The less you do, the more you do.

First off, I love this movie, Jason Segel, and Paul Rudd.

Second off, I've noticed in the past couple of weeks (watching other people and having a few moments of my own) that when you try to be funny, it doesn't always work out like you planned.

That's why I think I'll appropriate this sage bit of advice from Forgetting Sarah Marshall:

"Don't try to be funny. Don't do it. The less you do, the more you DO."

DO LESS.

With the exception of comedians and those blessed with charisma, I think the right amount of nonchalance can be important. There has to be a natural flow and confidence to the delivery of certain funny things. This may not be the absolute rule, but I think we have all more or less experienced (or been) the "try-hard," and it's usually one of those moments you try to pretend didn't happen. haha

I think it comes back down to the all-important cognitive shift. The problem with trying too hard is that the audience can already see the joke coming, and something about the situation is already predictable.
So, my solution to this issue is simple. In the words of Drake, "What am I doing? What am I doing? Oh yeah, that's right, I'm doin' me."
In case you forgot, and find yourself in a crisis, just remember to "do you." Authenticity serves well as a replacement for natural comedic genius. 

The second option, also demonstrated in the clip I've provided, is practice. Keep trying, and perhaps one day you'll have it down. Now get out there, and shower the world with your jokes.

Something Funny

My something funny is my sister. My sister is the most hilarious person I know. There is no one else that I laugh with quite like Laurel.

She is funny in so many ways. She's intelligent, brash, outrageous, insightful, intuitive. She is funny to me in just the way that she is. Simply the thought of some of our conversations make me giggle. 

Part of this phenomenon is our history. She's been my older sister, and best friend, for close to 20 years. I've known her a while, and this type of relationship allows for the context and comfort level that can result in moments of great hilarity. It can be as little as a moment of knowing eye contact, but we both get the joke.

I know her so well that I can really appreciate the subtle nuances of her humor. 

Sometimes relationships stem off the ability to reciprocate humor, but with my sister, the relationship predates laughter. We are able to fully enjoy each other's company because of our bond as sisters, and I think that's something special.

I also think the factor of closeness is important with humor. Laughter plays interesting roles in getting to know people on different levels. It can help you feel more at ease with a stranger, or solidify an already-close friendship. It perpetuates trust, among other things.

Anyway, I just wanted to immortalize on the internet my adoration for my sister. The most gut-busting,  rolling on the floor, "I can't breathe"moments of my life are thanks to her.  Do you have anyone like this?

Random Musings, Courtesy of Mark Twain

Thought I'd talk about another quote that caught my attention as I read:

"Life does not consist mainly- or even largely- of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing through one's head." -- Mark Twain's Autobiography

Hm. This isn't really a humorous quote, and I don't mean to get all philosophical-descartes-existentialist-crazy on you, but really... What do we have, what can we prove, except our thoughts and perceptions?

Think about that.




I don't know about you, but I can feel the storm.

I think that is an interesting image. Even right now I am envisioning a thunderstorm raging in my skull, thanks to the operation of thought. That in and of itself is interesting, but thought also allows me to understand Twain's message by apply the connotations associated with storms to the process of thinking. I find this intensely interesting.

So, What is thought?
Google says:

thought  

/THôt/

Noun An idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurring suddenly in the mind: "Mrs. Oliver's first thought was to get help". An idea or mental picture, imagined and contemplated: "the mere thought of Peter made her see red".

Hmm again. Yes but no. I think there is more, but I also know this is something even science has struggled to define exactly.
I find myself asking "Where does thought originate? Is thought just the symptom of neurons firing in our brain? Is it merely mental activity involving sensory and our subjective consciousness?" And with this I think that the quote may be proving itself, at least in this case. The way I am experiencing writing this post is through the sensory information I am processing via thought. I know there is much more to it, but I won't waste your time asking copious rhetorical questions. "What is fact?" Let's not. haha

Anyway. This post has turned out to be mostly trifling. I hope I at least made you think.

Mark Twain

"To give birth to an idea--to discover a great thought--an intellectual nugget, right under the dust of a field that many a brain plow had gone over before. To find a new planet, to invent a new hinge, to find the way to make the lightnings carry your messages. To be the first--that is the idea. To do something, say something, see something, before anybody else--these are the things that confer a pleasure compared with which other pleasures are tame and commonplace, other ecstasies cheap and trivial." -Innocents Abroad (p.174)

I liked this quote the moment I read it. I love the idea of "giving birth to an idea" and pushing the horizon. I feel like there is a deep human desire to discover meaning, and some constant burning need to find truth beneath the paradigms that are already in place.

