- Image via Wikipedia
This is a blog about Using Humor, so at the risk of spoiling what mystery there is, here is some of the background that went into the last post Happy Birthday, Scofflaw. Please read it first. We’ll wait….
OK, Ready?
Here is the truth behind the post:
I really have taken 14 Defensive Driving courses (or more) The whole idea of someone who has taken 14 courses is humorous and a little absurd.
Texas only allowed one course, to dismiss a ticket, every other year, this was later modified to allow one per year. And for six or eight years I got a speeding ticket about every 24 months. Later on, to stay in step with the state, I managed to pick-up a ticket every 12 months. Just trying to do my part.
DefensiveDriving.com really does send out birthday greetings, originally by snail mail and more recently by email.
One of my best instructors was an eighty year old man. And he really made the comments about backing-up and hitting things.
Florida does have a lifetime limit on the number of Defensive Driving courses you can take. Texas does not.
After choosing the parts, it was just a matter of crafting the narrative.I always ask myself a couple of questions when doing this:
- What is the natural outcome of this?
- What else could happen?
For example, my father in law, I could say he drives fast, gets a lot of speeding tickets and spends a lot of money on attorneys. True. But not humorous. So I ask myself about natural outcomes and alternate events, add back in the topic and the paragraph becomes:
My father in law does not believe in seat belts or speed limits, and has helped send his traffic attorney’s children to college. I have witnessed Arlene sitting calmly in the passenger seat while her Dad used the left hand shoulder to pass a slow moving pickup truck. On the other hand, even with my vast Defensive Driving credentials, she will tense up and grab the armrest when I don’t brake quickly enough to suit her. Go figure.
You too, have experiences, that with a little thought can be made into a humorous narrative. Will Rogers said, “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” So, to paraphrase, just watch your own life and report on it. This seems too simple, but most people don’t take the time to notice what is right in front of them. Part of our duty as humorists could be to report on all this stuff we should have noticed anyway.
The more personal we get, the more universal we become.
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on Feb 17th, 2009 at 11:55 am
[...] Using Humor wrote an interesting post today on Scofflaw, ReduxHere’s a quick excerptImage via Wikipedia This is a blog about Using Humor, so at the risk of spoiling what mystery there is, here is some of the background that went into the last post Happy Birthday, Scofflaw . Please read it first. We’ll wait…. OK, Ready? Here is the truth behind the post: I really have taken 14 Defensive Driving courses (or more) The whole idea of someone who has taken 14 courses is humorous and a little absurd. Texas only allowed one course, to dismiss a ticket, every other [...]
on Feb 17th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
As you say, it is much easier to be humerous if you don’t get personally involved in your own life. We are all sitcoms if we only realize the lunacy of our actions and of those around us. For the first few years of the TV show Roseanne our entire family was certain it had been filmed at our house.
on Feb 17th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Oh man is this true. I agree with adding a little to a real life situation to make it humorous. Wait until I post my underwear purchase. I think it is hilarious.
on Feb 17th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I never have to exaggerate on my humor blog. I just “tell it like it really happened” and no one believes me anyway.
on Feb 17th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Blog Fodder
Interesting comment “…it is much easier to be humerous if you don’t get personally involved in your own life.” It sounds odd, but that is really exactly what many humorists do.
Ettarose:
Will this underwear post include phots?
Dana:
Maybe you are Will Rogers reincarnated? Tell your husband you believe you were a man in a prior life.. that should make for an interesting post!
on Feb 18th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Hi Dan.
Thanks for commenting and wanting to help me out.
The comments didn’t work, the internal links didn’t work and then my blog went away…
Instead of waiting, I just deleted the lot, re-installed and it still works (knocks on wood).
So thanks a lot for the mental support!!!
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Not quite totally sure I agree with you guys but hey!
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Laane
Glad you go tit worked out.
John
Hey! I ‘m glad you stopped by anyway!
on Mar 21st, 2009 at 3:54 am
hey id like to talk with you about your blog. please email me – thanks.