A Deeper Shade of Ambivalence...

Occasionally, I need to lead with a picture of Lake Moraine. Not too often, of course... but there's just something about that blue water and those peaks... very nice. Wanna try something fun? Google the phrase "lake moraine alberta canada" and click "images" and get your scroll on. There must be a zillion pics. Very photogenic place.

Wanna try something else fun?



Yeah, probably not that...

It's the weekend! Yay! Yes, I realize you know that.... I'm saying it for my benefit. I normally have next to no idea what day it is anymore. Hey, what can I say? I'm old. I mean, look at these shoes I'm wearing! That alone should tell you how addled and behind the times I am...

I found out today that I failed to cancel an automatic payment on a credit card that I had paid off. Have a nice little credit waiting for me! Free money! You know what that means... books and games! Yay! I suppose a more frugal gentleman would request a reimbursement check from the credit card company... but frugality has never been a personality characteristic of mine, unfortunately. I'd rather get a few books off my want list and call us even.

Yeah, like you needed to know all that. Sorry, sometimes free-association blogging yields boring fruit...

But at least you'll get to see a super-cool watercolor painting of Boba Fett...

There, now you can fully enjoy your holiday weekend. You're welcome.

Wanna try something else fun?



Run a hurdles race when you have not the skill! Man, he still finished fourth...

Come on, that's hilarious... admit it.

Ok, fine, at least admit that you speed on the freeway. And that you rarely floss. Admit that. And admit that you love stand-up comedy as much as I do...

Things I Like Most About Stand-Up Comedy:

• Accents: I love watching comedians who do accents well, especially the accents of their parents, or whatever country the performer comes from. I've always been a big fan of accents in the first place - I love to try them myself. They fascinate me. But I also love the comedy based on cultures that I'm not overly familiar with, since it gives me a glimpse into those cultures by way of what they think is funny. I love that. 

• Impressions: I admit it, I'm a sucker for a good impressionist. Probably an off-shoot of the accent thing. It's another thing I enjoy trying myself. In both cases (accents and impressions) I really have no idea how well I do them... and there's nothing worse than someone doing a bad impression or accent. 

• Puns/Wordplay: Intelligent, clever humor is always impressive to me. George Carlin, Dennis Miller, Dimitri Martin, etc. 

• Unique Topics: I really like it when I hear a comedian tread on conversational ground that is rarely traveled. It shows a certain daring and forethought that shows me dedication and respect, for both the art and the audience. If I have to hear one more bit about dating or marriage or raising kids, I may just tip over. 

Things I Hate Most About Stand-Up Comedy: 

• The Gutter: Sex jokes and needlessly profuse profanity are just lame, in my opinion. It just shows zero creativity to me to have to resort to that line of attack for cheap laughs.  

• Bland Observational Humor: I dig Seinfeld as much as the next guy, but man, how many riffs on going to the supermarket or flying on a plane do I need to sit through? OK, I get it... going to the doctor sucks. Whatever. Going home during the holidays sucks, gotcha.  

• Old Material: You make your living doing stand-up comedy! Is it too much to ask for you to come up with some new material every year or two? Do I have to watch the same routine yet again? Frank Caliendo is the worst at this. It was funny the first time, and still good the second time, and even the third time had a few lingering chuckles... move on! 

• Ventriloquists: Good grief, what a trainwreck. I have never seen what I would consider a good, funny ventriloquist. Ironically, it's another skill I have down quite good - I'll entertain my Sunday school class by teaching for a while without moving my mouth, they enjoy it, and I enjoy doing it. But, seriously... in Stand-Up? In front of a paying audience? Really? Just.... no. It's embarrassing.  

• Political Humor: I don't care which side of the political aisle the comedian sits on, political humor is lame. I think it truly is a topic where everything that can or should be said has already been said, and it rarely is funny. More often it's preachy. And the material gets dated very quickly, so watching it a year or more down the road is like watching an old video of the daily news from years ago.

That's some cool artwork there....

Hope your Memorial Day weekend is a good one. Heard some news that bummed me out on Thursday... that there have officially been more suicides among our troops who have returned from duty overseas than have died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Breaks my heart. That's what I'll be thinking about on Memorial Day.


So I suppose that's enough bloggin' for now. Gonna go save the world from the demon scourge for a while.

Adios

Dave the Meanderer