Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Spin on Laughter (or, beating back Wordless Wednesday)


I have to do my weekly Spin for Sprite's Keeper early this week. Pray tell, why, you ask? Because I will be Blogging-MIA as of Friday for a trip down Historical Tourism lane to Williamsburg with my Mom and Sister. THAT will be a whole 'nother post, next week. Keep on the lookout for: "How I Restrained Myself".

Moving on! The Spin this week, funny enough, is on laughter. My husband's laugh is like his personality.. very quiet, until it is roused into raucousness. He'll quietly watch a college basketball game until an elbow is thrown at (our) player and he erupts into fist-pounding. Shouting "Oh Come ON"! And when the dust settles, you hardly know it happened.

We have this pepper grinder that looks normal enough: stainless steel. Grinds pepper. Sits there looking pretty. But, like every good-natured kitchen utensil I own, it has an issue. It has a little top that sits atop the thing that spins around, and... you guessed it! That little top is prone to pop off.

What's that? Buy another one, you say? Ah.... but you are not married to World's Cheapest Man! Variety is the spice of life, you say? Don't use pepper, you say? Ah.. that is a good point. But we still do. There I am, at the stove last night, grinding away into the homemade clam chowdah.

Can you see where this is going?

My husband is leaning against the cabinet, watching. Allll of a sudden, no warning, POP! Off comes the top. Down into the opaque-milky, formerly-delicious-looking clam chowder. As if that's not bad enough, I look up, into my husband's formerly-adoring eyes. They're kind of red. In fact, they're a little watery. He covers his mouth with a free hand. His laugh is silent, until I realize what's happening. This man, this guffawing person beside me shaking with laughter, the reason that I don't buy a new flipping pepper grinder, is unable to speak. He's laughing so hard. I'm fishing around in stew for a silver pepper grinder top, finding nothing but potatoes, he's laughing. I'm trying to get him to help me, but he can't move. He's laughing too hard to do anything useful. A tear squeezes out of the corner of his eye.

Of course I start laughing as well. It's wonderful! To laugh as hard and loud as we did, and not wake up the toddler.

If that doesn't do it for you, I've never laughed so hard at the stories my friend was telling at our Mom's Night Out dinner... the flames shooting out of the electrical panel while she and her toddler looked on in horror, her father-in-law, not an electrician, gently saying, "there's nothing to worry about. This is perfectly normal." The crazy neighbor down the street who accidentally rented her basement apartment to a registered sex offender. The grease flying off the Peking Duck in the traditional Peking restaurant, landing on a nearby restaurant goer's leather jacket, unbeknownst to her. Deciding which was worse: getting your shirts back from the dry cleaner with disintegrated buttons falling apart in your hands, or getting them back with no buttons at all.

If you can't laugh about grease and pepper grinders, what can you laugh about?
::
Addendum! Head on over to my pal K's blog at Interstitial-Life for extra fun. I'm guest posting! It's kind of like guest hosting the Grammy's, but not really.

13 comments:

Anonymous,  February 18, 2009 at 4:13 AM  

You gotta laugh with husband. It's so important. I love this post.

FYI - Your guest post is up! I hope you get lots of visitors from it.

Jeanne Estridge February 18, 2009 at 5:16 AM  

So NOW are you going to buy a new pepper grinder? (Like you, I think those moments of shared laughter, especially over-the-top laughter, are the lubricant that gets a marriage through the tough times.)

Sprite's Keeper February 18, 2009 at 5:30 AM  

I think I have the same pepper grinder! This made me think of it immediately. The darn thing akways loses its top. That is some seriously funny stuff. The electrical panel incident? That should definitely be told. To mnay people! You're linked!

CDB February 18, 2009 at 5:46 AM  

@K: oh boy! oh boy! oh boy! I can't wait!
@Jeanne: I agree, and side splitting is best.
@Sprite: I can't wait to check out the entire list, we need that right now! Great topic!

Sometimes Sophia February 18, 2009 at 6:36 AM  

I think a new pepper grinder would be the perfect Father's Day gift. (And I thought I was married to the world's cheapest man...)

This was a great post. Really enjoyed it! :)

Debbie February 18, 2009 at 6:47 AM  

I read your post at K's and wanted to come over and say hi. I thought your humor and self-deprecation was charming. Still do. Love the pepper grinder story.

buffalodick February 18, 2009 at 8:08 AM  

Funny stuff! You've reminded me of a few incidents in my life that will make pretty good posts!

mielikki February 18, 2009 at 8:11 AM  

Came from K's. I had that pepper grinder, but when MM wasn't looking I "broke" it. Now happy with one that doesn't fall into my chicken soup.....
Great post. Laughing is one of my favorite things.

A Closet Writer February 18, 2009 at 8:43 AM  

The description of your husband laughing is priceless, you got me laughing! It reminds me when my husband laughs, except his laughter is kind of scary, he sounds like he's choking!

Xazmin February 18, 2009 at 1:21 PM  

I LOVE when you get to laughing so hard you just almost can't breathe! And the other person cracking up just makes you laugh more...it is so the best!

I also have a defective pepper grinder!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

J Cosmo Newbery February 18, 2009 at 3:58 PM  

"If you can't laugh about grease and pepper grinders, what can you laugh about?"

Indeed. They have been the central kernel to humour down through the ages. Kinda.

Jenners February 18, 2009 at 7:35 PM  

Nothing better than laughing until you cry or until it hurts! And the dumbest things will bring it on too. My husband stole my pillow one night after I had been complaining how flat they seemed and ... well, you just had to be there as it isn't really translating well as I write this.

Laufa February 24, 2009 at 7:43 AM  

Glad you had such a full plate of laughter. Lately I have been laughing at my son(5), he makes up silliest songs - like why we wear underwear, to protect our bottoms.

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