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Ann Handley

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I Can Haz Hoomin Hart-aik

Happee fangsgivings!

Maybe it’s because the holidays put me in a melancholy mood. Maybe because I’m again staring down the barrel of six bleak months of winter. Whatever the cause, I can’t help but read lolcats these days without glimpsing the heartache of the human condition.

In a piece a few weeks ago in Salon, Jay Dixit articulated it perfectly, when he wrote, “This is all funny stuff. But I submit that the true genius of lolcats lies in their tragedy.”

Lolcats, if you don’t know, is a web site and internet phenomenon that combines a photo of a cat with a funny, idiosyncratic caption in broken English—a sort of dialect known as “lolspeak,” “kitteh,” or “kitty pidgin,” which parodies the poor grammar and spelling of Internet slang.

The name “lolcat” is a compound of the phrase “LOL” and “cat.” It’s simple, it’s goofy, and it’s stuffed full of references and self-references. Sometimes even I don’t get it. And I spend a lot of time online.

Its flagship site, Icanhascheezburger.com, will top a billion page views this year, and all of its photos and captions are submitted entirely by its fans. Readers upload thousands of home-rolled captioned photos every day, and six or eight of them are posted on the site. Last month, Gotham Books published the coffee table book, “I Can Has Cheezburger,” which helps to deconstruct some of the lolcat culture and lore.

I’m not much of a fan of cats, but still I check in with the felines on lolcats almost daily. It’s a quick pit stop. It’s often hilarious.

In words, I tried to explain how funny some of it is, but I ended up sounding like my stoner friend Ross from college, who would get baked and then launch into a maddeningly complex story that looped around and back on itself, sprinkled liberally with verbal footnotes: “I knew this guy… Well, I didn’t really know him, I knew his sister, and she was more like a friend of a friend. Actually, you know her… remember that dude from that sociology class, freshmen year? Okay, not him, but that guy who sat next to him….? I think. Uh… wait. No, not him…”

Anyway, this is one of those times when a picture really is worth 1,000 (otherwise convoluted) words:

i knowz dis place lyk teh back of my... ...wat's dis?

Oh WOW... The dog looks pissed!

Ma baloney haz a furst name...Itz NOM!


Her eyes not down here.

Like I said, maybe it’s my mood, which lately has been colored a shade of funk.

But like Dixit, I’ve been seeing a lot of the human heart in the cats lately: a reflection rendered in fur and four paws of our own aches, fears, desires. For cheeseburgers: The site was launched on the premise of a cat intent on grasping the Holy Grail of the “cheezburger.” But for so much more, too: love, fulfillment, belonging, fortune and glory, all of the very things that lurk in our heart of hearts.

“[What’s] funny is what’s sad,” Dixit writes. “My favorite lolcats are not the rapscallions pining for ‘cheezburgers’… but rather a brilliant and underappreciated subgenre of sad lolcats — tragic figures of grief, yearning and unrequited love.” Like this:

If I give you my heart, will you promise not to break it?

And finally, from the spinoff Walrus “lolrus” page:

Sumfing just brushed my leg. SUMFING BRUSHED MY LEG!

The world can be a harsh place, the animals say.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is never envious or arrogant with pride, and all that.

But love, maybe a little like the holidays, makes you vulnerable to all kinds of sadness and heartache. Paradoxically, love stinks, as the cats and J. Geils and I guess most of us know.

There’s an empty seat at the Thanksgiving table where someone used to sit, or might have. There’s an empty place beside you in the lamplight, where you thought you’d have a friend. There’s always the threat that love will disappear, and sometimes, it does.

And as for that walrus in the pool, I guess that’s something else entirely: the stuff lurking beneath the surface of the water, the stuff that fixed the panic in his button eyes, the stuff that brushes against your leg in a dark pond, well… that’s just creepy.

Filed Under: Humor, Pop Culture Tagged With: internet, lolcats, memes, Social Media

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jennifer k says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:24 am

    Omg, great article. I love that site, but think that the appeal is equal parts humor and tragedy.

    Reply
  2. jennifer k says

    December 1, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    Omg, great article. I love that site, but think that the appeal is equal parts humor and tragedy.

    Reply
  3. DJ says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:26 am

    You know one good way to rid some of the sadness in the world? Making others laugh with you rather than cry. Thanks LOLann.

    Reply
  4. DJ says

    December 1, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    You know one good way to rid some of the sadness in the world? Making others laugh with you rather than cry. Thanks LOLann.

    Reply
  5. Sonny Gill says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:29 am

    I can haz hooman inturakchun wif ann…

    kthxbai.

    Reply
  6. Sonny Gill says

    December 1, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    I can haz hooman inturakchun wif ann…

    kthxbai.

    Reply
  7. MLDina says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:58 am

    I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the LOLCats from that perspective before. I try to just have a good laugh at the funny photos that go so well with the captions, but I can see (in some of the pictures) where you’re coming from. Is there a spinoff LOLDogs site?

    Reply
  8. MLDina says

    December 1, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the LOLCats from that perspective before. I try to just have a good laugh at the funny photos that go so well with the captions, but I can see (in some of the pictures) where you’re coming from. Is there a spinoff LOLDogs site?

