The Funnies

30 Days of Gratitude
Day Three

There's nothing better than laughing out loud ... or trying desperately to stifle a giggle when it's threatening to erupt into full-fledged guffaws in a totally inappropriate place -- like when you're covering during a murder trial (it was a lawyer's fault, I swear) or when you're trying to reprimand your teenage daughter.

Try as I might, I'm not personally very funny. I'm a little surly, in fact, and I can flat ruin a good joke in the retelling. But I love to laugh, so I surround myself with silly people.

So today, I'm thankful for them and their silliness, and all the other stuff in life that makes me cackle, chuckle, snicker, grin, whoop, smile or smirk.

Don Sears. Without fail, he can inject humor into even the most serious of moments. His dry wit and amazing timing leaves me giggling, every time.

My friend Rivan. When she gets tickled about something, she's like a hysterical mime -- her giggle is all body language and no sound, and you just know it's gonna explode any minute, but it never does. Cracks me up.  And her husband, John, who just has to look at me sometimes to make me start laughing.

My buddies at work. Especially New Chris, with his sly humor. Plus, he likes all the same comedians I do, and we have a lot of fun laughing about things Old Chris doesn't get.

My silly hubby. Poor Luther ... not everyone gets his sometimes esoteric brand of humor, but he can make me laugh in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight, and for that I am TRULY thankful.

My daughter. She's 14. 'Nuff said.

Mike Tucker and Ann Wilson Floyd have the most contagious laughs on the planet. I can hear either one of them howling about something and it doesn't even matter that I don't know what they're laughing at ... I'll giggle 'til my sides hurt.

Sharon and Mandy -- especially when they're arguing about something. Which is almost all the time. How can twin sisters be so completely alike and so completely different at the same time?

Richard Pryor. George Carlin. Patton Oswalt. Tosh.O. (I don't want to laugh but I just can't help myself.) Lewis Black. Dane Cook (oh, don't scowl. You know he's funny.)  Monty Python -- all the movies, and especially "The Flying Circus" TV reruns. Louis CK. (Check out his "everything's amazing and nobody's happy" YouTube video.)

"The Office." The addition of James Spader was pure genious. "The League" (I know, I know, it's really foul, but damn, it's funny!). "30 Rock" ... well, anything Tina Fey does. "Bridesmaids." "Airplane!" "Animal House." "Finding Nemo." "Shrek." "Whitney."

The Homer Simpson Hula Girl dashboard music box in which he sings "Tiny Bubbles" while bobbling back and forth.

My Hallmark Hoops and Yo-Yo Daily Calendar. ("It's TODAY! YAY! It could be the best day of the rest of your life! Or the worst ... really, you've got a 50-50 chance, so get out there!!!!")

David Sedaris -- he's so coy ... and insane. I drive Luther crazy when I'm reading one of his books because I keep saying, "Listen to this one!" -- over and over and over.

Awkwardfamilypetphotos.com -- just discovered this one today. The captions are even funnier than the photos, which are unintentionally hysterical -- especially because they were taken to be genuine. If you go to the site, be sure to check out the space photo on page14. I nearly shot oatmeal across the room this morning when I saw it.

Jon Stewart. Stephen Colbert. Anyone who does political satire. And speaking of politics, I can now add Rick Perry and Herman Cain. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.

Snoopy, doing the happy dance, of course. Gary Larson and his "Far Side" cartoons. Calvin and Hobbes ... every single panel. "The Family Circus." I used to think it was stupid; then I had a 4-year-old. The running gag that shows the kid making this ridiculously circuitous path from his bedroom to the kitchen when he's called for supper -- with the little hash marks that show him going through the living room and out the front door and around the tree and back into the back door and through the laundry room before he finally makes it to the kitchen table is spot on. Who knew?




I know I left people out -- it's not that I don't think you're funny, it's just that it's 11 o'clock and my brain is winding down. You know who you are! And thank you.