Today many people employ the iPad to start, and sustain, a social
conversation. As the host at a party I attended recently pulled out his iPad,
the people sitting near him moved over and clustered around him like thirsty
deer around a small pond. I walked over too, my curiosity aroused.
“What are you discussing?” I asked.
“Laughter,” said the host, turning to me briefly, “I was showing
them something on the subject.”
“Fantastic!” I said, excited that I could casually mention
that I write a humour column. It’s usually difficult to bring up this subject because
the typical party conversation topic is cricket or politics or that killer
combination, the politics within cricket. If someone says, for example, “When
Australia put on a spinner in the fifth over, I knew we would win,” I find it a
little odd to say, “Same here. And talking of spinners, did you read my article
last Saturday about how I missed my flight by acting too clever?”
So when the opportunity was suddenly tossed plumb into the
middle of my lap, I was quick to take the cue. “Talking of laughter,” I said
smoothly, “did you read my column last week about how the English whinge about
everything?”
“No,” said the host, “Where is it posted?”
