I'll try to live up to your expectations, Tanya

One of the more flattering compliments I’ve received over the years actually came from my younger brother who told me: “I like humor writers like Dave Barry but, you know, I think your column’s funnier than his is.”

I thanked him for his vote of confidence and then pondered the injustice of the fact that DB likely made more money at the time I was writing my column than the aggregate wealth of my town. Well, if you don’t include the dope dealers, that is.

But, to be told one brings a little joy into the life of another is high praise indeed. To actually be overtly acknowledged for so doing is even higher praise. I was just acknowledged in such a manner by fellow blogger Tanya, who passed the ‘Fun to Read’ award in my direction. I thank Tanya for the laurel and suggest I find her great fun to read as well, and virtually always go to a blog that tells in delightful manner about assorted arts and crafts projects, observations about life, amusing anecdotes about children, her own and otherwise. If you haven’t visited Tanya, do so. While that’s not an order, it is a strong directive.

Now, to respond to the criteria and offer the award to some individuals I consistently find fun to read. Actually, everybody on my blogroll is fun to read or they wouldn’t be on said blogroll, so it’s difficult to narrow you all down. But, here goes:

A relatively recent discovery, and a person I find downright, laugh-out-loud, pee-in-your-pants funny is an English miss who goes by the name Girl With a Mask. Check her out, and especially her ruminations on home, hearth and wonderful parents and let us know if your knickers stay dry.

Jazz is a favorite of mine who goes back to my earlier days of blogging. She and I are kindred spirits in so many respects so our respective senses of humor run along the same plane.

Wolfgirl is not only a favorite human being (should mention, I have known her since she was a wee lass) and a helluva writer at professional and published level, but she is wonderfully droll.

Also right at the top in drollery department is the inimitable and embraceable Heart in San Francisco. She and I are of roughly the same vintage so we can relate at many levels. She can be deadly serious and also pricelessly funny.

Again, in the people of certain years and sensibilities should stick together, I must include Leslie. She lives and has lived a fascinating life and recounts her adventures in a humorous and sometimes iconoclastic manner. We also shared mutual grief about the untimely and unnecessary passing of Mr. George Carlin.

From the frigid north comes Get Off My Lawn (as if they have lawns up where he lives) who again offers slice-of-life stuff but from the perspective of somebody living and following a noble pedagogical calling out there far beyond the last fast-food joint, and gets much joy out of what some of us might regard as deprivation.

Check ‘em out and I hope those so awarded will choose a number of worthy recipients of their own.

Laughter – says the Readers’ Digest, and who can dispute what they say? – is the ‘Best Medicine.’

In that they are right. If we couldn’t laugh then I think we’d kill ourselves. God’s greatest gift is our sense of humor, and I am very wary of, even frightened by those without a funny bone. Something is missing in them. And when I lose my sense of humor due to bits of stress and duress in my life – and believe me I have them and sometimes whimsy flees me – I know I’m back on track when I can laugh again.

What or who makes me laugh? Too numerous to mention in totality, and it often varies according to my mood. But, here is the crème-de-la-crème in my lexicon:

The Simpsons
George Carlin
Richard Pryor.
Fawlty Towers
Esquire Magazine’s annual Dubious Achievement Awards (and I may not forgive them for killing the concept last year)
WC Fields
The Marx Bros.
The old Dick Van Dyke Show
The first two years of The National Lampoon
Annie Hall (except for Diane Keaton; anything else except for Diane Keaton)
The Life of Brian
The Two Ronnies (but only Ronnie Barker)
The original Thin Man movie (better lines are hard to find)

The Office, both UK and US versions

The end. Well, not really, but this is getting too long.