Another Song List - With a Day of the Week in the Title

 Pretty obvious, yes? Here are three to get us started.

Saturday is the Loneliest Day of the Week

Never on Sunday

Monday, Monday

Splish splash I jump in a Mud Puddle

 My wife and I were out for a walk not long ago on a well maintained trail but one that still had some mud puddles caused by the rains we had. Alon the way we came across of youngster - and I mean young - and his mom - and knew exactly what to do. He leapt, jumped, and hopped in the puddle with sheer joy and exuberance. For just a moment - and I am sure you are way ahead of me - I have serious consideration to joining him. But, you see, I am an adult and we don't do things like that even though we should - at least every now and again So next time you are out and find a puddle, channel your inner self and jump in. It will probably be fun.

Pi Day

Today may be pi day for the mathematically observant, but every day is pie day for folks like me. I have been partial to banana cream ever since I was a child and still enjoy a slice now and again. But my wife and I have make a pretty good apple pie and that is my new favorite.  Speaking of pies and slices, I suppose we can extend pie to include pizza. Italian sausage and mushrooms has typically been my go to combination.

So, what is are your favorite pies?

And does anyone else remember this scene from the movie Michael in which the Andie McDowell character sings about pies?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQYBGCESGzY

A purrfect idea

 This originally appeared in The New York Times:

"The Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts announced that people who have lost or damaged a book can bring a photo, drawing, or magazine clipping of a cat, and get their library cards reactivated. The library calls the program March Meowness, a way to forgive members who misplaced a book or damaged a borrowed item. The program has generated hundreds of returns, multiple postings of random cat photos on the library’s Facebook page, and photos and drawings pinned on a growing “cat wall” in the building."

The full article can be found here (I hope)

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/us/massachusetts-library-fines-cat-picture.html?unlocked_article_code=1.a00.K3rX.8uF31RmRk2S6&smid=url-share

Copyright 2024 The New York Times

I'm back

 I have been absent from this Blog for a really long time and no one seems to have missed my posts - including and especially, me!

But yesterday I came across a video of a group of musicians playing Schubert's Piano Quintet, aka The Trout. The musicians, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Barenboim, Jacqueline Dupre, and Zubin Metha were young when this was made - no gray hair to be found. Their musicianship is unparalleled. But what prompted this post is the *fun* they are clearly having as they rehearse and then perform this masterwork. The joy leaps off the screen.

And this made me remember that all of us have moments like this at work - because this was work for them - and it is important, nay, essential that we recognize them, honor them, and revel in them.

So the next time you have a moment like this at work, at home, or anywhere, take a minute to share it with those you are with.

No More Posts

I have decided not to post any more on this little vanity blog. Instead, I will offer the occasional opinion or suggestion about fun at work on Facebook. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by. I hope some of the ideas and comments have been useful.

For the record, the most viewed post(s) was about library limericks. Here are a couple of the links:

http://humorinlibraries.blogspot.com/2015/05/edward-lear-creator-of-limerick.html

http://humorinlibraries.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-like-limericks.html

http://humorinlibraries.blogspot.com/2010/10/library-limericks.html

What have I learned (other than I actually have a tin ear for limericks)?

• Work is hard and there is no way around it.
• But, there are physiological and emotional benefits to fun at work.
• Fun is usually better if it originates from the bottom up, not top down.
• Fun happens all the time, between colleagues and within work groups.
• It is good if leaders model or at least give tacit approval to fun at work. Not all the time, mind you, but there are occasions that just beg for a little play - birthdays, organizational accomplishments, special days, i.e., National Donut Day or Wear a Funny Hat to Work Day or Sparkle Day (thanks to Paula Popma for this one), etc. You can create your own event.
• Sometimes planning a fun occasion can be as helpful as whether it is successful (depending on how you define success, of course).

In any event, I wish you well, and let a smile be your umbrella, unless it is raining, in which case you will get very wet :)

Fun at the barbershop

I took dad to the barber shop. It was a quiet day, and soon only one of the two barbers was busy. The other one - the barber not cutting my dad's hair - picked up his guitar, which was conveniently at hand, and began playing songs that we knew, or thought we knew, and just like that a sing-a-long broke out. Sometimes we had the words; sometimes we just hummed; occasionally a passerby would stick his/her head to see what they were hearing and smiled appreciatively; and before we knew it 10 minutes had passed, my dad's hair was high and tight, and enjoyed a spontaneous moment of fun at work.

This can't happen everywhere or every day, but when it does, everyone benefits.

So next time you have a momentary lull, break out your guitar, ukelele, kazoo, etc., and give you and the people you work with and for, an unexpected treat. I think they'll thank you!