The amusement bubble has burst. All the low-hanging jokes and stories and insights have been picked and all that is left is in the upper branches. And there is no ladder. The masters of amusement have left the planet and are off searching other galaxies for more material. Still others have moved off to a different dimension -- a dimension wherein the mundane can grow amusement crystals that, no two being exactly alike, will stand a chance at eternal amusement.

Everyone else left behind has taken to using "amusement helper-words" -- words that, when attached to old, no longer amusing material, will make it uproariously amusing. The words include, but are not limited to:

1. "like". When inserted into a phrase, that phrase suddenly takes on a whole new, like, sensibility.

2. "ass" For such a small word, it has become the go-to word in amusement repair. Otherwise intelligent people will laugh uproariously if this little three-letter word is inserted into any sentence. Try it. "Four score and ten years ago, our fathers brought forth to this ass..." See? ...you can't stop laughing, can you?

3. "the "F-bomb" This used to be the domain of the intellectual, but has fallen to common usage. Now everyone can be amusing. Just insert the F-bomb. Try it. "Fuck score and ten years ago, our fathers brought forth on this..." See? ...you can't stop laughing, can you?

4. "Totally" If you have, like TOTALLY run out of amusement, try inflection.