Friday Follies

You will need Acrobat Reader in order to read the Follies

The Friday Follies are the Lemon-Aide of my life.

Beginning in 1997, every Friday I would email a small list of friends and family a brief description of what had transpired during the week. I seldom, if ever, missed a week. One reason I started them was as a way to stay in touch each week with my mom back in Mississippi – to show her some photos, tell her some stories, and to joke with her. Even though she didn’t have a computer, my sister would print them out, or I would snail mail them to her for someone to read and show her. She loved them. We would talk every Sunday, and she would always be a week behind on the Follies, so we would “catch up” by phone. Then the next week, she would see and hear about it when they arrived. It was truly a cool way to stay in touch, and it also helped me develop a few skills and understanding of the computer programs I was using at work, as well.

Well, over the years, the friends and family Friday Follies list got a bit out of control! Before I knew it, I was hearing from people all over the world because folks would get the Follies and then would forward them on to their own list of family and friends, and then, well, on and on and on. Just really cool – but a bit scary at times when I would hear from people all over the globe that I did not even know. Over time, that small list grew and grew until the Friday Follies were traveling around the world many times over each week.
As computer software advances came about, I began to also send photos and story write-ups in Pagemaker at first, and then in InDesign. They grew more elaborate over time, and they helped me practice my computer skills in a fun and enjoyable way.

Honestly, the Friday Follies were all that kept me going during some of the many rough times. They, and the feedback I received from folks all over the world, were all I lived for each week. They were my Lemon-Aide. They looked and sounded like everything was OK, and they made me feel… good…

They still go out weekly followed by pages and pages of jokes. There are two joke lists – a “Clean Joke List” and an “Off-Color Joke List.” I have not stopped to count how many people are on any of the lists, but there are many! They are truly a fun, fun hobby that I look forward to each week. Sometimes I do not even know what I will say until I sit down to do them. They also make me focus on the positive and look at everyday life in a different light.