Humor: The Best Medicine

Living in the middle of Politics Central, Michigan, I know that there are days when we could all use a little more humor in our lives. I think too many folks here in Lansing take themselves too seriously, and that it's a trait not necessarily reserved just to those in government and politics.

Why does humor exist but to help us through this crazy thing called Life?

Wouldn't life be a little more tolerable if we all laughed a little more?

As a blogger, one of my more notable trademarks is my use of snark, or witty sarcastic humor. I find that the more frustrating moments of politics are usually best dealt with through snarkiness. I like to think of it as a healthy, humorous outlet for my frustration, and much physically safer than banging my head against a wall or shouting at the computer/TV/newspaper.

There's also plenty of well-documented health benefits to humor. For instance:

reduce stress lower blood pressure elevate mood boost immune system improve brain functioning	protect the heart connect you to others foster instant relaxation make you feel good.

and this is just to name a few from this fantastic resource.

If it's humor sources you're looking for, here's a good list to start with.

• Michigan native, nationally-known comedian, and my former neighbor, John Heffron
• One of the funniest TV shows on two continents - The Office, and check out the dry British version
• Michigan funny lady and long time snarky blogger - Jamelah
• Two of my most favorite recent blog posts deserving high snark awards at Honest Errors and WizardKitten.
  

So do yourself, your friends, your co-workers, and your body a favor - laugh a little more and enjoy yourself, life's too short!

Hijacked: MichLib Muggles Disappear at Midnight

By Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet

In an event that has left Michigan police stunned, many of the Michigan Liberal Muggles have suddenly disappeared into thin air immediately after receiving ownership of the 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series.

Reported disappearances include LiberalLucy and LPackard from a well-known progressive bookstore, Everybody Reads in Lansing, and an unnamed female from Shiawassee County. Numerous other disappearances across the state are also suspected and are currently under investigation.

Both LiberalLucy and LPackard were reported eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans shortly before they vanished into thin air. Authorities are analyzing the candy to make sure that they didn't hail from the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a magical joke shop known for it's pranks and hi-jinxes.

Witness and local resident Arabella Figg, spoke with reporters shortly after the mysterious event

"I'm not sure what happened, it was all very sudden. There were several boys named Dick and Saul running around making noise and causing trouble before the girls disappeared, but I really doubt they had anything to do with it. They just kept throwing powder laundry detergent at people trying to cast spells, and even with the Dark Mark that appeared on each of their arms, it was just a lot of soap and hope that kept fizzling out."

An anonymous source close to the investigation report the authorities now believe that the books were actually portkeys. If found to be true, it would tie in with sightings of the missing Muggles running towards Platform 9 3/4's at their local train station.

Regardless of these recent developments, police hope that the missing Muggle Bloggers will be safely returned back to their rightful spots in front of their computers by Monday at 8am.

If you spot LiberalLucy, LPackard, or the unnamed female Muggle from Shiawassee County, you are asked to contact authorities immediately.

(Rita Skeeter is a writer for the Daily Prophet and fashion correspondent for Witches Weekly)

When Good Squirrels Go Republican

This is what happens when renegade squirrels, possibly Blackwater-trained squirrels, discover LucyLand, and the single, important wire that connects LucyLand to the Tubes of the Internets.

Although you may think me off my rocker, the Comcast Guy did confirm that my lack of access to the Tubes these last couple days has been caused by one of these furry little fiends who decided to chomp through my cable line. I'm the second such casualty this week, according to the very-trust-worthy Comcast Guy.

This news, coupled with a certain MI-GOP Chairman's silence on MichLib, and too much time spent trying to catch up to the massive amounts of emails from my absence, lead me to one conclusion - the Michigan Republicans are using trained squirrels to block the highly effective efforts of Michigan's liberal bloggers on said Tubes of the Internets.

Yes, that's really the only explanation that makes sense. :-)

Just Full of the Dickens

Sometimes I find that the snark bug bites me early in the morning.

Today is no exception.

If you get a chance to stop by MichiganLiberal this morning, be sure to check out my Fantasy Blogger Baseball - Michigan Senate Style.

Why?

I think it's safe to say like every other politico and Michigan citizen, I've had it up to here with this budget two-step that's going on in Lansing. The Senate Republicans can't pull their heads out of the sand, or away from their tube of hair gel - if they're a particular Senate Republican, and it's like watching a bad car wreck. All you can do is stand there and watch this tragedy unfold. Rumors from the capital have frustrated politicians walking around muttering to themselves they are so besides themselves, and who can blame them?

So, my snark meter hits yet another all-time high. Call this a way of dealing with extreme frustration. Some people walk around muttering to themselves, I write snarky commentary. Could be worse I guess.

But in some good news, check out this front-page article from the Lansing State Journal about how local area teens are putting together the very first Gay Prom next month. My heart literally swells with pride when I hear of these young people who are marching forward, despite their state passing two state-wide ballot proposals encouraging hate and intolerance. A special moment of pride to Governor Granholm and U.S. Senator Carl Levin for publicly congratulating them on their hard work. Today's progressive leaders supporting tomorrow's societal leaders, if that doesn't just warm the heart, I don't know what is.

I was all prepared to write what a well-attended event Tuesday's Domestic Partner Benefits March, albeit a sobering one, but with the news from our up-and-coming LGBT community, I'm just going to let it rest at that.

I'll be staying in LucyLand this weekend, continuing with the unpacking of boxes and healing the sinuses that have been continuing to plague me. With a little help from my friends, and apologies to the Beatles, I know I'll still have a great weekend, and won't break the bank buying gas.

Here's hoping your weekend is a fun-filled time, that even our forecasted storms can't dampen!