Today, I was at the University of Penn Dental School’s wonderful White Coat ceremony for the son of a cousin of a cousin (with an opening line like that, I know I’ve got you on the edge of your seat).
The keynote speaker was the Reverend Chaz Lattimore Howard, the University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community. Reverend Howard was an engaging and thoughtful speaker, with just the right amount of humor.
A few minutes into his presentation, he hit the audience with a classic Dad-like joke, and I have to admit, I thought it was perfect. I also have to admit that I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t, since he set it up so well.
He noted near the end of his presentation that he was almost late for the ceremony (it began at 1:00) because he had assumed it started at a different time.
Every dentist’s favorite time.
Tooth hurty.
Yep, he pulled out the classic 2:30 joke in a room filled with more than 150 dental students, several dental faculty, and lots of friends and family of the dental students.
As I said, I thought it was perfect.
The setting. The way he set it up. The way he delivered it. The groans that it got.
It makes me want to come up with a cringe-worthy one-liner for the first day of my classes, which are less than two weeks away.
But if the past is any indication, even if I did come up with something half as good as the tooth hurty joke, the odds are that most of my students won’t be paying attention anyway.
That takes a bit of the pressure off.
The event also got me thinking that we should give all of our new students something cool like a white jacket.
Here’s the first thing that came to mind:
Welcome back!
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thanks, Tandy!
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Groan worthy, yes! LOL! And I may just smack my head in advance at what one-liners may be coming from certain stooges, with this post!
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I’m holding my head just thinking about what those certain stooges will come up with!
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Glad to know someone else can sympathize with me. 😉
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I’ve gotten a few good ones!
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But of course! (And we must remember that sometimes Jim himself is one of those guys! But don’t tell him I said so!)
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Absolutely correct! After all he didn’t become an elf in my North Pole stories by being innocent, doesn’t work that way! But your secret is safe with me. 😉
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Wh-what??? Wait … I am further behind than I thought … I didn’t know Jim had been inducted into the North Pole Elves Society? When did that … oh never mind … I need to go check out some posts!!!
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LOL! Yes he earned his spot awhile back, but I haven’t had real recent stories with him in, so will have to take care of that. 😉
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I’ll keep an eye out for it! 👀
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same here!
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should I be nervous?
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Perhaps! One just never knows!🙂
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🤞
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it was the highlight of my blogging experiences!
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🙂
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I fully understand! I was, for a while, a character in some of Carolyn’s stories … I owned a clothing store! And that was the highlight of my blogging career as well!
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that must have been before I started reading Carolyn’s blog. and being a business owner is much more impressive than an elf!
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Ah, but being an elf is so much more FUN!!!
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perhaps. maybe it’s only stressful one month per year…
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Even then, an elf in Carolyn’s stories can get into lots of fun mischief!
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fortunately. “my elf” does not seem to get into as much mischief as the others… 🙂
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OHO! Give Carolyn time and you will be in the thick of the mischief!
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she does have quite the imagination!
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maybe it’s not innocence but naivete… 🙂
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I plead the fifth…
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Hmmmm … now where have I heard that recently??? 🤔
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I wonder…
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🤣
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Haha, doesn’t work!
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what is this, martial law?
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Carolyn’s law, 🙂
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wouldn’t it be ncie if we could make our own laws, and people would have to follow them?
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I think so!
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I am curious as well!
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hopefully something gets a head smack from you!
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I will stand strong. Haha!
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no one is saying you have to hit yourself so hard that you’ll fall over…
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Pftttft! 😜
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so close…
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But you didn’t make it! 🙂
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I’ll keep trying… 🙂
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Of that I have no doubt. Some people just don’t give up, even when they lose. 🙂
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I’ll just be patient…
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Green dollar signs on the back could be cool greenbacks.
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clever…
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Groan 😊
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exactly!
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Um … yeah … I fell off the edge of my seat right at the beginning! 😉 The white jacket does nothing for me … back to the drawing board for you, Jim!
