a slice of colby between two saltines makes my mouth water.
As my face was hovering over the toilet bowl something occurred to me. Those offerings that I had given to the porcelain altar in the past have always been very similar. Every time I had gotten sick I had eaten saltines and colby cheese shortly before. I was satisfied with that discovery, but it was only an hour and a half later that my stomach was satisfied enough that it would let me go to sleep.
Does this mean that I will not be eating colby and crackers any more? Of course not. It just means I won't gorge myself on half the package of cheese like I did that night.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
pet rock
I don't generally care to dress up for things. This includes wearing costumes. For this reason I had decided that I would not do a costume for Halloween this year. There wasn't much point, anyway, because I didn't have significant Halloween plans. Then I found out a contest at work would include decent prizes. Since I either go all out or don't do anything at all I went from doing nothing to going all out.
A couple of years ago I had considered being a pet rock for Halloween, mostly because it is something that few other people would think about. That year I dressed as a "Jump to Conclusions" mat instead. This year I decided to try the pet rock idea.
All Sunday I put together the different elements of the costume. I got two trash bags and painted them white and gray and added some green moss. I stuffed the trash bags with newspaper to give a bulgy rock look. I also created a collar out of elastic and added a "Rock" name tag, and created a pet rock carrying case.
Unfortunately, my costume did not place in the contest, so the work was mostly for naught. I also learned that newspaper is an excellent insulator, because I was pretty warm by the end of the session. I have to focus on the positive, though. I did learn that if you set your mind to something and give it your best you can end up with two painted trash bags and an elastic leash within a day's time.
A couple of years ago I had considered being a pet rock for Halloween, mostly because it is something that few other people would think about. That year I dressed as a "Jump to Conclusions" mat instead. This year I decided to try the pet rock idea.
All Sunday I put together the different elements of the costume. I got two trash bags and painted them white and gray and added some green moss. I stuffed the trash bags with newspaper to give a bulgy rock look. I also created a collar out of elastic and added a "Rock" name tag, and created a pet rock carrying case.
Unfortunately, my costume did not place in the contest, so the work was mostly for naught. I also learned that newspaper is an excellent insulator, because I was pretty warm by the end of the session. I have to focus on the positive, though. I did learn that if you set your mind to something and give it your best you can end up with two painted trash bags and an elastic leash within a day's time.
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