Saturday Satire - Genetics: A Comedy Series

 

My son took one comedy class with me…well two; Now he’s Mr. Funny Man every chance he gets. I make one slip of the tongue, verbal blunder, mental hiccup, and he leaps on the opportunity. His eyes bulge and he blares out, “What!?”

He used that one word as a declarative statement, a full sentence. My son fired off joke after joke after joke like fireworks on Independence Day. Let me tell you my story.

I was scheduled to perform comedy in a city two hours from home. My friend and her significant other, I’ll call him Joe went with me for support. Joe drove for us, as he has done several times.

Before I left home I was telling my son about the show, “Carla and Joe are going to the show with me tonight. I need to grab $20 to give Joe for gas.”

My son stopped what he was doing, glared me, and said, “WHAT?!”

“Ma, you’re going to give a grown man twenty dollars to drive you four hours to a sundown town, to listen to you talk about menopause? Twenty dollars will get him four gallons of gas. You’re hilarious.”

His rant continued, “You put Ms. Carla in a bad spot. Now she’s gonna have to rub his feet, scratch his back, cook dinner; All because he’s helping her friend. You think an Andrew Jackson goes a long way.”

I let him get all the words out of his head and into the atmosphere. “You offered me that same twenty dollars to cut the grass, paint the screen door, and repair a hole in the wall.”

When my son finally paused I said, “Well, that twenty dollars for you was just a love offering, you can complete the tasks for free. No need to worry, when I go to your house I will be sure to leave a trail of shoes, clothes, and dishes throughout each room.”

I chuckled. You would have thought we were in sone kind of roast battle. No winner was declared. I strolled off as I said, “And I WILL be giving Joe more than $20.”

Each day my son displays more evidence that he truly has my DNA. In addition to his sense of humor, he has my temperament, my allergies…and my Adam’s apple.

I must not leave out my other son; he’s the real DNA winner. He has my mustache…my chin hairs…and my chest hairs. Just kidding, he doesn’t have chest hairs.”

What is something funny that your child or someone else’s child has said to you?

Wordless Wednesday - Holiday Humor

 

YouTube Video: Humor Happy Hour - White Christmas

YouTube Video: Humor Happy Hour - A DIY Christmas

Happy Holidays to you and your family! Make time for humor during your Holiday season.

Monday Musings - Gratitude served with a side of humor

 

A week without a razor, can you imagine what that looks like…if you have a menopausal mustache? I nearly experienced such a travesty on a recent vacation.  I am grateful that I had my pink Gillette double blade razor.

I won’t get into the debate over the use of razors versus tweezing or waxing. I will say that when it comes to hair in unwanted places, my motto is “hair today, gone tomorrow.”

On a trip with friends, I had many opportunities to express gratitude. One morning as I was washing my face with the white hotel washcloth, I noticed something white left behind under my chin. It looked like a small piece of cotton. I attempted to wipe it away, but my effort was futile.

Upon close scrutiny, with my head tilted back, chin in the air, and leaning toward the bathroom mirror, I came to a conclusion. What I thought was cotton, was really one, lone grey hair, fighting for survival. Well, not on my watch. I grabbed my Gillette double blade razor and swiped it away.

Satisfied with my temporarily smooth chin, I put the razor away. Those annoying hairs would return before the end of the week, but I would be ready.

It seems as I age, my hair grows where I don’t want it and disappears where I do want it. If you stand too closely in my personal space, you may notice that hairs have shifted from my eyebrows down to my chin. I am grateful to my chin for being so accommodating and welcoming. However, I’d rather the hairs disappear…like my waistline.

I’m not complaining, just navigating the maze of life through steamed eyeglasses due to hot flashes.

If I could choose a superpower, I would want it to be laughter. My cape would have the letters ‘LL’ branded on it for Lady Laughter. I would go around brightening people’s day by making them laugh. Wait. I do that now, with comedy.

I am grateful for humor, laughter and the opportunities that arise for me to share a giggle.

My challenge to you is to flip the script on any challenging situation this week. Instead of being frustrated, take a deep breath, and find the funny,

 

Monday Musings – From Grumpy to Grateful: Flipping the Switch on a Bad Day

 

Grateful for an abundance of shoes; frustrated that they all remain at the front door.

