Non sequitur

A friend with whom I exchange regular email correspondence has given me cause to burst out laughing unexpectedly about once a week for the past several months.

She was doing research on family history and made mention in an email of a geneaologist she found who was immensely helpful.  Reading that made me pause and furrow my brow, because what in the hell sort of help would a gynecologist be in digging up family dirt?

I had to read that sentence of hers about five times before I clued in.

About once a week or so - still - it comes at me sideways all unexpected like, sucker punches me in the kidney, and I find myself snickering uncontrollably.  It's especially funny now because, really, when you think about it, the two professions aren't completely disparate.

Comments

[Paula]

The literary version of mondegreens.

I am affably (laughably), at your service.

[Mark]

Reminds me of a joke punchline I walked in on when I was a kid. I don't know any of the setup, but the final words were "I'm a paragynecologist," and the adults in the room laughed.

I still wish I knew that joke.

[Paul]

I spent several minutes googling "I'm a paragynecologist" trying to find that joke to no avail. Now it's going to bug me for some time.