Being Appreciative

This was going to be a story about how I kissed a senior citizen at the bar last week.

But when I sat down to write, I got distracted by other thoughts.

Last night was one of my best nights on stage in a long while.

I wasn't any funnier than usual. The crowd was good, but not exceptional.

What made the difference was that I started to feel the way I want to feel onstage. Not worrying about the next joke...not agonizing over the last joke...but just being in the moment.

The interesting thing is, a lot of this new stuff didn't come from doing comedy. It came from being involved in wrestling, and my new interest in Buddhism, and my attempts to overcome my shyness.

A lot of comedians tell you that the way to become a better comedian is to eat, breathe, and live comedy 24 hours a day.

I think there's some truth to that, especially at the beginning and especially if you're obsessed with maximizing your success.

But I also think that it's possible to stagnate if that's all you do. Comedy comes from life experience and making your entire existence about comedy narrows that experience. I remember a veteran comic telling me that one of the reason he had a lot of trouble finding material audiences could relate to because his lifestyle was so different from that of the audience.

There's a big world out there and my life is richer for it. Learning to appreciate other things helped me appreciate the things I already have more.

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, August 4 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan's musings on relationships can be found at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com

Schedule Updates

I need a good story or something.

I got laser eye surgery done, but it was done fairly quickly. In fact, the whole thing was a blur. Get it? A blur?

Hear these jokes and more this week at the Comic Strip.

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, August 4 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan's musings on relationships can be found at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com

The Latest on ed (and a new Living Article)

New Living article is up here. It's about dealing with the loss of my brother now that a couple years have passed.

I feel I should write more about it, but most of what I want to say is in the article. The last two years have been a strange journey that's for sure, and while it's been tough, there have also been a lot of strengths I've discovered in myself and the people around me.

In other news,ed Magazine is going on hiatus, which also mean a hiatus for headLINES and Pair of Singles. I'm going to miss it. I've contributed a headLINES column every week but one since January of 2005.

I'm hoping Dawn and I can find a home for 'A Pair of Singles' as it's one of my favorite columns to write. If you're a regular reader of POS,feel free to drop an email or phone call to the Journal or write a letter to the editor. Or if you have an idea for another publication that might be interested in our work, feel free to give us a shout (you can contact me through the blog).

In other news, Dictionary.com's word of the day is Tatterdemalion. I love that word.

Also, a friend of mine send me the link to this blog called Dr. Horrible. It's written by Joss Whedon starring Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris. It's a musical about a supervillain. Hilarious stuff.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here

Dan's musings on relationships can be found at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com

Latest Pair of Singles up and Life According to Oz

Latest Pair of Singles is up. You can find it here. I also have a Living column out tomorrow so check the Journal.

I am a big fan of the character Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as people who have read this article already know. The character is laid-back, comfortable with himself, and genuine, which I think are great qualities to have.

Here's the gospel according to Oz. Something about these passages speaks to my soul.

OZ ON BEING COOL:

Xander: You yourself are considered cool. Why is that?

Oz: Am I?

Xander: Is it about the talking? The way you tend to express yourself in short, noncommittal phrases?

Oz: Could be.

Xander: I know! You're in a band! That's like a business-class ticket to cool with complementary mojo after takeoff! I gotta learn an instrument. Is it hard to play guitar?

Oz: Not the way I play it.

Xander: Okay, but on the other hand: eighth grade. I'm taking the flugelhorn and gettin' *zero* trim. So the whole instrument thing could be a mislead. But you need a thing, one thing nobody else has. What do I have?

Oz: An exciting new obsession. Which I feel makes you very special.

================================================

OZ ON DATING:

OZ: I'm gonna ask you to go out with me tomorrow night. And I'm nervous about it, actually... It's interesting.

WILLOW: Oh. Well, if it helps at all, I'm gonna say yes.

OZ: Yeah, it helps. It creates a comfort zone. Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow night?

WILLOW: Oh! I can't!

OZ: I like that you're unpredictable.

==================================================================

AND FINALLY...

OZ: If you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the redhead.

Words to live by.


Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here

Dan's musings on relationships can be found at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com

Stuff I'm Listening To.

This

and This

and--possibly embarassingly-- This

New headLINES

Latest headLINES up here

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here

Dan's musings on relationships can be found at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com

New Pair of Singles

The latest Pair of Singles is up. The question we tacked is how long should you wait before you have sex?


Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here.

Dan Brodribb of the Windsor Star?

Part of my review of JM Kearns' excellent book "Why Mr. Right Can't Find You" got quoted on his website

Interestingly, I am referred to as a writer for the Windsor Star.

Nope.

In fact, I'd never heard of it.

I suspect that particular piece, which was a series of capsule reviews of a bunch of dating books on the market got picked up by other papers.

I guess I can add the Windsor Star to newspapers I've written for, even though I didn't know they existed.

It's still cool to see your name in print though. Clearly I'm a reviewer to be reckoned with.

Neat-O.

Speaking of dating, I'm starting a new blog just on dating and relationships at hotchicksandstrangers.blogspot.com. I haven't really decided if its something I really want to promote (hence burying news of it's creation at the end of a random blog about Windsor) For now, it's going to be random ramblings and a way to get my thoughts in order as I put together a book version of 'Dating for Shy Guys.' If you're interested in such things, feel free to check it out and leave your comments.

Comedy Contest Tonight

--I'll be performing tonight in The Comic Strip's Last Comic Standing contest. Personally, I'm not a fan of comedy contests, but this one has a really solid line-up, so I encourage everyone to come down tonight and check it out.



Upcoming Comedy
Monday, July 7 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Tuesday, July 8 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here.

new headLINES is up

Check it out here.


Upcoming Comedy
Monday, July 7 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Tuesday, July 8 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here.

New Pair of Singles, New Living Article

My latest Living article, on Salsa dancing, is up here.

Latest Pair of Singles is here.


Upcoming Comedy
Tuesday, July 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, July 7 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Tuesday, July 8 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here.

Canada Day

I enjoyed the Canada fireworks last night.

I don't think of myself as a 'crowd' person, but last night I had a good time. Kids were playing in the fountain; families were sitting together; teenagers were running around with their friends.

I don't know if the travelling I've done in the last year and a half or so has changed me, but I felt very comfortable and content.

Life, as always, remains good.


Upcoming Comedy
Tuesday, July 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, July 7 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 24 - Rouge Lounge, Edmonton
Wednesday, July 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, July 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, August 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, August 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, August 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal (current Living article is here
Friday, July 4 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, July 18 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, August 1 - Living Section, Edmonton Journal


Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Monday in the Edmonton Journal's ed online. Current headLINES is here.

A Pair of Singles (co-written with Dawn Dumont) appears in the Edmonton Journal's ed online every Thursday. Current article is here.