Grumpy is easy to achieve, but so is being grateful…well, it should be easy. Now that I think about it, expressing gratitude can require practice, especially when frustrating circumstances pop up. I like to flip the switch on a grumpy day by using humor and expressing gratitude that the situation was not worse.

My son once told me, “Ma, you’re the most positive person I know. If I tell you, I broke my toe, you’ll say, ‘at least you have nine other healthy ones.’”

That is not a totally true statement. I strive to practice positivity, but there are glitches in my system. Sometimes complaints flow from that hole in my face, called a mouth, like a waterfall.

I’ve come home from work to dirty dishes in the sink, mail scattered on a table, and so many shoes at my front door that it looks like we’re part owner of a Footlocker shoe store. Before I even make it to my bedroom, I stop to straighten couch pillows, straighten shoes, and move random dishes to the kitchen. I do all of this mumbling and grumbling.

Instead of stressing myself over the little things I decided to flip the script. I set my mind to resolve this situation with humor tactics. The President of the United States has the State of the Union address, I created the State of the House address, and it’s not the House of Representative.

My State of the House address would include the following (directed to my offspring)…

Fourscore and 20 years ago we moved into this house. A declaration was created, giving you unalienable rights. However, those rights were under the discretion of “The People” hereafter known as “The Parents.” Article 7 Clause 2 says Honor thy mother and father…oh wait, that statement is from a different book. But follow it anyway.

If you look at the photo attached to this article, how many people would you think reside there? If you guessed any more than three, you’d be wrong. The reason they are so neatly arranged is because I organized them for the photo.

I no longer get frustrated when things are out of place. I enjoy the company of laughing with my son and turning his shenanigans into comedy. And I wish him well when he has kids. Just to prepare him for what is to come, I demonstrated when I visited his house.

My son had a few pair of shoes neatly lined up at his front door. I said, “Oh, your shoes re so neat.” I gave each pair a little kick, “Now that’s better.”

My son looked at me and rolled his eyes.

You may have heard it before; Laughter is good medicine; it can turn your day around. The next time you’re having a grumpy day, stop, take a deep breath, then engage in something that will make you laugh.

 

Fun Friday - Pulling back the curtains of comedy

Kick off your weekend with humor. There is something exhilarating about engaging in laughter. The happy endorphins are flowing through your body, you're relaxed, and it's pure bliss.

As a comedian, I have just as much fun at the audience when I'm on stage, If you're laughing, I'm having a blast. As with any career, comedians are at different phases and levels in their journey. I had the opportunity to open a show for veteran comedian (years and years in the game), Drew Thomas.

After doing my set, then introducing Drew, I sat int the Green Room and  and engaged enjoyed his humor. He immediately captured the audiences attention and engaged them in what he was saying.

Check out a snippet of Drews comedy below. You can see his full special at Dry Bar Comedy.

Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy

Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle

Until next time, keep laughing.

Humor Happy Hour - What's funny about new glasses?

 

YouTube Video: Humor Happy Hour - New Glasses

Monday Musings – Laughing into the Holidays

 

Come out for laughs on December 6

‘Tis the season to be jolly. There’s nothing more festive than the sound of laughter. Well, there are other things, but laughter is at the top of the list. You may be familiar with the holiday song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, this year let’s change that song to the Twelve Days of Laughter.

If you were given a challenge (which I’m suggesting now) to come up with twelve ways to include laughter in your day, what would they be? Below are a few ideas I came up with:

On the first day of laughter my true love gave to me, a comedy show ticket wrapped neatly.

On the second day of laughter my true love shared with me, two holiday movies, and a comedy show wrapped neatly.

If you haven’t guessed yet, you should be singing (in your head) the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas. I won’t ask you to sing the entire song right now, but I will share a list of more ways you can include laughter in your holiday. Since I’ve already shared two ways, below are ten additional ideas.

1.      Read a book that includes humor.

2.      Funny gift exchange – have a white elephant gift exchange. My family does this at our Christmas dinner. I’ve found fun gifts at Five Below and the Dollar Tree.