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maybe an 18 year old business tycoon wannabe might find it appealing 🙂
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Heh heh … yeah, maybe! 😉
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🙂
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I’ve got a great groaner for you, that someone just taught me as I only have one joke in my repertoire and apparently they thought I needed 1 more. ‘what did the farmer said when he couldn’t find his tractor?’ answer: ‘where’s my tractor?’ I’m going to try it out as an opening joke with me 3-young 5’s and maybe I’ll get a reaction.
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I think my 18-year old students would like this one too! thanks for the joke!
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😂
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Not to be left out of the groan fest, here is my offering: There are three types of accountants. Those who can count and those who cannot. Good to have you back, my friend!
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love it! thanks, Brad…
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Here’s one: It’s easy to tell the difference between accountants and lawyers. Accountants will admit they’re boring.
Nonetheless, I find you’re the most interesting accountant I’ve ever not met.
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“Haha!” But I do have to agree with you about Jim being the most interesting accountant I have yet to meet.
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Maybe we’ll have to enroll in Villanova, and sign up for one of his classes, in order to meet him.
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That would be so hilarious to actually surprise him by sitting in on one of his classes and watch his reaction. 😂
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Yeah, like when he asks us to give our names, and recall everyone else’s name. I’ll give mine as Tippner Gnu, and you can give yours as Cara.
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Sounds like the perfect plan. 😄
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now I’ll walk into every class wondering who might be there!
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You will be on your guard now!
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I might have to actually look at the class everyone once in a while instead of just staring at the screen or my shoes…
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It truly would be tempting if I lived closer….but you never know … though I would probably get lost on campus.
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just follow the sound of snoring students…
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LOL!!
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🙂
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you’d have to sign a NDA so that you can’t blog about my lack of accounting knowledge…
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Okay, as long as I don’t have to sign the NDA with my DNA.
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blood is optional…
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but my secret blogging life would be exposed!
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Yup, the truth would be out and think of all the followers that you would have after the secret came out.
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think of all the snarky comments the students could post on my blogs 🙂
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I am sure they would! 🙂
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how would I know which student was you?
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I’m the young-looking one.
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ok. I’ll keep an eye out for you…
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you need to meet more accountants…
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it may have to do with that line “those who can’t do accounting, teach accounting”
and thanks for another good one-liner!
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Oooh so you mean I missed my calling as an Accounting teacher??
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well if I can do it…
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You’re welcome.
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A groaner if ever I head one.
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my favorite jokes tend to be groaners 🙂
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Old jokes are the best. Sometimes. As a dentist he probably touched a few nerves with that line.
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that’s what novacaine is for…
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Just don’t give it to your students before a lecture 😉
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there’s no need to; my lectures will knock them out even quicker…
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Ah, but which would be the better way for them to go?
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talk about a Cornelian dilemma (I had to look for that one…)
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Like choosing between Sunak and Truss, or Numpty and DeSantis?
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exactly…
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Ha ha! Be sure to share the joke you come up with. The lamer the better.😄
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will do… 🙂
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My best friend just graduated and became a dentist a few days ago and I will most definitely be trying this joke out on her 😂
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I hope they timed the graduation so that it took place at 2:30!
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Such a waste of an opportunity if they didn’t!
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exactly!
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Sounds like a great day
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it was a nice event…
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Sorry Jamesy boy, think you can do better than the tooth hurty. Nice jumper. Good start…. cheers kiddo
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I’ll give it a shot!
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Nothing like wearing some “cool cash.”
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and it’s so subtle 🙂
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That one aches a bit.
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the best/worst ones do…
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Been out of town for four days and just getting back to see what I’ve missed. My goddaughter just got her white coat for medical school and has been immersed for two weeks. Part of me wants to send her a lame doctor joke, but frankly, she doesn’t have time to read my nonsense.
My friends and I would pay each other to do absurd things like coming to class wearing something like that jacket. Part of the gag was we weren’t allowed to explain why we were wearing it.
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best of luck to your granddaughter!
and that sounds like the kind of gag I would have liked to have been part of!
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Hahaha!! Love the jacket idea.
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as long as I didn’t have to start wearing one 🙂
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That is funny!
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