Because It’s Funny: When Life Imitates A Movie + Determining YOUR Sense Of Humor

/ Ally Bean

A STORY IN WHICH I’M REMINDED OF A MOVIE

You, my gentle readers and kind lurkers, may remember that last summer I mentioned our neighbor bought an electric robotic lawnmower that when programmed cuts the grass making perfectly straight, amazingly pretty, latticework lines across his yard.

I nicknamed the machine Yertle because as it wanders around it looks like a large slow-moving turtle.

[Also because I like to name things.]

At the time I mentioned Yertle a few commenters asked: How do you stop someone from stealing it?

We now know that the answer to this question is: YOU DON’T. 

Yes, someone driving by midday saw Yertle out in the front yard, stopped, hopped out of his black pick-up truck, and kidnapped stole Yertle. Due to the angles on neighbors’ doorbell cameras, the theft was caught on video but the license number on the truck and the face of the thief weren’t.

However, there was one thing the thief didn’t consider when he stole a machine that is programmed using 22 satellites in ye olde heavens above. You see, once Yertle was unceremoniously lifted over the property line, with a hat tip to ET, Yertle phoned home.

Literally.

Immediately.

Thereby alerting our neighbor that Yertle had been swiped and that he was resting in the back of a pick-up truck that was speeding into the countryside.

So our neighbor called the Sheriff’s Department to tell them what had been stolen and to look for a black pick-up truck. Plus our neighbor, using his cell phone that tracks Yertle, was able to tell the Sheriff’s Department Yertle’s current exact location as the thief drove down the road.

Then our neighbor waited.

Welp, apparently the thief figured out that Yertle had a GPS tracking device, so before the Sheriff caught up with the truck Yertle was found*, abandoned unharmed by the side of the road.

Yertle came home no worse for the wear, a victor over the forces of evil, and as you can imagine, the talk of the ‘hood.

A QUIZ TO DETERMINE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR

I stumbled over this questionnaire, Test Your Humor Style. It’s based on Rod A. Martin, Ph.D.’s academic idea that humor can be divided into four different types.

After answering 32 easy questions, I learned that my humor styles, succinctly defined, in descending order are:

  • Self-enhancing [97th percentile], meaning I look on the funny absurd side of things;
  • Affiliative [73rd percentile], meaning I enjoy sharing amusing stories to make people laugh;
  • Self-defeating [64th percentile], meaning that I laugh along with others when being made fun of; and lastly
  • Aggressive [17th percentile], meaning I don’t use humor to tease, put down, or manipulate people.

There’s more to the definitions of each humor style so instead of writing in depth, I’ll share the following taken directly from my results page.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

What’s new in your neighborhood? Spill the tea!

Ever reminded of a movie by something that happened in real life?

What’s your favorite funny movie?

Do you think the four types of humor make sense?

If you took the quiz, what is your primary style of humor?

~ ~ • ~ ~

* I wrote this post yesterday morning then learned the rest of the story last night. Come to find out after rescuing Yertle the Sheriffs did catch up with the black pick-up truck. The two men in it claimed that the only reason they’d taken Yertle was that it was by the trash cans on trash day and they thought it was a motorized toy car being thrown out. Uh huh.

238 thoughts on “Because It’s Funny: When Life Imitates A Movie + Determining YOUR Sense Of Humor”

  1. Uh huh, indeed. My husband is itching to get a robo-lawn mower and I had literally NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THEFT. But it seems so obvious now!

    We have a robotic vacuum and love it, but of course it’s INSIDE. Food for thought as we ponder investing in one eventually! I’m glad it had a happy ending and everyone is reunited 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Elisabeth, Yertle isn’t lightweight, but an adult can pick him up. He got messed up in our yard once and Z-D escorted him home. In that case he alerted our neighbor instantly, but we weren’t stealing him so no big deal.

      I’ve considered a robotic vacuum, but a robotic lawn mower seems more complicated to program & is darned pricey.

      Like

  2. love the yertle story. I took the test and am in the 99th percentile in affiliative and self-enhancing humor categories. luckily low on the aggressive and average on the self-defeating.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Oh, Yertle…what a grand adventure for a humble bot. Thank you for sharing, Ally. Would that be “affiliative” humor, enjoying the story of his plight? 😜
    I’ll need to take the quiz!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marian, Yertle is white and shiny, mesmerizing to watch as she, or he, crosses the yard. That being said me thinks the thieves weren’t so much charmed by Yertle as they were hoping to make some fast money.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Nancy, the other afternoon as the Yertle saga was unfolding I knew it’d be a great story. Then yesterday when I found out the rest of the story… can’t stop smiling.

      Like

  10. I love a lawn mower that is self-sufficient! Good to hear that Yertle was recovered and the update only adds to the good news.

    I think that I may have experienced periods in my life that fit each type of humor style. Honestly right now I rarely find much to laugh about. I suspect I’m witnessing way too much Aggressive Humor 😦

    Around the hood- yard sales that block sidewalks, Rhubarb Festival, and possible illegal street tree trimming…

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, I adore Yertle, don’t want one of our own, but enjoy how this little machine stops people in their tracks. Of course, 99% of the people don’t kidnap Yertle.

      I know how you feel about too much Aggressive Humor. I’m tired of it, yet almost everywhere I turn there’s someone being insensitive.

      We don’t have many yard sales around here. The Sheriff Department discourages them because of the increase in thievery after them. I like Rhubarb, what a great festival.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. The Yertle story is too funny. Yeah right, they thought it was a discarded motorized car. Uh huh. Sure.

    Did the quiz. Surprised a tad. Self-effacing 92%, Affiliative 86%, Self-defeating 42% and Aggressive 33% (What? Really?)

    I know there was a situation recently that felt very movie-like. Of course, now that I have to remember what it was, I’m drawing a blank.

