What a joke

Well, my stand-up career is over before it started. I discovered this morning it is difficult to be funny on command.

Today is "Joke Day" in Mrs. Klingforth's class at Grant Elementary. So Carter asks me this morning if I know any jokes he could tell.

Despite the fact I get hundreds of jokes in my e-mail inbox each year, my mind was blank. I couldn't even think of a blonde joke -- though that probably wouldn't have been appropriate for third-graders anyway.

I finally came up with a joke I probably learned in 5th grade: "Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? Because he didn't have the guts."

Hey, he thought that was pretty clever. I guess I should consider my audience.

I'm just glad he forgot the joke he used to tell in kindergarten:

"Want to hear a clean joke? I took a bath with bubbles. Want to hear a dirty joke? Bubbles is the girl next door!"

I wish I could say I was joking. (Though it's kind of funny now .)