    Reply
  9. Gary Cohen says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:06 am

    Testimony to man’s creativity and imagination. It is a hilarious site and I love that the content is reader created. The beauty is that different images really appeal to different people. “The Dog looks pissed” is IMHO, priceless.

    Reply
  10. Gary Cohen says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    Testimony to man’s creativity and imagination. It is a hilarious site and I love that the content is reader created. The beauty is that different images really appeal to different people. “The Dog looks pissed” is IMHO, priceless.

    Reply
  11. Lucretia Pruitt says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:15 am

    I hate lolcats. I loathe them. I detest the dumbed down language that accompanies them.
    But I LOVE this post.

    It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything of value in lolcats.
    Thanks for posting it.

    Reply
  12. Lucretia Pruitt says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    I hate lolcats. I loathe them. I detest the dumbed down language that accompanies them.
    But I LOVE this post.

    It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything of value in lolcats.
    Thanks for posting it.

    Reply
  13. Deb says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:21 am

    on the floor, seriously. I needed this post, at exactly this time.

    thanks,
    Deb

    Reply
  14. Deb says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    on the floor, seriously. I needed this post, at exactly this time.

    thanks,
    Deb

    Reply
  15. Ann Handley says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:26 am

    @mldina Are you kidding? Of course there’s a LOLdogs…
    http://ihasahotdog.com/

    I kind of like LOLprez (or whatever they call it), too:

    http://punditkitchen.com/

    Thanks for the feedback, all.

    Reply
  16. Ann Handley says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    @mldina Are you kidding? Of course there’s a LOLdogs…
    http://ihasahotdog.com/

    I kind of like LOLprez (or whatever they call it), too:

    http://punditkitchen.com/

    Thanks for the feedback, all.

    Reply
  17. dizzymum says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:37 am

    I love Lolcats for exactly the same reasons. Animals are sooo expressive, funny, sad all at once!

    Reply
  18. dizzymum says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    I love Lolcats for exactly the same reasons. Animals are sooo expressive, funny, sad all at once!

    Reply
  19. Chance says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:49 am

    True Genius post — I detest LOLcats and yet, here you are, showing me the thing of value in them. Thank you, and thank you again.

    Reply
  20. Chance says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    True Genius post — I detest LOLcats and yet, here you are, showing me the thing of value in them. Thank you, and thank you again.

    Reply
  21. Julie Roads says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:59 am

    Okay – I admit that I had seen random shots from this site and never took the time to explore or break it down…still not sold on the site…but, as always, sold on your writing and insights…

    Reply
  22. Julie Roads says

    December 1, 2008 at 6:59 pm

    Okay – I admit that I had seen random shots from this site and never took the time to explore or break it down…still not sold on the site…but, as always, sold on your writing and insights…

    Reply
  23. Paul Chaney says

    December 2, 2008 at 3:02 am

    Ann, u r friggin’ amazing. (Sorry, my best attempt at ICAN talk.) To see past the seeming silliness to the real emotion being expressed, then to articulate it so eloquently. Nice.

    But, now that I’ve read this post, I’m all in a funk too. I was really trying to hold it in, all this holiday melancholy, but your post pushed the wrong button and now it’s all gushing out.

    Ever since my divorce in 2004, I’ve hated the holidays because all they do is serve as a ragged edge sharp reminder that my two sons have no place to call home. Oh, there’s mom’s place and dad’s place, but no longer “our” place. And the brief visit I get with them for a few hours on Thanksgiving or Christmas can in no way salve the harsh truth that things are not like they were supposed to be.

    I’m sad. I miss my sons. I can’t fix what’s broken. I hope January will soon arrive.

    Reply
  24. Mukund Mohan says

    December 2, 2008 at 3:02 am

    You know the thing is more than ever, now people crave for humor, comfort and a sense of belonging. I categorize icanhascheeseburger in the comfort website bucket. I dont go there often, but when I do its to replace my mac and cheese.

    Reply
  25. Paul Chaney says

    December 1, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    Ann, u r friggin’ amazing. (Sorry, my best attempt at ICAN talk.) To see past the seeming silliness to the real emotion being expressed, then to articulate it so eloquently. Nice.

    But, now that I’ve read this post, I’m all in a funk too. I was really trying to hold it in, all this holiday melancholy, but your post pushed the wrong button and now it’s all gushing out.

    Ever since my divorce in 2004, I’ve hated the holidays because all they do is serve as a ragged edge sharp reminder that my two sons have no place to call home. Oh, there’s mom’s place and dad’s place, but no longer “our” place. And the brief visit I get with them for a few hours on Thanksgiving or Christmas can in no way salve the harsh truth that things are not like they were supposed to be.

    I’m sad. I miss my sons. I can’t fix what’s broken. I hope January will soon arrive.

    Reply
  26. Mukund Mohan says

    December 1, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    You know the thing is more than ever, now people crave for humor, comfort and a sense of belonging. I categorize icanhascheeseburger in the comfort website bucket. I dont go there often, but when I do its to replace my mac and cheese.

