LaughAtlantistag:www.laughatlantis.com,2009://22008-08-19T04:43:38ZThe life and times of Joy...Movable Type 4.3-en42.381929-71.099084"The night was soupy."tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2008://2.32272008-08-17T16:58:41Z2008-08-19T04:43:38ZSo, I moved to San Francisco about a month ago and have been volunteering for the San Francisco Improv Festival, which has been going on every weekend since. I wind up getting home after shows around 10:45 or thereabouts and I am constantly struck by how soupy this town is. There’s inevitably a fog or mist lying over the BART station that follows me the three blocks to my home. Every time I am in this kind of weather, it reminds me of the opening sequence of the movie ‘Throw Momma From The Train,’ where Billy Crystal’s character is attempting to write a book and is stuck on the sentence, “The night was…” There’s “The night was dry, but it was raining,” and “The night was moist.” Then his writing student, Danny DeVito, starts a story with “The night was humid.” Billy Crystal freaks out and dismisses class, claiming a giant headache in his eye. In San Francisco, the nights are… all of the above. Soupy, humid, moist, dry but raining… it’s all the same. But so far, I like this town!...Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>So, I moved to San Francisco about a month ago and have been volunteering for the San Francisco Improv Festival, which has been going on every weekend since. I wind up getting home after shows around 10:45 or thereabouts and I am constantly struck by how soupy this town is. There’s inevitably a fog or mist lying over the <span class="caps">BART </span>station that follows me the three blocks to my home. </p>
<p>Every time I am in this kind of weather, it reminds me of the opening sequence of the movie ‘Throw Momma From The Train,’ where Billy Crystal’s character is attempting to write a book and is stuck on the sentence, “The night was…” There’s “The night was dry, but it was raining,” and “The night was moist.” Then his writing student, Danny DeVito, starts a story with “The night was humid.” Billy Crystal freaks out and dismisses class, claiming a giant headache in his eye. </p>
<p>In San Francisco, the nights are… all of the above. Soupy, humid, moist, dry but raining… it’s all the same.</p>
<p>But so far, I like this town! </p>
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</div>The Escape Artisttag:www.laughatlantis.com,2007://2.32242007-08-06T23:30:16Z2007-08-06T21:53:01ZWhile Rod and I were in California, we got a call on our answering machine from someone saying that they had found our dog, Bacon. In that our dogs were staying with my mother, I was concerned and… well, pissed. My mom has a fenced-in yard and my dog is not Houdini. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Bacon could have gotten out on his own. My mom made excuses about gaps in the door and the fact that the bungee cords that were supposed to hold it shut were not in place properly, but I sort of figured it was all bullshit. The last time we were at her house I sat outside the fence waving a chicken drumstick and calling Bacon’s name but he couldn’t get more than his nose through that gap in the door. So imagine my surprise today when Bacon escaped our backyard. I came home, let the dogs out, and went upstairs to change my clothes. I was upstairs for perhaps ten minutes. Gah, that sounds like something a parent says when their child gets kidnapped: “I just turned my head for a minute!” but seriously, I was not gone that long. I came downstairs to let the dogs back in and Clyde (a.k.a. Canine 2.0) was whining and doing a little dance on the back porch. He came in and went racing around in a decidedly un-Clyde-like way. (He’s an 11-year-old dog; he’s not much of a racer-arounder.) I called for Bacon to no avail. I left the door open and waited for him to come in. No sign of him. Finally, after a lot of calling for him, I went outside and discovered that there was a door open in our backyard - which is decidedly odd. See, our backyard has chainlink fences on all sides, and then an additional fence on the other side of each fence. But on one side, there is a weird double-fenced gate that goes into someone else’s driveway… and apparently, someone decided to peer into our backyard and not shut the door. Which meant, in essence, bye-bye Bacon. I didn’t think he’d go far. But he was no longer on the same street where he’d left yard. He was nowhere to be seen. I yelled; I clapped; I ran around… no puppy. Finally I located him (after someone else leashed him) around the corner and seven houses up from where he started. He didn’t seem overwhelmingly thrilled to have to go back home. I must say, wandering the streets asking people if they have seen a basset hound makes you feel like an idiot....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>While Rod and I were in California, we got a call on our answering machine from someone saying that they had found our dog, Bacon. In that our dogs were staying with my mother, I was concerned and… well, pissed. My mom has a fenced-in yard and my dog is not Houdini. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Bacon could have gotten out on his own. My mom made excuses about gaps in the door and the fact that the bungee cords that were supposed to hold it shut were not in place properly, but I sort of figured it was all bullshit. The last time we were at her house I sat outside the fence waving a chicken drumstick and calling Bacon’s name but he couldn’t get more than his nose through that gap in the door. </p>
