The Far Side (Vikings, and the importance of stretching before an attack).

One of the great joys of my life recently has been seeing our children discover The Far Side; Gary Larson's classic one-panel depictions of life-forms at their ludicrous best. Many of them require additional explanation from me about WHY it's funny, which would, under normal circumstances, dilute the comedic value considerably. But in the Far Side world, somehow explaining them has given me a whole new level of appreciation that I didn't think was possible (I was already a big fan). And after explanation...we all laugh uproariously.

TFS, along with A Series of Unfortunate Events, root beer, and Franz Ferdinand, is becoming another key piece of shared family bonding. Gary Larson's odes to life and biology and extreme-anthropomorphism are not only hilarious, but such a great gateway to imagination and what-if? curiosity about biology, anthropology, psychology, and even history.

Thank you, Mr. Gary Larson, for making the world laugh. And reminding us to be aware and care about creatures of all brain sizes.