    Reply
  27. Leigh Duncan-Durst says

    December 2, 2008 at 3:28 am

    Annie,

    Girl, you are far too down in the dumps if you are laughing at cats. It’s a dog’s world woman! SNAP out of it!

    Don’t you realize how wrong this is? The thing about cats is they will NEVER love you back. It is all about them… they’re just manipulating you… step away from the LOLcats. 😉

    I did laugh. Dangit. I confess. I did. Actually, I’m beginning to wonder about the superiority of dogs to cats. Maggie (our lab) swiped our Turkey Carcass from a not-so-strategic place Thursday night. (Read: Hubby left it out).

    She managed to sneak it into the back yard for intermittent snacking. She didn’t get legs or carcass bones, SOMEHOW…but we have been watching her aggressively to make sure she’s okay.

    We have seen her through one bout of montezuma’s revenge (which commenced ACROSS the floor of MY OFFICE!) and four days of THE most foul, horrid, death plague, rotten egg smelling, turkey tainte, leave the room gagging farts on the planet.

    Sadly, my former scared-of-her-own-farts chief morale officer has been summarily BANNED from my home office. Chem Dry is coming to the rescue for the floor. A cat is looking mighty good right now but I should feel differently in the morning.

    LOVE YOU, you amazing writer!

    Just remember, you have friends. LOTS of them. And widon tawk like dis or caz athsma.

    Loved your description of Ross – and the post…

    Reply
  28. Leigh Duncan-Durst says

    December 1, 2008 at 7:28 pm

    Annie,

    Girl, you are far too down in the dumps if you are laughing at cats. It’s a dog’s world woman! SNAP out of it!

    Don’t you realize how wrong this is? The thing about cats is they will NEVER love you back. It is all about them… they’re just manipulating you… step away from the LOLcats. 😉

    I did laugh. Dangit. I confess. I did. Actually, I’m beginning to wonder about the superiority of dogs to cats. Maggie (our lab) swiped our Turkey Carcass from a not-so-strategic place Thursday night. (Read: Hubby left it out).

    She managed to sneak it into the back yard for intermittent snacking. She didn’t get legs or carcass bones, SOMEHOW…but we have been watching her aggressively to make sure she’s okay.

    We have seen her through one bout of montezuma’s revenge (which commenced ACROSS the floor of MY OFFICE!) and four days of THE most foul, horrid, death plague, rotten egg smelling, turkey tainte, leave the room gagging farts on the planet.

    Sadly, my former scared-of-her-own-farts chief morale officer has been summarily BANNED from my home office. Chem Dry is coming to the rescue for the floor. A cat is looking mighty good right now but I should feel differently in the morning.

    LOVE YOU, you amazing writer!

    Just remember, you have friends. LOTS of them. And widon tawk like dis or caz athsma.

    Loved your description of Ross – and the post…

    Reply
  29. Shelley says

    December 2, 2008 at 3:39 am

    I have never seen LOLcats before, Annster. Most of that site looks like stupid crap, but you have shown us some of the FUNNIEST specimens. I’m dyin’ here.

    I try not to let the holidays bum me out, so instead I concentrate on keeping some magic in it for 10-year-old Kinsey. That helps balance out the uneasy discomfort of having to spend time with relatives who actually care very little about each other. (If they ask me one more time, “What exactly is it you do again, Shelley?” I swear I’ll tell them I’m a prostitute.)

    Reply
  30. Shelley says

    December 1, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    I have never seen LOLcats before, Annster. Most of that site looks like stupid crap, but you have shown us some of the FUNNIEST specimens. I’m dyin’ here.

    I try not to let the holidays bum me out, so instead I concentrate on keeping some magic in it for 10-year-old Kinsey. That helps balance out the uneasy discomfort of having to spend time with relatives who actually care very little about each other. (If they ask me one more time, “What exactly is it you do again, Shelley?” I swear I’ll tell them I’m a prostitute.)

    Reply
  31. Ann Handley says

    December 2, 2008 at 3:54 am

    As always, the comments here are richer than the post itself. At least for me. Thanks, everyone.

    I think the holiday thing is just a little overblown. Or possibly I’ve watched too many Hollywood movies and have unrealistic expectations. That might be it, too. ; ) Thanks for snapping me out of THAT, Leigh…

    Hugs to you, Paul. Thank you for your honesty. Is it January yet? kthxbai

    And Shelley: I always get requests to fix hardware, because “I work in computers.” riiiiiighhttt…..

    Reply
  32. Ann Handley says

    December 1, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    As always, the comments here are richer than the post itself. At least for me. Thanks, everyone.

    I think the holiday thing is just a little overblown. Or possibly I’ve watched too many Hollywood movies and have unrealistic expectations. That might be it, too. ; ) Thanks for snapping me out of THAT, Leigh…

    Hugs to you, Paul. Thank you for your honesty. Is it January yet? kthxbai

    And Shelley: I always get requests to fix hardware, because “I work in computers.” riiiiiighhttt…..