<p>So imagine my surprise today when Bacon escaped our backyard. I came home, let the dogs out, and went upstairs to change my clothes. I was upstairs for perhaps ten minutes. Gah, that sounds like something a parent says when their child gets kidnapped: “I just turned my head for a minute!” but seriously, I was not gone that long. I came downstairs to let the dogs back in and Clyde (a.k.a. Canine 2.0) was whining and doing a little dance on the back porch. He came in and went racing around in a decidedly un-Clyde-like way. (He’s an 11-year-old dog; he’s not much of a racer-arounder.) I called for Bacon to no avail. I left the door open and waited for him to come in. No sign of him.</p>
<p>Finally, after a lot of calling for him, I went outside and discovered that there was a door open in our backyard - which is decidedly odd. See, our backyard has chainlink fences on all sides, and then an additional fence on the other side of each fence. But on one side, there is a weird double-fenced gate that goes into someone else’s driveway… and apparently, someone decided to peer into our backyard and not shut the door. </p>
<p>Which meant, in essence, bye-bye Bacon.</p>
<p>I didn’t think he’d go far. But he was no longer on the same street where he’d left yard. He was nowhere to be seen. I yelled; I clapped; I ran around… no puppy. Finally I located him (after someone else leashed him) around the corner and seven houses up from where he started. He didn’t seem overwhelmingly thrilled to have to go back home.</p>
<p>I must say, wandering the streets asking people if they have seen a basset hound makes you feel like an idiot.</p>
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</div>Wheeeeeee!tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2007://2.32232007-08-04T01:27:34Z2007-08-03T22:29:13ZI’m typing this post on my brand-spankin’ new MacBook. I’m all laptopped up, yo....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>I’m typing this post on my brand-spankin’ new MacBook. I’m all laptopped up, yo.</p>
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</div>De Do Do Do, De Da Da Datag:www.laughatlantis.com,2007://2.32222007-07-30T03:31:24Z2009-11-10T08:54:18ZI really wanted to go to the Police concert at Fenway Park, but there was no way I was going to spend $95 on a ticket - not to mention, how much fun is a concert when you go alone, anyway? Rod knew how much I wanted to go though, so when the Weekly Dig sent out an email offering up a free pair of tickets, he fired back immediately with an email stating, “Did I win? My wife would love me forever.” The Dig was happy to give him the tickets, on the condition that I provide email testimonial that I would indeed love him forever. Here is my reply… _______ My husband would like me to attest to the fact that Police tickets would make me love him forever. The truth is this: Rod and I have been married for three and a half years. He has not done a single load of laundry in that time. Despite the fact that we have an old, slightly infirm basset hound, Rod has only managed to pick up dog poop off our back porch twice. His hairline has receded, his waistline has expanded, he has stopped wearing his contacts, and his beard is more scruff than anything else. On top of that, I can’t drive, I’m asthmatic, and I only have one lung, yet as you can see by his email below, Rod would rather have me walk to your offices than be inconvenienced on his comfy drive to work, the rat bastard. But if he could get us free tickets to see The Police… wow. That would not just make me love him forever, it would actually make me forgive him for a lot of that stuff I just revealed. (Except the dog poop. There’s just no forgiving that.) So please, consider our request for Police tickets. You could indeed cause eternal bliss… and make make me blind to baldness. Quite impressive, really. _______ The Dig apparently really liked my response because they now want to use it in their marketing stuff, as a “we’ll give stuff away free but you may have to jump through hoops to get it” fun ploy. I like being funny....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>I really wanted to go to the Police concert at Fenway Park, but there was no way I was going to spend $95 on a ticket - not to mention, how much fun is a concert when you go alone, anyway? Rod knew how much I wanted to go though, so when the Weekly Dig sent out an email offering up a free pair of tickets, he fired back immediately with an email stating, “Did I win? My wife would love me forever.” The Dig was happy to give him the tickets, on the condition that I provide email testimonial that I would indeed love him forever. Here is my reply…</p>
