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

35,587 thoughts on “FUN!”

  6. After some bad experiences with delayed payouts at other sites, I was cautious. However, my experience with Tuplaa casino has been completely different. Deposits are processed instantly, and when I requested a withdrawal, the funds were in my account in under a day. The customer support team is also very helpful, resolving my minor query within minutes via live chat. Zero hidden charges or unnecessary runaround.

    Reply

  19. Spiele jetzt seit ungefaehr einem halben Jahr bei Play Fortuna angemeldet, also kann ich inzwischen ein ehrliches Urteil abgeben. Habe es beim Vergleich von Anbietern gefunden, weil mich das Spielangebot angesprochen hat.

    Der Spielkatalog hier ist wirklich umfangreich: Pragmatic, NetEnt und Nolimit City liefern die Titel. Gates of Olympus und Sweet Bonanza stehen ganz oben, die High-Volatility-Spiele machen mir am meisten Spass. Der Live-Bereich kommt von Evolution: Crazy Time, Lightning Roulette und die Game Shows. Deutsche Tische sind abends verfuegbar.

    Der Willkommensbonus hier umfasst einen Match-Bonus plus Freispiele, plus Free Spins in Tagesraten. Der Rollover betraegt 40-fach, im oberen Bereich aber machbar. Gueltige Bonusbedingungen findet man auf play fortuna lohnt sich vorher zu lesen. Reload-Boni gibt es woechentlich.

    Die Untergrenze liegt bei zehn Euro. Die ueblichen Zahlungsmethoden gehen problemlos, Krypto ist auch moeglich. Skrill-Auszahlungen waren am naechsten Tag da, Kartenauszahlungen brauchten zwei bis drei Tage. Verifizierung lief glatt — Personalausweis hochgeladen und in Stunden bestaetigt.

    Auf dem Handy nutze ich die mobile Webseite, die Seite laedt schnell. Der Live-Chat ist auf Deutsch verfuegbar Wartezeit liegt bei drei bis fuenf Minuten. Es gilt eine Curacao-Lizenz, was man wissen sollte. Mein Geld kam bisher immer an.

    Reply

  21. ????????? ?????????? Vavada ??? Android ? iOS ????????? ??????? ?? Face ID ??? ????????? ????? ????????. ?????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????????????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????, ???? ?????? ? ?????????? ????????. ???????????? ? ???????? ????? ?????: ?????? ???? ????? ???????????? ?????? ????????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ? ??????? ?????? ? ??????? ??????? ?????? ????????.

    Reply

  23. ????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ? ???????? ????????? ??????? ? ???????????? ?????????? ?? ??????? ????????. Push-??????????? ????????????? ?????????? ?? ?????? ?????????? — ?? ?????????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???????????. ?????? ?????? ?? ??????: https://vavada-air.com ????? ??????, ?? ???????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ? ???????? ????? ?????????? ???????.

    Reply

  33. With real-life study, OMT shows mathematics’? impact, aiding
    Singapore pupils establish ?n extensive love ?nd test inspiration.

    Join our small-?roup on-site classes ?n Singapore for customized guidance ?n a nurturing environment t?at
    constructs strong foundational mathematics skills.

    ?? mathematics forms t?e bedrock ?f logical thinking and im?ortant ?roblem-solving in Singapore’s education ?ystem, expert math tuition offer?
    the individualized assistance required t? turn difficulties into victories.

    Tuition emphasizes heuristic analytical ?pproaches, crucial f?r tackling
    PSLE’s challenging wor? ?roblems that ne?d numerous actions.

    ?ith the O Level math syllabus ?ometimes
    advancing, tuition maintains students updated ?n modifications, ensuring t?ey are well-prepared f?r current styles.

    Structure self-confidence t?rough constant assistance in junior college math tuition lowers
    exam anxiousness, ?esulting in far bette? results in A Levels.

    T?e exclusive OMT educational program sticks ?ut b?
    incorporating MOE syllabus aspects ?ith gamified quizzes ?nd challenges t? m?ke discovering m??e satisfying.

    No requirement to t?ke a trip, ?ust visit from ?ome
    leh, conserving t?me to examine ?ven more and press your math grades greater.

    Singapore’? global position ?n mathematics stems f?om additional tuition that hones
    skills f?r global benchmarks ?ike PISA and TIMSS.

    M? web blog … math tutor

    Reply

  35. Good piece on the reading side of this. Slightly off-topic, but for long pages I have been reading with ADHD Reading (adhd-reading.com) – it emphasises word starts, keeps a focus mode and lets you tune spacing, which makes dense articles much easier to get through.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

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