    Favourite funny movie? Hmmm… My Cousin Vinny, Bridesmaids, We’re the Millers come to mind…

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dale, exactly! Thieves are notoriously so honest about their motives. 🙄

      Your results on the quiz are interesting. I figure that no matter how academically sound an online quiz is, you have to take any results… with a grain of salt… a wedge of lemon… & a shot of tequila.

      I love My Cousin Vinny and haven’t seen it in ages. I like Bridesmaids, but have never seen We’re the Millers.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hahaha!!

        I thought so, too. And yes, the questions are too black and white for the results to be perfect. But I have to agree on how to take them!

        It’s one of my faves. Bridesmaids was funny, even if it’s a bit on the stupid scale (I’m not a huge fan of stupid so don’t even try to make me watch anything Monty Python). We’re the Millers is a little gem with Jason Studeikis and Jennifer Aniston. Oh, and I love A Knight’s Tale, too…

        Like

  15. I’m glad Yertle was returned unharmed. Good that they caught the guys, but unlikely they can be punished. We’ve had several thefts around town by people who said, “I thought it was being put out for free.”

    New in our neighborhood? Not much we did hve a murder of crows calling our yard home for a couple of weeks, but they may have moved on.

    My life and my tastes in movies doesn’t often overlap.

    Favorite funny movie is hard to pin down. I would go with RED because I recently watched it again.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dan, I bet you’re right that those guys knew if they said what they said, they’d get off the hook. Plus Yertle was unharmed so… 🤷‍♀️

      A murder of crows! We had that happen once and I didn’t like it. Those birds creep me out.

      I haven’t seen RED in ages and it is funny. I don’t know if I’ve seen it all the way through or just saw bits of it, but I remember laughing.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Okay, I love that Yertle had a self tracking device. That’s amazing! I took the test and am Affiliative Affiliative Humor: 54 92nd%
    Self-enhancing Humor: 53 98th%
    Aggressive Humor: 40 91st%
    Self-defeating Humor: 22 38th%

    Liked by 1 person

  17. We’re just now back to our old selves after our mega-flu, so not all that sure about the neighbourhood. We think it’s still neighbouring along.

    I don’t really have a favourite humorous movie, but Horrible Bosses and We’re the Millers are pretty funny. 😊

    I’ve always wanted an iRobot vacuum but M thinks they take up too much space and look ugly in their parking spot. If I had a lawn I would covet Yertle, definitely, but I probably wouldn’t have one (or steal one). And what were those two thinking??? Everything is tracked these days.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, I’m glad you’re feeling better again. I suspect that your neighborhood carried on in your absence, still neighbouring along as you said.

      I’ve never seen either of the movies you mention. Not too surprising I don’t see many movies. I’ll look for them though.

      I agree that a parked iRobot vacuum is nothing to look at. I do know that people who have them love them, so maybe you get accustomed to seeing them to the point you don’t see them anymore?

      Like

  20. I love the Yertle story! As more things become tracked with phone apps, things will become more difficult to steal. The thieves did have a pretty good story although I can’t imagine Yertle looked much like a toy car. I have a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor (I think) but will test it out. How well do I know myself?

    Like

    • Margaret, you’re right that as more things can be tracked with your phone stealing objects will be more difficult. Yertle is much too large to look like a toy car and he is heavy. Me thinks the thieves weren’t telling the truth. The quiz is, if nothing else, a way of understanding other people better.

      Like

  22. I totally get the naming stuff. We have 2 robot vacs, Lucy and Rosie, our daughter’s car is Clementine (yes it is orange). as for the test, welp lets say my highest percentile is not the best category. As for funny movies “Lock, Stock & two Smoking Barrels” I was in tears. I’ve seen the Martian a dozen times and I still laugh when he blows himself up by accident.

    Liked by 2 people

  23. I had a good laugh at the Yurtle Situation. I’m glad he made it back home and with a story to tell! I suppose if it was near the garbage pick up, well then…..

    NOPE, not gonna believe that for a second. 🙂

    I took the humor test and I think I scored well. Ok, it wasn’t that kind of test, was it?

    Your score on Affiliative Humor is at the 97th percentile, indicating that you are very much above average on this style of humor.

    Your score on Self-enhancing Humor is at the 92nd percentile, indicating that you are very much above average on this style of humor.

    Your score on Aggressive Humor is at the 12nd percentile, indicating that you are considerably below average on this style of humor.

    Your score on Self-defeating Humor is at the 31st percentile, indicating that you are somewhat below average on this style of humor.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Suz, it’s interesting how no commenter so far has felt that the reason for stealing Yertle was legit. GO FIGURE!

      Your scores on the quiz are similar to mine, at least in the Self-enhancing humor and the lack of Aggressive humor. It’s not like there are right or wrong results, just different ones. Kind of fun to see what makes people laugh.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Favorite funny movie is an ever-changing decision, but today I would say favorite from 20th century is My Man Godfrey or most of the Thin Man movies (I have a thing for William Powell). And favorite funny movie from the 21st century is The Dish. In none of these is the humor mean or raunchy, and they all have a tender side, too.

    Love the Yertle story. A friend gave us a Roomba (same principle, I assume). The few times we’ve used it, it immediately heads for the couch and wedges under it. I think it’s shy.

    Liked by 3 people

  25. The Yertle story is so hilarious! I love that it phoned home! I loved that the culprits were found, and Yertle was returned. It’s the feel-good story of the week! Yertle would definitely be a great character for a children’s book.

    The humor quiz was fun.
    Affiliative: 92nd percentile
    Self-enhancing 98th percentile
    Aggressive: 12th percentile
    Self-defeating: 54th percentile

    My favorite funny movie is The Wedding Singer with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. It’s sweetly funny and I enjoy it every time I watch it.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Michelle G., I think you’re right that this could be the feel good story of the week. I knew everyone here would love it.

