Make 'em laugh

Back when I was in school, I went through a Dave Barry period. He remains one of the few living authors I could pick out of a lineup. Not a crowd, you understand, just a lineup.

During that time, I checked Mid-life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude out of the library (I actually used to use libraries! Actually, I recently dreamed I was walking around one.)

The Remainders are a bunch of authors who formed a rock band. The book features chapters by the Remainders about the band. The authors were Dave Barry, Tad Bartimus, Roy Blount Jr., Michael Dorris, Robert Fulghum, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Matt Groening, Josh Kelly, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver, Greil Marcus, Dave Marsh, Ridley Pearson, Joel Selvin and Amy Tan. They had some pro musicians to help them. Al Kooper was the musical director, and Bruce Springsteen played with them once.

What struck me when I read it, other than Amy Tan with whip and leather for "These boots were made for walking," was that all the guys made it a point to tell a story about how they made Dave Barry laugh, as if that made them cool.

I can totally relate. If I make anyone laugh, I feel cool, at least less of a dorky loser.

I remember once I went around saying my sister had a parasite when she was pregnant. This made me laugh, which also makes me feel good. Everyone else found it funnier when my eldest brother pulled out this honkin' big dictionary at my folks' house and found that parasite is derived from the Greek word "parasitos," which means a person who eats at the table of another in return for providing interesting conversation. This, they decided, describes me to a T.

Yeah, it does, and I wish that could be my full-time job. Either that or a gigolo.

I like to wander around my office at lunch, stopping by friends' desks and making them smile or laugh or something. It makes me feel like I can still help people, even if I am not the person to call when you need a mover. I guess I just wish people came to me for help once or twice. It's hard to be a font of grace if you never get a chance to refill.