<p>_______<br />
My husband would like me to attest to the fact that Police tickets would make me love him forever. The truth is this:</p>
<p>Rod and I have been married for three and a half years. He has not done a single load of laundry in that time. Despite the fact that we have an old, slightly infirm basset hound, Rod has only managed to pick up dog poop off our back porch twice. His hairline has receded, his waistline has expanded, he has stopped wearing his contacts, and his beard is more scruff than anything else. On top of that, I can’t drive, I’m asthmatic, and I only have one lung, yet as you can see by his email below, Rod would rather have me walk to your offices than be inconvenienced on his comfy drive to work, the rat bastard.<br />
<br />
But if he could get us free tickets to see The Police… wow. That would not just make me love him forever, it would actually make me forgive him for a lot of that stuff I just revealed. (Except the dog poop. There’s just no forgiving that.) <br />
<br />
So please, consider our request for Police tickets. You could indeed cause eternal bliss… and make make me blind to baldness. Quite impressive, really. <br />
_______</p>
<p>The Dig apparently really liked my response because they now want to use it in their marketing stuff, as a “we’ll give stuff away free but you may have to jump through hoops to get it” fun ploy. </p>
<p>I like being funny. </p>
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</div>Summer Readingtag:www.laughatlantis.com,2007://2.32212007-07-24T22:04:54Z2007-08-05T22:47:14ZJoy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>On my not-particularly-crowded bus home today, no fewer than four people were reading ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly What-Whats.’ Wow.</p>
<p>I realized something recently. For whatever reason, I don’t do the ‘light summer reading’ thing. For the past three years I have set a goal for myself of how many books I want to read in a given year, and inevitably I’m going along just fine until about mid-May, when it all goes out the window. I can read light fluffy crap all winter and then late spring hits, the books get thicker, the content gets heavier, the prose gets denser, and the time it takes to complete a tome triples. </p>
<p>Examples:<br />
In the past two months or so I have read (among other things) ‘Middlesex’ (Jeffrey Eugenides), ‘Devil in the White City’ (Erik Larsen), ‘Nineteen Minutes’ (Jodi Picoult), ‘The Historian’ (Elizabeth Kostova), ‘Everything Is Illuminated’ (Jonathan Safran Foer), and ‘Lake of Dead Languages’ (Carol Goodman). These are big and heavy and I read most of them in hardcover, dragging them with me to and from on the bus each day. </p>
<p>Comparatively, in February I read (among others) ‘California Demon’ (Julie Kenner), ‘With Red Hands’ (Stephen Woodworth), ‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’ (Brendan Halpin), ‘Picking Up’ (Kate Fenton), and shame of shames, ‘His Wicked Ways (Samantha James). Two day reads, tops, all of them. And one of them is a freakin’ romance novel. Kill me now. ( I read it based on a friend’s recommendation. I will no longer be taking her advice on literary matters.)</p>
<p>So now I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. I want to read the new Harry Potter, all 784 pages of it. But I read the last two right when they came out, so that’s a while back, and I have read easily two hundred books in between now and <span class="caps">HP5. </span> So I am faced with re-reading two HP 5 & 6, two giganto-books, before I move on to Deathly Hallows - by which point everyone in the world will probably have spilled some vital spoiler to me. </p>
<p>Sigh. Damn my parents for making me love reading so much. </p>
