Sometimes I wish we had a transcript of everything we say on board here- sometimes it is really really funny. Sometimes we have lots of time to ourselves on watch to think of really really funny jokes.
The jokes on board span many different genres. One category is bathroom humor, which we will be outgrowing any day now.
Not surprisingly, each and every one of the three of us has a different style of humor. Adam combines words. For example, the other day Alan was commenting on the bay bottom being “sandy and grassy.” Suddenly Adam yelled “sassy.” That’s how it works.
Sometimes I like to combine phrases. I find two, two-word phrases that share the same middle word and then combine them and imagine the resulting item. For example- “fly paper” and “paper towels” makes “fly paper towels”: an insect-covered roll of large adhesive towels that would you would hurriedly and unsuccessfully attempt to unravel to clean up a kitchen spill. Ridiculous! The middle words can just be homophones- words that sound the same. Think “rip cord” and “chord progression”- “rip chord progression”- synchronized musical sky divers. Or how about “petroleum jelly fish” or “bean bag pipes” HAHA! If you think of any really good ones, please email them to me. Thanks.
Because we mainly hang around the same crowd each day, we used to repeat the same jokes again and again and again and again. But no longer. Instead, we have now codified our ongoing repetitive inside jokes through a sequence of numbers. This practice is actually not crazy at all- it is efficient and hilarious. Especially after sitting in the galley for a while if the propane stove is lit.
Here’s how it works; the number 5 signifies the beginning of a codified joke. From there, each joke has a number. One of the most popular jokes on board is the “impression” joke (number 6), where we do an impression of one of the other crewmembers and then we have to guess which one of us it is. It’s pretty easy to guess most of the time because of the small possibility pool and because the “impression” is usually just standing or sitting in that person’s berth (bed). Under the old way of doing things, Alan would walk into the V-berth (where I live), and say “who am I?” The correct answer would be “Trevor.” Now, Alan simply walks into the V-Berth and says “5-6?” Again, the 5 is to signify the beginning of a codified joke, and the 6 to signify the specific joke. The correct answer is still “Trevor,” but this way it is much better. You see?
We could fill a blog with the numbered list of excellent jokes, but we will spare you. Also, I have some intellectual property and copyright ambitions here. It’s never too soon to think about your career. In the meantime, don’t worry- no quitting of day job is planned.