Happiness Is...

Happiness is thinking you are out of groceries only to discover a quintet of frozen dinners you had forgotten about in your freezer. It kind of makes me feel like bloggin’

But first, here's the latest headLINES If the link isn't working go to the Journal website at www.edmontonjournal.com and you'll find it in the ed section.

I'm also on stage tonight at The Comic Strip. Their might be a film crew there...(for more on that see below) Show starts at 8pm. Hope to see you there.

Stuff that happened last week:

WEDNESDAY
I met a Nietzche-quoting oil worker and his friend at a karaoke night. I sang Alice Cooper’s ‘Welcome To My Nightmare.’ They bought me drinks. At some point Keith Sarnoski showed up with a comedy club waitress and the World’s Hottest Saskatchewan Roughrider Fan. Good times were had, but there’s some stuff that’s a little fuzzy in my memory.

The oil patch guys DID teach me an interesting bit of trivia which I will share with you (along with the disclaimer that this is something I’m passing along from a guy in a bar--if you try it and die, I accept no responsibility for the consequences). Apparently, mixing your drinks with children’s anti-diuretic medications is a great way to avoid hangovers. That’s assuming you don’t mind spending more money on mix than you do on alcohol.

One to grow on, I guess.

FRIDAY
I wet my beak at my first high-end corporate, opening for Lars. It’s definitely a different vibe than your normal comedy audience. Everyone was dressed up and it was a more mixed demographic. I felt I was playing comedy defense--instead of going for laughs, my mindset is more “don’t offend anyone.“ For many comedians, the Christmas corporate is the equivalent of the goose that lays golden eggs, and I don’t want to be the guy who kills one.

Going through my act before the show looking for squeaky-clean jokes, I felt like Spinal Tap doing their first concert after Nigel quit.

My performance wasn‘t spectacular, but it was competent, which is really all an opener needs to be. Lars took care of the rest.

Golden egg in my pocket? Check.
Goose still alive? Check.
Free buffet food? Check, check, and check.

Put that one in the win column.

SATURDAY
Somebody must not have gotten the memo that I’m a lousy interview because a camera crew came into my apartment to film me for a student project.

It was fun. I always enjoy watching film crews set up their gizmos and what sits. A lot of people don’t really think beyond what they see on the screen when they’re watching a broadcast, but a lot of times what’s going on behind the camera is a lot more complex and interesting than what’s going on in front of it. Especially if what’s in front of it is Rex Grossman.

My interview skills are getting better. The problem isn’t that I’m bad so much as that I’m self conscious. I’m trying so hard to say the right thing (or at least AVOID saying the wrong thing) that often what comes out is completely uninteresting. It’s also not genuine, because I’m trying to be right instead of being me.

Being genuine means giving yourself permission to suck. It also means giving yourself permission to excel.

Let’s see how it goes.