      Our results on the humor quiz are similar. Until I took the quiz and reflected on it I hadn’t realized how similar humor can explain the ‘peas in a pod’ feeling I have with some people.

      I haven’t seen The Wedding Singer in years and I like it. I smiled just reading your comment and thinking back on it.

      Like

    • Sadje, Yertle is well-known in this neighborhood so everyone was rooting for his return.

      The quiz about humor styles is interesting. I can’t say I’ve ever spent much time thinking about my sense of humor, but now that I have I’m beginning to realize why I click with some people and not with others.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Ally, we didn’t need a quiz to know what type your sense of humour is – you share it with us so generously.

    I love the Yertle story, and think the person who suggested that there be stories written about Yertle the Turtle is spot on. Something for when you’re enjoying summer downtime? 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, I stumbled over the quiz and then HAD to take it. I’m a sucker for quizzes. In this case my results seemed spot on.

      Yertle is a character in this neighborhood. People on foot or in vehicles stop to stare at him but up until recently no one has tried to kidnap him. I mean really, what kind of doofuses were those thieves? 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

      • Totally agree that they had to be doofuses. I was granting them points for creative thinking on the excuse, but only if it was an off-the cuff one. If they’d spent ages working on it and that’s the best they came up with… not so much.

        I’m like you with quizzes – a total moth to a flame. I didn’t comment on my results initially, as I came out high on self-defeating (and I did it twice on two separate days). Whilst I’d categorise my humour as self-deprecating, this was an unexpected spin which gave me pause for thought, and ties in with uncovering and working through some family history stuff which is going on in the background. So, thank you, it was useful, if not comfortable.

        Like

        • I have to wonder if these thieves have lifted things before and the trash excuse is their go-to if caught. Not that I want to cast any aspersions on their characters. 🙄

          I’m glad that taking the quiz gave you a bit of insight into who you are. I know that there are flaws in all online quizzes, but I also think there can be insights gleaned from your results. Sometimes it’s good to get out of your head and learn how others view you. But you know that!

          Good luck with the family stuff.

          Liked by 1 person

  28. So irksome that Yertle was stolen! I wonder how the thief figured out that it had a tracker. I wonder if it emitted a beep or something. Nice job on the humor quiz. I fear I may skew a smidge too much into the picking on people for humor side. I’ve been meaning to apologize to SD for that, but he wasn’t at class last night. This post further convicts me not to forget.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. What a cute story! Motto should be “never leave Yertie next to Trashie!” I tend to be too self-deprecating – I can’t imagine making fun of someone in order to get laughs! Comedienne I am not. As per funny movies – Trading Spaces is always fun. North by Northwest. MASH (the original movie)

    Liked by 2 people

    • Jan, your motto is spot on. Poor Yertle was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I sometimes poke fun at people who I know can take it, that is they are emotionally stable, BUT for the most part I avoid any kind of mocking humor.

      Yes, Trading Spaces! I’d forgotten about that movie. I’ve been thinking about M*A*S*H, the movie, this week… for obvious reasons.

      Like

  30. The triumph of Yertle (or maybe Big Brother)! Enjoyed that story. My humor profile is similar to yours, only more of each: 99%, 81%, 75%, and 38%. The questionnaire is interesting, but also more than 20 years old, has a problem with lengthy phrasing for the “aggressive” questions, and was based on majority male responses in initial study. Might be due for an update. Also don’t entirely agree with the blanket bad rap for aggressive humor, especially when certain politicians deserve to have their willful ignorance, outright stupidity, racism, misogyny, and ineptitude mocked. But I’m not sure nuance is possible in blanket questionnaires and this one was way more fun than problematic.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Autumn, I like your idea about Big Brother’s influence in Yertle’s rescue. True dat.

      I take your point. Yes the questionnaire is an old one and might need a few more nuanced categories to handle our current situation. I could see value in a revised quiz and categories. I’ve no idea if Rod A. Martin, Ph.D. is still researching humor. I found this questionnaire as a link in an article in The Guardian and delved no farther into him.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Wow, that is SUCH a great story, Ally! Yertle! Being kidnapped! And then rescued! I love every single detail.

    You know, I remembered your story about Yertle because the other day I saw a little machine that was making lines on the sports field beside the dog park. It was Yertle-like, and when the dogs realized that hey, that thing is just going by itself, they all went nuts barking at it. GOOD TIMES.

    I think I am self-enhancing and affiliative as well, those resonate with me. Life! It’s just so funny and silly sometimes.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Nicole, Yertle entertains Z-D and I more than I should admit. We see him when we’re sitting on our deck and watching him work is relaxing.

      Dogs around here just stare at Yertle, he doesn’t seem to get a rise out of them. Maybe our neighborhood dogs aren’t so observant or curious. However squirrels, who can easily outrun him, glare at Yertle like he is the devil incarnate, so to speak.

      Hear, hear, you said it: Life! It’s just so funny and silly sometimes.

      Like

  33. So glad Yertle phoned home and that the sheriffs found the thieves. As for what’s new, we’ve had a ton of rain lately! I’d rather have that than thieves. We had them a few years ago when the catalytic converters of many cars in my area were stolen by an out-of-town gang.

    I glanced at the humor quiz. My goodness! So many questions! I felt too lazy to answer them just then. 😊

    As for movies, my favorite is Elf.

    Liked by 2 people

    • L. Marie, I was hoping for the safe return of Yertle so this story made me smile especially with the addendum.

      No rain around here, just heat. I know that our area went through a time when catalytic converters were a hot item. Stupid thieves.

      The quiz takes a bit of focus so I get why you didn’t take it. I’m just a sucker for quizzes so I HAD to take it.

