Comedian Jimmy Kimmel recently said the iPad is “a new device for customers who love the iPhone but wish it was the size of Lean Cuisine frozen dinners.”
This quote just reminded me of how much I love the late night monologues. But, I’m an early riser so I rarely stay up that late. If you’re like me, consider this site to get a recap of the monologues:
Scroll down to the section called “Daily Diversions” and click on the “Late Night Monologues”
Have fun.
Ron
A report appeared in today’s paper stating that one-fifth of the nursing homes in the country get poor ratings. As the population gets older, nursing homes will be the final leg of the journey for many more Americans down the road.
So, here’s the deal. Because of the low pay and less-than-optimal working conditions in many nursing homes, the facilities will continue to get poor ratings until the directors and owners wake up to the reality of how they attract and keep good staff. Basically, there are two ways.
One, pay them a lot of money. It will never happen so let’s move on to the way two.
Two, create an environment where people want to work. It’s that simple. Be a desirable employer.
When I was a Manager of Counseling Services at Hospice of Northern Virginia, I could not pay my employees what they were worth – nor what apparently the nurses were worth. It was the nature of the beast. So, I had to supplement the salary by creating a workplace where employees felt valued and supported.
I did this through recognition, supervisory counseling, and by creating the most fun department in our hospice. Even though time flies whether you’re having fun or not, time definitely flies when you ARE having fun. By making meetings more fun, birthdays more fun, and generally trying to create a light atmospere amongst the heaviness of hospice, I believe we had a department where people wanted to work.
The result? We attracted and kept good people.
So, to my colleagues in the world of nursing homes, assisted living, and residential care, please try to understand that you will probably never attract good employees with money but you could attract them with fun-ny.
Ron
Two interesting, and possibly related, articles in the Life section of USA Today on January 26, 2010.
First, a study showed that “educated women tend to marry later.” OK, not a good indictment on men.
Second, it appears that a new study of 1,200 guys ages 15 to 22 shows that boys lie about sex. Duh.
All in all, I’d say that these two studies indicate that smart women are onto us.
Ron
I recently saw an ad in a healthcare magazine for MEGA Heart (TM) which is part of the Medical Inflatable Exhibits, Inc. The MEGA Heart (pictured below) is an inflatable heart that you can display at health fairs, trade shows, or, I guess, in your back yard if you kids are into human organ play equipment. I can’t help but wonder if plaque blocks some of the passageways so that people get stranded until a cardiologists removes them.
Ron
For those of you who are not only interested in the use of humor but enjoy reading about those who use it professionally, I’d like to recommend three books I recently acquired.
And Here’s the Kicker by Mike Sacks. My friend David Glickman gave me this book which contains conversations with 21 top humor writers for shows such as The Office, Freaks and Geeks and movies like Borat and The Graduate. It’s really fascinating.
I’m Dying Up Here by William Knoedelseder. A great analysis of the “high times” in stand-up comedy’s golden era of the 70’s and the 80’s. It tells the story of the highs and lows of our favorite comedians.
Dangerously Funny by David Bianculli. This book by the television critic on NPR’s Fresh Air tells the story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour from its inception to its being canceled by the network for being too controversial.
Great reading for a cold, rainy day.
Ron
If you’ve had a bad day or just need a lift, please check out some of the funniest healthcare humor I’ve ever seen from my friend Brad Neider, MD. You can see several short videos from his presentations on his website.
Here’s the link: The Healthy Humorist. Click on one of the blue links in the middle of the page.
I particularly like the bit about dogs and healthcare.
Ron
Modern Healthcare magazine reported that New York City is inviting the public to submit suggestions for the new design on their condom wrappers. Because of my commitment to the 5 people who read my blog, I took it upon myself to uncover the importance of this story to humor in healthcare. OK, at least to the humor part.
Turns out that NYC started distributing condoms in 1971 and the effort was low key until they developed the “now-iconic NYC Condom.” They distribute 41 million annually in 2,200 venues such as hospitals, social services agencies, bars, clubs, and coffee houses. Gives a whole new meaning to “I’m going uptown to get a latte.”
The contest website (click here) says, “Whether you’re a famous artist or just a doodler, this is your chance to promote safer sex in New York City.” I know the economy is tough, but are there really famous artists considering this? It’s not like the people using them are going to discuss the artists’ use of light and shadows before they tear into the package. Of course if people did have a discussion about artwork instead of engaging in some form of illicit sex, perhaps that would be safer.
