Day 14: Retiring a joke

Today, I laughed at: nothing I can really describe.
I don't really know how to explain the laughter I had today (late, late last night/early morning). I got home from work and when the fiance met me at the door of the house we're moving into, he said, "Do we have to paint tonight? I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood."

The fiance as we were brainstorming
the future location of the bar
in our basement.

I was so relieved because I felt the same way. I had been rushed all day and I really wanted to just sit.
I knew I had the energy if I needed it, but I did not really have the motivation to do a good job.

So, instead, we grabbed a few beers and went downstairs to the basement to look at how the walls were coming along. We're hoping to finish the basement so we'll have it as a big play room, initially for L., but I'm guessing the fiance will have more toys down there.
Anyway, as we planned out things for the future, I began to get that feeling in my stomach like when you're about to go over a rollercoaster hill. I started laughing and I couldn't even describe to the fiance what was so funny. 
It wasn't so much that it was funny, but I was so excited about spending my life with him in this home we're putting together, the only expression my body could release was laughter. And so I laughed. I smiled until my face hurt.


Yesterday I was at a gathering of friends I hadn't seen again and I ended up becoming the comedian as I was catching people up on my life.

I threw out the anecdotes of L.'s adventures and exaggerated the extent of which I will bribe her by any means just to get a laugh. I had my friend and her mom laughing at my stories and I loved it.

The more they laughed, the more I kept talking, coming up with more stories for their amusement. I went into a routine and I wasn't even aware of it. I could have had a mic and a brick wall behind me at that point.

Labels can be fun(ny).

I've been labeled "The Funny One" within a few groups of friends throughout the years. I've always been OK with this label, actually. It sucked sometimes when I found it difficult to be taken seriously because of it, but otherwise, I enjoyed it. Who doesn't love making people laugh?

The only time I don't enjoy being funny is when I'm forced. Especially when I'm forced to do a joke I've done so many times it's lost its appeal.

I used to do an impression I won't go into too much detail about since it was middle school humor of mocking someone. I'll refer to it as Miss Universe. Unfortunately, it followed me through school and even college. Once someone saw it, they would make me do it for someone else and someone else. I would go to parties and someone would say, "Emily! Do your Miss Universe impression!"

It was a whole bit with a fake voice and hand gestures, mocking of a commercial from 1994 no one remembers now, except me probably. Even when my castmates of a play I was in did superlatives for everyone at the cast party, I got "Best Miss Universe." I don't even remember doing it for most of the people in that cast, but apparently it became infamous and synonymous with me.

Getting "boxed in" by the label of "The Funny One."
(Photo circa 2005. I cannot be held responsible for
photos taken during college.)

As I grew older, I hated it. I hated having to do it when I no longer found it funny. I hated doing it because it wasn't my style of humor anymore. Even though it made people laugh, I'll be honest, I judged them a little bit for even finding it funny.

I'm glad in the past few years, between my ridiculous work schedule and friends losing touch because the divorce affected their friendships with me and my ex-husband (no, I don't understand it either), I have not been asked to do the impression anymore. I'm glad to finally put that joke to bed, where it belonged back when I graduated middle school.