      Elf! I love that movie, too, but only think of it at the holidays.

      Like

  34. I think Old School and Bridemaids are a few of my favorite funny movies, but I can never go wrong watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. My high school friends made fun of me for that – for being such a simpleton. Ah, well – what can I say, I like to laugh.

    I love the rescue Yertle or die trying story. So funny. Look at the world we live in, doorbell cameras, GPS, and the very presence of robots to mow lawns. It’s like the Jetsons re-imagined. I’m glad they caught up with the thieves, but I don’t buy there story.

    I once went to the grocery store early in the am back when we lived at our old house and our kids were knee-high to a grasshopper. I tossed the double stroller out of the trunk at the last minute, so I’d have space for groceries. Then I got home and the stroller was gone. A neighbor was using it the next day. I posted a sign in my yard, Stroller was not being tossed out. We still very much need it. *the people returned it and we all had a good laugh.

    Any movie with a chaotic scene with a bunch of kids resonates with me. I’m thinking of the cheaper by the dozen movie and the scenes involving making food for an army in the kitchen. Ha.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ernie, I’ve never heard of Old School but the other two movies I’ve seen. They’re funny. I remember seeing Cheaper By The Dozen or another similar one with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda called Yours, Mine and Ours.

      You’re right we do live in a different version of The Jetsons that is kind of like what they foretold. Love The Jetsons.

      What a hoot about the stroller. I’m glad you got it back and that it ended on a good note, yet what a story.

      Like

  36. So Yertle phoned home. Who’d of thought!
    No interesting stuff going on here. We’re just all happy the heatwave broke but not enough that we don’t get the chance to still bring it up while (probably over-)watering the flowers and veggies.

    Liked by 2 people

  40. I had to LOL at your P.S. to the Yertle story! Too funny!!! Sure, buddy. I wonder how the dimwits figured out about the GPS?

    I was 99th percentile for Affiliative Humor. Does that make me the life of the party??Woohoo!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Bijoux, I wonder how they figured out the GPS, too. One commenter suggested Yertle might have started blinking and that caught their attention. 🤷‍♀️

      Heck ‘ya, you’re the Life of the Party, the Belle of the Ball, the Queen of the Dance!

      Like

    • Rebecca, thanks. My approach to personal blogging is to write about whatever catches my fancy in the moment. Hence, I’m eclectic, kind an anti-niche blogger [not that there’s anything wrong with niches].

      And yes, I’m resting easier now that Yertle is back home, the poor dear.

      Liked by 2 people

  42. Way to fight back, Yertle!! What an adventure!!

    I love that you scored high on the affiliative humor (I think I’m saying that right because I’m just learning these styles with this post). It matches what you do for us whenever you post – share some gentle humor. Thank you, Ally!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Wynne, I felt the same way about Yertle. Go Yertle, go Yertle, go Yertle…

      Thanks for the compliment. I’m blushing. I try to share fun stories here and have no difficulty sharing my mistakes, which is part of that kind of humor. 😜

      Liked by 1 person

  43. I loved your story about the robotic lawnmower. Hilarious!

    I’d like to be more affiliative. If only I could remember the crucial details and get the punchline right. This morning I tried to tell my daughter how funny the current Kayak ad was, but I could tell she wasn’t getting it, so I looked it up online. It’s really worth looking it up if you haven’t seen it. I’m laughing just thinking of it.

    I really dislike comedians who use aggressive humor.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Nicki, as the tale of Yertle was unfolding I knew it’d be a good story for the blog. Couldn’t make that one up if I tried.

      Now I have to go find the Kayak ad. I know how you feel about affiliative humor, sometimes I do it, other times I can’t get my point across.

      I don’t care for aggressive humor either. I’ve known people in real life who could only mock and belittle others. Not exactly my kind of peeps.

      Like

  44. About 5 years ago we were visiting family in Norway. They had a robot lawnmower, first one I’d ever seen. One day while we were there, watching it in fascination, it toddled right off the yard and fell into the fiord. Our cousin, who lived there rushed right out and fished it out and took it to a robot doctor but it was dead. They called it “Little Friend ” and seemed heartbroken. They had to order a new Little Friend, and they are not cheap!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dawn, this is a hilarious story. The little robot guy fell into a fiord‽ That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard today. I mean I’m sorry about the expense and all, but you couldn’t dream that story up if you tried. Thanks for sharing it here.

      Liked by 1 person

  45. Yertle’s story makes me think of E.T., yes, but also of lost luggage. We connected through Toronto’s airport recently, and somehow three of our four bags made the connection while the other one did not. When we alerted the airline, they said the bag would be on the same plane a day later. Nope. In fact, we didn’t hear anything for a week. So we finally contacted the airline’s “global support center”, who investigated and said, “Actually, it’s coming in on that same flight today. We’ll have it delivered via FedEx once it lands”. Darned if they weren’t telling the truth. Our luggage showed up in our driveway the next day – ten days after the fact and completely undisturbed. The airline apologized with 25% off our next booking, up to four tickets. Every now and then these kinds of stories have happy endings!

    Liked by 2 people

  46. Yeah, Yertle is home, and the bad guys had a really bad reason for taking him. The responding officer probably had to keep from chuckling out loud. 🙂 The big news in our neighborhood was a domestic disturbance about a mile down the road that included hand guns and a swat team. Big stuff for this area. I have always liked City Slickers where they look for the meaning of life because at certain times, I think we are all in that position. 🙂 I must confess I didn’t take the test. I have never been able to tell a joke well, and I usually forget some part of it which ruins the entire thing so I stopped trying years ago. My humor is kind of snarky and sarcastic, and I definitely laugh at myself but not at others. Laughter is good for the soul but not at someone else’s expense unless it is the weather forecaster. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Judy, I imagine you’re right that the officers wanted to laugh upon hearing why these men took Yertle. Your local excitement is way too exciting for anyone involved. Hand guns and a swat team! No, no, not good.

