My Father's Sense of Humor

Happy birthday to Graphics Magician, who turns fourteen today.

Happy almost-birthday to my father, who turns ninety this coming Friday the 21st.  Wow.  I don't know a whole lot of ninety-year-olds.

I'd like to tell you a birthday-related story about my father's sense of humor.

This was several years back.  I think GM was in the neighborhood of five, which means my father would have been pushing hard on eighty.

Grand-daddy: So your birthday is July 17th?

GM:  Uh-huh.

Grand-daddy: MINE is July 21st.

GM: (This is cool.)  Ooooohhhhhh.

Grand-daddy:  So your birthday is four days before mine.

GM: Yeah.

Grand-daddy:  So you're older than I am.

GM: ........nuh uh!

Grand-daddy:  Okay, look.  July 17th, your birthday, right?

GM: ........yeah?

Grand-daddy: (counts on fingers) 18, 19, 20, 21, MY birthday.

GM: ..........yeah?

Grand-daddy:  So you're four days older than I am.

GM: .................................nuh uh!


It had the little guy tied in knots.  He knew that couldn't possibly be right, but he couldn't work out how it was wrong.

Graphics Magician is a little tougher to trick these days, and I hope he has a very happy birthday.

God bless, friends.