Legal Commentary

Have you ever laughed so hard at a joke that the person who told it got mad at you for laughing too much?

Not recently. Long ago. Something just reminded me of it. The something was the observation that I'm especially amused by jokes that have to do with the size of things. Oh, I'll be completely specific. We were talking about the expression "postage stamp lawn," that is, a very small lawn, perhaps the size of an area rug. But what if there really were a postage stamp the size of an area rug? That would be a huge postage stamp. Ha ha. Imagine the size of the envelope you'd put it on. Okay. That to me is hilarious, and it reminded me of the joke I found so funny ? decades ago ? that I laughed so hard the teller of the joke got mad at me for laughing so much. I was cutting the joker's hair ? I used to think I could do haircuts and acted upon that belief ? and I noticed a bright red dot on the top of his head ? the size of a pimple, but not a pimple ? and not something he'd ever have noticed. I said, "What's this red dot on top of your head?" He said, "That's my Santa Claus hat!"

Now, maybe the joker will read this post and get mad all over again. Or, that is, get mad for a new reason, that I've blogged about a time he got mad at me. To him, I'd say, I have remembered "That's my Santa Claus hat!" for more than 30 years, and ? in my little sense of humor ? I still think it's the funniest thing I've ever heard anyone say. It may not be the funniest joke I've ever heard, but I'm sure it's the funniest completely spontaneous remark I've ever been present to hear on the spot. On the dot.

Full post as published by Althouse on August 16, 2009 (boomark / email).