Funny or not so funny?

I'm not trying to brag, but people seem to think I'm funny. I get a kick out of it - there's nothing like the feeling of making people laugh. Every now and again, someone will tell me that I should either do stand-up or audition for "Last Comic Standing." I gotta' tell you a couple of things:

1) I'm not that funny...really. It's just that usually my audience is drinking.

and 2) sometimes what I think is funny is not what other people think are funny. Which is really unfortunate...because when no one else thinks it's funny, I get tickled by the joke even more. Sure, it's kind of a bad cycle, but I can't seem to stop it.

So, a couple of weeks ago, this comic was emailed to me. I laughed and laughed and even put it up on the outside of my cube (I'm a giver, what can I say?). No one...and I mean NO ONE in my office thought it was funny. I, on the other hand, would laugh every time I saw it.

Since I put up a new comic every week, the people in my office politely waited until the week of that comic was up... probably hoping that it would be replaced by a Ziggy cartoon. Please note that if you do, in fact, think Ziggy cartoons are funny, I order you to stop reading now. Seriously. I can't be friends with someone like you.

Fast forward to today:

One of my friends from college (Candice Yoder...now Salmon) just had her third baby. The baby's name is Isaiah Robert. Yay Candice!

So off and on during the day I thought about this name...and in the afternoon, an AWESOME nickname came to me. I think they should nickname him iBob. You know...like iPod.

I'm thinking about his new nickname and I was cracking up. I mean, I was literally laughing out loud at my desk in my cube. I was so proud of myself! I emailed two friends...both of which did not comment on the nickname that I, quite frankly, thought was hilarious. So I decided to run it by a couple of co-workers. They thought that it was not funny. I decided to push it further and explain the joke, like:
"oh come on!

iBob...like short for Isiah Robert?

But like iPod?

Get it?

Okay, let me explain it more...it's like this..."

And even *that* didn't work. My boss (who also did not like the "Get a room" comic) said "Again, I don't want you to confuse my not laughing as that I don't get it." My co-worker, Lisa, even gave me a pity laugh... I think because she was tired of me saying "iBob...get it? like iPod?" over and over. Another co-worker said, "Well, the good news is that it's as funny as the "Get a room!" comic." I, of course, was flattered by this.

(sigh)

iBob.

That's funny...I don't care who you are.

*This* is why I would never win on "Last Comic Standing."

Awkward silence after saying something offensive? I have the solution!

Have you noticed that people are saying, "I'm just saying" after a statement as a way to get away with whatever they just said?

Examples:

"Your hair looks like it hasn't been brushed today...I'm just saying!"

"Did you get those pants from an old couch? I'm just saying..."

"I can't stand that girl. She kinda' smells like poop. I'm just saying..."

What is with that these days?

Gone are the days of apologies for saying mean things. Now we are freely admiting that we said them and offer no form of regret. Even the "I'm just saying" seems more of an afterthought...tagged on to the end of a sentence that someone else found offensive - just to kill the awkward silence.

Moreover, why are we accepting whatever that person says JUST because they add that phrase on the back end? I mean, I find that my feelings are soothed by someone adding that statement on the end...even though what they did say was a little offensive. And no, my happy fun pants have never been mistaken for old couch fabric. :)