      I remember seeing City Slickers and enjoying it. So you can’t tell a joke! I’m not good telling them either. I like snarky and have been told I’m that way, too. Like you though I tend to not mock other people, just myself. And weather forecasters, of course. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Nothing in the world is less humorous than an academic trying to put humor in a box. The whole point of humor is that it breaks expectations, or forges strange juxtapositions, or just tickles us for no reason that we can explain. I’d bet good money your academic’s stories aren’t nearly as funny as your tale about Yertle.

    As for funny movies, at first I couldn’t think of a single one, let alone choose a favorite. I’ve always enjoyed A Christmas Story, but that’s more nostalgia for the 50’s, when I was growing up. My friends and I laugh at it every year, because we recognize so much. I went so far as to find a listing of the 90 best comedies, but the only one I even recognized was Borat, and I never saw that. Finally, I remembered The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — that’s a good one, and funny as can be.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda, I tend to agree with you about trying to box in humor. However I took the quiz and found my results to be interesting and am thinking about why I enjoy the things I funny. So self-awareness gained, but no need to dive further into the topic of humor from an academic pov.

      A Christmas Story was my mother’s favorite holiday movie. She’d be in stitches watching it even though she knew what was coming next. I never saw Borat, either. I remember laughing and enjoying The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but couldn’t tell you much about it. Some movies hit, while others just slide through my mind.

      Liked by 1 person

  48. The Yertle story reminds me of Mark Rober videos where he spews glitter and rotten egg smell in thieves’ cars from the packages they steal from doorsteps. He also has a phone in the package for GPS tracking. I like the humor categories. I find it useful to think about my sense of humor and others’. I tend toward affiliative humor. Thanks.

    Liked by 3 people

  49. Thanks for sharing the Yertle saga with us. I was deeply invested in Yertle’s return. And no one believes the thieves tale because they are thieves and liars and morons; because there is a GPS on everything these days!!

    I find it odd about the comment about the robot lawn mower falling into a fjord – my Roomba is supposed to be able to sense a drop off point – at that price point I would have assumed that the robot lawn mower would have the same feature.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Gigi, like you I was invested in Yertle’s return. He’s not ours but we feel a certain sense of ownership over him. You’re right the the thieves were morons… hence thieves? 🤷‍♀️

      I don’t have a Roomba nor a robot lawn mower so I’ve no idea what they’re capable of. But you do raise an interesting point to ponder.

      Like

  50. Oh, Yertle! I’m so glad he is back home safely! What an adventure he had.

    I took the quiz and I was in the 99th percentile for Affiliative, 43rd percentile for Self-Enhancing, 1st percentile for Aggressive, and 50th for Self-Defeating. This was a lot of fun! Never stop sharing these types of quizzes!🖤

    Favorite funny movie? Gosh, I had to think about this one. Napolean Dynamite. It’s very different, but it makes us all laugh.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Kari, I like Yertle and was happy when I saw he was back, mowing along like nothing untoward had happened.

      Affiliative humor I get, Aggressive humor I don’t get. If nothing else taking the quiz then musing on your results seem like a different way to get to know yourself.

      I remember Napoleon Dynamite! What a funny movie, but I haven’t rewatched it in years. Might be time to revisit it.

      Liked by 1 person

  51. Meh…i laugh at poop and fart jokes…nothing in that quiz alludes to that 🤣 Affiliative is my sense of humour at a high 57%, self enhancing & aggressive were both in the average range with self-defeating below average. There are two movies that make me laugh out loud Abbott & Costello in Who done it ? And Planes, Trains & Automobiles…no matter how many times I watch em.

    Liked by 2 people

  53. Too funny! I hope you now have the whole neighborhood calling the mower “Yertle.” Cops must hear the lamest excuses all the time. I hate to think those yahoos got away with it, but I can understand the reason behind letting them go.

    Btw, I noticed your “spill the tea” reference… I like it… did you read the same NYT article I did?

    Liked by 2 people

  54. That’s really cool that the lawn mower called home. Too bad they can’t figure out a way to make other things that are easy targets for light fingered lowlifes do that.

    I’m a fan of self-defeating humor.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jean, I was amazed that Yertle called home but after I thought about it, it made sense. He’s entirely controlled by a cell phone app. Good point about how useful it’d be to have that technology in other things.

      Self-defeating humor has its place and uses in relationships.

      Like

  56. I’ve heard some pretty lame excuses about why kids didn’t do their homework before, but these thieves need to work on their lies. What good citizens disposing of other people’s trash! 🤣

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pete, yep it was a lame excuse for what amounted to stealing, but they got away with it. Excellent way to re-frame the story, they were merely good citizens helping with trash disposal. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

  57. Guess those bozos didn’t have enough time to come up with a decent story.

    I don’t keep track of favorite movies, but a couple fun ones I enjoyed recently were “The Tower Heist” and “Hit Man.”

    The neighborhood is a very mellow place. We’re not real thrilled with the coarse gravel spread on the road recently (hard on human feet and especially doggy paws), while another neighbor is absolutely through the roof that they didn’t put any gravel in front of HIS driveway.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, you gotta wonder if the thieves thought their cover story was clever? If they’d used it successfully elsewhere? Somehow I have a difficult time thinking this was their first attempted heist.

      I’ve not heard of either of your movies. Not surprising, I don’t watch many movies. Thanks for sharing them here.

      Ick to gravel. It’s messy and those poor doggy paws. What an ouch!

