humor
Workplace witticisms, job jokes and career quips; who says work can't be a laughing matter?
The Top 5 Ridiculous Things People Ask About Writing
Every time I mention that I’m a published author (which I try to do as little as possible, because it makes me feel like I’m covered in an icky film of self-promotion), people get this look on their face. Part awe, part confusion, as if I’d just demonstrated to them that I can sprout fluffy fairy wings.
By Jackson Ford5 years ago in Journal
Happiness Is A Sharp Cold Pair Of Scissors...
This story begins at the end of my caregiving for my elderly parents. Dad 96 and mom, 92. R.I.P. As a caregiver, you rarely ever have enough time to take care of yourself, so after many years of it, I found myself in the worst shape of my life. Getting out of shape for someone like myself was a slow process. For years, I was that guy that hit the gym about four or five days a week. Not until I'd had turned 40 did I slow down. You know, responsibilities — equals not enough hours in the day.
By Tom Pranio5 years ago in Journal
"HIT any key to start!"
If I worked in IT services, I guarantee there would be no IT problems ever again. Such problems would be eradicated, but not by conventional methods. If the computer said to me “hit any key to start” you might get worried about what I would hit it with, a breeze block perhaps! If the computer ever had the temerity to say “you haven't told me how pretty I am” the computer would be in danger of getting a sharp clout with a rolling pin, for insolence. So suffice to say, if I worked in IT services, yes we would all be freed of future IT problems. But it is also likely it would all end in tears with a lot of smashed-up equipment, due to computer rage. My last boss would say “not the right solution”.
By Malcolm Sinclair5 years ago in Journal
The Time We Blew Up a Car
So I’m going to tell you about the time I blew up a car. This is a hundred percent true, by the way. I’m on vacation, hanging out with my family, and my girlfriend. Italy. Tuscany, to be precise. When you’re driving along a narrow road on a woody Italian hillside in the late afternoon, with the sun just starting to go down behind the mountains and the promise of salami and stupidly large amounts of parmesan and truffles back at the villa, you can’t help but feel satisfied with life. Of course, that’s a dangerous state of mind to be in, because something, inevitably, catches fire.
By Jackson Ford5 years ago in Journal
The Second Boot
Reading a short anecdote by Terry Mansfield about a missing other shoe, I remembered a funny story that I’d heard when I was a teen, over forty years ago. My memory is pristine. I even remember things that never happened to me, as far as I know. I think that the old story you’re about to read is still funny but you’ll be the judge of that. It seems that Terry has been giving me some ideas since December. I guess that he’s like a secondary muse. But wait! A muse can’t be male. So, forget what I said! I have my muse, and this story, she approved. I ask for her approval since I like her taste. I don’t have to ask her, but I do with all my love and I think that she knows it. Do you, Crissey? She’s a timid muse, except with me, sometimes. But wait again! This story is supposed to be about a second boot. I must have digressed. When I think of her, I digress. And I think about her when I’m awake. I did it again. I digressed. I need a short break. You won’t notice it.
By Patrick M. Ohana5 years ago in Journal
Bad Romance
In the Spring term of 2020 at community college, I took a Shakespeare course where our final essay compared his plays to modern media. While reading Romeo and Juliet, I realized many media forms echo similar themes. I compared it to the Twilight Saga, focusing on the concepts of lust at first sight and love triangles. Years later, this essay made me reflect on romance tropes in young adult media that I find the most uneasy. This overarching theme, often coupled with an irresistible pull of forbidden love, often present a suffocating, toxic idea of love. It feels as if the media has prescribed a certain kind of love, a certain kind of passion that ought to exist between two individuals. With little romantic experience myself, I found it difficult to align these idealized versions with real-life interactions. But before I get into this tangent, I have little to no experience in relationships of any kind and this is my blind and bias opinion on most of the popular books, shows and movies that I have either skimmed through or never brought myself to indulge in during my informative teen years.
By Asia Nichelle McCurdy5 years ago in Journal
I'm Writing My Own Story
I was always fascinated by story-telling. Going back to a time when "He-Man..." and "G.I. Joe..." were my go-to childhood appointment viewing opportunities, I think that I somehow inherently sensed that someone had WRITTEN the dialogue/scenes. In fact, it prompted me to turn around and start scribbling out little side-adventures when the REAL adventures had long since gone off the air for the day and I didn't want to pop in the same VHS tape again. (Even in playing with my figures, I would, on technicality, be creating my own adventures for them).
By Kent Brindley5 years ago in Journal
The Office Part 2
As I said in Part 1 of this story, the office was the funniest place I ever worked. I do think that some of the shenanigans that went on was the cold call salesforce's way of dealing with the occupational stress that was a constant daily, if not hourly, occurrence.
By Liam Ireland5 years ago in Journal
