As I look forward to a day off from work with gluttonous plans of feasting and vegetating to Football games, it dawns on me how my sentiments towards the holidays have changed over the years. For instance, when it came to Thanksgiving, I used to be so naive and wholeheartedly believed in the fabricated historical myth of the pilgrims eating with the native Americans and all the utopian ambiance that was weaved around it. I would look forward to the retelling of that story every year as I feasted on turkey, rice, corn and whatever else could fit on my plate. I was also oblivious to Black Friday until adulthood so you can see how my naïveté was preserved for so long. I truly lived the innocence of youth back then, my mom’s beatings aside.
My earnestness and strength of will was so strong in wanting the magic of the holidays to be true that I didn’t stop believing in Santa Claus until the sixth grade. That’s how sheltered I was from the harsh reality of life despite the fact that I spent most of my afternoons on the streets of Manhattan since I was six years old. I guess the strength of my ignorance was magical in a way. But eventually my inquisitive nature won out and all the hoopla and the hype started to fade away. I began to piece together historical truths and realized the sham that tale of the liberal pilgrims really was. One door led to another and I became more jaded and cynical about the holidays. That plus the stress planning for such festivities causes taught me it’s just better to avoid them altogether.
Nowadays, I look upon holidays with gratitude for giving me a paid day off from work so I can just rest and enjoy myself with frivolity. I avoid all family gatherings if I can help it because I really don’t want unnecessary drama on my day off. And with so little time devoted for my own personal satisfaction why would I waste it on decorating only to waste more time cleaning it all up?
I know for some people this may seem like a bleak and sad view on the holidays but believe me, I couldn’t be happier. Go on and stress yourselves out trying to create a picture perfect celebration that would make Spielberg salivate and want to film. I’ll stay home resting and enjoying myself in a leisurely fashion. I couldn’t ask for a better gift than just being blissfully left alone.
So I’m trying out this thing called the Tumblr that all the young folks are raving about and I don’t quite get it. To tell you the truth, I knew about tumblr when I first started my blog around 2 years ago or so but it just looked to simple to be a decent blog engine. Years later, it pretty much seems the same but I guess it’s kinda like the bridge between Twitter and a regular blog.
I’m trying to see if I can put them under one feed but don’t seem to to be able to. Also I noticed that once posted, it’s nigh impossible to edit an entry (actually still awaiting a reply from Help Desk on this issue). Here’s looking to see if I’ll continue using Tumblr. Not like I really blog all that much to begin with but we shall see. The link to my Tumblr blog is down below. Check it out if you wish.
I took a 6-week comedy course at the Manhattan Comedy School and on Thursday night, October 15th, 2009, I graduated by performing a 4-5 minute set at Comix Comedy Club. Here is the end result. Enjoy
I know it’s cliché but words can’t describe the feelings that went through me as I got on stage that fateful night. I remember stepping out into the blaring lights momentarily disoriented and then immediately realizing that I had to start my set right away or this silence would get steadily awkward as I continued to utter nothing. After getting the initial laugh the butterflies settled down, time slowed to a surreal version of real-time and I was able to become more aware of the audience and when I should pause for laughs as I went on. As the laughs continued, I became progressively more comfortable and at ease. Within that 4-5 minute span, as I was entertaining the masses any nervous energy that I initially started with dissipated and I just embraced the cathartic moment. I wasn’t perfect by any means but I was able to ride the tide of mirth in the room and continue directing its ebb and flow.
Before I knew it, I ran out of material and time, the host came back and away to the Green Room I went. It was at that moment, when I was surrounded by my fellow classmates, cheering in uproarious applause, happy with my accomplishment, that the realization sank in. I did it. I got on stage and made people laugh. It wasn’t a reaction that I was accustomed to. If anything, the previous six classes I attended before the graduation showed me that I wasn’t funny at all. So it was quite a rush to garner this unexpected and pleasant reaction that I was trying to attain the previous 6 weeks.
I was imbued with a ridiculous amount of glee. In this euphoric zombie-like state, I gathered my belongings and shuffled out of the stage area and headed to the audience. I gave a quick greeting to my supporters in the crowd (my wife, my brother, his girlfriend and 3 old high school buddies) and went to sit with my teacher, Cory Kahaney to support the rest of my classmates. I was in disbelief that the deed was done. When the show ended I spent some time with my supporters, graciously thanked them and then went back in for the second show to support the rest of my classmates. Before I knew it, the night was over and I was waking up for another day of work.
A few days have gone by since that momentous event. It still hasn’t fully sunk in. I think I finally found something I want to pursue. I really enjoyed that night and I’m craving more. I’ve rekindled my love for going to comedy shows the past few months and now I’ve sparked a calling to actually do it as well. I will be taking another class soon to get a better understanding of the craft and of course I’ll get some reading material and definitely continue watching stand-up. I feel a close connection and kinship to the comedy scene and for once, my future doesn’t seem too unclear or without any purpose other than to just live in the moment.
So last night was quite a night for me and I’ll get into it in a later blog post but I first want to promote the hell out an upcoming comedy show. Thanks to comedian, Ray Devito, I recently got into comedian Doug Stanhope. And within a month of listening and enjoying Doug’s albums, “Something To Take the Edge Off” and “Sicko” I came to find out with glee that he’s going to be performing in New York City at Comix Comedy Club in the first week of November.
Earlier this week, after seeing a great comedy show that commemorated Punchline Magazine’s 4 year anniversary, I was told that there was also a discount code people could use to get a great discount on a great show. I figured the best way to promote this discount would be to put a page on my blog and here’s the link for it. Doug Stanhope is a great nitty gritty comic and I encourage anyone and everyone to take advantage of this promotion code to save some money as well as just enjoy a great show.
After hearing about President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, I was motivated to write a blog entry discussing the irony of such an event. Upon further retrospection, I realized that this past year has been full of ironic events and I went on making a list tallying them down. I was rather enthused about making this blog entry but my podcast episode took longer to post than I anticipated. Because of this and also the fact that the year isn’t quite over, I decided to stall that blog entry for a later date. In the meantime, enjoy these YouTube clips about D Rep. Alan Grayson’s stance on the Republicans stalling tactics and Keith Olbermann’s moving op-ed piece on Healthcare:
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“Pick Up The Phone”
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