Not So Funny

Sometimes when I have bad news to announce -- to clients, friends, whatever -- I try the sitcom approach to breaking it across gently.

"[hesitantly] You know, it's a funny story ...
[chuckle forcedly] You're going to laugh when you hear this ..."

But somehow, when they hear the news, they don't laugh and they never think it's funny.

Also not funny is how I wasn't informed of a last-minute meeting change, and these German taskforce people went and did the off-site client meeting without so much as notifying me. Obviously, I feel disrespected; it was neither a funny story when I heard about it, nor did I laugh.

(I will, however, get the last laugh.)