Swickard: Funny is all around us

© 2017 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  “Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” Peter Ustinov
             No matter where I am I find funny things all around me. While I have a serious side, it’s connected to my comedy side. I should have a sign on the back of my head, “Clown on board.”
            At the hospital for a blood test I was asked, “When and where were you born?” I answered, “I was born August 24, 1950 at 11:35 a.m. in Delivery Room B, Holloman Air Force Base Hospital with Capitan Wilbur Anderson attending.” Yep, they looked up.
            I find so much funny day to day. Example: one day when I was doing talk radio I found a newspaper story that workers at the Federal Mint were striking. I read the headline, “Union workers at the Federal Mint strike demanding to make less money.”
            My motto is: blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused. At a Sonic, there was a gap of time between when I pushed the button and the order taker answered. She said, “Sorry for the wait…” I immediately said, “I’m not sorry, I got this extra weight here and enjoyed every bite of it.”
            The order takers said, “What?” I replied, “Never mind.”
            I love two story buildings with an elevator. When someone walks in I ask, “Which floor?” They look confused and say, “Two.” I punch the button and reply, “Good choice.”
            I have always admired cartoonists so much so that many years ago I started a cartoon strip and actually got one newspaper to carry it. The name was: In The Dark. All that was shown was the talking bubbles on a dark background. The dialog was funny such as: Why are the classroom lights off… budget cuts… what are we studying? The Dark Ages.
            Several months into the run the newspaper editor asked me, “What do your characters look like?” I replied, “They look like they are standing in the dark.
            He got a puzzled look on his face and asked, “You don’t know how to draw, do you?” I smiled, “Not even a stick figure so that’s why they are in the dark.” Go figure, he cancelled the strip and called it the stupidest thing he had ever seen. Perhaps it was, but I can put cartoonist on my writing credits.
            A couple of sayings: Doing it the hard way is always easier. And, easy money is always the hardest. Lead me not into temptation… I can find it myself. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you’ll have trouble putting on your pants.
            There was a question sent to some electrical workers in a neighborhood after a resident called management to report that they were cursing. The reply was, “Me and Amos was climbing up a pole when Amos dropped all his tools on my head so I said to him ‘Please be more careful’ or words to that effect.” I find that funny. 



The NMSU Aggie Football team was on a 17 game losing streak



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