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</div>Me-me-me-me-me-memetag:www.laughatlantis.com,2007://2.32182007-02-08T20:37:37Z2007-02-08T18:37:32ZMy friend Kirsten posted this meme in her journal and I liked it an awful lot - and I am sick in bed at home - so I am stealing it to pass the time and share with the world. 10 FAVORITES Favorite Color: Purple? It varies Favorite Food: Cheese Favorite Month: October Favorite Song at the moment: ‘The Internet is for Porn’ from Avenue Q Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride Favorite Sport: Baseball Favorite Season: Autumn Favorite Day of the week: Saturday Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Chip Favorite Time of Day: The moment I arrive home from work each day to find 2 excited basset hounds greeting me as if I was the best thing in the world 9 CURRENTS Current Mood: Achy, if that’s a mood Current Taste: Phlegm. Nasty, I know. Current Clothes: Grey pajama top, plaid bottoms, striped undies Current Desktop: Fenway Park Current Toenail Color: Natural Current Time: 4:13pm Current Surroundings: Bedroom Current Thoughts: I wish my nose wasn’t so stuffed up. 8 FIRSTS First Best Friend: Nicia Travers First Kiss: Dave Brown First Screen Name: TiptonBlue First Pet: Freckles, a Springer spaniel/beagle mix that my parents claimed “ran away” after it became evident that he was much too rambunctious a dog for our family First Piercing: Ears First Crush: According to my father, it was Donny Osmond First CD: No idea. I got a subscription to Columbia House during my freshman year in college but I don’t think I’d actually owned a CD before then. 7 LASTS Last Cigarette: 1990? I think I only ever smoked two. Last Drink: Multiple White Russians at my friend Katie’s birthday party two weeks ago Last Car Ride: Yesterday afternoon Last Kiss: Yesterday, I think, though I got got good hugs today. Last Movie Seen: On TV - Secret Window. In the theater - The Departed Last Phone Call: My boss Last CD Played: Soundtrack to ‘Into the Woods’ 6 HAVE YOU EVERS Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Guy Friends: Sort of? Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes Have You Ever Been Arrested: No Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn’t Know: In college, probably. 5 THINGS Thing You’re Wearing: Grey tank top, plaid pajama bottoms, stripey undies. Didn’t I say that before? Thing You’ve Done Today: Read a monumentally cheesy romance novel Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Random construction noises from the house next door Thing You Can’t Live Without: Laughter Thing You Do When You’re Bored: Read 4 PLACES YOU’VE BEEN TODAY 1. My bedroom 2. My bathroom 3. My kitchen 4. um… my stairs? I’m home sick Today is not a representative sample. 3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO 1. Rod 2. Jen 3. Cheryl (That’s a really hard one, actually.) 2 CHOICES 1. Black or White: Black 2. Hot or Cold: Cold 1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: Ride in a hot air balloon...Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>My friend Kirsten posted this meme in her journal and I liked it an awful lot - and I am sick in bed at home - so I am stealing it to pass the time and share with the world.</p>
<p>10 <span class="caps">FAVORITES</span><br />
Favorite Color: Purple? It varies<br />
Favorite Food: Cheese<br />
Favorite Month: October<br />
Favorite Song at the moment: ‘The Internet is for Porn’ from Avenue Q<br />
Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride<br />
Favorite Sport: Baseball<br />
Favorite Season: Autumn<br />
Favorite Day of the week: Saturday<br />
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Chip<br />
Favorite Time of Day: The moment I arrive home from work each day to find 2 excited basset hounds greeting me as if I was the best thing in the world</p>
<p>9 <span class="caps">CURRENTS</span><br />
Current Mood: Achy, if that’s a mood<br />
Current Taste: Phlegm. Nasty, I know.<br />
Current Clothes: Grey pajama top, plaid bottoms, striped undies<br />
Current Desktop: Fenway Park<br />
Current Toenail Color: Natural<br />
Current Time: 4:13pm<br />
Current Surroundings: Bedroom<br />
Current Thoughts: I wish my nose wasn’t so stuffed up.</p>
<p>8 <span class="caps">FIRSTS</span><br />
First Best Friend: Nicia Travers<br />
First Kiss: Dave Brown<br />
First Screen Name: TiptonBlue<br />
First Pet: Freckles, a Springer spaniel/beagle mix that my parents claimed “ran away” after it became evident that he was much too rambunctious a dog for our family<br />
First Piercing: Ears<br />
First Crush: According to my father, it was Donny Osmond<br />
First CD: No idea. I got a subscription to Columbia House during my freshman year in college but I don’t think I’d actually owned a CD before then.</p>
<p>7 <span class="caps">LASTS</span><br />
Last Cigarette: 1990? I think I only ever smoked two.<br />
Last Drink: Multiple White Russians at my friend Katie’s birthday party two weeks ago<br />
Last Car Ride: Yesterday afternoon<br />
Last Kiss: Yesterday, I think, though I got got good hugs today.<br />
Last Movie Seen: On TV - Secret Window. In the theater - The Departed<br />
Last Phone Call: My boss<br />
Last CD Played: Soundtrack to ‘Into the Woods’</p>
<p>6 <span class="caps">HAVE YOU EVERS</span><br />
Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Guy Friends: Sort of?<br />
Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes<br />
Have You Ever Been Arrested: No<br />
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No<br />