This quote was found under the subheading "Originality," but I think it may be more than that. I think this quote speaks to curiosity, discovery, and human nature. I relate quite a bit to this desire to go and do and experience life in ways that transcend.

Mark Twain's insight reminded me of one of my favorite quotes is from a French song called Je Cours by Stromae. It translates roughly to something like this: 

"That's it, I was just born there.
I don't know where I'm going or where I am But everyone want to be there Somewhere out there in life. And I want to set my feet there But only my soul has access."

What I love about these quotes is that they articulate a snippet of the human experience. I think they're both about the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, and a desire to experience something that goes beyond our understanding of the world and our place in it. There is something about the unknown defines us, and perhaps experiencing it can give us deep insight into our own nature.

P.s. Here's the link to the song I was talking about. It's pretty existential if you're into that. http://youtu.be/wIrI_MOfxG0

Thoughts on Juha

I just came back from meeting with Hanan, but dont' be fooled; This isn't a conversation partner post. Instead, It seemed fitting to talk a little bit with Hanan about our multi-faceted friend Juha as an extension of our reading.

Hanan and Ryan said that Juha was an intertwined part of their childhood. The stories were told by all people in all kinds of situations, much like the introduction stated. She said they were just "weird, little stories the old people told. There was always a donkey." They didn't really talk about the stories particularly fondly, but just as something that was. This lead to a conversation about other more beloved childhood stories: Aladdin, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Sleeping Beauty, and others.

They said these stories conveyed important lessons about success, discovery, and how to treat people. They told valuable lessons that were easier for children to understand and want to listen to. Of course, not all of the Juha stories we read were child-friendly, but I think there is a good deal of truth in our greater willingness to pay attention to interesting anecdotes, even as we get older.

I found the Tales of Juha to be interesting, but not necessarily enjoyable. I can imagine thinking fondly of them if my grandparent had told them to me, but as a newcomer to the Tales of Juha, I didn't find them particularly relatable or captivating. I do value them as insight into the important nature of storytelling, as well as  gaining a footing on Arabian cultural perspective.

Rachel and Hanan Talk Friendship

This time around I asked Hanan about friendship.

What makes a good friend?

For Hanan, the most important thing was trust. She said that close friendships don't just happen, but that they are built gradually on mutual care and similar interests. A true friend gives you advice, supports you emotionally, and will help you in any situation.
As well, she said a true friendship is one that is able to pick up right where it left off. She said she goes long periods of time without being able to talk to her best friends, but when she is able to, it feels like nothing has changed at all.

I feel similarly about my friendships. My best friend is someone I can be completely myself with, which I guess is due to a great level of trust. It's a relationship that doesn't waver with time. When my best friend comes home from Santa Fe, it's like she was never gone.

Of course I had to ask about humor, but Hanan said it was not necessary for a friendship. She said you can enjoy some one's company and be close to them without having to joke. It really just comes down to personality.
I agree to a certain extent, but I can't imagine my best friendships without the amazing amount of laughter we share. I value my friendships for their seriousness as well as their lightheartedness. I think Hanan's point about trust is pivotal though, because friends are the people we let out guard down to. We share with them our joys as well as our sorrows, and sometimes that takes quite a bit of bravery.

Very close to the end of out conversation, Ryan (Hanan's husband) showed up and Hanan said, "Here's my best friend." Getting to see them talk about friendship together really revealed their own balanced relationship. They once again agreed honesty (an extension of trust) was the most important, and that a true friendship was one with no emotional blocks. I'm sure that's even more true concerning marriage. They agreed humor came second, which I think is interesting in comparison to most American relationships. In my experience, humor can almost be a prerequisite in forming what we consider a solid relationship. I guess I'm going to try something different and as you a question. What do you feel is the role of humor in relationships?

p.s. This muh best frand. Skip my other question and tell me about yours if you want!

Conversation Partner: Round 3

The time had come once again for Hanan and I to reconvene at Union Grounds.

We spent the majority of time talking about how Hanan went to Cancun and had an awesome time. Consider this meeting a Spring Break Debriefing.
Hanan got to spend seven glorious days on the white sand beaches. She swam, she snorkeled, she ate a plethora of authentic foodstuffs including guacamole (which I gathered was a delicious oddity to her). Then we talked about tortillas for probably three minutes, until we shifted subjects to her cultural experiences while in Cancun. Hanan visited the Mayan temples and was also able to dive into a cenote. Cenotes are giant open pools formed in the rock that lead to large cavernous bodies of water. Or, essentially, giant sinkholes that the Mayans used to chunk gold and human sacrifices into. She said it was "extremely cold, but beautiful, and truly an experience to remember."

