CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
Would it be funny if Uncle Fred couldn't tell a yam from a sweet potato, was allergic to livestock, lacked a green thumb, and had no management skills? From My Do and Learn Book To Accompany The Little White House by Ousley & Russell, 1948.
"You can make a man listen to your joke but you can't make him laugh. Trying to be humorous when it is expected of you is like coming to bat with the bases full in the ninth. Many a good joke has been spoiled by the untimely appearance of a bill-collector. Some men have a sense of humor like embalming fluid." From Indiana University's 1914 yearbook.
For all its horror, Dark Shadows yet offers moments of laughter. From Dark Shadows episodes 22, 1049, 708, 417, 484, 262, 395. 760, 517, 759, 440, 691, 1025, 653, and 962.