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes<br />
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn’t Know: In college, probably.</p>
<p>5 <span class="caps">THINGS</span><br />
Thing You’re Wearing: Grey tank top, plaid pajama bottoms, stripey undies. Didn’t I say that before?<br />
Thing You’ve Done Today: Read a monumentally cheesy romance novel<br />
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Random construction noises from the house next door<br />
Thing You Can’t Live Without: Laughter<br />
Thing You Do When You’re Bored: Read</p>
<p>4 <span class="caps">PLACES YOU</span>’VE <span class="caps">BEEN TODAY</span><br />
1. My bedroom<br />
2. My bathroom<br />
3. My kitchen<br />
4. um… my stairs? I’m home sick Today is not a representative sample.</p>
<p>3 <span class="caps">PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING</span> TO<br />
1. Rod<br />
2. Jen<br />
3. Cheryl<br />
(That’s a really hard one, actually.)</p>
<p>2 <span class="caps">CHOICES</span><br />
1. Black or White: Black<br />
2. Hot or Cold: Cold</p>
<p>1 <span class="caps">THING YOU WANT</span> TO DO <span class="caps">BEFORE YOU DIE</span>: Ride in a hot air balloon</p>
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</div>Blogathon Recaptag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28152006-07-30T20:32:58Z2006-11-24T16:14:30ZYou can read all 48 of Joy’s Blogathon entries on her Blogathon archive page. Right now, however, she is sleeping....Rod Begbiehttp://groovymother.com/
<p>You can read all 48 of Joy’s Blogathon entries on her <a href="http://www.laughatlantis.com/archives/blogathon/">Blogathon archive page</a>. Right now, however, she is sleeping.</p>
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</div>All good things...tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28142006-07-30T12:55:25Z2006-11-24T16:14:30ZAnd so I bid adieu to my 24 hour blog-fest. I am exhausted and I don’t anticipate having a coherent thought anytime today at all, but I had a great time and I raised just over $300 for Reach Out and Read, counting my non-verified dollars. I can’t wait for next year! No, wait, I can’t wait to go to bed. Then we’ll talk about next year....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>And so I bid adieu to my 24 hour blog-fest. I am exhausted and I don’t anticipate having a coherent thought anytime today at all, but I had a great time and I raised just over $300 for Reach Out and Read, counting my non-verified dollars. I can’t wait for next year!</p>
<p>No, wait, I can’t wait to go to bed. Then we’ll talk about next year. </p>
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</div>Book Love: The Big Listtag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28132006-07-30T12:46:25Z2008-08-19T04:57:32ZJoy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>At one point much earlier, I said that while I had a top ten list of books, I could probably stretch that out into fifty. Done. In no particular order (except for perhaps the top five, which are genuinely top five material), here they are. I have pretty eclectic tastes, so not everything is going to appeal. Feel free to email me (joy@laughatlantis.com) and ask me why anything is on the list, why things aren’t on the list, and why I didn’t put explanations on this list. (The answer to that, by the way, should be pretty frickin’ obvious.) I’ve been working on this list off and on for eight hours. </p>
<p>The Stand - Stephen King<br />
Beach Music - Pat Conroy<br />
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving<br />
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell<br />
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami<br />
Archangel - Sharon Shinn<br />
The World According to Garp - John Irving<br />
For Better, For Worse - Carole Matthews<br />
The Jungle - Upton Sinclair<br />
Danny, The Champion of the World - Roald Dahl</p>
<p>Last Chance Saloon - Marian Keyes<br />
The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King<br />
Genesis Code - John Case<br />
The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin<br />
Marley & Me - John Grogan <br />
To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis<br />
Midwives - Chris Bohjalian<br />
Pope Joan - Donna Cross<br />
The Secret History - Donna Tartt<br />
The Alienist - Caleb Carr</p>
<p>Fingersmith - Sarah Waters<br />
True Love (and Other Lies) - Whitney Gaskell<br />
Moo - Jane Smiley<br />
My Sister’s Keeper - Jodi Picoult<br />
The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett<br />
The Lords of Discipline - Pat Conroy<br />
Light a Penny Candle - Maeve Binchy<br />
Misery - Stephen King<br />
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco<br />
The Eight - Katherine Neville</p>
<p>Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult<br />
The Burg-O-Rama Man - Stephen Tchudi<br />
