"Mirth and Misfortune" or "Suicide is Silly" or "Mr. Sardonicus"

Someone asked me yesterday how I came up with the name "Grimm Grinz Studio".  As I attempted disseminate my reasoning for branding myself with such a name ...I began to realize just how apropos it actually was. Ever since I can remember I've always been perplexed by my highly inappropriate reaction to adversity. I laugh. I don't understand why, I just do. Understandably, some say my reactions are inappropriate and shame me into submission, but others see it as my coping mechanism for handling stressful situations. Personally I think it's the latter . . . or at least I hope so. You see, I was raised in the Hispanic culture. It's a wonderful world filled with amazing food, loving people, and a beautiful language, but some of you may be familiar with its highly charged emotional culture. It's a colorful landscape populated with matriarchs and landmines where one must tread with caution. In my family, something as mundane as a missed phone call, or errant lizard wandering through our kitchen was cause for epic hysteria. And don't get me started on a death. The meltdowns I've witnessed are something even a writer of novellas would consider 'over the top'. The screaming, the rendering of flesh, the drama. It's potent. Somehow, thankfully, this high-octane trait has skipped yours truly. Don't get me wrong, I have feelings. I have a heart. I get choked up when Sarah McLaughlin sings for the SPCA. For the most part, however, the sad events in my life bring out my inner Jackie Gleason. In the face of calamity I seek out a punch line. Sometimes I just smirk, or sometimes I giggle (Note to self; grown men shouldn't giggle. It's odd.), or sometimes I just burst out laughing. This morning I was reading the news and stumbled onto an article about the suicide rate in relation to joblessness. Very sad right? Well, apparently not for me. What are the jobless thinking right before they take a dive off this mortal coil? "Hey God! You can't fire me, I quit!" On the plus side, death is one of the few jobs that can be done lying down. I apologize if I offend, but I just can't help myself. It's in my architecture.  Rest assured, if there is a hereafter I'm certain I will have to attone for my indiscretions in this life. My only hope is that I'll be playing to a full house with a two drink minimum.See More