3.      Ugly Sweater Contest

4.      Play silly party games – my family doesn’t know it yet but we’re playing Pin the Heart on the Grinch. You could also play Pin the Nose on Rudolph or start a game of Christmas Charades. For Christmas Charades create words or phrases that are holiday themed like “Sleigh ride or “building a snowman.”

5.      Karaoke – change the song lyrics to the wrong words and wait for laughter.

6.      Share funny holiday stories.

7.      Silly Selfies – take silly selfies with a friend or family. Have someone else create a funny caption.

8.      Lip Sync Battle – Choose a favorite song, go all out and make the performance dramatic.

9.      Snowball Toss – set up buckets or bowls labeled with different point value and have players toss marshmallows (your snowballs) into them.

10. Laugh Fest – on the twelfth day of laughter, share the gift of laughter with twelve people. This can be friends, family, or strangers. You decide how to deliver joy.

As you laugh into the holidays remember to relax, create memories, and be present in the moment. How will you include laughter in your holiday season?

Fa,la,la…

Wordless Wednesday - Comedy Relief - Dry Bar Comedy - Rahn Hortman

 Have you ever watched Dry Bar Comedy? Take a peek. Take time to laugh today.

YouTube Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy

You Are What Your Wife Tells You. Rahn Hortman - Full Special

Wordless Wednesday - Motivational quotes about laughter

 

YouTube Video Credit: 5 Minutes of daily motivation

Wellness Wednesday – 3 Ways to laugh yourself happy

 

Laughter is wellness. When you include laughter in your selfcare it can brighten your daily mood. Create happiness in your day with laughter.

Here are 3 ways to laugh yourself happy:

1.      Include laughter as part of your daily routine. Are there things you do to start your day? Add laughter to your program. Keep a joke book next to your bed. One of my favorites is a  Reader’s Digest joke book. Many of the jokes are short, you could read a page a day. If you want to keep a smile across your face, take short breaks in your work day to read a quick joke.

2.      Start a joke jar. This is something you can do as a family. Have each family member write a funny joke on a slip of paper and place it in a jar. During dinner have one person pull from the jar and read the joke. Let the laughter begin. The joke may lead to a trip down memory lane, reflecting on other fun times.

3.      Laugh at yourself. We practice this one in my household. My 26-year-old son called me the other day and said, “Ma, you won’t believe what just happened to me.” I pressed the phone closer to my ear in anticipation of his story.

Let me set the stage for you…it was a cold and snowy day. My son said, “I had my Crocs on and went outside to warm my car up…and slipped on the snow. I think it was caught on The Ring.”

Sure enough, his episode in the snow was caught on his Ring security camera. He did not simply slip on the snow, he was diving forward. He slid a couple of times as if he were ice skating, put his hand down to brace himself, slid again, then finally back up on his feet.

My son shared his video clip with me and gave me permission to laugh, and to share his mishap. No he was not hurt, and he was able to laugh at himself.

YouTube Video: A trip to the car that goes wrong (humorously speaking).

Laughter is wellness. Laugh yourself happy, beginning today.

Fun Friday – Where do you find humor?

 

Laughter with friends

Did you know that children laugh over 200 times a day and adults only about 17 times? It’s time to increase our laugh quotient. Humor is all around us. Think about that statement and observe your surroundings as you go through your day.

If you have ever received unwanted emails, take a look at them before deleting; see if you can uncover humor. I sometimes wonder how I am targeted for certain emails. Here’s what was going through my head as I read through emails recently:

No, I’ve never been to Camp Lejeune.

No, I don’t have a pending asbestos lawsuit.

And Harry’s Men’s Razor…please stop pressuring me about my mustache. How do they even know I have a mustache?

Family can also serve as a source of humor, without even realizing it. I had a conversation the other day with my roommate (my adult son), “Buddy, could you unload the dishwasher for me? This is not the first time I’ve mentioned this.”

He said, “Oh, I forget about the dishes. I don’t go over that way much.”

“It’s next to the refrigerator!”

I love my family, but I also read them my Miranda Rights of Comedy. You have the right to remain silent. Anything crazy, dumb, or stupid that you say, may end up in my comedy.

If by chance humor doesn’t jump out at you, create it yourself.