    Reply
  33. Sonia Simone | Remarkable Comm says

    December 2, 2008 at 4:01 am

    I love LOLs. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s like getting stung by bees, get stung often enough and you start to have an unreasonable reaction.

    Reply
  34. Sonia Simone | Remarkable Communication says

    December 1, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    I love LOLs. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s like getting stung by bees, get stung often enough and you start to have an unreasonable reaction.

    Reply
  35. Gavin Heaton says

    December 2, 2008 at 4:09 am

    You are such a great storyteller, Ann! But that is exactly what draws us to lolcats … it is the space between what we see before our eyes and the short word stories that let us enter a different world.

    That’s what it is like here … Ann’s world. And when you share this with everyone, it reminds us of our own lives, our own tragedies and triumphs. And in that gift, the space between us all shrinks just a little bit more 😉

    Reply
  36. Gavin Heaton says

    December 1, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    You are such a great storyteller, Ann! But that is exactly what draws us to lolcats … it is the space between what we see before our eyes and the short word stories that let us enter a different world.

    That’s what it is like here … Ann’s world. And when you share this with everyone, it reminds us of our own lives, our own tragedies and triumphs. And in that gift, the space between us all shrinks just a little bit more 😉

    Reply
  37. Christian Gulliksen says

    December 2, 2008 at 4:17 am

    At first I thought you were making this up. Swear to god.

    These lolcat people kind of scare me.

    Reply
  38. Christian Gulliksen says

    December 1, 2008 at 8:17 pm

    At first I thought you were making this up. Swear to god.

    These lolcat people kind of scare me.

    Reply
  39. Becky Mochaface says

    December 2, 2008 at 4:22 am

    I love that site! While I do like the cheezburger pics, I agree it is the ones that have more feeling and depth to it that I’m most drawn to.

    Reply
  40. Becky Mochaface says

    December 1, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    I love that site! While I do like the cheezburger pics, I agree it is the ones that have more feeling and depth to it that I’m most drawn to.

    Reply
  41. Claudia says

    December 2, 2008 at 8:14 am

    Ann,
    Once again, you use humour as a direct connector between you and us, at least me, to deeper emotions. It acts like a “magic opener”. You give to see beauty, in you (so much!) and us. Did you ever think about becoming a dentist?? !

    Reply
  42. Claudia says

    December 2, 2008 at 12:14 am

    Ann,
    Once again, you use humour as a direct connector between you and us, at least me, to deeper emotions. It acts like a “magic opener”. You give to see beauty, in you (so much!) and us. Did you ever think about becoming a dentist?? !

    Reply
  43. Blaire says

    December 2, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    As a recovering social worker, I can tell you that the holidays were our biggest nightmare. Suicide, child abuse, domestic violence, all of it skyrocketed starting in late November. And you want to know why? Because people watch Miracle on 34th Street like its a documentary. They stare longinly at the pictures on Christmas cards and believe that those families are real. (You know the ones with the glistening perfectly browned turkeys and smiling grandmas and adoring siblings.) Now I realize that I should be using this space to tell Ann that her post was brilliant (and it was) but instead I am going to give in to my social worker compulsion to save everyone from holiday hell.
    Please, I beg all of you who get depressed this time of year to listen to me carefully.
    1. I promise you, cross my heart, that not one of those families are real. Not the ones on cards, not the ones in movies and not the ones in Touched by an Angel. They are fake. They are airbrushed just like the models with no cellulite. To compare your life to theirs and come up wanting is like measuring your swimming skills against a mermaid. Say it with me “THEY ARE NOT REAL.” These are manufactured images designed to make me go buy more stuff to try to reach a nirvana that does not exist. I promise.

    2. Tell everyone and I mean everyone in your life that in an effort to reduce your carbon footprint or to do your part against the recession, you are ONLY accepting donations of catfood/dogfood to the local animal shelter as gifts this year. NO exceptions. Do you know how good it feels to have the shelter send you a thank you card for fifty pounds of dry catfood sent in your name? You’ll be wishing Christmas was every month.

    3. You must rage against the dying light. Hold a
    hawaiian luau party. Throw a Mexican fiesta. Have a party where everyone has to wear a bridesmaid dress so that they can get a second use out of that peach cobbler fluff pair of shoes. Call it the “Anti Christmas Christmas Party” and you will be shocked at the number of people who show up at your house and wont leave. They hate Christas too.

    4.Do NOT let hallmark or any other corporate entity manipulate your emotions. Every time you see one of those commercials, cards, pictures, etc.. just repeat the words of Emerson outloud “That is TOTAL bullshit, most people live lives of quiet desperation.” (loose quote)

    4. Winter is sad, summer is not. Go right now to the tanning bed and throw caution to the wind. Get some wrinkles. Trust me, it’s just not possible to be depressed with a tan.

    I could go on but I accept that this is a comment section and I have overstepped my boundaries.
    Anne, you made us laugh and that is the ultimate weapon against the holidays. Good job.

