I've never LOL'd

The title says it, this post confirms it, I Brock Swen Vestrum, chief editor of The Courtesy Wave, has never once LOL'd. Oh I've laughed out loud, I do that daily, but I've never LOL'd once. Not in an email, text, or conversation. If you use this term, don't take this as a slight against you, I have been LOL'd from friends, relatives, and co-workers, I take great pride in my ability to create spontaneous LOL's, I just don't do it. I guess I'm old fashioned and still use the simple yet poignant "haha". It's effective and rarely criticized.

I weigh the "haha" on a scale of ha to hahahahahahaha. See the chart below for effective funniness ha's and when to use them.

Ha - Usually audible, a quick ha suggests surprise and can be used in cases that are weird but true. As in, "ha! I had no idea Star Wars designed Yoda to look like Albert Einstein". A "ha" response doesn't necessarily have to be funny, it can and often is educational.

Haha - The general response to something I deem funny. Did I make an audible noise? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not telling you. I will tell you that I thought it was funny and probably made me think, or stopped me from thinking, depending on the timing of the email/text.

Hahaha - Now you really got me going. Whatever you've put in front of my face, whether it be a picture or a joke, or making fun of someone I know, I am definitely amused. Enough where there's a 68% chance I laughed out loud (notice I didn't LOL there).

Hahahahahahahahaha - Reserved for the special. Warning, use with caution. This extended haha is for the truly worthy people. The ones that put the effort into it. A mere copy and paste photo is too easy, I want a thought out comment regarding it.

Aha - Most likely a typo. Can turn into a haha, if the receiver catches and comments cleverly.

Back to the discussion...Despite my reluctance to join the LOL community, the verbiage is already ancient in this digital age, now its not just acceptable to LOL. You really haven't laughed until you've ROFL'd. In this verbiage the usage suggests that you are "Rolling on the Floor, Laughing". Really? I'd like to see that. It's like when people say I literally pooped my pants I was so scared. Really? Because if you did, that would be pretty disgusting and I suggest you change your clothes and shower. (Side note on photo, I've BRB'd several times and actually use it in common speak (be right back), however I've never BFN'd and not sure what it means. Best guess: Bleeding From Neck? No?)

Not satisfied with ROFL'ing? You can LMAO. "Laugh My Ass Off" But you really haven't unless you've LMFAO'd. What you're telling me you've never "Laughed My F*cking Ass Off?" Whoa. 2007 called, they're wondering where you've been? This term has been so popular in usage that there is even a band named after it.

There also is an Internet phenomenon going on with whats called LOL cats. I am more of a dog person, but always had a cat growing up, and will admit, I've laughed audibly while looking at these. According to Wikipedia, the LOL cats have been around since late 2005. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use parodies the poor grammar typically attributed to Internet slang. (9 out of 10 teenagers didn't understand my last sentence)

Here are some of the CW's favorites:















Well I hope this post shed some light on the subject. If you hahahaha'd, then you're welcome. If you just LOL'd I suppose that's alright too.

Till next time,

bsv
The Courtesy Wave