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon<br />
A Time to Kill - John Grisham<br />
Light on Snow - Anita Shreve<br />
Hominids - Robert J. Sawyer<br />
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore<br />
Lucky - Anna Sebold<br />
The Source - James Michener<br />
Zulu Heart - Steve Burns</p>
<p>Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier<br />
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton<br />
Microserfs - Douglas Coupland<br />
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby<br />
Broken for You - Stephanie Kallos<br />
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides<br />
Heart of Gold - Sharon Shinn<br />
The Once and Future King - TH White<br />
The Anatomy of Motive - John Douglas & Mark Olshaker<br />
The Inn at Lake Devine - Elinor Lipman</p>
<p>Ta-da. </p>
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</div>Pornospactologytag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28092006-07-30T12:33:06Z2006-11-24T16:14:29ZI know what you’re thinking. “Joy, that’s not even a word! The 24 hours of writing has turned your mind to jelly! What the hell is pornospactology supposed to be?” Well, there are answers there. No, it’s not a real word. Yes, my brain is officially jelly. But the question of what pornospactology is - that’s an interesting one. For the past six years or so, I have been doing improv comedy. I’ve worked with a handful of troupes and found myself in front of a huge number of different audiences. And inevitably, when asked for an input, someone in any given audience will call for porn, a proctologist, or a spatula. Now, I understand the porn and the proctology suggestions. That’s the audience member attempting to be funny. (For what it’s worth, they should realize that they have just paid us to be funny. They themselves are not required to attempt it themselves.) But a spatula… what is so funny about a spatula? Why, when an improviser asks for a suggestion of a household object or something smaller than a breadbox or just a random word that starts with an S - why does the mind go right to a spatula? And so we have the concept of pornospactology. Obviously il’s not a real science; it’s just a brilliant amalgamation of three supposedly amusing inputs. If it were actually science, I guess it would be the study of why people think things are funny. And I bet that no amount of study would come up with an answer for that question because really… spatulas?...Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>I know what you’re thinking. “Joy, that’s not even a word! The 24 hours of writing has turned your mind to jelly! What the hell is pornospactology supposed to be?” Well, there are answers there. No, it’s not a real word. Yes, my brain is officially jelly. </p>
<p>But the question of what pornospactology is - that’s an interesting one. For the past six years or so, I have been doing improv comedy. I’ve worked with a handful of troupes and found myself in front of a huge number of different audiences. And inevitably, when asked for an input, someone in any given audience will call for porn, a proctologist, or a spatula. </p>
<p>Now, I understand the porn and the proctology suggestions. That’s the audience member attempting to be funny. (For what it’s worth, they should realize that they have just paid us to be funny. They themselves are not required to attempt it themselves.) </p>
<p>But a spatula… what is so funny about a spatula? Why, when an improviser asks for a suggestion of a household object or something smaller than a breadbox or just a random word that starts with an S - why does the mind go right to a spatula?</p>
<p>And so we have the concept of pornospactology. Obviously il’s not a real science; it’s just a brilliant amalgamation of three supposedly amusing inputs. If it were actually science, I guess it would be the study of why people think things are funny. And I bet that no amount of study would come up with an answer for that question because really… spatulas? </p>
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</div>Barry Manilowtag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28072006-07-30T12:15:49Z2006-11-24T16:14:29ZHmm. I had some momentary difficulty dealing with TC’s suggestion of Minnesota, but that was fleeting. My co-worker Scott, however, is what is known in the Manilow world as a Fanilow. Thus, I feel some pressure to make this a good entry. So, I went to what I considered was my best source: my iTunes collection. I have four songs in there by Barry: Ready to Take a Chance Again (meh), I Made It Through the Rain (eh), Mandy (a bit maudlin, but worth a thumbs up), and Copa Cabana, which just kicks ass. But none of this was really giving me enough to produce a blog entry. So I resorted to the iTunes library and hit pay dirt. I Can’t Smile Without You. I really believe that ‘I Can’t Smile Without You’ played