I’ve been watching old concerts of some of the great stand-up comedians recently and have become fascinated with their ability to manipulate time, space and language. Comedians seem to be able to make the mundane funny with the right word choice. Couple that with their skill of creating pauses before a punchline, whether it’s a one word zinger or a change in facial expression, and you have someone who can bring tears to the eyes of some of the most stoic individuals on the planet. What does this have to do with blogging? While you can’t necessarily affect the speed of a reader, you can bring a smile or laugh with the right word selection. And when I’m talking comedy, I’m talking comedy that doesn’t rely on profanity. Call me old-fashioned, but the really funny stuff is funny without profanity. I’m not a prude, if a comedian swears for emphasis, it can sometimes enhance the joke, but most people who think they are comedians, both professionally and non-professionally, rely on the four letter words to generate the laughs. If you can find it, it’s out of print as of today, to really see what I mean by the power of word selection to make you laugh, check out The Last Catholic in America. I always laughed when I read that book, and it’s not anti-Catholic or anything like that.