If you are ready to engage in laughter join me and several of my fellow comedians for a Zoom Comedy Showcase – February 13^th 7pm EST. The show is free, but you must register to receive the link.

May your days be filled with laughter.

Wordless Wednesday - A Shot of Humor - Dry Bar Comedy

 Here's a shot of Humor for your day.

Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Women Need to Appreciate Themselves - Tara Brown

Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Tara Brown

Feel Good Friday – Stress is a Laughing Matter

 

Judy Carter, Comedian, and Author of the Comedy Bible

Stress is a Laughing Matter is a phrase used by Judy Carter, author, and comedian. This was also the title of a workshop Judy facilitated at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop (October 2022). Judy encouraged the audience to look at our problems as punchlines. She speaks and writes about finding happiness when you’re stressed.

You may be wondering how stress can be a laughing matter. Well, it’s actually how you deal with stress that involves laughter. Whether you want to perform stand-up comedy, add humor to your writing, or just make it through a challenging time, laughter helps. Laughter as well as storytelling that can be healing.

I’m in the process of turning a problem into a punchline. Here’s my story, it’s a tale of aging.

The radio in my bathroom was blaring with the latest pop song. The volume was cranked up so I could hear it over the pulsating shower water. I hummed to the tunes as I lathered, rinsed, and began to dry off. I pulled the shower curtain open, and a cool breeze tickled my nose, which caused a gentle sneeze…that threw my back out.

I was standing there alone, just me, the radio, and my towel; standing bent over in excruciating pain each time I tried to stand upright. All I could do was tilt my head upward as I thought, what just happened? Did I sneeze and throw my back out? Am I about to die clean, but ashy?

Of course, I was being a drama queen, but I needed a distraction form the pain. The situation was in no way funny at the time. A couple of days later after an Aleve and a lidocaine patch, I took a few minutes to reflect.

I took that painful incident and added it to a comedy set that I was working on. Using the art of exaggeration, the situation was made to appear ginormous (gigantic and enormous). I’m not sure that’s a real word, but it added an element of humor.

How can you turn stress into a laughing matter? Give it a try. Think of a situation that was not funny at the time it was occurring. Share your story with a friend, but retell it using exaggeration, and acting it out. You’re on your way to using laughter to relieve a little stress.

Stress is a laughing matter, that’s my point of view…and Judy’s, and I’m sticking with it.

Wordless Wednesday - Midweek Laughter Tip

Think about about an activity or situation that makes you smile or laugh. Go out today and find something that makes smle, giggle or laugh. It will brighten your day.

A peek inside a virtual comedy showcase.

Humor at work - what is one job you wouldn't want?

Wordless Wednesday - Funny quotes to make you laugh

 

YouTube Video Credit:Quote Wishes Sayings

Fun Friday – Finding Laughter in Life Situations

 

Never leave these in your car, they're delicious. Everyone thinks so.

My Mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.’” Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump’s Mama was right...you never know what you’re gonna get in life. I didn’t expect what I got as I drove to work the other day.

I must confess…I’m a snacker. I am rarely without a snack of some kind. It could be an apple...but it could also be something chocolatey.

I tried a new snack – it was dark chocolate, nuts, and sea salt. About a 4oz bag. I munched on it in the car, chewed slowly savoring each bite, as the experts say we should do. And I was trying not to eat the whole bag in one sitting.

I only ate half.

Left the bag on the passenger seat. I didn’t need the car for a couple days because I worked form home briefly.

As I drove to work the following day, I decided to nibble on the delightful treat. I got ready to open the bag, but it was ripped near the top. I’m thinking to myself I don’t think I ripped the bag like that.

I squinted, looked more closely at the passenger seat…there were shredded pieces of the package and the bag held less than a handful of crumbs.

It’s been said that as we age our memory leaves us a little, but I know I didn’t eat that entire package.

I called my mother on the car speaker phone and said, “I think an animal has been in my car, that was parked inside the garage with all the window up.”

Her response was, “hopefully nothing is still in the car with you.”

My moms’ comment was less than comforting and filled my mind with visions animals slithering, flying, or attacking me from the backseat of my car. As I sat at a red light, I glanced at the passenger seat again. There were a few tiny black specks, about the size of a broken pencil led.

