1-April

This morning I realized that yesterday was exceptional. For the first time since I don't remember when, I spent April Fool's Day without hearing an April Fool's joke, running across a prank, or reading a fake news story. Or attempting one myself, an effort I gave up long ago. The "no fake news" probably arose because I've laid off most news sources for Lent and the day was so crammed I didn't have time to read much of the few I retained.

I can't say I missed it. Kind of refreshing to think about it after the fact, truth to tell. We used to have a departmental April Fool's memo, which quit appearing after one fellow retired. The writer got the tone exactly right and the plausible buildup was good enough to keep you wondering until the second page--unless you read the date. Since I didn't invariably visit my mailbox every day, it wasn't always obvious.

But 99% of the attempts for the day just felt wrong: Banal, or dull, or unpleasant, or unbelievable. Want to send someone into brain freeze? Tell them to say something funny--but not tell an old joke.