a huge part of who I am today. Why? Because it is the first song that I can remember getting up in front of my parents and performing - not just singing, mind you, but really performing, with a little dance and jazz hands at the end. My parents were impressed and I was proud of myself and I wanted to do it for them again and again. Accolades are awesome, and I think that experiences like that brought me forward toward wanting to pursue arts here and there. Performing can be an incredibly gratifying experienc - an adrenaline rush coupled with the knowedge that you ‘re making someone else happy too. And I guess I know that in part because Barry helped me see it. So thanks, Mr. Manilow. And I hope that satisfies my friend the Fanilow....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>Hmm.</p>
<p>I had some momentary difficulty dealing with <span class="caps">TC’</span>s suggestion of Minnesota, but that was fleeting. My co-worker Scott, however, is what is known in the Manilow world as a Fanilow. Thus, I feel some pressure to make this a good entry. </p>
<p>So, I went to what I considered was my best source: my iTunes collection. I have four songs in there by Barry: Ready to Take a Chance Again (meh), I Made It Through the Rain (eh), Mandy (a bit maudlin, but worth a thumbs up), and Copa Cabana, which just kicks ass.</p>
<p>But none of this was really giving me enough to produce a blog entry. So I resorted to the iTunes library and hit pay dirt. I Can’t Smile Without You.</p>
<p>I really believe that ‘I Can’t Smile Without You’ played a huge part of who I am today. Why? Because it is the first song that I can remember getting up in front of my parents and performing - not just singing, mind you, but really performing, with a little dance and jazz hands at the end. My parents were impressed and I was proud of myself and I wanted to do it for them again and again. Accolades are awesome, and I think that experiences like that brought me forward toward wanting to pursue arts here and there. Performing can be an incredibly gratifying experienc - an adrenaline rush coupled with the knowedge that you ‘re making someone else happy too. And I guess I know that in part because Barry helped me see it.</p>
<p>So thanks, Mr. Manilow. And I hope that satisfies my friend the Fanilow.</p>
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</div>Fading really really fast...tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28122006-07-30T11:02:46Z2006-11-24T16:14:30ZI just have two hours left but I keep falling asleep. The only thing that is keeping me going is the fact that my computer seat is pretty darn uncomfortable. I think I am going to take a quick walk around my house, get some water, and see if I can come bock to do the three - four? - entries that I need to finish this thing off properly. Cross your fingers for me....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>I just have two hours left but I keep falling asleep. The only thing that is keeping me going is the fact that my computer seat is pretty darn uncomfortable. I think I am going to take a quick walk around my house, get some water, and see if I can come bock to do the three - four? - entries that I need to finish this thing off properly. </p>
<p>Cross your fingers for me. </p>
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</div>Funny carstag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28112006-07-30T10:59:58Z2006-11-24T16:14:30ZWhen Rod and Noel returned from the bar this evening, they were, erm, tipsy. While they were in the bar, apparently there was a lengthy piece on ESPN about funny cars. They decided that I should research this phenomenon for them, in that they couldn’t hear the coverage. I am inclined to say that a funny car is simply one from which 17 clowns emerge. I’m currently at hour 22. Screw research. If they want research, they can go here to find some funny car pictures. I’m not sure if that’s what they were talking about or not, but it’s amusing regardless....Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>When Rod and Noel returned from the bar this evening, they were, erm, tipsy. While they were in the bar, apparently there was a lengthy piece on <span class="caps">ESPN </span>about funny cars. They decided that I should research this phenomenon for them, in that they couldn’t hear the coverage. </p>
<p>I am inclined to say that a funny car is simply one from which 17 clowns emerge. I’m currently at hour 22. Screw research. If they want research, they can go <a href="http://www.funny-games.biz/pictures/car-pictures.html">here</a> to find some funny car pictures. I’m not sure if that’s what they were talking about or not, but it’s amusing regardless.</p>
