Lunchin with Leo part 2

     Yesterday was my second meeting with Leo. We had lunch at 1873. I got there first and was hungry, so I ordered a Mushroom Burger (yuck)! A few minutes later, Leo came by. He blindsided me when he said how he was trying to eat healthier, or “more vegetables” so he wanted to go eat at Market Square. I felt bad that I already ordered, and was wondering why he didn’t text me earlier to tell me this. But he decided to get sushi from Union Grounds and then we got a table in 1873.

     The conversation went well. We talked about his weekend and his trip to the rodeo. He liked the rides better than the actual show, which he thought was a little boring. The language barrier first became evident during the discussion when he had to make the gesture for “rollercoaster” because he did not know the word. Throughout the meal, I taught him to pronounce words that he was mispronouncing, spell the words for him, and help him to think of the right word for each situation. I also noticed a language barrier regarding the English that he learned in China, and the English that we actually speak here. For example, in China, he learned that to say the phrase “what’s wrong with you?” when someone looks sad or something is wrong. But he told me that in America, when he asked someone that question, he received a negative look and was told not to say that. I realized that when he said that, the other person probably thought that Leo was saying that it is his or her fault that he or she was upset. And in America, we usually say that phrase when we are angry or being sarcastic. It is curious how English is different here compared to the English people learn in other countries.

     There was one thing that Leo did that I was not expecting. When we were talking and waiting in line, or getting a drink, he would put his hand on my shoulder and you know, pat my shoulder. This surprised me because I thought I remembered my Chinese friend saying that people in China had a larger personal space bubble than people in America, and have less personal touch. And guys in general seem to usually have a larger personal space bubble as well. Maybe he touched me more because he feels like he knows me better, or maybe that is how his personal space bubble is. Either way, I came out of the meal learning that cultural stereotypes do not apply to everyone, and what you think you know to be true about a person or culture may be completely false.

     During the meal, he said a few very interesting things concerning health and vegetarianism that I did not know before and that confused me. I think the language barrier was definitely evident here because he often struggled to find the words to explain this topic. First, he said how seafood is bad for people’s health because it’s  “cold.” Since our body is “warm,” something that is “cold” is bad for us. But wasabi apparently is “warm” so it helps sushi to be healthy. I was very confused by these statements. I think the language/cultural barrier was definitely evident here because I could not understand what he was trying to say. His statement on how it is healthier to be a vegetarian because it is easier to not get angry intrigued me. His reasoning is that animals that eat vegetables are kind while animals that eat meat are angry. I am not sure where he got that from, but if it is true, then that is very interesting information.

     We discussed humor throughout the meal. He told me that it is harder for Chinese guys to date an American girl because American girls do not find Chinese boys funny, due to the language and cultural barrier. For example, he said that because when he cannot pronounce English words correctly, American students could not understand his joke and find it funny.

     An hour after we met, I left to work on a project. So we walked toward my dorm and then went our separate ways. It was a good lunch. I learned some very interesting things and I hope he learned something as well. I look forward to our next meeting, and am interested to see what else we will learn from each other.

Something Funny 3-A night of improv comedy

     Since I did have a male companion to spend Valentine’s Day with, me and my other available women friends had a single ladies night. We had dinner at Rosa’s and went to Sweet Sammies for dessert. (I got a Brownie Bowl with a scoop of ice cream, if you haven’t been before then you need to go, and that means you DW!) To end the night, we went to Senseless Acts of Comedy (SAC), which is a TCU student improvisation group. I try to go every week, because they are absolutely hilarious!

     Now what is so funny about SAC? They have multiple skits and games in which they make up and act out funny scenarios. For example, there was a game where two people in the group had to pretend that they were emailing each other after meeting at a waterpark for a date. The two people were male, and before the skit started, one of the boys went and out-of-the-blue kissed the other boy on the lips. The second boy’s reaction was priceless; he was shocked! I was laughing so hard! It was funny because it was unexpected, and they have never done something like that before. Since it was a skit, I expected something like funny lines, but not a lot of physical humor. It was also funny because the guy who received the kiss was not expecting it either, so he experienced a cognitive shift as well. His reaction of disgust and surprise made me laugh, and I laughed because I was an observer, and not the second guy on stage.

