Forlorn Friday 4

Late last night, I heard the screen door slam....

(Bouncing Prophet Nostradamus. AI generated photo)

Third-Place Dad Joke of the Week:

I recently started a company to make trampolines disguised as prayer mats. The prophets are going through the roof.

Second Place Dad Joke of the Week:

I just saw a burglar kick open his own door. He must have been working from home.

First Place Number One Very Best Dad Joke of the Week:

I have a friend who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop anytime he wants.

Dear friends, welcome back to Forlorn Friday, where we check our political sorrows at the door. I always said this was going to be a temporary fix, and I expect today’s Forlorn Friday will be the final edition. Nothing lasts forever.

The Charles Addams cartoon below is more than 70 years old, and yet I still remember seeing it for the first time, in a magazine at my grandparents’ house. It was the very first thing I ever laughed at that I intuitively knew some people wouldn’t appreciate, so it seemed special to me.

I got it instantly, all those decades ago. When I went looking for it a couple of weeks ago I had no trouble finding it online, so I must not be alone in my admiration.

Since I’m here to cheer you up, I’m now going to offer two music videos that make me smile every time I watch them. Please turn up the volume.

“Big Yellow Taxi,” performed at the 2023 Gershwin Prize, with Joni Mitchell in the audience. Btw, I recently heard that the “big yellow taxi” in the song was actually a cop car. Police cars used to be yellow in Toronto, and Joni is Canadian.

“Mockingbird,” performed by James Taylor and Carly Simon.

I hope you’re grinning by now, and that you’re so happy you can’t quite remember why you’ve been so depressed lately.

Okay, now come back down to earth. The party’s over, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ll see you back here in November, 2028.

Meanwhile, there will be a brand new 5 a.m. Story right here, the day after tomorrow. Please subscribe, and enjoy a new story every Sunday morning.