The FAQ section of the contest (click here) indicates that the contest is “looking for designs that reflect New York City’s distinctive culture and style while also promoting safer sex.” (Insert Empire State Building double entendre here). And one of the FAQ’s asks “What size should my artwork be?” Two answers came to my mind. Average. Or it varies.
By the way, you can enter electronically or by submitting hard copies. Hmmm. No comment.
I’ll wrap this us by just saying this: In the midst of a stressful day dealing with all the hassles that go with work these days, there is just nothing better than to stumble upon a condom art contest. THIS is what life is all about.
Ron
OK, I realize that healthcare does not operate on a Monday through Friday schedule. Many of the administrative folks might but for everybody else, the “work week” is arbitrary. But based on a recent article in USA Today, it turns out that most people are happier on the weekends. Well, duh. But, the reasons why we’re happier have serious implications for how we can operate the rest of the week.
The article (Click Here) reported the results of a study in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Basically, we’re happier on the weekends because we have more autonomy and we’re more connected to the people around us (family, friends, etc.).
So, what’s the lesson for the work environment? To make people happier at work, we need to give them more autonomy and create opportunities for relating better with colleagues. This is where humor comes in. Humor is a great tool for bringing people together. Gathering a group of people in a conference room over lunch to discuss their most embarrassing moment creates connection and relatedness. It also creates lots-o-laughter.
See if you can make every day a weekend by adding a little humor!
Ron
On this Martin Luther King Day, I can’t help but wonder if Martin Luther King, Jr. had a sense of humor. I have read many books on this great leader and I don’t recall any reference to his use of humor. It’s rare that a great leader is without one. And we do see lots of pictures of Martin Luther King smiling. But his words were typically serious.
I think it would be difficult to work with so many people in such a tense time without some ability to enjoy the absurdity of the ignorance and irony all around him. But how might he have used it ?
For one, he probably used humor as a way to break the tension when meeting another leader or someone who disagreed with his views. A lighthearted comment can go a long way to making everyone feel less threatened and more human.
Second, I am quite sure he used humor in his sermons. I have yet to see an effective preacher without a good joke or story. It’s a most effective technique to keep the congregation interested (or even awake).
Finally, I’m sure he saw humor as a gift from God. In his book, The Measure of a Man, he acknowledges that God made us for good. So, I can’t imagine that he didn’t use this good gift of humor.
On this Martin Luther King day, use your gift of humor for the good of those around you.
Ron
So, this is the time of year that we all create our lists of things we want to do differently and then by January 10th, we have abandoned all intentions of accomplishing any of it.
As a humorist, you might expect me to give you advice on how to add more humor to your New Year. And as much as I would like to tell you to read Dave Barry’s summary of 2010, watch the movie The Hangover, or put KY Jelly in the earpiece of your boss’s phone to add more humor to your life, I’m not going to do that.
You see, no matter what I tell you, you won’t do a thing until you really want to. I can’t change your inner motivation. And just because it’s January, you don’t have more motivation than you did in December, November, October, you get the point.
As an aside, have you ever considered that self-help gurus really don’t exist. If they did, we would all be one – because the definition of self help is that we help-our-selves.
So, before you embark on your New Year’s resolution list or laying out hundreds of dollars on self help tapes, imagine that every day of your life is a new year. It’s not about 2010, 2011, or even 2020. Improving your life and making change for the better is about really wanting to do better and finding the inner strength to do it. Your inner strength.
I’m in the process of eliminating most meat (red meat completely), dairy, and caffeine from my diet. And by the way, I’ve been down this path before. I’m not doing it because some motivational self help guru told me to do it but because I want to have better health. Once I made that decision, I explored what I needed to do to accomplish my goal. And hopefully, I’ll stick with it beyond January 10th.
My hope is that you do regular soul searching every day, every week and every year. And that you determine what you need to be a better you. Not be a better somebody else but a better you. Once you figure that out, start the journey by making improvements every day.
And if you stumble, remember what Scarlett O’Hara said, “…after all, tomorrow is another day.”
Of course, Rhett Butler said, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Either approach works whenever we stumble. So, carry on.
Happy New Year.
Ron