     Another funny aspect of SAC is that the improvisers not only make references to well-known people, but also make fun of these people. For instance, there was a game where the improvisers pretended like they were on a dating show. One of the improvisers had to guess who each of the contestants were. One improviser, (a guy), played the role of Casey Anthony. So he would talk in a high pitch voice and make references to parks, children, remote locations, and people hating/throwing stuff at her. And one clue was that this person was a “real killer.” The double meaning here was hilarious. It was also funny because everyone knows the story of Casey Anthony and hates her. So it was funny in an “I get that reference” way. And it was even funnier that the improviser first guessed Michael Jackson; since he was also connected to children, people hating him, and remote locations. I think that the Morreall’s concept of the play mode fits here. This is because the story of Casey Anthony allegedly murdering her child angered America, and many Americans are probably still angry about it today. But by ridiculing Casey Anthony, people start to laugh because these jokes about her are true, and they find humor in ridiculing her.

     Since this is an improvisational show, cognitive shifts occur all the time. One cognitive shift surprised even the improvisers. The improvisers played a game where they had to take a prop and use it during a scene. One prop looked like a golf club, although they were not sure what it is because they said they they got it out of the trash. Then, one of the improvisers pretended that it was a crowbar and that he was breaking into a car. Next, the head (or the club part?) flew off into the audience. That was funny, because it was unexpected. I went from contentment and smiling to being surprised and laughing hysterically. Even the improvisers did not know that would happen. I did not feel any guilt for laughing because no one got hurt. 

     Morreall’s third aspect of humor, the enjoyment, applies to the entire show. People come because they love to laugh, and they know that they will get a laugh through SAC. Also, laughter is social. This means that we often laugh with other people. So if we were the only one at SAC or watching it alone on TV, then according to Morreall, we would not laugh. And finally laughter is contagious. If we see or hear other people laugh, than we want to have enjoyment and laugh as well, even if we do not get the joke.

     Senseless Acts of Comedy is a great show. I recommend that everyone go see it every Thursday at 9PM. It is an awesome experience that provides relief from the stress of school.  

blog 4 (early blog 2 on book)

     The sections of the 50 Funniest American Writers that we had to read were interesting and again, a bit odd. But what was different about these pieces was that each story featured a female as the main character. So we got to see life from the perspective of a woman. Again, I think my view of humor is different from the author of the 50 Funniest, because I did not find these stories “laugh out loud” funny. But it is quite possible that these stories had a different kind of humor such as situational humor or irony.

     The first story was “The Waltz” by Dorothy Parker. I smiled at the situational irony that was presented on the first page. The main character did not want to dance with the boy, and she felt sorry for the girl who was dancing with him earlier. But then, she became that “poor girl” because she was going to dance with him. I felt sorry for her, but at the same time, I had to laugh at this ironic misfortune (Borowitz 71). When I started reading, I immediately noticed that the story was in first person point of view. I liked how the story is in first person because I felt that I could relate to the main character better. Because it was in first person, my pity for her was stronger and more genuine because I could relate to her better. I noticed that she was complaining so much about not wanting to dance with the guy, and coming up with excuses in her head for why she can’t dance with him, but she still didn’t say anything. I became irritated at her. If I were there, I would tell her to get and grip and just say no! I would also tell her that if she really doesn’t want to dance with him, than she doesn’t have to. He’ll get over it and move on. I just could not stand her complaining (Borowitz 72). My irritation at her evaporated when I read about how her toes were stepped on and her shins were kicked. I sort of felt sorry for her, but at the same time I wanted to laugh because she knew what she was getting herself into, and because it was not happening to me. But then I shook my head because she has to suffer for being nice (Borowitz 73).