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</div>Minnesota! The Musical!tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28102006-07-30T10:41:30Z2006-11-24T16:14:30ZTC asked that I blog about Minnesota. When he said that, I thought to myself, “I don’t know anything about Minnesota. What the heck am I going to do with that?” I mentioned the input to my husband who immediately responded ‘Mall of America’ and I realized, “Hey! I’ve BEEN to Minnesota.” Perhaps eight years ago, I went to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time, I was working at a CYO in the Diocese of Providence (long story there, but never mind) and I was there both as a participant and as a chaperone for some of our younger members. I remember going to the Mall of America along with about 20 sexually frustrated Catholic teenagers. Fun! The conference closed with a big concert, with a big name contemporary Christian singer performing. It was Michael W. Smith, whose music I loved. At some previous point, my friend Chris and I had made up a dance that went along with one of his songs, ‘Seed to Sow.’ We used it at a diocese-wide retreat, so all 27 of us who were there from Providence knew the song and steps. So Michael starts singing, and we start dancing, and the dance catches on. Suddenly the Massachusetts contingent behind us is all doing the dance. Then I look over and all of the New Yorkers have picked up on it. I looked around the stadium hall, where there were 10,000 Catholic youth gathered, and it looked like 70% of the place was doing our little dance. Chris and I just stared. Michael W. Smith kept singing the chorus over and over again, and we all just danced and danced. A short while after that, I left the Catholic Youth Organization and I haven’t bought a Michael W. Smith album in years. But I do wonder if perhaps audiences still do our dance at concerts. That would be cool, huh?...Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>TC asked that I blog about Minnesota. When he said that, I thought to myself, “I don’t know anything about Minnesota. What the heck am I going to do with that?” I mentioned the input to my husband who immediately responded ‘Mall of America’ and I realized, “Hey! I’ve <span class="caps">BEEN </span>to Minnesota.” </p>
<p>Perhaps eight years ago, I went to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time, I was working at a <span class="caps">CYO </span>in the Diocese of Providence (long story there, but never mind) and I was there both as a participant and as a chaperone for some of our younger members. I remember going to the Mall of America along with about 20 sexually frustrated Catholic teenagers. Fun!</p>
<p>The conference closed with a big concert, with a big name contemporary Christian singer performing. It was Michael W. Smith, whose music I loved. At some previous point, my friend Chris and I had made up a dance that went along with one of his songs, ‘Seed to Sow.’ We used it at a diocese-wide retreat, so all 27 of us who were there from Providence knew the song and steps. </p>
<p>So Michael starts singing, and we start dancing, and the dance catches on. Suddenly the Massachusetts contingent behind us is all doing the dance. Then I look over and all of the New Yorkers have picked up on it. I looked around the stadium hall, where there were 10,000 Catholic youth gathered, and it looked like 70% of the place was doing our little dance. Chris and I just stared. Michael W. Smith kept singing the chorus over and over again, and we all just danced and danced.</p>
<p>A short while after that, I left the Catholic Youth Organization and I haven’t bought a Michael W. Smith album in years. But I do wonder if perhaps audiences still do our dance at concerts. That would be cool, huh?</p>
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</div>Interruption!tag:www.laughatlantis.com,2006://2.28082006-07-30T10:02:08Z2006-11-24T16:14:29ZI was in the process of entering a post when this song came up in iTunes and it was so appropriate, I just had to share. Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty.” Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I’m running behind Everyone I know, everywhere I go People need some reason to believe I don’t know about anyone but me If it takes all night, that’ll be all right If I can get you to smile before I leave That actually rejuvenated me quite a bit!...Joy Begbiehttp://www.laughatlantis.com/
<p>I was in the process of entering a post when this song came up in iTunes and it was so appropriate, I just had to share. Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty.”</p>
<p>Running on - running on empty<br />
Running on - running blind<br />
Running on - running into the sun<br />
But I’m running behind</p>
<p>Everyone I know, everywhere I go<br />
People need some reason to believe<br />
I don’t know about anyone but me<br />
If it takes all night, that’ll be all right<br />
If I can get you to smile before I leave</p>
<p>That actually rejuvenated me quite a bit!</p>
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