Are We Having Fun Yet

Think of fun as a food—a daily sustenance, healthy, reducing our stress and making us laugh. This flavorous tome is divided into three servings. Part I includes 19 short stories about pranks I've pulled that were fun to create, or even to live through, in the first person. Part II features my three days at Woodstock and two 10-day white-water canoeing adventures that were fun for my wife and me with several friends. Part III offers samples of bogus letters, fake newspaper articles and signs that were fun to post, just to inflict some preposterous poking. It's all wrapped up with a final chapter, A Starter Kit for Budding Pranksters.

Some years ago, after a sleepless night wrestling with a painful kidney stone, I thought I might die and never have fun again. Finally the Percoset kicked in, and I passed the stone Then I got the crazy notion that it would be fun to write a book about fun. Soon I was researching books at the library and scoping shelves at book stores to see what had already been written. There were volumes on humor, but none specifically aimed at the nature of fun, or exploring what folks do for fun.

As a conversation starter, I asked people what they did for fun and avoid kidney stones. I even held several focus groups, asking, "What do you call fun?" I'm not sure what I expected, but was somewhat disheartened with most of their answers: ". . . horsing around with my grandkids, delivering Meals on Wheels, reading a good mystery, NASCAR tail-gating, quilting, researching my family genealogy, emailing friends, etc. With a little more digging, I found examples—more as practical jokes—in some of the stories of Abraham Lincoln, Will Rogers, Winston Churchill, and even Attila the Hun (usually ending in death for his intended target!)

One day a friend, who realized I was getting my knickers all in a twist over the notions of fun, asked what was my definition of fun. Gadzooks, I had never thought of that. Well, I stammered . . . I like to . . . well, it's hard to say. And that got me to thinking. Over the past 40 years I've been accused of fabricating letters on discarded law firm stationery (accusing the recipient of missing payments for a paternity lawsuit), falling behind in tax payments, and lots of other bogus events. I've even created official-looking federal posters where folks could sign up as a secret whistleblower. So much fun to give unsuspecting compadres a little break from reality!

Do I have the credentials to scribe a book such as this? I have no advanced degree in prankology, won no awards for humor, but have played plenty of capers on friends, relatives, neighbors, legislators and even one governor; and as far as I can recall, I have never been sued for any of my foolishness.

Now I have four bulging 3-ring binders with copies of these capers. I plan to have these displayed at the long-delayed procrastination of my obligatory "celebration of life," as they euphemistically call it. I'm sure some of the attendees—there only for the open bar and food—will recognize their "official letter" from the IRS, or the bris invitation from Beth-el Temple, or the "birthday coupon" good for valet parking at their local 7-11.

We all need a spoonful of honey each day. Whether spontaneous or contrived, exhaustive scientific research has shown even a small dose of fun is essential for our mental health, our happiness and our outlook on life. It's not just for kids; if you're not having some fun, your cup is not full.

If any of these stories seem familiar, several have been published in Virginia Forests Magazine, Virginia Assn. of Electric Cooperatives Magazine, Lakewood Reflections, Appalachian Woodlands Magazine, LifeLine (the newsletter of the National Continuing Care Residents Assn.), and a chapter in I Should Have Gone Home, a hilarious book about vacation disasters. Are We Having Fun Yet? makes a great gift for all occasions—lots of good ideas—good clean fun.

Charles F. Finley, Jr. would like to call himself a Virginia native but, alas, the last 58 years living in various locales of the Old Dominion count for naught. He is chagrined to admit he was born in Washington, D.C.; however, when his parents realized the increasing hazards of urban living, they moved to the Smoky Mountains of rural North Carolina (Fontana Village). After home schooling and scrimmaging with three colleges, he finished at Duke University, earning a master's degree in the exciting field of forest economics!

After two years with the Army Corps of Engineers (1967-69), and 25 years in the forestry not-for-profit world, in 1995 he founded Verbatim Editing, offering editorial workshops, and publishing 70+ books for various authors. Today, he continues to publish his own quarterly forest landowner magazine, Appalachian Woodlands.

What credentials does Charlie have to scribe a book such as this? His parents often targeted him with increasingly sophisticated pranks, teaching him the value of humor, advising him not to take life too seriously. "Are We Having Fun Yet?" draws on what is fun for him—more than 40 years creating elaborate practical jokes, mailing outrageous bogus letters from fictitious government agencies, and enduring white-water canoeing adventures. He still rides his motorcycle and books gigs for two ukulele bands, The Ukesters and Cool Hand Ukes. He resides with his wife, Brenda, and 500 others in a lavish "correctional unit" (aka, senior independent living residence) near Richmond, Virginia. At 79, he estimates his final release about ten years hence.