punned it

Matthew tagged me with a 5/5 meme the other day. I'll give it a go.

1. Name your area of expertise/interest:
I thought about offering "procrastination" as my area of expertise, because on my way to the computer to write this post today, I had to first make a lime cheesecake and then repaint my bathroom and then do some cartoons and then have a lie down and feel sorry for myself for having a cold (you know how you get those fits and bursts of energy when you are sick?). And then sure enough it was time to collect my child. And somehow now it's five to midnight. No more time for mucking around!
So I'll say "puns". I love making them and I love reading other people's puns. It's one of the things I love about blogging--especially since there's not much call for punning when writing straight fiction, for example. (Having decided on puns as an area of interest, though not necessarily expertise, a few days ago I immediately found I couldn't make any good ones for my new posts. Stage fright, I think.)
2. How did you become interested in it?
Growing up with a dad who was a sub-editor and spending a childhood listening to he and his colleagues make drunken puns around dinner tables.
3. How did you learn how to do it?
I think it's just always been part of the family tradition, to engage in word play all the time. Then later when I worked in magazines and newspapers for years, I got to write headlines to my heart's content.
4. Who has been your biggest influence?
Tie between Asterix and Groucho Marx.
5. What would you teach people about it?
A triple entendre is even better than a double entendre.