      Liked by 1 person

  58. That is a funny story about Yertle – really, the thief should have known enough that it might be programmed by a “brain” or, at the very least, by a remote control device/phone. I like the idea of it having a quasi-Onstar system, but even better that it “phoned home!” Ally, it figures that Ring doorbells pick up lots of action, but when you really need them to come through, there is always some issue. I see that when people have robberies or car break-ins on our Residents forum and the Ring malfunctions. At least the thieves were eventually caught – what a lame excuse for taking Yertle.

    I would classify myself as Affiliative Humor. Different types of humor – some people have dry wit and you have to ponder what the heck is so funny or witty about that they saw.

    I can’t remember the last LOL funny movie I saw … it has been ages since I saw a movie using Amazon Prime, on my laptop, as I don’t have TV anymore, having cancelled my cable in 2010. Years ago I’d watch a feel-good movie, “Murphy’s Romance”, but it’s been years since I saw that even though I have the tape downstairs.

    I think about getting cable, but for now it is on the back burner.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I’m thinking that the thieves figured out that Yertle was relaying information about his location to someone so that’s why they put him by the side of the road. How they figured that out is anyone’s guess. The doorbell cameras gave a vague idea of who had taken Yertle, but no truly identifying characteristics. Those cameras are great for catching porch pirates, but this was too far away.

      The thing about the types of humor in that quiz is that they’re, at least in my mind, a starting point. I know over the years I’ve dipped into all four categories but now lean into a kinder style of humor like Affiliative.

      I remember Murphy’s Romance and enjoyed it. The last line was “How do you like your eggs?” BUT when I saw it on TV a few years ago it had been cut. I actually screamed at the TV for cutting what I was looking forward to the most in the movie.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It was easier for the thieves to play dumb that way by ditching Yertle like they did. I’ve seen the videos of porch pirates from the doorbell cameras and often the thieves look right into the camera, which strikes me as odd.

        I’ve done sarcastic humor in the past, but only to respond in kind. See … as we get older, our humor mellows out, just like we do

        “Murphy’s Romance” was such a feel-good movie. I always thought James Garner was handsome in that movie and “The Rockford Files” as well. That’s terrible about cutting that line! Was it perceived that Emma was being too familiar or presumptuous by asking Murphy how he liked his eggs?

        Liked by 1 person

        • I wonder about porch pirates who look into the camera too. I grant you they might not be the brightest bulbs in the chandelier to begin with, but wouldn’t you NOT do that if you didn’t want to get caught?

          I agree that as I’ve aged and matured I’ve gotten mellower and humor is one example of it.

          I don’t know why the last line was cut from the movie. Maybe the movie was too long, so they cut the run time so there could be more ads? I saw it on cable TV not on a streaming service.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Porch pirates – well you would think ….

            I subscribe to the online local newspaper. I want to know just how much craziness is out there since I am out and about by myself and sometimes far from the car. Last week during the heat wave, there was a local guy who walked through the parking lot and into the store, picked up his item(s) and was standing at the self-checkout line before someone noticed him. The employee gave him a garbage bag to cover up. Um … even in the memes they used to have about Walmart years ago, customers were in various stages of undress, but I don’t recall being in your birthday suit was one of them.

            Old age has its good points. I met a woman from the plein air painting group today while I was at Lake Erie Metropark. I never met her when I met the others two years ago … she told me she was 92 years old. I hope I look that good and am that energetic when I’m 82, let alone 92.

            They could have taken some of the Bobby Jack (ex-husband) scenes out. I am going to watch it again either on Amazon or on YouTube.

            Liked by 1 person

            • Shopping naked. Okay, not on my bingo card… but sure. How nice to meet someone who likes the same things as you and talked with you. I wasn’t a fan of her ex-husband, but it did set up the reason why she liked a mature man, like Murphy.

              Liked by 1 person

  59. As always, I will answer the questions in another post. And this time I will remember to take the test! 😂. I’ve forgotten previously, but now I promise I will do it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, I suspect that the commenters on this post have put more thought into how Yertle works than the thieves did. 🙄 Maybe they thought they’d sell it for parts? Maybe they were idiots…

      Like

  61. That’s so cool that Yertle made it back home and the Sheriff’s looked for it at all. I didn’t think they would.

    The only difference I’ve noticed here is that more people are out walking earlier in the morning as it’s getting warmer here, and there are more 4th of July decorations being put out.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, living in a pleasant subdivision in a small town means law enforcement isn’t all that busy and is more responsive to little crimes like this one. Gotta think they found the whole situation hilarious, like we all did.

      I’m seeing people out walking earlier, too, but hardly any 4th of July decorations. I put out flags for Memorial Day and we were one of two houses on the street that decorated. I don’t know if it’s that people are fed up with our government or that they’re on vacation. Used to be everyone decorated. 🤷‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

  62. I didn’t read about your yertle! Glad he is safely back home! Today morning my we saw our pepper plant completely destroyed and eaten. We have a very dangerous critter running around our neighborhood, ie is for my neighborhood news!

    Liked by 1 person

  65. What a good, SMART Yertle!!

    Neighborhood gossip! Relevant background info: it has been the rainiest June I can recall. First piece of gossip – two nights ago we had bad thunderstorms and the church steeple in the next town over was struck by lightning and caught fire and it made the national news. My Facebook feed is mostly photos of this church on fire and then the fire getting put out, and then the steeple glowing because it was so hot. Second piece of gossip – during the rainiest June ever, they started working on my neighbor’s roof. That same night the steeple caught on fire, the roof leaked and caused thousands (tens of thousands?) worth of damage to the house!

    Liked by 1 person

    • NGS, what interesting news! A church with a steeple on fire is noteworthy and kind of visually disturbing, I suppose. I feel sorry for you neighbor with the roof problem. We had our roof replaced a few years ago and I became obsessed with the weather, scared it’d rain while the old roof was off, before the new one went on. My sympathies to your neighbor.