    Reply
  44. Blaire says

    December 2, 2008 at 4:16 am

    As a recovering social worker, I can tell you that the holidays were our biggest nightmare. Suicide, child abuse, domestic violence, all of it skyrocketed starting in late November. And you want to know why? Because people watch Miracle on 34th Street like its a documentary. They stare longinly at the pictures on Christmas cards and believe that those families are real. (You know the ones with the glistening perfectly browned turkeys and smiling grandmas and adoring siblings.) Now I realize that I should be using this space to tell Ann that her post was brilliant (and it was) but instead I am going to give in to my social worker compulsion to save everyone from holiday hell.
    Please, I beg all of you who get depressed this time of year to listen to me carefully.
    1. I promise you, cross my heart, that not one of those families are real. Not the ones on cards, not the ones in movies and not the ones in Touched by an Angel. They are fake. They are airbrushed just like the models with no cellulite. To compare your life to theirs and come up wanting is like measuring your swimming skills against a mermaid. Say it with me “THEY ARE NOT REAL.” These are manufactured images designed to make me go buy more stuff to try to reach a nirvana that does not exist. I promise.

    2. Tell everyone and I mean everyone in your life that in an effort to reduce your carbon footprint or to do your part against the recession, you are ONLY accepting donations of catfood/dogfood to the local animal shelter as gifts this year. NO exceptions. Do you know how good it feels to have the shelter send you a thank you card for fifty pounds of dry catfood sent in your name? You’ll be wishing Christmas was every month.

    3. You must rage against the dying light. Hold a
    hawaiian luau party. Throw a Mexican fiesta. Have a party where everyone has to wear a bridesmaid dress so that they can get a second use out of that peach cobbler fluff pair of shoes. Call it the “Anti Christmas Christmas Party” and you will be shocked at the number of people who show up at your house and wont leave. They hate Christas too.

    4.Do NOT let hallmark or any other corporate entity manipulate your emotions. Every time you see one of those commercials, cards, pictures, etc.. just repeat the words of Emerson outloud “That is TOTAL bullshit, most people live lives of quiet desperation.” (loose quote)

    4. Winter is sad, summer is not. Go right now to the tanning bed and throw caution to the wind. Get some wrinkles. Trust me, it’s just not possible to be depressed with a tan.

    I could go on but I accept that this is a comment section and I have overstepped my boundaries.
    Anne, you made us laugh and that is the ultimate weapon against the holidays. Good job.

    Reply
  45. David Niall Wilson says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    I believe that Lolcats are probably the single most ingenious development on the Internet. Think about it. When web pages (personal pages) first proliferated, the biggest complaint was that everyone put up their “My Cat Fluffy” pages and clogged the bandwidth and search engines.

    Now, decades later, not only are they still hogging bandwidth, but they have their own site, an international following, and are almost the only consistently funny “watering hole” on the net. I have literally fallen out of my chair laughing at some of them and…I have contributed. I have made (to date) over 80 lolcats, and will continue to make them because they make others smile, and I like that:

    You can view my lolcats at:

    DIS PLACE

    Reply
  46. David Niall Wilson says

    December 2, 2008 at 5:36 am

    I believe that Lolcats are probably the single most ingenious development on the Internet. Think about it. When web pages (personal pages) first proliferated, the biggest complaint was that everyone put up their “My Cat Fluffy” pages and clogged the bandwidth and search engines.

    Now, decades later, not only are they still hogging bandwidth, but they have their own site, an international following, and are almost the only consistently funny “watering hole” on the net. I have literally fallen out of my chair laughing at some of them and…I have contributed. I have made (to date) over 80 lolcats, and will continue to make them because they make others smile, and I like that:

    You can view my lolcats at:

    DIS PLACE

    Reply
  47. Kirk Petersen says

    December 2, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    I’m astonished by how many commenters say they have never seen LOLcats before.

    My favorite was “Her eyes not down here.”

    Reply
  48. Kirk Petersen says

    December 2, 2008 at 5:52 am

    I’m astonished by how many commenters say they have never seen LOLcats before.

    My favorite was “Her eyes not down here.”

    Reply
  49. Michelle / chelpixie says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    Giggling and awwwwing.

    Indeed this day on particular, it’s good to laugh and good to remember, but especially good to realize that being vulnerable to sadness and hurt makes us human. There’s love that goes along with being human that we’re lucky to experience.

    Reply
  50. Michelle / chelpixie says

    December 2, 2008 at 6:00 am

    Giggling and awwwwing.

    Indeed this day on particular, it’s good to laugh and good to remember, but especially good to realize that being vulnerable to sadness and hurt makes us human. There’s love that goes along with being human that we’re lucky to experience.

    Reply
  51. Leah says

    December 2, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    I think I might be the lone voice of dissention, but I do enjoy the holidays. Winter’s my favorite season (strange and unnatural, yes, I know, I’ve heard) because I love staying in with a cuppa cocoa and a movie or hitting the ski slopes or snowmobile trails equally.

    Until this year, my Christmases were simple (because I was living happily at home and still in school). Then my boyfriend’s parents got divorced, and mine just did this past June. Last Christmas morning, my mom welled up and said that it was the last Christmas we’d all have together because I was planning to move out in the summer/fall. Now I know it’s the last we had as a single family unit in the house I’ve lived in since 7th grade.