       The second story was “A Few Words About Breasts” by Nora Ephron. Now this story contained much more information than I wanted or needed to know. This story had some humor, but it was mainly a coming-of-age, something-you-read-in-sex-ed kind of story. But again, it was nice that the story was in the first point of view and from the perspective of a woman. When she said how she thought that one wrong move could turn her from a girl into a boy or vice versa was intriguing. I know there are tomboys, but this statement did not seem to be describing a tomboy, but rather, a reversal of genders (Borowitz 201). I chuckled and shook my head in disagreement when she said how she welcomed the pain of cramps. What woman wants to experience the pain of cramps (Borowitz 203)? The one part of this story that I found really humorous, and a little bit odd, was the fake logic that was present concerning how breasts grow. I won’t go into detail, because I would like to keep it PG, but read what Libby says on page 205 and you will see why I find it humorous and odd. I also found humor in the fact that she went to such great lengths to come up with fake breasts so it looked like she was developing. She slept on her back, splashed cold water on them, and even wore different bras each week. I never knew anyone to go to such great lengths to look like she had breasts, and I found it a little humorous that she wanted breasts so much. But at the same time, I was a little sad. I obviously do not know this person, but I bet she was beautiful the way she was. Why couldn’t she be happy with how she looked? There are plenty or girls out there with a large cup size who would not mind having her cup size (Borowitz 207).

            Reading and reflecting on these two stories confirmed my earlier statements about these stories having more situational humor and irony rather than just “laugh out loud, haha” humor. I am definitely learning more and more about humor as I read. And now I know that just because you do not necessarily laugh out loud, does not mean that the story is not humorous. It could just mean that there is a different kind of humor in the story.

Something I saw that's funny 2

     Want to know one thing that always makes me laugh? Awkward moments. Especially when I am the one who caused an awkward moment. And I am the queen of awkward moments. Not a day goes by where I don’t do or say something that is totally embarrassing and yet makes me laugh.

     For example, today my friend was coming over to my dorm to study. So I went downstairs to let her in. As I walking towards the lobby, I heard the door to Wright unlock, as someone let her in. Since she had not seen me yet, I thought it would be funny to try to scare her, since everyone lately has been jumping from behind corners and grabbing me, hoping to scare me. So I yell “Boo!” and jump around the corner. And to my surprise, the person directly in front of me was not my friend, but a random girl from my dorm. My friend was walking right behind her. I said to the girl, “I’m sorry, I thought you were my friend.” I was so embarrassed! I immediately started laughing while I was explaining to my friend that I thought it would be funny to try to scare her. She was laughing as well, because it was so awkward!

     I found this situation funny for many reasons. One reason is because my plan backfired. Instead of scaring my friend, I puzzled some poor random girl who probably thought “who IS this girl?” I also found this situation funny because of the embarrassment it gave me. I could not believe that I creeped out some random girl, and caused an awkward situation. I usually try to make an awkward situation better by laughing at myself. Today’s laughter following my awkward moment follows what Morreall wrote about the Relief Theory. He wrote how in certain situations, we have excess nervous energy that builds up and is then released through laughter. He also writes that this excess nervous energy is relieved through laughter only if the energy is inappropriate for the situation. At first, I was embarrassed after jumping out at the random girl, but then I realized that feeling embarrassed is pointless. I did not know this girl, and chances are, I am not going to even recognize her the next time I see her, if I even see her again. And plus, it was not the worst and not the most awkward situation I could have been in. Once I realized this important point, my excess nervous energy from my embarrassment came out through laughter. And finally, this situation was funny because of the cognitive shift, or a change in 2 mental states, or when your expectations about something are not met. My expectation, when I jumped out from behind the corner and yelled “boo,” was that my friend would be the first one I saw when I jumped out. Instead, there was some random girl in front of my friend. So my expectations were not met in this situation. Another part of the definition of the cognitive shift is that shift toward something less desirable, such as failure. In this scenario, I shifted from my hopes that my plan would be successful to something less desirable, which was the backfire of my plan. And thus, I found amusement in the situation. All of these factors that I described helped an awkward situation become a funny situation.

     I’m sure that this is not the last awkward moment I will have this week or even for today. But it’s okay, because these awkward and embarrassing moments never fail to bring humor and laughter into my life. I wonder what awkward thing I will do or say tomorrow! 

Water Fails-Something I found humorous 1

     YouTube videos are a source of wondrous hilarity. I love watching YouTube videos such as “Viral Video Film School.” These videos compile the best and the worst Internet videos that teach people how to do and how not to do something. In these videos, people often do extremely stupid things that make me laugh.

     One of my favorite videos is called “Viral Video Water Fails.” I was first exposed to the film series and this episode by one of my friends. We were hanging out one day and she showed me this clip, saying how it was one of her favorites. We watched it and laughed so hard that people in the hallway outside her room could probably hear us. It was hilarious!

     In this video, the narrator gives tips on how to have fun in the water without getting hurt, and shows funny videos of people not following these tips, doing stupid things and getting hurt as a result. One reason I found this video humorous is because of the verbal humor. The narrator has a tone of voice that makes it sound like he is saying “duhh” to the people in the clip, uses puns, and often gives tips that are usually quite obvious, but are not followed in these videos. For example, his first tip is in order to “enjoy your time in the water, get to the water.” This seems obvious, right? But the clip shows a kid trying to bodysurf into to water, and failing. Another seemingly obvious tip is to “inspect your equipment before you use it.” To demonstrate how people do not follow this tip, he shows a clip of a boat turning upside down. He uses humor to describe the scene. He calls the boat a “non-conformist boat” and pretends to be the boat by saying “all the other boats are not upside down you know, I’m different.” The tone of his voice in this line is humorous, and boats actually do not talk. The situation is funnier because the narrator is using humor to describe it. What would normally be tragedy is comedy.

     The “Funniest Water Fails” video is humorous because it shows people getting hurt after trying these stunts. Now the question is, why are videos of people getting hurt in water-related accidents so funny and why they may be less funny in real life? One reason is because of the context. The reaction of the person doing the stupid trick, as well as the people watching and filming this trick, is priceless. They start to laugh, which makes me laugh as well. Also, this if the person got seriously hurt making the video, then it would most likely not be on YouTube, because it would be disrespectful to put it up. Third, the people in the videos were intentionally doing stupid tricks, probably knowing that if the trick did not work and they hurt themselves, then it would be funny. For example, the guy who tried to dive in a river of ice, the guy who tried to jump in the pond without avoiding the chain, and the clip of the man who tried to jump on the table and into the water, were all funny because they knew it would be awesome if they were successful, and funny if they failed and hurt themselves. They intentionally did these acts.

     I want to talk about another part of the video that was really funny. It was one of my favorites, because like most clips, it was due to fail before the trick even started. He starts the clip by saying that another tip is “to check the water too, to make sure there is any water.” And then a kid is sliding down a waterslide into a pool of no water and aiming to land in a pile of inner tubes. I laughed because I knew it was doomed. And then the narrator says how it “looks like it’s going to be a lot more scrape-y” and “so you had time to fill up a thousand inner tubes but not enough time to fill up the pool?” The tone, wordplay, and sarcasm here is genius. I felt bad for the kid, but I did not feel too bad for him because he intentionally did something stupid. It was funny because I was not the one getting hurt, and I did not see the kid’s reaction after he scraped himself. For example, if he were crying after he landed, I would not have laughed.

     I have provided a clip of the “Funniest Water Fails” for you to enjoy and laugh at. And then you will see why I love watching this clip, and how it never fails to make me laugh every time.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idxbvD2V5YU