comedy

Here is a quick laugh I had to share. I've had this saved for years because it's one of my favorite comics of all time. In case you don't get it in your paper, it's called Get Fuzzy. I'm sorry the image is kind of small, but it's the best I have, and this is no longer available on the Get Fuzzy archives. I'll put the text underneath it, in case you can't quite read it. It's hilarious!

Cat (Bucky): Flea Factor, Paw and Odor, or Wheel of Vermin? Dog (Satchel): Wheel! Wheel! Cat: It's Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse, you idiot! Dog: Buy a vole! Buy a vole!

Before I begin, let me say that I enjoy both Dwight Schrute and EntreCard. Now, let me explain my assertion. :-) On The Office (US version), Dwight Schrute creates Schrute Bucks as a way to motivate his coworkers to perform well. (If you're not familiar with Dwight, you should know that he is an insufferable dweeb and suck-up, but he is also excellent at his job. That really has nothing to do with this analogy, but it is a big part of why The Office is so hilarious.) The Schrute Buck is a unit of currency in Dwight's system, where he gets to decide what a person has to do to earn one. EntreCard (EC) is a system of free internet advertising that rewards users with Credits, which they can use to purchase ad space on other users' blogs. Credits are awarded for using the system by "card dropping," or clicking on other people's EC widgets. A-ha! What else do Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have in common? Well, since I am a bit of an insufferable dweeb myself, here is a list ...

• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits are constructed units of currency.
• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits can be earned only by exhibiting behaviors desired by their creators.
• Fact: Neither Schrute Bucks nor EC Credits have any real value outside of their respective reward systems.*
• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have value only if there is demand for them among users.
• Question: What is the exchange rate of Schrute Bucks to EC Credits?
• Answer: It's the same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.

* I know there has been some talk of selling EC Credits for real money, so we'll see where that ends up. I hope you enjoyed this little exercise in silliness. If you'd like to add to the discussion, please do!

I am a big fan of "The Office," and I am especially entertained by the character Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms. I have not been a loyal watcher of Jon Stewart's "Daily Show," (it's on too late for me) so I hadn't seen much of Ed Helms before his part on The Office. If you haven't seen The Office, you are missing out on some good laughs. If you like sharp humor, sometimes uncomfortable politically incorrect situations, and interesting characters, you will love The Office. You might want to give it a try. So as I was saying, I didn't know much about Ed Helms. His character, Andy, is very annoying. He's a huge suck-up. He breaks into song without warning. He brings his banjo to work. He has a problem with anger management. Get the idea? I was wondering about the guy behind it all, so I did some research. Okay, I say "research," but you know what I mean is, I typed "Ed Helms" into my search bar. What I found out is that he is from Atlanta, went to college at Oberlin in Ohio, did stand-up comedy, plays in a bluegrass trio, was on The Daily Show, and now he's on The Office. I put all the details together on a Squidoo page, if you're interested in learning more about Ed Helms and Andy Bernard. It includes some of my favorite scenes from The Office, and a link to his band's site. Enjoy!