  Comedy
This week: Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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"I had thought — I had been told — that a 'funny' thing is a thing of a goodness. It isn't. Not ever is it funny to the person it happens to. Like that sheriff without his pants. The goodness is in the laughing itself. I grok it is a bravery... and a sharing... against pain and sorrow and defeat."
- Valentine Michael Smith
(Robert Heinlein,
Stranger in a Strange Land) |
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St. Patrick's Day
Ah... March is finally here. With it comes visions of spring (except in retail stores, where they're already putting up Christmas displays; after all, there's only 289 shopping days left!)
And the first sign of spring is usually St. Patrick's Day.
(It's traditional to wear green on SPD. Hence, the font.)
Falling as it does only a few days before the Spring Equinox, it's easy to see how the day became popular as a kind of Spring ritual, a sort of secular Easter. The "green" motif fits in nicely with the return of leaves to the trees, as well as with what one looks like after consuming too much beer.
What I don't get is: What's the deal with the Irish?
Don't look at me like that. I'm not being an ugly American. Some of my best friends are Irish. I mean, how did one nationality end up completely dominating an entire holiday? Look: All the other holidays we celebrate are, in some way, linked either to our own countries (such as Thanksgiving or Independence Day in the US or Guy Fawkes Day in England) or to no single country in particular. While there's some support for celebrating Cinco de Mayo here in the US, mostly that support comes from beer companies trying to make a buck.
But on St. Patrick's Day, that most Irish of all days, they even put green dye in the fountain outside the White House. (The White House, it should be noted, was designed by an Irishman.) As far as I can tell, no other public celebration captures the minds and imaginations of so many outside its ethnicity of origin.
Some Irish priest managed to get it on the Catholic liturgical calendar back in the 1600's, and from there it pretty much spread to the entire world like smallpox. But the Catholic liturgical calendar is jam-packed with holidays; what makes SPD so special?
I thought about this, and I could only come up with one rational, logical answer:
Leprechauns.
That's the only reason I can think of why something with an origin on a small island could possibly have gained worldwide traction.
So next week, when you're tipping a few back in honor of the wearin' of the green, be sure to thank the wee folk for having the grace to send you part of their good fortune.
And I'll finish with a joke about Ireland, just to continue to earn the wrath of the Islanders:
An American Pagan Priestess of Irish descent with whom I am acquainted went to visit the Old Country. She went around the country, seeing the sights, speaking with the locals, honing her Irish accent.
One fine day she found herself in a small cottage outside a rural village. She sat down to dinner with her hosts. The lady of the house asked her, "So, dearie. Are ye Catholic or Protestant?"
My friend swallowed and said, with some trepidation. "Neither, actually. I'm... Pagan."
The woman chuckled and touched her arm. "Of course, dear. Aren't we all? But are ye a Catholic Pagan or a Protestant Pagan?" |
Some themed picks
And be sure to check out this contest, currently running an SPD theme!
Submitted Item:
Being Diane  sends in "Invalid Item" with the following comment:
"Valentine's Day, Ba hum bug or what ever a scrooge would say. I do make use of the holiday for those of you who like me, think of the day as a day for teeny bopper love! The thing to do is send cards to those people who sent you Christmas cards and you forgot to send them to! Makes you come out smelling like a rose..excuse the pun.
As far as the highlighted item you kids can learn a lesson. Read on!! Be Diane just tryin' to be herself"
Thanks, Diane! Me, I'd send the cards to whomever sent me fruitcake on Christmas. Revenge, you know. |
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In the now legendary "Comedy Newsletter (February 10, 2010)" , I had words to say about love, as it was approaching Singles Awareness Day. Y'all had this to say:
Vivian  : Uh, the pale gray text was rather difficult for older eyes to read.
Funny as usual, Robert, what I could read. *laugh*
Sigh. I was trying to emulate what my voice would sound like from within the gas mask I donned to keep from breathing in the "love." Oh, well - sometimes experiments fail. 
faithjourney: Valentines Day - blah. It's a holiday to make everybody feel like a loser and make Hallmark, flower shops, and chocolate manufacturers rich. At least you get beer on St. Patricks Day!
I don't know about you, but I get beer anytime I want it! 
LJPC - the tortoise : Hi Robert! I changed the text-size to large and every-freakin'-thing got bigger EXCEPT your teeny-tiny editorial. I read it anyway in order to soak up your words of wisdom. You'll be getting my optometrist's bill in the morning... -- Laura
Okay, okay, I get it. The tiny text didn't achieve its intended comic effect.
Katya the Poet  : Hey, thanks for including my bad love poem. I hope everyone keeps their gas masks on when they read it! What a fun way to celebrate Lupercalia--your newsletter! Thanks--loved all of it, down to the comments.
Me, I'm just glad I didn't have to bribe everyone to get comments this time! Maybe if I kept writing with size-2 text, I'd get more feedback... nah.
THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  :
I'm not going out on Valentine's Day.
And if I do, I'll wear old shoes.
- Sonali
Hey, the Poetry Newsletter's that-a-way 
NanoWriMo2018 Into the Earth : Very cute read!
Thanks!
And that's it for me for March... tune in next time (if the leprechauns haven't found me and exacted revenge) as we see what April showers might bring. Until then,
LAUGH ON! |
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Comedy: March 10, 2010 Issue [#3602]
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