A Joke is Worth a Thousand Words

            I don’t know if you have seen it or if you even care, but Saturday Night Live has recently been airing “at home” episodes. It has been an interesting couple of episodes. They do their sketches by either recording themselves alone or recording zoom calls/facetimes and using that to adapt to the new environment.             The intriguing part of these episodes is the lack of audience. There is something strange about performing comedy to an audience that does not exist. The sketches do okay because they the sketch format is not that dependent on the audience, the comedic music videos do the best, but the Weekend Update portion of the show is where the show loses some of its comedic sensibilities. This is because Weekend Update is essentially stand-up comedy and thus thrives the best in the presence of a live audience. A live audience adds a lot of things to comedy...

The things I’ve learned this semester:     1.) I learned how much I enjoy writing, especially when the writing is funny.     2.) I learned the power that laughter has to bring people together (the social benefits).     3.) I learned more than I ever thought I would know about Samuel Langhorne Clemens.     4.) I learned that Chancellor Boschini has a great sense of humor.     5.) I learned how to be adaptable, even when a global pandemic strikes.

            It is time for another story of uncontrollable laughter! This one also takes place during a funeral. My great aunt died my junior year of high school and I had to go the funeral because that is what my mom decided our family was doing. I was not really excited about the idea because: 1) It was a funeral and 2) I had only ever had met her once and so I didn’t know her that well. We went, nonetheless. I did not intend on laughing at the funeral, but it happened all the same.             It was the part of the funeral when they invite everyone up to the coffin to say your last goodbyes. Now, normally in the background of this time the funeral home (or wherever the funeral is happening) will paly a song in the background. This makes the room less awkward because without it you’re just a bunch of people whispering to a dead person. This is still happening, but at leas...

            In my time as a college student I have learned many things from many classes, but the most important thing that I have learned is: Bill Gates hates me! Well, at least Microsoft Word does, but I’m pretty sure Bill Gates had something to do with that. The reasons I believe this start when I first open the Microsoft Word program and what do I behold? A default setting of Calibri font and the size is set to 11 ! Why? This is absurdity of the highest order and I refuse to continue to tolerate the madness. I have only used Times New Roman with size 12 font and every person I know uses this setting and every teacher/professor/instructor I have ever had has demanded I use this font set-up. However, Bill Gates has yet to rectify this gross injustice and therefore I can only conclude that he must hate me.             This is not the only grievance forced upon me by the...

             I want to tell you about the funniest juxtaposition that I have ever seen. It was the week before finals my sophomore year of college and I was walking towards the library. The morning was cold, rainy, and the whole world seemed gloomy and grey like how movies like to portray London or any scene in a futuristic, dystopia sci-fi city where a disgruntled cop solves an impossible case. I did not mind because cold and rainy is my favorite kind of weather and this December day was making me quite happy.  It would soon be made even happier because I spied one of the tour groups trying to cross South University Dr. They whole group was smiling and were so cheerful standing beneath the bright purple TCU umbrellas; they looked like a bunch clowns trying to crash a funeral. What made it particularly funny was all the other students walking around them. Their heads were held low as they trudged along the puddled paths. So, there I stood looking ...

            As an introvert, the social distancing and quarantining has affected my life less than others. I have never been one for crowds or public spaces filled with strangers. I am actually quite shy, though many people find that hard to believe (I suspect it has something to do with me being on an improv team and performing to over a hundred people every week). Anyways, as an introvert, I have noticed a sort of “societal irony” over this time in quarantine.             All my life I have noticed that, for the most part, this world is made for the extroverts. Being bold, talkative, and outgoing are traits that society tends to praise more than shyness or being reserved. There is of course nothing wrong with ether personality, but society is really built by and for the extroverts. I think it is because they speak their mind more than us introverts. Anyways, us introverts have had to spend our ent...

     I was going to originally write this blog post about Calvin and Hobbes because I read them all the time as child. They are funny cartoons and the dichotomy of Calvins rambunctious nature and Hobbes' pragmatic viewpoint are always entertaining. However, the more I thought about it the more I thought that, although I love Calvin and Hobbes, they are not my favorite cartoon characters. No, that honor belongs to Linus. Linus is Charlie Brown's best friend from the peanut cartoons. I think he is absolutely fabulous. He is quite wise for his age and has some of the best quotes in the comics and cartoon films. My favorite is when he waits all night for the great pumpkin to come visit him on Halloween night. It is the perfect mix of humor, hope, wisdom, and wonder. Linus also always carries around a blue security blanket with him. This is fitting because he sort of acts like the security blanket for the rest of the characters. He is the greatest cartoon character of all time...

1.       A little self-deprecation never hurt anyone…else This type of joke may not be for everyone, but it is effective. It makes you the butt of the joke, but it also usually gets a laugh. This type of joke’s main purpose is to show a little of your flaws in order to make you relatable; it is not meant to insult yourself or for self-hate. 2.       Take on a character This tip is best used when telling a funny story. Instead of saying “she said ‘…’”. Act it out. Embody that person, exaggerate their vocalizations and mannerisms, and make them a comedic character. This will keep the audience engaged and be funnier than just repeating what a person said. 3.       Yes and… This is a tip that is straight out of improv comedy. When you are talking to someone always think “yes and”. This means that you should build on what others are saying for comedic effect. Never negate a person’s idea because that w...