I think this is a comic featuring Kathy and me...but I can't tell because she didn't draw me wearing a yellow shirt.

(Sunday Paper, Volume II, Issue 26)

I'm still enjoying my time off for a couple of more weeks.

Hope you enjoyed what the kids had to say.

This week, we turn things over to my wife.

When I tell people what John does for a living, one question I get a lot is, “What is it like to be married to a comedian?” So today I thought I would give you a little insight into the answer to that question.

Contrary to popular belief, John doesn’t just wake up spouting the perfect jokes each day. (Nor is he always cracking jokes - our lives are pretty mundane.) But typically when John gets an idea, he’ll noodle it for a while, and then inevitably he’ll say, “Hey, Kathy - what do you think of this?” He’ll tell me the joke, I’ll say “Yeah, that’s good” or “Needs some work”. (Or sometimes, just “no”.) Then John will work on it a bit. Sometimes the jokes make it on stage in a better form. And then from there, depending on the crowd reaction, he’ll work on it even further.

I’ve been a part of several conversations with people who are talking to John about his comedy and they will say, “Oh, I could do that” like it’s easy to just get up on stage and tell a few jokes. However, there’s a lot that goes into the creative process and figuring out things like pacing and timing and the wittiness of a good joke. It’s not that easy, and I really appreciate how John is able to take something that is “eh” on the first telling and turn it into something sharp and funny that gets a good laugh.

Writing

*In addition to his regular freelance writing, John has also been thinking about some book ideas, which I am excited about. I thought he wrote a lovely book a couple years ago for the “middle grade” set, but John didn’t feel it was quite right. (I did.) John is an excellent novelist, so I hope the world gets to see his work at some point.

Comedy

*I know I just talked about how I think it’s not easy to be a comedian. That said, whenever I make a funny observation, I tell John that it’s going into my own 5 minute routine. It’s mostly a joke, but honestly, I probably have a good 3 or 4 minutes right now. (You may not agree with me on the “good” part.) Here’s what’s in my set: about 2-3 minutes on my angry Fitbit (its hopes and dreams of logging 10,000 steps each day were shattered the day I opened the box). I also have a solid minute of mammogram jokes and how if men had to get their parts pressed in a machine like that, there would be a different solution by now. John tells me these jokes are unoriginal. (Who would have thought so many comedians joke about their Fitbit?) However, the lady next to me in the waiting room at the women’s imaging center got a good chuckle from my mammogram jokes. I’m having problems stringing the jokes together, though. So like I said, it’s not easy.

What I've Been Enjoying

*I am taking a stats class right now, which is the third course towards my MBA. I haven’t taken a math class in 24 years, so the beginning was a little rough for me, trying to remember everything about permutations, combinations, etc. However, it’s been nice to use a different part of my brain and get back into “math mode”.

*I have also just generally enjoyed being a student again. I know this will probably get old. Maybe in the Fall when I have two classes two nights in a row. But right now, I think I am able to enjoy the learning process much more than I ever did when I was 18 or 22. Or even could have at age 30. Also, it helps that I have a very supportive spouse who is encouraging me to do this.

Notes

*I have been traveling for work a fair amount in the last couple of years. This summer I am going to Salt Lake City and decided to make a trip out of it. My sister is coming with me and we are flying into L.A. and doing Palm Springs, Vegas (Britney concert!), Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Zion, and SLC. If you have any recommendations anywhere along the way, please let me know.

*Our youngest daughter got some “noise putty” from one of her friends for her birthday this past week. It sounds like a fart when you squeeze it. Out of everyone in the family, I think I have been having the most fun with it.

*The girls and I have been watching the Back to the Future trilogy over the past week. We have watched parts I & II, and will watch III soon. John has never seen the 3rd movie, which I find crazy for a kid who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. I really love the first Back to the Future. Number 2 feels like it was just trying to jam too much into one movie just to get to the 3rd movie. I haven’t seen the 3rd one in ages, so looking forward to it.

*John says I can plug his shows in this section. He has some stuff going on in July. I don’t know much about the dates, but you can check them out at the “Comedy Shows” link on the top of this page.

*That’s all for my Sunday Paper. Thanks for reading!