Joke Hat

Seems like most everyone in the blogosphere is out of sorts. Even Jody. I mean, you know things are bad when they're even losing their tempers over at House of WEG. Some people have really heartrending news to share, others are just cranky.

Personally, I'm in the just cranky camp. We are in the death throes of buying a house. People are all the time asking us "did you buy a house?" as if it's a done deal. Probably other people just go and buy and a house, but for us FINDING a house has been followed by 22 days of daily (sometimes hourly) phone calls, faxes, and garment rending. In terms of increase in (in)tense marital conversation, (hmm, say THAT three times fast!) it has definately outranked anything we've done so far, including parenting a sick kid. We may sign on Monday if nothing else goes awry. Then it's time to start wrangling about a remodel. So, it's cranky with the anticipation of more cranky. Nice.

Since you always preach what you need to hear, my sermon last Sunday was about How Jesus Would Have Us Solve Conflict, about getting to the heart of the matter, speaking Truth, and living as if the Kingdom were at hand. It was very mature and grace-filled I am sure, but sometimes, and I'm thinking just now is one of those times, you don't need to roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty and figure it all out. Sometimes you need your joke hat.

A thousand years ago, when Bob was still alive and the company was basically just him and a few friends, I used to work at Red House Records as sort of a student intern. I say "sort of" because I received neither financial compensation nor school credit for much of the time - but I was paid in, as Bob said "all the music you can eat." I took home to my dorm room tottering little piles of cassette tapes (tapes!) and I went to lots of concerts.

Of the artists I met, realest of all was Spider John Koerner. To 20-year-old me seemed like he'd been around pretty much forever and he owned Shenendoah as far as I could tell. He was shy and dry, and he'd sing all these sad, serious old folk songs. Then, part way through his set, he'd reach under his chair and pull out his joke hat and grin and put it on. He'd tell a joke, probably a long rambling one. Can't remember any of the jokes he told now, although I remember laughing my head off, mostly because he's the only person in America who can still manage to look dignified in that hat.

I dont know that many jokes, but I do remember one that I heard Ferron tell* the night my mom and I drove an hour and half to see her in concert in an old school gym or something, one we still laugh at. And that night is high on the list of Favorite Times Out With Mom, mostly because of the laughing.

So - remembering that Truth is important, and Figuring Things Out, and Process are too, I'm remembering that laughing has it's place and now I'm finally getting to the point to ask you:

Do you know any jokes? I'd love to hear them - either in the comments or over at your place. All around us, things are sad and serious. It seems like it's time for the joke hat.



*Here's the joke that Ferron told:

What did the zero say to the eight?

..........


Nice belt.



Try saying it out loud. It's better that way.