Hanan said it was hard to come back to real life, but that She and Ryan plan to go to the Bahamas next, or maybe Brazil.
We talked for the remainder of our time about the places Hanan has been. France, England, Scotland, Spain, Turkey, Australia, South Africa, and many more. All came highly recommended.
Though Hanan has had a fair amount of marvelous travel, we were able to agree upon a distaste for Florida. It was one of her least favorite trips, mostly because was stung by a jellyfish. She said it was as bad as you would imagine. My time in Florida was also horrible, but that was because I got heatstroke the first day I was there. Perhaps one day I'll try again, but until then Florida and I are


I've never left the United States. So, essentially what I took away from our meeting is that I should leave Texas some time, because the rest of the world is apparently filled with mystical life changing experiences and I'm really missing out.

I really appreciate...

this.

I really appreciate this sentence, and the fact that Only Joking was a refreshing departure from Morreal in that reading it wasn't like receiving 1,000 lashes with a wet noodle.

More later.

Observations Eavesdropping on a First Date

From what I understood, our assignment for this past weekend was to drop eaves on someone's laughter and report back.

Well. Well well well. I went to the Stars game this past weekend and overheard a very awkward date that had a lot of laughter. Super awkward, first date laughter.

I know it was a first date because the guy that has these particular seats is a seasoned first-date veteran and has a different lady with him every game. For example, when the Stars played the Predators, he had an ironically young-looking lady with him that spoke about her love for Disney movies for the better part of the first intermission. That date was terrible for me to listen to, so I can only imagine how it was for him. But that's a different story.

If you've had a first date, you've had this kind of laughter.

You're interested in someone.
You want them to be interested in you.
So, it seems first nature to want to share laughter in hopes of forming some kind of rapport.
If it's a good date, you might legitimately be amused. But there's also a high probability you're laughing because you don't know what else to do.

Exhibit A:
"So where'd you grow up?"
"Plano.... HAHAHAHAAHA."

That's all-caps laughter because it was just a little too loud to be natural.
Essentially, the type of laughter I vicariously experienced this weekend was a lot of forced, nervous laughter, used to (in theory) diffuse a tense social situation. Yet in this case, the laughter didn't truly make the situation any easier, and rather made one of the people seem like it was their first time talking to another human being. Which it may have been, I don't assume to know.

Laughter is a potentially great way to make a connection with someone, but is a thing to be handled delicately. Too much laughter can send the wrong message, portraying you either as extremely nervous, or ditsy, neither being particularly good. There seems to be a fine (and at the same time strangely bold) line between the laughter of legitimate enjoyment and the laughter of someone exceedingly uncomfortable.
The latter was unfortunately what I experienced for 120+ minutes of hockey this past Saturday, and it is with much sadness that I predict there will not be a second date.
But who knows, perhaps our ladies man has a soft spot for shy girls who love Disney movies and force laughter, in which case I have sorely misjudged the situation. Such is the life of one who drops eaves.

Do I look like a juggler?

This weekend I helped out with an Easter festival and got mistaken for a juggler... three times.

And I'm not really sure how much to read into this...

Because I was carrying the box filled with assorted things that look like they might be juggled.

But honestly, do I look like I juggle things in my free time?

Because the juggler that eventually showed up was a middle aged man who definitely looked like he juggles things in his free time, and I'd just like you to think about that for a second.

I mean, they didn't ask the person carrying the box of bubbles if they were here to blow the bubbles. And all the other people carrying things around and putting them in their respective places weren't questioned as to the action that would be preformed with the contents of their boxes.

But I guess something about me that day (in my Easter best) screamed, "I'M HERE TO ENTERTAIN YOU WITH ACTS OF JUGGLING WONDER." I honestly don't know what.

The people were actually really let down that I wasn't there to juggle. One woman, after asking me if I was the juggler, expressed her disappointment that I was not, in fact, the juggler and said earnestly that she had really wanted to see some juggling.

What did she expect me to do? "Okay, just for you! Throw me those sparkly rings! P.s. I don't actually know how to juggle!"

I don't know, maybe I should be flattered that they thought I might possess such interesting abilities. 

Anyway, I dashed a couple people's hopes this Easter because I lacked the ability to juggle... which might be something to look into because strangers have never been so happy to see me. 

The moral of the story is: Don't judge people by the contents of their boxes. Or. Don't carry boxes full of things that look like they should be tossed in the air in an amusing manner if you don't really have the ability to do so, because people will be upset. You pick.