    So as much as I’ve loved the holidays in the past, it’s going to be difficult this year. Given all that, though, I’m doing my best to remain cheerful and hopeful that the Christmas season is more than just family drama, but a time to celebrate what we have and be glad. I dare you to listen to the music from The Nutcracker ballet and try not to dance. It’s much harder than it seems!

    And on a happier note, there’s nothing better on a Monday morning than an RSS reader full of LOLcats, LOLdogs, Pundit Kitchen (that’s the government one, with a happily liberal slant), and ROFLrazzi (the celebrity site, generally formatted like the motivational posters found in offices everywhere). The Cheezburger family of sites makes me smile like an idiot, and that’s just what I need sometimes.

    Reply
  52. Leah says

    December 2, 2008 at 6:24 am

    I think I might be the lone voice of dissention, but I do enjoy the holidays. Winter’s my favorite season (strange and unnatural, yes, I know, I’ve heard) because I love staying in with a cuppa cocoa and a movie or hitting the ski slopes or snowmobile trails equally.

    Until this year, my Christmases were simple (because I was living happily at home and still in school). Then my boyfriend’s parents got divorced, and mine just did this past June. Last Christmas morning, my mom welled up and said that it was the last Christmas we’d all have together because I was planning to move out in the summer/fall. Now I know it’s the last we had as a single family unit in the house I’ve lived in since 7th grade.

    So as much as I’ve loved the holidays in the past, it’s going to be difficult this year. Given all that, though, I’m doing my best to remain cheerful and hopeful that the Christmas season is more than just family drama, but a time to celebrate what we have and be glad. I dare you to listen to the music from The Nutcracker ballet and try not to dance. It’s much harder than it seems!

    And on a happier note, there’s nothing better on a Monday morning than an RSS reader full of LOLcats, LOLdogs, Pundit Kitchen (that’s the government one, with a happily liberal slant), and ROFLrazzi (the celebrity site, generally formatted like the motivational posters found in offices everywhere). The Cheezburger family of sites makes me smile like an idiot, and that’s just what I need sometimes.

    Reply
  53. Nedra says

    December 2, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    Though I never much got into the LOLcats thing, my guilty pleasure is its sister site the Fail Blog (failblog.org), which points out the absurdities of life (and often of marketers). Guaranteed to make you laugh if you get tired of cats.

    BTW, that last pic was apparently miscategorized and clearly should have been in the lolsealz site. 🙂

    Reply
  54. Nedra says

    December 2, 2008 at 10:11 am

    Though I never much got into the LOLcats thing, my guilty pleasure is its sister site the Fail Blog (failblog.org), which points out the absurdities of life (and often of marketers). Guaranteed to make you laugh if you get tired of cats.

    BTW, that last pic was apparently miscategorized and clearly should have been in the lolsealz site. 🙂

    Reply
  55. Shelley says

    December 2, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    Note to self: Don’t send Blaire to Ann’s blog again… ;]

    Reply
  56. Shelley says

    December 2, 2008 at 11:59 am

    Note to self: Don’t send Blaire to Ann’s blog again… ;]

    Reply
  57. Larissa Gaston says

    December 3, 2008 at 1:18 am

    I think feeling melancholy during the holidays is normal. It’s okay to miss people we love – we love them after all.:)

    I’ve personally never gotten into LOLcats, but “He said he would meet me.”…that one hurt (sniff).

    Reply
  58. Larissa Gaston says

    December 2, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    I think feeling melancholy during the holidays is normal. It’s okay to miss people we love – we love them after all.:)

    I’ve personally never gotten into LOLcats, but “He said he would meet me.”…that one hurt (sniff).

    Reply
  59. The Franchise King says

    December 3, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Ann,
    I am a Dog dude. Had a cat. I don’t like their tude. Of course, they are easier to have as pets, cuz they do their own thang.

    If their was a site like the Cheezburger one for dogs, I would probably frequent it as a respite for the everyday ups and down of life.

    Anyway, great writing. {as usual}

    Now, back to MY funky mood.

    RUFF.

    Joel Libava

    Reply
  60. Joel Libava says

    December 3, 2008 at 3:31 am

    Ann,
    I am a Dog dude. Had a cat. I don’t like their tude. Of course, they are easier to have as pets, cuz they do their own thang.

    If their was a site like the Cheezburger one for dogs, I would probably frequent it as a respite for the everyday ups and down of life.

    Anyway, great writing. {as usual}

    Now, back to MY funky mood.

    RUFF.

    Joel Libava

    Reply
  61. Shelley Greenberg says

    December 3, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    Hi Ann. 🙂

    Thanks for this – you really got me thinking now about the philosophy behind Lolcats. And here I was thinking they were just for fun!

    It’s true though – the reason we like them so much is not so much because they’re cats, but because we’ve personified them with human qualities – and it’s those simple human blunders and hopes that really make for the success of Lolcats. I’d even offer that the same would hold true if it had been Loldogs (well, that actually exists now) or Lolpandas or some other animal (though I must admit that cats can be the silliest and most expressive of the animals but then again, I’m a cat person).

