FUN!

“Well. That’s my fun for the day.” That’s what my brain says once I finish my five daily word puzzles*, usually by 8:30am. Sure, there may be other moments that bring me joy–when Patrick cracks a wry joke; or Arlo announces he’s going to give himself a bath by running into the living room naked, jumping into a starfish shape, and doing jazz-hands; or a Lizzo song comes on and it aligns with my walking pace and I kinda feel like I’m dancing. Wheeeeeeeee.

But my life is not overwhelmingly fun. Part of it’s that I work seven days a week, so…when fun? Fun when? Mostly, the things I find fun require childcare, which when you’re a single parent almost always means a fifteen-dollar-an-hour premium on top of any admission costs. 

That said, I’ve been trying to schedule some stuff for myself. I buy tickets to things, which forces me to find and budget for a babysitter. 

A few months back, I checked out the Improv’s website. A comedian I’d seen online, Ashley Gavin, was coming. Her crowd work was sharp, and I thought what the hell and bought tickets. 

When the announcer’s voice invited her onstage, I was surprised. Usually, there’s an opener. And actually there was one, but Gavin came out first and instructed us how to laugh at the show, i.e., not with smirks or giggles like we would at home scrolling our phones, but with big open-mouthed guffaws. I got it. I’ve MCed storytelling shows before, and it can be helpful to tell the audience more or less how to be a good crowd. So, OK, I was ready to laugh frequently and audibly.

Then Gavin brought up the opener. I’d never heard of him, but he was BIPOC (yes), fat (yes), and queer (yaassssssss), so I was prepared to like him a whole bunch. And he was pretty funny. Had some good bits. But he had this thing where, at the end of each punchline, he would say, “But…” Except he pronounced it, “Bbbbboooooiiiit.” Like he’d almost blow a raspberry on the B and follow it up with just the weirdest pronunciation of -ut. I know some comedians have a regular tag or a verbal disfluency that defines their voice, and it can definitely work, but maybe you didn’t catch above how I said “at the end of each punchline.” Right hand to god, at the end of each punchline. It landed less like a catch-phrase and more like a verbal tic, and it took the funny straight out of the jokes. I felt nervous, like I would clench my abs to prepare for it, and then it would come and I’d cringe.

I was relieved when Gavin came back up for her set, and I want to say up front that she was funny. I found her very funny. The last twenty minutes of her hour were worth the ticket price, but the first forty were also good, and that’s how it’s meant to be done: Tell good jokes the whole time, but build to your best stuff, and end with a bang. In that sense, it was a success.

Bbbbboooooiiiit. 

Very early on, she started evaluating how her jokes were landing, and she didn’t stop. Again, that can be funny. I’ve seen comedians–Mike Birbiglia… others…–notice that a joke didn’t work and make another joke out of that. You know, pick up an imaginary notebook and mime-write “Remove joke about pickles from set, period” or whatever. And they get a laugh. If that kind of thing is done–sparingly–it can be hilarious.

But this wasn’t that. First of all, it wasn’t sparing; it was near-constant. And second, she didn’t evaluate her jokes. She evaluated us. She judged the audience on how her jokes performed. She called us slow, asked what was the matter with us, that kind of thing. 

And I was like, bitch, I didn’t pay $60 for tickets, $30 on a two-menu-item minimum, and $50 on a babysitter, to come here and be assessed

I love stand-up, so I’ll probably go back to the Improv, maybe even to see Gavin again, bbbboooooiiiit only if she agrees to get a new opener and stop judging my shit.

*Wordle, Mini-crossword, Strands, Connections, and Squardle

31,475 thoughts on “FUN!”

  1. The hype around $MTAUR presale is justified—over 1M USDT in days. Unlocking boosts and outfits with tokens adds depth to gameplay. This is crypto meeting casual gaming perfectly. minotaurus token

  2. ??????????????? ??????? «??????? ????» ? ?????? ????????? ????????? ?????????????? ?????? ????? ? ??????????? ? ????????????? ????????????. ???????? ????? ????????? ?? ???, ?????????? ?????????? ??? ????? ? ??????????? ??????? ??????????? ? ?????????? ? ??????????? ??????????????????.
    ???????????? ? ???????? – ?????????? ??????? ??????

  3. Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog
    posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.

  4. Great article! This is the kind of information that should be shared
    across the web. Shame on the seek engines for not
    positioning this submit higher! Come on over
    and discuss with my web site . Thanks =)

  5. hi!,I love your writing so much! share we be in contact more about
    your post on AOL? I need a specialist on this space to unravel my
    problem. May be that’s you! Having a look ahead to look you.

  6. The $MTAUR token presale is seamless—swapped USDT easily. Hidden treasures in mazes reward skillful play. This could be huge for play-to-earn fans.
    mtaur coin

  7. Appreciating the time and effort you put into your site and
    in depth information you provide. It’s good to come across a
    blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed information. Fantastic read!

    I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  8. ?????????????? — ????? ????? ????? «??? ????» ??? ?????????. ??????? ??????????????? ???????? ?????????????, ????????? ???? ? ????, ????? ?? ???? ?????? ? ???????? ??????????, ? ???????? ????????????? ? ???????? ?? 7–15 ???. ?? ?????????? ? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ????? ? ??????? ?????????? ???????? — ????????? ??????, ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????-????? ??? ???????. ??????????? ? ?????? ????? ????? ?? https://mos-stroi-alians.ru/ — ??????????, ?????????????? ????????? ????????????? ???????? ? ?????? ? ???????.