My body heated up with panic at the realization of what I saw…mouse poop. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Stuart Little are all cute character mice, but that critter who devoured my granola and relieved itself, was not cute.

What made that critter think it was okay to invade my space? There was no shingle hanging from my hood that said, “Welcome, we’ll leave the light on for you.”

My mouse incident wasn’t funny, but I needed to make light of it in order to work through it. Sometimes we have to lighten up and laugh at the crazy things that cross our paths. This is when you need a healthy dose of laugher.

E.E. Cummings said, “the most wasted day of all is one without laughter.”

Think about a situation that you’ve experienced that was less than ideal. Now think about something that would make the situation funny.

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

Go that extra mile to find humor in life situations.

 

Words of Wisdom – Laughter H.E.L.P.S. – A Happier, Healthier, You

 

Did you know that laughter improves your mood, and reduces the stress response? This is one of the many reasons why I recommend a dose of laughter every day. Include laughter as part of your self-care.

Speaking of self-care…I promised to reveal the cover of my forthcoming eBook:

Laughter H.E.L.P.S. - A Happier, Healthier, You

Without further ado…here it..is…

Inspiration, Self-care, Humor

Share a comment about something that made you laugh recently.

Wellness Wednesday – The Laughter Project Too

 

The challenge in week one was to create a Humor Journal. The Humor Journal is your collection of funny thoughts, quote, drawings, or anything that makes you smile. What made you smile last week?

Here is something I found interesting in the past week.

Visiting a Relative

I visited a relative on Labor Day and enjoyed chatting and breaking bread together. As I sat at the dining room table, I began to swing my legs playfully as they dangled. The thought struck me, I’m sitting in a high chair of sorts.

My thoughts took me down a path of… As infants we ate our food while sitting in highchairs, kicking and screaming to get out when done. As adults we hop up onto highchairs with glee, kicking and swinging our legs because we’re having fun. I guess this is one example of how our perspective changes as we grow older.

I’ll leave you with a thought for the day – “Humor is the best icebreaker” (8,789 Words of Wisdom by Barbara Ann Kipfer).

YouTube Video Credit: Tim Hawkins - Christian Comedy

May your day be filled with laughter. Take note of what makes you smile this week.

 

Wordless Wednesday - Laughter is the best medicine

Take the time to add a little laughter to your day.

Muffins with Mom – Laughter is the best medicine- Have you had your dose?

Earth laughs in flowers – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If laughter is the best medicine, don’t forget to take your daily dose. Where can you find laughter? It’s all around you. Take a deep breath, hold it, and exhale slowly through your nose. Now relax and observe your surroundings throughout your day.

If you struggle to find a reason to chuckle, read a comic strip, a joke book or search YouTube for a comedian’s routine. If all else fails spend a week with my family, something is bound to happen.

While visiting my mom over the Holiday, she pulled out a pajama shirt that belonged to my son when he was two or three years old. We were feeling nostalgic holding the tiny shirt in the air for the whole family to see. My words to my teen son were, “Do you think you can still fit this shirt?”

I didn’t have to say another word, my son began to tug and pull at the shirt until he stretched it enough to get it over his head. He is not one to back down from a challenge. Below are fashion clips of the pajama top from the past.

Have you heard the saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Like my son, I sometimes meet a challenge head on. Again, mom provided fodder for my episode. She’d purchased an extra pair of leggings and asked if I wanted them or my niece who was at mom’s house visiting too.

Before my niece could snag them I spoke up, “I’ll take them. I like the color.” Mom told us the leggings were one size fits all and she had a pair just like them for herself. When I got home I attempted to squeeze into the leggings and found out they were not even one size fits most.

The heel of my foot got stuck at the bottom of the pants while trying to pull them on. The waist of the pants didn’t make it up to my waist. Finally, I sat on the floor in my bedroom and tugged and pulled until I freed my body from the one size fits…not me leggings.

What made me thing I could fit those pants??! (photo below). I folded the pants and packaged them to send to me niece, maybe she would have better luck with them. I called mom and said, “Please don’t buy anymore clothes from the beauty supply store or the drug store. I don’t think this is their specialty.”

What does your dose of laughter look like?