    Reply
  62. Shelley Greenberg says

    December 3, 2008 at 6:22 am

    Hi Ann. 🙂

    Thanks for this – you really got me thinking now about the philosophy behind Lolcats. And here I was thinking they were just for fun!

    It’s true though – the reason we like them so much is not so much because they’re cats, but because we’ve personified them with human qualities – and it’s those simple human blunders and hopes that really make for the success of Lolcats. I’d even offer that the same would hold true if it had been Loldogs (well, that actually exists now) or Lolpandas or some other animal (though I must admit that cats can be the silliest and most expressive of the animals but then again, I’m a cat person).

    Reply
  63. Lori says

    December 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    With each of your posts I read, I get a little more scared – we think way too much alike! LOL

    I love that site. It just sets any day right. :))

    Reply
  64. Lori says

    December 3, 2008 at 9:26 am

    With each of your posts I read, I get a little more scared – we think way too much alike! LOL

    I love that site. It just sets any day right. :))

    Reply
  65. Joanie says

    December 3, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    Blair, Blair, Blair. You scare me at times. Please enjoy your retirement.

    1. Just because I watched Michael Phelps on TV doesn’t mean that I expect to swim 5000 meters. Or 2, for that matter. Way too literal. I was inspired, however to train for my first triathlon at the age of 49.

    2. I am down with that.

    3. “Anti-Christmas”? Yes, let’s boycott the birth of the Savior because you hate a season of love, joy and celebration. A ‘raging’ luau’s going to fix THAT!

    4. Yes, overcommercialization is ubiquitous . So to your point, we should all hate Mother’s Day?!

    5. I’ll give you that one too. Sunlight boosts spirits. Just go outside if you can, not to a booth.

    And LOLcats, is funny, you haters! Ann is right. Relating to the human condition is humorous, poignant and ridiculous…enjoy it.

    Joanie

    Reply
  66. Joanie says

    December 3, 2008 at 9:50 am

    Blair, Blair, Blair. You scare me at times. Please enjoy your retirement.

    1. Just because I watched Michael Phelps on TV doesn’t mean that I expect to swim 5000 meters. Or 2, for that matter. Way too literal. I was inspired, however to train for my first triathlon at the age of 49.

    2. I am down with that.

    3. “Anti-Christmas”? Yes, let’s boycott the birth of the Savior because you hate a season of love, joy and celebration. A ‘raging’ luau’s going to fix THAT!

    4. Yes, overcommercialization is ubiquitous . So to your point, we should all hate Mother’s Day?!

    5. I’ll give you that one too. Sunlight boosts spirits. Just go outside if you can, not to a booth.

    And LOLcats, is funny, you haters! Ann is right. Relating to the human condition is humorous, poignant and ridiculous…enjoy it.

    Joanie

    Reply
  67. B.L Ochman says

    December 3, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    What great writing ann!
    I often wonder what’s so funny on LOLcats when the captions make the cats look stupid. BUt “the dog looks pissed” is hilarious and cheered me right up for some bizarre reason.

    the “he said he would meet me” is a heart breaker, and so is your description of missing someone we loved. we all have that….

    thanks for a wonderful read, as always.

    can’t wait for your book.

    Reply
  68. B.L Ochman says

    December 3, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    What great writing ann!
    I often wonder what’s so funny on LOLcats when the captions make the cats look stupid. BUt “the dog looks pissed” is hilarious and cheered me right up for some bizarre reason.

    the “he said he would meet me” is a heart breaker, and so is your description of missing someone we loved. we all have that….

    thanks for a wonderful read, as always.

    can’t wait for your book.

    Reply
  69. Sean Carmody says

    December 4, 2008 at 9:36 am

    It took me a while to stop laughing and compose myself sufficiently to write a comment. That lolrus caught me entirely by surprised…the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. And it works on so many levels!

    Reply
  70. Sean Carmody says

    December 4, 2008 at 1:36 am

    It took me a while to stop laughing and compose myself sufficiently to write a comment. That lolrus caught me entirely by surprised…the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. And it works on so many levels!

    Reply
  71. Megan Cordero says

    December 4, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    The cat looking in the oven … LOL funny!

    Reply
  72. Megan Cordero says

    December 4, 2008 at 11:20 am

    The cat looking in the oven … LOL funny!

    Reply
  73. Danna says

    December 4, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    I’ve looked at their loldogs site too, and although they’re funny and I love dogs, the lolcat site always makes me laugh more. I wonder why…perhaps because cats take themselves so seriously? I don’t know.

    Reply
  74. Danna says

    December 4, 2008 at 11:44 am

    I’ve looked at their loldogs site too, and although they’re funny and I love dogs, the lolcat site always makes me laugh more. I wonder why…perhaps because cats take themselves so seriously? I don’t know.

    Reply
  75. Iyabo Asani says

    December 5, 2008 at 9:48 am

    Hello there, this is my first time to your site. I found it by the referral from Shannon Paul’s site.

    You know this year, I had a very different Thanksgiving and the holidays are taking on new meaning for me. I was honest with my family this year about who I am, not who I think they want me to be and I really did not care about their reaction.