  9. CasiFree — ??? ?????????? ??? ?? ?????? ? ????????, ?????????, ????? ?? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????????? ??? ?????? ??????. ????? ????????????? ??????? ?? casifree.website ?? ??????? ????????? ????????? ?????, ???????????, ????????? ? ???????? ? ????????? ?????????: ???????, ?????, ?????? ?????? ? ??????? ?? ?????. ?? ??????? ??????? ??????? ? ????????? ????????, ???????? ?????????? ? ????????? ????????? ?????, ????? ?? ???????? ???????? ????? ??? ????. ??????? ???????, ???????? ??????? «????? ?????/????? ????» ? ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????.

  10. ????????????? ??????????????? ??????? «??????? ????» ?????????? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ????? ? ??????? ???????????. ???????? ????? ????????? ?? ???, ?????????? ????????? ??? ??????????? ????????????, ? ????? ??????????? ????????? ??????? ??????????? ? ??????????.
    ???????? ?????? – ???????? ????????? ? ?????????

  11. Minotaurus ICO is targeting $6.4M, and with current traction, it’ll smash it. $MTAUR’s DeFi access empowers users without complexity. Referral rewards have me spreading the word.
    minotaurus ico

  12. ???????? ?????? ???????? ???: ?????????? ????? (????? 48 ?????), ?????????? ???????????? ??? ??????? ? ????????????? ?????????, ????????????? ??? ????????? ???????? ????? ? ?????????, ????????????? ??????? ??????????????? ????????????. ????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???, ??? ?????? ??????????? ? ???????????? ????????????? ? ??????? ? ???????? ??????.
    ??????? ?????? ?????? – ????? ????????? ?? ??? ? ???????-??-????

  13. I just like the helpful information you provide on your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again right here regularly.

    I’m rather certain I will be informed many new stuff
    proper here! Best of luck for the next!

  14. ??????? ??????????? ? ???? ??????????? ??????????? – ??? ????????? ????????, ????????????? ????? ?????? ?????. ? ???? ???????????? ??????? ?????? ??????????????? ?????, ????? ??? ????????? ??????? ? ?????? ????????? ?????????. ??????? ??????????? ?????????? ? ????????????, ??????? ????????? ????????? ?????????? ?? ????????. ????? ????????, ??? ??????? ?? ???? ????????????? ?????????? ??????? ? ??????????? ??????????????????. ???????????? ????????? – ?????? ??? ? ?????????????. ??????????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????????? ????????? ??????????????, ??????????? ??????????? ????????. ??????????????? ????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ? ???????? ???????????? ?? ????????, ??? ??? ???????? ?????????? ? ?????????????? ???????????. ?????????? ????? ??????????? ??????????? ?? ????????, ??? ????? ????? ??????????? ???????????? ? ?????? ? ????????????. ????????? ?? ????? ?????? ? ?????????? ???????????? ? ?????????? ???????? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ????????. ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ????????????? ? ???????????? ?? ?????????, ?? ??????????? ?????????? ?? ???????. ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ???????? ??? ??????????? ?????????, ????? ?????? ??? ????????? ? ???????? ?????.

  15. I’ve been following the Minotaurus presale closely, and it’s impressive how they’ve structured the tokenomics for long-term sustainability. The vesting bonuses are a smart incentive that could really reward patient holders. Excited to see $MTAUR launch and disrupt the blockchain gaming space.
    minotaurus ico

  16. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
    Regardless, I’m definitely happy I discovered it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back
    often!

  17. ????? ???????? ????????????? ???????? ??? SEO ? ?????? ? Google? ???????? ???? https://clickolov.ru/ – ???????????? ? ??????? ????? ?? ????????? ????????????? ????????, ? ????? ???? ?????? ? ?????????. ??? ????????????? ?????????? ???? ?????. ?? ???????? ?????????? ????, ????????? ???? ???? ? ??????, ? ????? ????????????? ????????? ????????? ?? ????????? ?????, ???????? ??????? ? ????? ???????, ????? ?? ????? ??????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?????.

  18. Minotaurus ICO details are out, and the referral program is genius for building community fast. I’ve already invited a few friends, and the bonuses are stacking up nicely. This could be the next big play-to-earn gem in 2025.
    minotaurus coin

  19. Online-Casinos wie Vavada bieten spannende Slot-Spiele an. Verantwortungsbewusstes Spielen ist wichtig, um finanzielle Risiken zu minimieren.
    Torisel

  20. With $MTAUR coin, collecting in-game currency while running mazes is addictive. Presale bonuses for vesting make holding appealing. Team’s track record impresses me.
    minotaurus coin

  21. Online-Casinos wie Vavada bieten spannende Slot-Spiele an. Verantwortungsbewusstes Spielen ist wichtig, um finanzielle Risiken zu minimieren.
    Erbitux

  22. ???????? ????????? ? ??????? 30 ?????, ?????????? ?????????? ?????????????: ??????????? ???????????????????, ???????????, ???????? ??? ????????? ?????????, ??????? ??????????? ???????????? ? ????????? ??????????. ?? ?????? ????? ?????????? ????? ????????, ??????, ??????????? ? ?????????, ??????? ??????????? ????? ????? ??? ????????-??????? ??????? ? ????????????.
    ????????? – http://narkolog-na-dom-rostov-na-donu13.ru

  23. What’s up i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace,
    when i read this piece of writing i thought
    i could also make comment due to this brilliant post.

Leave a Reply to lufaqeyTaw Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *