Humor is one of the best weapons with which to fight fibromyalgia.
Here are some of my favorite funny links, books, movies and television shows.
Give yourself the gift of giggle!
Click here to read about the health benefits of laughter
| Click here to find out how a friend inspired me |
You know you have fibromyalgia when:
1. Everything hurts - and what doesn't hurt, doesn't work.
2. You feel like the morning after but you didn't have a night before.
3. Your little black book contains only names ending in M.D.
4. You get confused playing checkers.
5. You finally have all the answers but you forgot what the questions were.
6. You look forward to a dull evening.
7. You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going.
8. After painting the town red, you have to take a nap before applying a second coat.
9. Your back goes out more often than you do.
10. You consider a discussion of bowel problems interesting conversation.
11. You know what is on TV at 3:00am.
12. Dialing long distance wears you out.
13. You stop to think and forget to start again.
14. You find yourself smiling at this list.
from "What's Funny about Fibro? Exploring the Healing Power of Humor" by Karen Lee Richards, appearing in the March-June 2004 edition of Fibromyalgia AWARE magazine.
Warning: some of these links, books, movies and television shows
contain adult humor.
I will attempt to label most of those items,
but if you are easily offended,
please skip anything not labeled as family friendly.
Links
| Ducky's Daily Grin | This blog is no longer updated daily, but there is still plenty of funny. Sure to put a smile on your face. |
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| Dribbleglass.com | This is a hodgepodge of amusing photos, jokes, minutia, cards, myths, etc. My fave section is "Billboards We'd Like to See", a collection of fake ads with hilarious slogans. Some material might be mildly objectionable, like the page of euphemisms for breasts, but most is all in good fun. The "Willy Wonka scandal" page had me rolling on the floor. |
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| 30-Second Bunnies Theatre | These are animated parodies of popular movies, each running approximately 30 seconds and featuring bunnies, hence the title. There are 66 titles to watch. Sadly, they won't be adding any new ones, but this collection offers plenty of enjoyment. Be aware that the content of each one will be similar to what appears in the original movie, so if you are easily offended, avoid the parodies of graphic or profane subject matter. Who knew bunnies could be this funny? |
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| Funny or Die | A Will Ferrell project featuring videos from all sorts of sources, including professional comedians, celebrities and the general public. Some are carefully crafted, others are more of the "America's Funniest Videos" variety. Warning: this site contains lots of crude humor! But if you can handle that, you may just die laughing. My favorite video is one of the first featured, that of a child landlord to Will Ferrell's tenant. |
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| I Can Has Cheezburger? | If you don't know what a "lolcat" is, here's your chance to find out. They are humorous photos of the feline species with captions that are even more humorous. Once you get used to their "accent", these get pretty addictive and are worth checking out daily. This material is reasonably family friendly. You can even create your own or submit captions to existing photos. Don't miss the lengthy list of links to other funny sites at the bottom of the "Cheezburger" page. |
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| I Has a Hot Dog! | If "lolcats" aren't your style, how about "loldogs" instead? Same idea as the Cheezburger site but with funny pups. You can make your own or caption existing photos here too. Not as many photos on this site as the other, but worth checking out every other day or so. |
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| Pundit Kitchen | Non-partisan political humor from the folks at "Cheezburger". These photos and videos also feature current events and various world leaders. My faves are the parodies of inspirational posters. |
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| Engrish Funny | One last entry from the "Cheezburger" guys. When other languages are translated into English, the results can be hilarious! These are actual signs from around the world. With a few, you can tell what they probably meant, but others are a complete mystery. Some signs are unintentionally crude, but over all, the site is definitely giggle-worthy. |
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| Very Funny Ads | A site that completely lives up to its name. These are actual commercials that have aired. Many are from other countries. Some are cute and might make you crack a smile while others will have you holding your sides laughing. There is a section called "Too Hot for TV" with foreign ads containing nudity or adult situations not allowed to be shown on regular U.S. television. This is one of my fave humorous sites. |
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| The Onion | The online version of the hilarious newspaper parody. Even the charts, graphs and polls are funny. Pretty much any topic is fair game. I'm particularly fond of the snarky headlines. May contain some profanity. |
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| Sign Language | Weekly updates of hilarious sign photos submitted by travelers all around the world. Some are poor or confusing translations from another language into English, and some come from closer to home, like the one from the U.S. that says the left lane is closed when it is clearly the right one. Check out the right-hand column which contains "best of" collections in various categories. I could view these for hours and never stop laughing. |
