I heard on the news today that comedic legend George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71. He was the greatest comedian I have ever seen. I credit a lot of my personality, humor, and my frequent use exaggeration to the style and delivery of George Carlin. I watched his HBO specials from the late 1980s onward. I even saw him perform live in Raleigh, NC in the late 1990s. Never have I laughed so hard as when I listened to him on stage. I’m saddened that he is gone.

Hearing of his death brought to mind an excellent quote of his. In one of his past routines, he explained how language is crafted with the intention to shape people’s thoughts and ideas. He cited that, “At some point in my life, toilet paper became ‘bathroom tissue’.” He went on to say that people had an extreme fear of aging, and how obnoxious it was for people to use phrases like, “80 years young”. The particular quote I’m thinking of came at the end of that speech: “Now, Thanks to the fear of death in this country, I won’t have to die…..I’ll ‘paaassssss aaawwwaaayyy’.” As you imagine, he said it quite mockingly. Too bad he really has “passed away”. He was the greatest.