Example Conversation:
"How was class?"
"Oh my God it was AMAAAAZING. I tripped walking in, I failed the test, had no idea what the professor was saying the entire time, and on the way out I made a joke about Fergie being not-so-licious and like SEVEN people turned and laughed!"
"Ugh, you are so luckyyyyyy!"
We will also admit, point blank, that we often like people based solely on the fact that they think we're funny. "Oh, she's great. I love her. She thinks I'm hilarious." "Say no more."
Not that you have to laugh at every thing I say in order to be my friend. In fact, the always-laughers can get a bit annoying. All I said is that I want soup! There is nothing funny about that!! Unless it's Monkey Ninja Zombie Pirate soup, you should not be laughing!
And I'm not trying to be like, "Oh, I'm SOOOO funny, everyone loves me SOOOOOO much, this blog is SOOOOOOOO perfectly humorous." I'm just saying, sometimes I make jokes. And sometimes they're funny. And I enjoy when people laugh at said jokes.
So it will come as no surprise to you that people who think Laura or I are markedly NOT funny make us...uncomfortable. My freshman year of college, there was a girl in our group who, for some reason, never heard anything I said. I would make a joke, people would laugh, and she would turn and say, "What?" I would repeat it and she'd just say, "Oh." Even when I said regular things, for some reason she always acted like she didn't hear me. I swear, if the two of us were in a vacuum (shut shut up work with me here) and I was enunciating every word perfectly, and she became some kind of magic lip reader, as soon as I would finish speaking, the girl would probably say, "What?" It infuriated me. She was my first adult nemesis.
Since this girl, I have met a number of people who haven't found my brand of humor particularly alluring. Obviously this is not MY fault. Either they have been raised incorrectly, or they must not get it. There is no possible way that there are people out there who just don't like me. Right? RIGHT?!?!
Anyway, I don't know if you guys know this, but I'm SLIGHTLY sarcastic. And there are some people who just can't grasp it. Like, I'll make a joke that I think is just painfully obviously a joke, and they look at me like I'm from outer space. Which makes me have to do the "Just kidding!" paired with the arm touch. Which, for me, is the sarcastic person's equivalent of "JK LULZ!!!!!!~~~!<3<3<3<3<3 ;-) ROFL :-* LYLAS KIT!!!!"
And it is EQUALLY as painful.
I'm not even one of those dry British humor types who can pull off something that COULD be serious with a straight face. Mine is exaggerated and with a smile. Something you should EASILY understand.
EXAMPLE OF DRY HUMOR I DON'T DO:
(To be said in a Ricky Gervais accent, it helps drive the point home) "Oh, I wouldn't go over there, there's a dead cat over there." *straight face, straight face, straight face* "I'm only joking."
EXAMPLE OF HUMOR I DO DO (tee hee):
"Let's just forget about work and become squirrel mimes!" *smiles, eye roll*
See the difference? But lately I'm starting to think I've accidentally crossed over to the serious, straight-faced humor. Because there are some people who, no matter what I say and how I say it, are NEVER aware that I'm telling a joke. And they look at me like I'm crazy. EVERY. TIME. I'm trying to find it in my soul to still like these people. To go on with the show. To turn the other cheek. You know, like Jesus would do. But I'm finding it harder and harder to feel comfortable in my own skin. As I see it, I can either think of a hilarious joke but then let it just stew inside me like The Bog Of Eternal Stench, or saying the funny thing, watching the "Huh??" reaction, and risk it being the straw that breaks the camel's back and me exploding in a "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IT WAS A JOKE! IT WAS A JOKE! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOUUUUU?"
So I try to tread lightly. Pick my battles. Say only the jokes that are SURE to be funny. Problem is, you never really know what's going to get a good laugh until you say it. So for now, I'm trapped in humor limbo. Possibly forever. JK LULZ!!!!!!~~~!<3<3<3<3<3 ;-) ROFL :-* LYLAS KIT!!!!
4 comments:
You said do do.
I felt like we were humor twins up until the part where you pointed out that you don't have a dry sense of humor. That's pretty much my specialty. I'm thinking of teaching a class at the learning annex.
Well I'm not very dry myself, but at least I understand those who are. I think some people could benefit from a dry humor class or two.
Although, one of my old Creative Directors was British and I was terrified of him for weeks until I realized he's actually very very nice and actually being funny. Just, you know...British.
The British can be quite frightening, so I understand the initial fear you experienced. The first time I learned about the RAF, for some reason I expected it to be some kind of torture internment camp. Turns out it stands for the Royal Air Force.
That's a lot less rational than being afraid of a potentially mean, foreign coworker. Though I never claimed to be rational, I suppose. I forget where I was going with this.
Jolly good blog entry, Emily, as always.
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