I’ve enjoyed humor as long as I can recall. I remember seeing (and loving) “I Love Lucy” episodes before I could read. I loved comedians and sitcoms on television throughout my youth. I still like humorous programs, movies, and books, but I don’t consume humor nearly as much now as I once did.
I tried to be funny when I was young, with uneven results. I could barely remember jokes, and my delivery was terrible. I told my mother I was five years old when I was four. I thought that was hilarious. She went along with it at the time. Several years later, this same mother told me to stop trying to be funny. I think I was driving her nuts. Her request was a preface to more than one future girlfriend saying to me, “You think you’re funny, but you’re not!” I eventually stopped trying so hard to be funny, except for occasional smart-ass comments and comebacks.
I went to college after high school and moved into the basement of a house with some guys who were all at least as funny as I was. We made each other laugh. I probably should have worked harder on my schoolwork and spent less time cutting up with these guys. Still, I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed harder than the time a neighboring coed attended a Marine Ball with a young man in a Marine uniform. Late that night, when he was kissing her goodnight, four or five of my roommates ran into the yard below her door and started singing a drunken version of “From The Halls of Montezuma” while they marched in place. I was watching from the house, laughing my insides out. To his credit, the Marine didn’t lose his cool. Maybe you had to be there (a cliché I love).
I’ve tried to be a funny writer, with very little success. There are some cringe-worthy writings of mine somewhere out there on the internet, most of which I’d erase if I could.
After I mostly stopped trying to be funny, I’ve had several people tell me, “You’re A Funny Guy.” I’m not trying to steal a “Goodfellas” reference, but sometimes I think, “Funny how? What did I say?” “You should be a writer David, write a book, write this stuff down.” Write WHAT stuff down?
So, I gathered a list of things to write about, some not that funny. I don’t have enough material for a book, I’m not sure I have enough for a blog, but I’ve created this blog anyway, and this is my first post.