      Like

  66. I couldn’t be more thrilled Yertle made its way safely back home, Ally. I never tire of hearing when good triumphs evil. Great reporting effort by you, and so glad you shared it here. The neighborhood gossip is pretty much as dry as the lawns. Any real talk is of the fact in the last two weeks we’ve gotten about five total minutes of rain. We are hoping relief is on the way at some point. We do have a neighbor who has welcomed a newborn baby into their family. We have another who has welcomed a new gift into their yard…a watering can which illuminates at night and also creates the illumination of water dripping down from it. I can imagine those critters who roam about here in the evening look at that decoration and say…why can’t we get some REAL drops of water.💧

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce, everyone, except the thieves I suppose, is happy Yertle made it back home undamaged. That’s not much rainfall, I can understand how dry it is where you live. An illuminated watering can is a new one for me. I can imagine it and only hope it brings much joy to your neighbors as they gaze upon it every night. From my pov, it’s weird. Not that they’d care about my opinion.

      Liked by 1 person

      • The nighttime watering can was a gift from their grandkids apparently, and to be honest I wish I had thought of it first. We don’t have a lot of light around here at night in the summertime, and it looks pretty cool doing its thing in the darkness. I’m already psyched for putting up the Christmas lights but Mrs. Chess has convinced me it is a bit early for that.

        Liked by 1 person

        • You raise a good point about nighttime light. If it’s dark enough for the watering can to really show up it would look interesting. Around here we have so much light pollution you’d barely see it. Also Mrs. Chess is right, it’s too early for Christmas lights. Listen to her.

          Liked by 1 person

  67. I’m so glad that Yertle called home! Is he king of all he can see?

    The gossip of our neighborhood is the 500lb branch that fell off of a eucalyptus tree in our complex. Thankfully the only damage was to the garbage area, some fencing, and one neighbor’s much loved bamboo plants. I feel bad about the plants, but he does have perspective, if it had been about a foot over it would have damaged his roof and/or windows. So the talk is how we wish we could get rid of the trees (they are owned by a neighboring complex, and are all along one border of our properties) and how they are great in the outbacks of Australia, where they are native, but not really welcome in the vicinity of houses and cars in suburbia.

    Liked by 2 people

    • J, I’ve never lived by a eucalyptus tree. It sounds delightful, but obviously isn’t. Your neighbor’s common sense about how much worse the damage could have been is refreshing. I wonder why whoever planted them did so? Used to live in Australia? Or just unaware.

      Like

  68. Wow, Yertle is one smart lawnmower!

    You know, I don’t socialize much in my neighborhood and when I do, it’s gossip (one of my neigbhors somehow knows everything about everyone so I get an earful when she catches me outside). Welll, I did see a fox the other day. I think it was a pup or kit (?). There’s a wooded area just south of my neighborhood and he skedaddled that way when I approached him. (I wasn’t too close. I thought he was a dog at first.)

    I can’t say that much has happened in my real life that reminds me of a movie; although when I was employed, every day at work was like Groundhog Day but without the romance.

    My favorite funny movie is Young Frankenstein.

    The four types of humor are interesting, but I found the questions a bit hard to answer. I’m not a good judge of how I comport myself with others.

    My primary style of humor is Self-Defeating Humor. In fact, I scored in the 99th percentile. Unfortunately, I seem to have a facility for being the butt of jokes, especially in my family. And, yes, sadly, I’ve had friends who have been quick to ridicule me. Just something about me, I guess. (insert shrug emoji)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, I avoid gossipy neighbors like the plague… or maybe I should say like covid! 😉

      I’ve only seen one fox here and I was transfixed, so beautiful. I haven’t seen Young Frankenstein in years. What a fun movie.

      I agree about the questions on the quiz. I felt the same way, but gave it my best… like it really matters? I know how you feel about Self-Defeating humor. I, too, am often the butt of the joke, just an option to make fun of. I shrug.

      Liked by 1 person

      • My gossipy neighbor lives right across from us so she’s hard to avoid 😉 Generally, though, it isn’t all gossip, just info, and while she can be quite opinionated, she’s not mean-spirited … thank goodness. Maybe gossip isn’t the right word after all, but I’m often amazed by how much she knows about the goings-on in our neighborhood.

        Liked by 1 person

          • Several years ago, my neighbor had a couple of dogs that she and her partner would walk in the neighborhood. Of course, they’d meet other neighbors with dogs and have to stop to chat. No dogs now but they still walk the neighborhood. Sometimes when I’m out walking, I’ll see them or one of them stopped and talking to another neighbor. So … dogs 🤷🏼‍♀️

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  69. I’m so tired of crime that I found myself hoping that the person who stole Yertle would be caught! But at least he was returned. As for my favorite funny movie, that would be, “Young Frankenstein.” Although I could name at least a dozen others that are close seconds……

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ann, we hear about crime [of all sizes] all the time anymore now that we have news + social media in our lives. It’s tiring to be sure. I haven’t seen Young Frankenstein in decades, but of laughed myself silly when I saw it. Thanks for the reminder to watch it again.

      Liked by 1 person

  70. Cute story with a happy ending – I’ll watch it when they make it into a film!

    Your questions were hard this time, so I’ll only answer one: No, I don’t think the 4 types of humour are logical, or at least they aren’t what I expected. But I still might have to pop over and take the quiz 🙈

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Snow Melts Somewhere, Yertle could star in anything I think. He’s got personality and obviously knows how to get himself found.

      If I was putting together categories of humor I don’t know that I’d come up with these four. I’d have more although I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head what they’d be. Still I’m glad I took the quiz if for no other reason than it got me musing on what is humorous to me.