    My family is a very educated uptight bunch of folks and it would not be P.C. to fall out laughing over sites like Icanhazcheeseburger.com.

    To fix the holiday blues, I recommend everyone focus on being more authentic. You may not be able to be fully authentic, but just be a little bit more authentic. See how that works with you.

    Use laughter and creativity to be that more authentic part of yourself.

    Happy holidays.

    Reply
  76. Iyabo Asani says

    December 5, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    Hello there, this is my first time to your site. I found it by the referral from Shannon Paul’s site.

    You know this year, I had a very different Thanksgiving and the holidays are taking on new meaning for me. I was honest with my family this year about who I am, not who I think they want me to be and I really did not care about their reaction.

    My family is a very educated uptight bunch of folks and it would not be P.C. to fall out laughing over sites like Icanhazcheeseburger.com.

    To fix the holiday blues, I recommend everyone focus on being more authentic. You may not be able to be fully authentic, but just be a little bit more authentic. See how that works with you.

    Use laughter and creativity to be that more authentic part of yourself.

    Happy holidays.

    Reply
  77. Blaire says

    December 6, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Joanie
    Speaking of way too literal….I think you misunderstood. I love Christmas. I love it because I dont let myself get manipulated by unrealistic expectations. Anti Christmas simply meant refusing to buy into the “perfect Christmas” fantasies that simply cause disapointment. I dont hate the season of “love, joy and celebration.” I was offering lighthearted coping tips. Reality: Many people see this as a season of commercial bloat, lonliness and depression. And uh…Joanie…Christmas celebration began over four thousand years ago, centuries before the birth of Christ.

    Reply
  78. Blaire says

    December 6, 2008 at 4:49 am

    Joanie
    Speaking of way too literal….I think you misunderstood. I love Christmas. I love it because I dont let myself get manipulated by unrealistic expectations. Anti Christmas simply meant refusing to buy into the “perfect Christmas” fantasies that simply cause disapointment. I dont hate the season of “love, joy and celebration.” I was offering lighthearted coping tips. Reality: Many people see this as a season of commercial bloat, lonliness and depression. And uh…Joanie…Christmas celebration began over four thousand years ago, centuries before the birth of Christ.

    Reply
  79. Marnie says

    December 22, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    Annie…Hope that your spirits have lifted by now…sorry that your not a cat person… those four “love sponges” need some diversity…how about adding a cat to your menagerie…not just any cat but a “Siamese” cat…love my two…Sammie knows the sound of my car and greets me at the door raising up and pawing my leg…and folks say cats are too independent??…not my experience….I’d be suspicious of “Sonny” boy and his “inturakchun”…beware… 😉 …loved Iyabo Asani’s remark…”Use laughter and creativity to be that more authentic part of yourself.”…Cheers to all who read this…Marnie

    Reply
  80. Marnie says

    December 22, 2008 at 6:54 am

    Annie…Hope that your spirits have lifted by now…sorry that your not a cat person… those four “love sponges” need some diversity…how about adding a cat to your menagerie…not just any cat but a “Siamese” cat…love my two…Sammie knows the sound of my car and greets me at the door raising up and pawing my leg…and folks say cats are too independent??…not my experience….I’d be suspicious of “Sonny” boy and his “inturakchun”…beware… 😉 …loved Iyabo Asani’s remark…”Use laughter and creativity to be that more authentic part of yourself.”…Cheers to all who read this…Marnie

    Reply
  81. Laura Chamberlain says

    January 3, 2009 at 8:03 am

    The cat under the streetlamp broke my heart, punched it, smacked it, hit it with a baseball bat, cut with a chainsaw, and even nibbled at it a little.

    Then it squeezed out all the blood in my heart, hissed at me, and walked away.

    In short, if I had a working heart left, it would be totally upset by that picture. 🙁

    But I also looked at the walrus picture and giggled like crazy.

    Reply
  82. Laura Chamberlain says

    January 3, 2009 at 12:03 am

    The cat under the streetlamp broke my heart, punched it, smacked it, hit it with a baseball bat, cut with a chainsaw, and even nibbled at it a little.

    Then it squeezed out all the blood in my heart, hissed at me, and walked away.

    In short, if I had a working heart left, it would be totally upset by that picture. 🙁

    But I also looked at the walrus picture and giggled like crazy.

    Reply
  83. Bad Attitude says

    May 10, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    this is the stupidest shit ever

    Reply
  84. tanning bed bulbs says

    August 27, 2010 at 8:25 am

    This is great! I think reading this, I loved every word. Seriously, keep posting the good information, bloggers like myself need it.

    Reply
  85. weird pictures says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:54 am

    Then it squeezed out all the blood in my heart, hissed at me, and walked away.

    In short, if I had a working heart left, it would be totally upset by that picture. 🙁

    But I also looked at the walrus picture and giggled like crazy.

    Reply

Trackbacks

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  3. A Journey to ‘25 Random Things’ says:
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  4. Chantelle says:
    June 23, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Great One…

    Thanks. My link, do you like http://dryyuki.blog.mugensite.net/ ,Thanks again….

    Reply
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    What To Do For Depression…

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