Does that one funny guy in your office, the guy you opened a Twitter account for because you were beginning to feel left out of office conversations, and even Seinfeld follows him, does he seem funnier lately? When he walks into a room, do you start to smile just at the sight of him?
Or how about that local newspaper columnist, the one who has been writing humorous anecdotes about everything from dirty socks to dating rituals for the last thirty years-is she on fire right now? Is she making you snort hot coffee in the morning?
Do you find yourself tuning in to old episodes of America’s Funniest Videos, Cheers and Friends? Do you laugh harder than you did the first time you watched them? Do you think to yourself, “Now this is entertainment!”?
Do the funniest YouTube videos seem to b e getting funnier?
Maybe you’re like me.
In tense times, we all react in different ways: Some of us work on setting things right, some on staying oblivious. Some despair, some reach for a drink, others for a weapon. I send in the clowns.
If you need me, I’ll be the one sitting on a stool at the end of the bar calling, “Hi Norm!”. The one standing beside Lucy and Ethel on the assembly line with a kerchief in my hair, stuffing chocolates into my mouth or dancing down the street with Laverne and Shirley. The one having breakfast with Jerry, Ellen and George. The one with the Jennifer haircut. My friend, Jayne Martin, wrote eloquently about Sheltering in Place. I guess I’m doing that in my own way. How do you cope?
Chicken out
Chicken's Consigliere 
I realize I am so consumed with getting two children and myself to work and back, and get them ready for school, i haven’t made an opinion on the state of the world. Probably just as well.
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Hi Joanne-Seems sometimes like there are already too many opinions out there. I’ll keep mine to myself, as well:-)
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I am watching Outlander reruns on Starz, other stuff on Netflix and elsewhere (most recently “Happy-ish” and “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”) and reading. I avoid the major news networks (especially this week, but probably in general until mid-November). I no longer follow a lot of FB feeds that are continuously political. I get outside and enjoy nature, even if it’s just a few minutes on my deck with a glass of iced tea.
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I’m still making my way through Outlander for the first time. Did you read the books? I read them 15 or 16 years ago, the first few anyways. Once they moved to America, I started to fall off the Outlander wagon, so I don’t know what happened. I’m thinking of taking a total break from everything except music for a little while-maybe it will help me shake this funk!
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I did read them all, but enjoyed the first three books the most. Once they got to America, things got a bit tedious and downright unbelievable/laughable at times, but I kept going. I’m re-reading the first books now and enjoying them all over. Or, I should say, listening to them via Audible. The audio book versions are narrated by Davina Porter, who is hands down the best narrator I’ve ever heard. She does the accents of each character, and you believe it’s Jamie speaking as much as you believe it’s Claire (and all the other characters) when she reads. Excellent.
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Hi Paulette-Same with me! Except I only read the first “America” novel and then called it quits. But you’ve peaked my interest with the audio books. We’ve just “discovered” how great it is to listen to them. Right now, my son and I are hooked on Harry Potter. Maybe I’ll try the Outlander series when I’m done. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Hands in the dirt. In uncertain times I work in the yard, keeping myself connected to the earth.
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I haven’t done a lot of gardening, but I am working on a little project right now in our back yard-could me just the elixir I need!
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I try for perspective. I realize that there have always been awful things happening and we just hear about them more because we are better connected. The neighborhood where I live has almost no gunfire, but it really wasn’t always that way, so I can feel better about that. As for politics, this ain’t my first rodeo, so I’m not as impressed (or depressed) as many of the folks I read and talk to. I try to remember to include music in my day, as that has been my main focus and source of joy and contentment for more than forty years. And yes, I’m finding some really good comedy lately, and I find that if I hadn’t exposed myself to the issues, I might not have gotten the jokes, but that’s just me. Which reminds me of a joke I read the other day:
Is it getting solipsistic in here, or is it just me?
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You’re awesome Doug-and that’s not just me talkin’. I’m a fan of NPR, which is great about keeping you up to date on what’s happening in the world, but I reach my limit for bad news sometimes. Right now, littleb and I are listening to Harry Potter audio books. I’m taking a break.
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I like your new pictures. I also liked the picture on your old blog.
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Hi Doug-I should maybe start using it as my feature photo. I really love it, too. It is a photo of a boy named Henri Groulx taken around 1920. I didn’t realize it, but there are others out there if you google his name.
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Hi Doug-i just realized what you meant. My header is changed. I didn’t do it. I’m not sure what’s up with that. I guess I’ll have to open an investigation.
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There seems to be a little gallery of different pictures which you can cycle through by refreshing the page, with your original header picture among them.
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Yes-that was a surprise. Maybe they updated the template I use or something. I never got around to changing the original header with a more chicken-y one
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I filter the news; by getting it from a newspaper or website instead of TV, all I need to do is look at the headline and decide if I want to read further. That’s my main defense. Sending in the clowns is a pretty good way to deal with stuff, too. When I get stressed in general, the best thing I can do is go for a walk among greenery. (Or white stuff in the winter.)
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Hi Jenny-that’s true-Nature is a balm,sometimes.
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Humour for sure!
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My brother-in-sitcoms:-)
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I fish, a half hour from my house is a river that people fly thousands of miles to fish. I look at the mountain that starts a quarter mile from my front door. I open a beer, I calculate the distance to the Canadian border, I check google maps for alternate dirt roads across that don’t have border checks. I make sure my passport is current for at least the next five years.
Stuff like that. TV was never my thing.
cheers,
Mike
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Your way seems more therapeutic. Except maybe the migrating to Canada part. Hopefully, that doesn’t become necessary, although I’m sure they would be more than happy to have you.
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Sometimes there just aren’t enough clowns, but I try to be kind to myself.
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Hi Geo, I’m glad you are kind to yourself because you are very kind to others and you deserve the same kindness.
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