Everyone thinks their friends are funny. That’s usually part of why you’re friends, because your senses of humor match. But some of my friends’ blogs make me think, “I bet other people would laugh at this, too.” So here are some posts that I believe you will enjoy, as penance for not having a “Snide Remarks” column this week (or next week, or the week after).
Chris Clark is very funny. He will pretend not to care that I said that, but secretly he is delighted and wants more people to tell him he is funny. You might enjoy his recommendations for making church Christmas parties more fun, and his feelings about his wife about to have a baby (key line: “WE ARE NOT VIETNAMESE”), and his not-at-all-bitter thoughts on some negative reviews he recently received. Oh, and DO NOT MISS “Eventide Masquerade,” which is his answer to the vampire novel “Twilight.” Actually, you will not go amiss if you just start at the beginning of his archives and work your way forward.
His wife is Lisa Valentine Clark, who has been one of my best friends since we were in the Garrens Comedy Troupe together way back in ’96. Lisa and I are very close. While she was pregnant this last time, I helped her by gaining as much sympathy weight as I could. We joke about me being the father of at least one of their children, but secretly we all wish it were true. I liked her story about seeing Maroon 5 in Las Vegas (her brother is the guitarist), and her charming thoughts on parent-teacher conferences, and an amusing story involving their daughter Phoebe. (Please note: Despite having been an actual English teacher at one point, Lisa doesn’t always spell words the right way. This, and the fact that she doesn’t give a rat’s arse, is part of her charm.)
I’ve known Craig Bates since high school. I believe I am partially responsible for getting him into acting, so if his wife is reading this, I apologize. Craig can rant and rave like nobody’s business, and he is not afraid to use a swear word here and there if necessary. Enjoy “What’s Wrong with Corporate America” and “Life Takes Visa.”
Then there is Emmie. Ah, Emmie. A “graceful beauty,” I once called her in a review of a stage production she was in. So true, so true. She is married to a guy named Steve that none of us have ever met, but we’ve seen pictures so we know he exists. Anyway, just as with Chris Clark’s blog, you would do well to just peruse Emmie’s archives (if you know what I mean). Among recent posts, I laughed at this one and this one and this one.
Ken Craig is another friend from the Garrens Comedy Troupe days. He lives with his wife and innumerable children in Las Vegas, where it is too hot to go outside eight months out of the year. He doesn’t blog very often, but when he does it’s because he has a topic that needs addressing. See “Dr. Schulze, I Presume” and “A Very Merry Christmas Movie.”