Movies
| Monty Python and the Holy Grail | One of my favorites of all time! A British comedy troupe does an outrageous parody of the Arthurian legend. No wonder they never found the Holy Grail – they were too busy laughing! PG |
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| Big | Sweet but hilarious. Tom Hanks plays a 13-year-old who suddenly finds himself in the body of an adult. He lands a dream job testing toys and meets his dream girl (Elizabeth Perkins), then has to decide if he wants to be a kid again. A movie you'll never outgrow! PG |
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| Shrek | A modern animated fairy tale that may amuse adults even more than kids. An ogre and a talking donkey embark upon a quest to rescue a princess from a dragon and deliver her to a lord with a Napoleonic complex. The dragon, however, is lonely, and the princess has a secret that changes everything. Bonus: besides being hysterically funny, the animation is simply delightful. Watch it over and over again. |
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| This Is Spinal Tap | Crank it up to 11! This parody of a rock documentary is so convincing that when I saw it in the theatre, some of the audience members thought it was real! This is the story of a British band trying to re-capture its long lost popularity. Gives an "inside" glimpse of the rock world that is utterly hilarious, and the songs are pretty amusing as well! R |
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| Airplane! | Don't call me Shirley! This is one of the most quotable movies ever! A parody of 1970's disaster movies (and anything else they can think of), "Airplane" contains a dizzying array of puns, gags and stars. Whether it's the public address system announcers arguing over airport parking, an air traffic controller who picked the wrong day to quit drinking, an inflatable auto-pilot, or June Cleaver speaking jive, this movie will have you in stitches! My fave scene is the disco flashback. Contains some drug references and very brief nudity. |
TV Shows
All of these are available on DVD.
| The Dick Van Dyke Show | Classic '60's sitcom. Dick Van Dyke plays Rob Petrie, the head writer for a comedy variety show, with hilarious assistance from Morrie Amsterdam and Rose Marie. Mary Tyler Moore plays Rob's wife. This is ensemble comedy at its best. My fave episode is when Jerry Van Dyke, playing Rob's brother, is performing jokes and songs in his sleep. Suitable for all ages. |
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| Monty Python's Flying Circus | And now for something completely different . . . outrageous British sketch comedy! Unpredictable, a seemingly endless cast of characters and no subject is sacred. Bizarre animation adds to the hilarity. Can be found on BBC America, many PBS stations, and on DVD. I dare you not to sing along to "The Lumberjack Song"! Some adult subject matter. |
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| The Mary Tyler Moore Show | The title actress plays Mary Richards, a spunky young woman working for a Minneapolis television station. She is surrounded by a grumpy boss, a snarky news writer, a self-absorbed vapid news anchor, a man-chasing homemaking show hostess, and amusing neighbors. A ground-breaking show for its time showing an independent career woman surviving on her own. Plus, it contains one of the most hilarious episodes ever aired on television: the one about Chuckles the Clown. |
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| The Bob Newhart Show | Bob Newhart is Bob Hartley, psychotherapist extraordinaire. He is the straight man to a funny cast of characters including his patients, his receptionist, the dentist who works in his building, his dimwit neighbor and his endearing wife. The humor here is more low-key than in other shows, but it works well. My fave episode is the one where Bob drunk dials a Chinese takeout restaurant and orders mass quantities of Moo Goo Gai Pan. |
Books
| Still Life with Woodpecker | Author: Tom Robbins. Wildly funny account of the pleasures and pitfalls of making love stay during the end of the 20th Century. I absolutely cannot read this book with a straight face! Adult subject matter. |
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| Tickled Pink | Author: Rita Rudner. Loosely based on the standup comedienne's own life, this is the story of a Broadway dancer whose life takes an unexpected and at times very funny turn. Much insight into the long and bumpy road to fame. A must for anyone who has considered giving open mic night at the local comedy club a try. |
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| There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say | Author: Paula Poundstone. In one of her stand-up routines, the comedian states that she agreed to write a book about herself, but when she sat down to do it, she couldn't think of anything to say. But she noticed that whenever someone else was talking about their life, it would remind her of herself. So she decided to dedicate each chapter of her book to a famous person, and, in the midst of telling their biography, offer her own story as a series of tangents. The result is mostly hilarious, often enlightening and sometimes surprising. Interwoven with chronicles of the deeds of Joan of Arc, Helen Keller, The Wright Brothers, Beethoven and Charles Dickens are rambling tales of adventures in child rearing, attempts at operating household appliances and computers, and unsuccessful career moves. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and giggling, even on subjects for which I had no personal frame of reference. I rather enjoyed the stream-of-consciousness motif because that's how most real life conversations go, and this seemed more like chit-chatting with a friend than a fussy history lesson. Contains adult subject matter and language. |
Laughing dragon courtesy of:
© 2010, klbrowser