Burma!

So, let's discuss my latest obsession: Monty Python. As I said before, once I saw Holy Grail, I was completely hooked. Then I began to watch Flying Circus, which I now never miss.

The reason I decided to watch Holy Grail is that I felt left out of an evidently incredibly funny thing. I heard people quoting it and referring to it constantly, even my peers. Now, it's very surprising that I would know less about Monty Python than many of my peers, excluding my close pals, for the following reasons:

• As previously mentioned, I have any affinity for practically all things British, and think more highly of them than just as people with "funny accents."
• I tend to be more educated in the field of Things that Occurred and/or were Popular Before the Year 1985.
• I seem to be more likely to appreciate the type of humor for which Monty Python is (in)famous. In short, it's not exactly Big Momma's House 2.

So, I felt like it was my duty to protect my "reputation" and rent Monty Python and the Holy Grail. My first viewing of the film was spent mostly with a blank expression and an open mouth. I forced myself to laugh a few times when it seemed appropriate, simply because I felt that if I didn't, I would somehow, through ESP (or, as some call it, ESPN), be harassed by my peers the next day for being Python-clueless. However, by the time it was over and I'd had time to reflect on what I had just seen, I laughed out loud, because I realized that I was overthinking it. It wasn't supposed to be confusing. It didn't have hidden messages that I was having trouble decoding. It was just ridiculous fun. So then I watched it once more, with a new attitude, and laughed until I fell off my invisible horse.

For those of you who are deprived and don't understand what I'm talking about, watch anything Monty Python, and you'll understand why I'm devoting a long, wordy post to this incredibly funny comedy team (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, in alphabetical order).

Monty Python is the reason I:

• Cry "Burma!" when I panic.
• Always check the television set for penguins.
• Cherish spam (the food) like my own child.
• Know my favorite color (green) like the back of my hand, in case I ever run into an old, riddling bridge-keeper.
• Never travel with minstrels.
• Use my Latin grammar correctly.
• Am aware that a lion does not eat ants.
• Check for a pulse if I purchase a parrot.

I embellished on a few of those, but you know what I mean, right? "Wink, wink. Nudge, Nudge. Say no more, say no more."