They go to the doctors and he advises that they start to write everything down, that’s the first step.
A couple of days later the wife asks her husband if he could go and get her some strawberries from the shop.
He says “Strawberries, not an issue. I’ll be back shortly.”
She says, “Actually, I’d quite like some ice cream with the strawberries”
He says “Strawberries and ice cream, not an issue.”
She says “Write it down. Remember what the doctor said”
He says, “No, it’s alright. I can remember that”
She says “Well, I’d quite like some chocolate too”
He says “Strawberries, ice cream, chocolate. They all go together, I’ll remember that”
“No, write it down.” Replies his wife.
Content with himself being able to remember this, the old man heads off to the shops without writing it down.
Twenty minutes later he returns with bacon, tomatoes, and eggs.
She says “You idiot! I told you to write it down, you forgot the sausages!”
Joke Poo: The Password Problem
A group of programmers are starting to lose their coding edge. They go to their team lead and he advises that they start to document everything, that’s the first step.
A couple of days later, one programmer asks another if he could add a new feature to their app, a “Forgot Password” function.
He says “Forgot Password, not an issue. I’ll have it done shortly.”
The first programmer says, “Actually, I’d quite like it to send a verification email with a temporary password, for security.”
He says “Forgot Password with verification email, not an issue.”
The first programmer says, “Write it down. Remember what the team lead said!”
He says, “No, it’s alright. I can remember that.”
The first programmer says “Well, I’d quite like it to integrate with our existing authentication API too.”
He says “Forgot Password, Verification Email, Authentication API integration. They all go together, I’ll remember that!”
“No, write it down!” replies the first programmer.
Content with himself being able to remember this, the programmer heads off to his desk without writing it down.
Twenty minutes later he comes back with a fully functional Minesweeper clone embedded within the app.
The first programmer says, “You idiot! I told you to write it down, you forgot the Sudoku solver!”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and then generate some comedic gold.
Joke Analysis:
- Core Concept: Memory loss in an elderly couple.
- Setup: Doctor’s advice to write things down. Wife repeatedly tells her husband to write down what she wants from the shop.
- Twist: He confidently claims he can remember, but fails spectacularly.
- Punchline: The unexpected substitution of bacon, tomatoes, and eggs for strawberries, ice cream, and chocolate, culminating in the wife’s exasperated comment about forgetting the sausages.
- Humor Derives From: The irony of his overconfidence, the mismatch of the items, and the age-related memory problems.
Key Elements:
- Memory Loss
- Age
- Shopping List/Errands
- Communication Breakdown
- Food Items (strawberries, ice cream, chocolate, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, sausages)
Comedic Enrichment & New Material:
1. Observation on Memory (Amusing “Did You Know?”):
“Did you know that the human brain is so good at pattern recognition that it’s more likely to remember ‘bacon, eggs, and toast’ – a common breakfast – than ‘strawberries, ice cream, and chocolate’ – a slightly more deviant breakfast for an octogenarian? Maybe he just subconsciously wanted a Full English.”
2. Alternative Punchline Joke (Playing on the Same Theme):
He comes back from the store with a bag of fertilizer and a rake.
The wife says, “What’s this?”
He replies, “Well, you said you wanted something for a strawberry patch! I remembered that part!”
3. Comedic Observation on Age & List-Making:
“The real tragedy of aging isn’t forgetting what’s on the list; it’s forgetting where you put the list and then spending the rest of the afternoon retracing your steps, only to find it tucked into your sock drawer next to a Werther’s Original and a spare hearing aid battery.”
4. The Technology Take:
Wife: “Why didn’t you just put it in your phone? I bought you that new smart phone for just this purpose!
Husband: “I forgot the password. Then I forgot my pin number. Then I forgot I even had a phone.”
5. The “Mandela Effect” Twist:
The wife stares at the bacon, tomatoes, and eggs. “I specifically remember asking for sausages! Did you actually go to a parallel universe, because you have entered the Mandela zone where now the sausages were there and you forgot those instead!”