LOL with National Humor Month (and others)

3_31_14 

by Stacey Anter

The Library Detective

This week brings many interesting and funny things to think about. March may have come in like a roaring lion but it is going out like a reluctant lamb…kind of (as I sit here listening to the rain and after seeing periods of sleet/snow shower down intermittently.) We have April Fools’ Day, Couple Appreciation Month, and National Humor Month, for starters. Starting off the week but ending the month, March 31st is National Backup Day, in hopes of reminding you to BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER! I don’t know how many times I’ve heard stories of a friend’s computer crashing and him or her losing everything. It just seems logical that we should back it up; save your files on a flash drive or back up your whole computer system on an external hard drive, or back it up with one of those companies who, for a fee, back up your computer to the cloud. If you come to the library to work on one of our computers and you forget your flash drive (a.k.a. thumb drive, jump drive, or USB drive), you can buy one at the circulation desk. See? We’re always looking out for you.

April is Couple Appreciation Month, and it’s the perfect time to show our appreciation for our spouses, or girlfriends/boyfriends because it’s been a whole month since we last showered our significant others with gifts and affection. So, show your loved one how much you appreciate him or her and that you haven’t taken them for granted. Let your love show and let it grow! And speaking of growing, April is also Fresh Florida Tomato Month, so it’s quite the coincidence that Gail Tatangelo just gave a workshop on growing tomatoes on March 27th. She will give another workshop on how to start seeds inside and out on April 3rd at 7pm in the Town Council Chambers. If you’d like to learn more about Fresh Florida Tomato Month, visit http://www.floridatomatoes.org

One of my favorite movies is Singin’ In The Rain, and I just love the song to which Donald O’Conner sings and dances, “Make ‘em laugh.” He was a classic entertainer and he was a wonderful physical comic genius. Laughing really is the best medicine. There are studies out that confirm that those who laugh live happier and longer lives. According to Laughology (a DVD) “Simple laughter…may be helpful in reducing heart disease, fighting stress and increasing immunity.” I once saw a wonderful speaker who helps people focus on seeing the lighter side of life. Linda Richman is the author of the book I’d Rather Laugh: How to be happy even when life has other plans for you, for which there is also a DVD.  This week is also Laugh at Work Week, actually starting on April Fools’ Day. According to the website http://laughteratworkweek.com ,  the “benefits of laughing at work include improved productivity, creativity, teamwork, communication, stress relief, job satisfaction, and employee retention.” One last thing: April 1st is also Reading Is Funny Day, which is a great initiative to show kids that reading can be enjoyable by encouraging them to read something funny like jokes, riddles, and funny stories. Perhaps start them off with some funny poems by Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky. Shel Silverstein’s “The Meehoo With An Exactlywatt” is my personal favorite; it’s the perfect introduction to the old Abbott and Costello “Who’s On First?” comedy bit.

April is also Distracted Driving Awareness Month. If you watch the Discover Channel program Mythbusters, you might have seen the episode where they test out the notion that distracted driving is actually more dangerous than driving while drunk. Keep in mind that distracted driving includes driving while talking on your cellphone, texting while driving, eating while driving, and doing anything else while driving for that matter. They tested the “talking on cellphone while driving” scenario and their results were quite interesting, and entertaining.

It looks like April has a lot in store for us. April showers bring May flowers, and what do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims!

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction.  To find out more about the benefits of laughter, couple appreciation, or backing up your computer, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too.