HumoUr.

Maybe it's just me (it probably is), but I think I am funny.

Now, I know that everyone thinks that they're capable of cracking a good joke or two on occasion, and people are typically considered "funny" if they are the first to make fun of some poor helpless soul...Sarcasm is often viewed as comedy at its best.

Sure I'm sarcastic enough, and I have certainly done my share of teasing people (although I have never done it with the intention of hurting someone)...But I think that my humor goes beyond that. I just think I'm funny.

My mom told someone once that no one could ever be around me for very long without laughing. And, frequently, they're laughing at me (physical comedy seems to be a gift, whether I like it or not), but even more frequently, they're laughing with me.

What lies at the root of this? Am I just gifted in the ways of wit? I don't think so...After all, the funniest people I know don't really have the same sort of humor that I do...They're more 'witty.'

I think that I just have a sort of innocence about my sense of humor. I have never been afraid to be dorky, and I have trouble pretending to be someone I'm not. I wear my emotions on my sleeve (for better or worse), so when I'm laughing, it's not hard to tell that it's a genuine feeling of amusement.

Which brings me to something else: my laugh. I somehow gain a reputation as "the girl with the crazy laugh" wherever I go. Even in Israel, such epithets seemed to follow me. I was "Kiiiiirsten the Snorter" or some other equally desirable name. And yes, it's true, I do snort when I laugh hard. And I do laugh loudly. And sometimes, if I try to inhale whilst laughing, this sort of gaspy donkey-like noise does escape, which generally leads to an eruption of laughter from those around me. One night at the Bistro, I was sitting at the dinner table with Lindsey, Kalypso, and Michael. I laughed. I made the inhaling donkey noise. I snorted. Multiple times. Of course, this had the rest of the table (and beyond) in stiches. When most of the laughter died down (or, at least, I thought it had), Mike (the cook, not Michael at my table) came up behind me and did his best impression of my laughter. This, of course, set us all off again. Granted, after the amount of homemade bread I had in Israel, it's probably not such a bad thing that we burned so much of it off at that particular meal.

I have a weird laugh, but it also seems to be universally contagious, and for this, I am pleased.

Plus, if I need a break from writing in the middle of class, and someone says something even slightly amusing, I can always laugh to get the class off subject for a few minutes. This proved exceptionally effective in Polity and Greek last year. :0) And my sister says I'm intellectual...

Anyway, in lieu of 10 Reasons to be Happy (though I could list those), I am going to list the ten funniest people (not including my family, since they're all hilarious) in my life right now (in no particular order)...All people who make me happy anyway:

1. Tom
2. Michael
3. Ben
4. Purdie
5. Dabney
6. Tim
7. Kelvonna
8. Nick
9. Mo
10. Steve

Ok, I suppose I ought to spend more time with girls, based on this list. Or, at least, I need to have more female friends who are funny!!! :0)

Anyway, I have a paper to write that I was going to start an hour ago. Whoops. Bye :0)