      Liked by 1 person

  71. Hmm. Not feeling like a cool kid. I think I’m going to write my own post about the humor quiz and not over-take your blog to do it. 🙂

    Poor Yertle. I had a stuffed turtle named Myrtle. Not to be confused with Yertle. My younger brother bought me a robot vacuum. I named him Hal. Imagine Hal saying “I can’t do that Dave” as he was worried about falling off the great precipice of a little rug, on which sits my poinsettia. After he “fell” he hustled back to his station where he feels safe. I told him to stay there and recover.

    Two things.

    • If you have a cat or two, a robot vacuum has limited usefulness. I have to think that some of these issues apply to dogs and Yertles, too. Before turning Hal on, I needed to sweep. Hal did not like kitty litter. He did not like cat toys. He did not like excessive cat hair. He really did not like undiscover cat gak. I’m in the process of making the office safe for Hal although what he is going to do with my 1/4 inch tall rugs I do not know.I have not felt very motivated since my first pick up and sweep after Zoe died but I will get there. The Robot gets places I can’t.

    • My younger brother is older than me. He is younger than my older brother. He is not my “middle” brother because I only have two of them. I’ve referred to them as my younger and older brother practically forever. That’s better than what an older friend of mine did, she was essentially my younger brother’s age. She accidentally introduced him as her piano teacher’s daughter. [Could this be a hint of blog posts to come??]

    I never thought about whether Hal has some kind of tracking system. And now I wonder. I hope it’s better than the one he draws a miserable excuse for the path inside my house. I’m very glad that Yertle made it home safely.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Zazzy, the humor quiz is interesting but can’t say that I went looking for it, it found me. I know that it is 20 years old and therefore maybe not be in tune with today, but if nothing else it has got people talking. I look forward to reading what you have to say about it.

      I like that you named your robot vacuum Hal. Makes sense to me. Your experiences with it are the kind of ones I’ve wondered about. Hal’s ability to get to places you can’t get to is one feature that I’d like, too. We don’t have a Hal or a Yertle so both seem fascinating and limited in equal measure.

      I’m not good with riddles but I recognize them. Now I really want to read your upcoming blog post, not that I didn’t before but now you’ve piqued my interest. Sometimes the most unexpected things can be the catalyst for the most unique blog posts.

      Liked by 1 person

  72. Affiliative and self-enhancing are pretty much tied for first on my results. The other two are considerably farther down.

    When I was a stupid kid, I took something that didn’t belong to me. When my mom questioned where it came from, I told her I found it in a dumpster. Apparently the whole “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” excuse is a popular one amongst we thieves.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Mark, I lean into affiliative humor too. It might be the catalyst for all story tellers.

      That’s funny that you used the excuse you did oh so long ago. It’s still alive and well amongst the local thieves. When something works, stick with it!

      Liked by 1 person


  73. I’m glad Yertle was safely returned home. It’s too bad the kidnapper/thief was not held responsible.

    I did take the humor quiz. I rated above average in self-enhancing, average in affiliative, and below average in self-defeating and aggressive. That seems about right.

    I don’t have one favorite funny movie, but I do love a good comedy. I’m thinking I’ll read through the comments for some ideas. I’m going to need a lot of funny movies to get me through this election year! And maybe well into the next four years.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Christie, it would have been wonderful if the thieves had been charged, but on the other hand the court system has more important things to deal with. I’m conflicted about, truth be told.

      Most commenters have felt the quiz accurately assessed them within the limited categories the quiz offers. If nothing else, interesting.

      Good point about funny movies to keep us sane during the next few months, maybe longer. I love funny movies so I’m always on the lookout for a new one to lift my spirits.

      Like

  74. Three cheers for GPS tracking devices!!! I love this story!
    I was highest (81st percentile) in self-enhancing humor and lowest (1st percentile) in affiliative humor. I think I see irony everywhere that amuses me but I am a lousy joke-teller and not a good story-teller.
    The other day I watched three arborists cut down two trees in our neighborhood. It was fascinating, seeing the tools and equipment they used and how efficient they were.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Barbara, I’ve yet to find anyone who wanted the thieves to succeed. Yay for GPS, indeed.

      Your results on the humor quiz are interesting. It’s difficult to make too much of any of our results, but does give food for thought.

      We’ve had trees taken down by professionals and I know what you mean. It’s a process and the workers are careful yet confident. Interesting.

      Liked by 1 person

  77. Pingback: Funny movies and some news. – A weirdo with…

    • I just watched that again last night actually. I forgot how damn hilarious it was! I don’t know how Julianne Moore pulled off her lines and that manner of speech with a straight face. And John Goodman…and John Turtorro?! Brilliant comedic actors! And “The Dude”, what an iconic character. LOL!

      Liked by 1 person

  79. Haha, the swiping of Yertle made me laugh… because it seemed so obvious to me that it would have GPS tracking and that the thief wouldn’t be able to do anything with it LOL still so funny.

    Not sure what my favorite funny movie is but I recently watched “The Lost City” with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum and I LOLed so often… it was fun.

    Liked by 2 people

    • San, I agree. How could you not know that Yertle was controlled via GPS tracking? Yet we’re not thieves so maybe we are wiser to the ways of the world!

      I’ve not seen The Lost City and will make a point to see it. Sandra Bullock is in a lot of funny movies, don’t know how I missed that one. Thanks for the suggestion.

      Like

  81. That Yertle story is hilarious! I could not resist doing the quiz you shared and I’m not thrilled with my results 😦 I scored higher on the “aggressive” and “self-defeating” brand of humor than I expected to. I do know that in person my sarcasm doesn’t always come across well, that’s why I prefer working with the written word!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Rhonda, I hear ‘ya. People in real life don’t always get my slant but online using the written word I do better, in the sense that I make people laugh. And Yertle is a hoot.

      Liked by 2 people

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