The Best Medicine, Usually

Did you ever find yourself in a situation in which you begin to laugh uncontrollably, and it's completely inappropriate? (Think: Mary Tyler Moore in Chuckles Bites the Dust if you're old enough to remember). I have, and usually everything I do to make myself stop only makes it worse. Much worse. Recently.

I've become aware of a website called wikiHow.com. It refers to itself as The How-To Manual That Anyone Can Write or Edit. It's similar in nature to Wikipedia.com, the collaborative online encyclopedia. Anyway, I found an article entitled, How to Stop Laughing When You Laugh at Inappropriate Times. Some suggestions:

• Remind yourself not to laugh (not gonna help me...)
• Pinch yourself (don't think so)
• Hold your breath (so you can burst out with a huge laugh when you can't hold your breath any longer)
• Try physically pulling the corners of your mouth down into a frown (come on!)
• Clamp your teeth together. Hard. (maybe)
• Bite a pencil (???)
• See a neurologist; you may have Pseudobulbar Affect (not likely, funny name, tho')
• Just go ahead and laugh; apologize later if necessary (yep!)

So, I haven't solved anything, and I apologize that this posting has no redeeming value. But I'm going to remember these helpful hints next time I'm laughing inappropriately. Maybe even try one or two of 'em.

There are other interesting articles on the website, should you care to check it out... some of them no doubt helpful: How to Escape From the Trunk of a Car, How to Catch a Greased Pig, How to Cook Spleen, and How to Be a Diehard Penn State Football Fan (really).