Our Final Date

Despite the blizzard* that is going on outside, today Anastasia and I met for our last date, which got pretty emotional.

Okay it was not emotional in any conceivable way, but I thought that might add a little spice to the blog post, considering it was a very average conversation partner meeting.

Most of the hour was spent by Anastasia asking me questions about American culture, society, norms, teenagers, rules, etc. I explained what my Christmas and New Years traditions are and how much family time is spent during Christmas break. Anastasia had previously mentioned how holidays are spent more with friends in Russia, so the whole family-centered idea of the holidays is still a little funky to her.

We also joked a lot about how wimpy we are here in Texas when it comes to winter weather. The current weather is a warm fall morning back in Russia, but here we are canceling classes, shutting down businesses, and fearing for our lives when simply walking on the sidewalk.

Despite my rocky start with the IEP program (still not bitter against Mull...), I throughly enjoyed my time with Anastasia. It fascinated me to hear about life in Russia and even the subtle differences between our two countries. So many customs and traditions we consider normal and expected could easily be viewed as strange, even pointless, to those from other countries and cultures.

Answering Anastasia's questions about growing up and living in the US made me reflect on what I have always considered so normal. I gained an outside perspective and was able to look at these habits, expectations, and social norms like never before. And what did I surmise? We're a weird culture.

I asked her again the question I asked when we first met: are you going to stay in the United States? Her response, however, had not changed. She still has no idea what she wants to do with her life, much less where she wants to do it.

At the end of our meeting, we said goodbye and wished each other well. Though I wish I could tell you some heart-wrenching story or last-minute confession, it was a terribly standard goodbye. Who knows, maybe we'll keep in touch?

More the goodbye I was looking for

*In Texas, the term blizzard applies to weather that's extremely cold (30s) and has the ever-so-slightest chance of precipitation.

True Life: Twitter Is My Diary

I am a big fan of Twitter. It's all been within the past year, but I've developed some series feelings for the social media website.

Let me explain, though. I don't post emotional junk or little updates about my life that no one wants to hear (i.e. Pizza for dinner!). I think sub-tweeting is hilarious because the sub-tweeter always looks dumb, so I don't partake in that practice either. Instead, I tweet almost any funny little thought that pops into my head. Well, I think they're funny.

Me as I read my own tweets

The point is Twitter has become an outlet for my thoughts the way many people use diaries or journals. Though, unlike the traditional forms of recording your thoughts, Twitter is convenient and doesn't require much commitment.

I tried countless times to start a diary and have always given up within a month at the most. If I can't write in it every day, I feel like I'm failing. Then I grow frustrated (there's no way I have time to write in a diary every day) and just quit.

Regardless, Twitter and I have been together for over a year, so safe to say things are getting pretty serious. I have realized only recently how beneficial Twitter can be. I'm going to share a few of these realizations with you.

1. I have learned how to write comedy. Granted, it's very short comedy, composed of 140 characters or less, but nevertheless I have had to adapt my thoughts into tweets that others will find humorous. 
2. I have learned how to appreciate different types of humor. I follow many random, unknown comedians on Twitter, along with my friends. I have grown to enjoy the vast array of comedy styles that are shared. Some are weirder than others, but all are valid senses of humor.
3. I have learned that a little laughter can turn my day around. When I'm having a particularly stressful day, I can scroll through my Twitter feed and after a few funny tweets, I'm already feeling better. This is fast, simple way to improve my mood and find some quick comedy.

These are just a few things I've learned from Twitter. These benefits are only gained when you use this site to share funny tidbits, not every aspect of your life or your deepest, darkest feelings. No one wants to be the over-sharer on social media. You've been warned.

Our Fourth Date

Anastasia and I have really been clicking lately.

We talked about her hometown, Kaliningrad, for the vast majority of our meeting today. She introduced it as the "Alaska of Russia," meaning that it is separated from the rest of the country. Anastasia goes back to mother Russia about 2-3 times a year, as it requires a 2-hour plane ride or an all-day train ride from Kaliningrad.

Mostly destroyed in World War II, Kaliningrad is currently more than 700 years old. Despite the destruction of many buildings, it has a rich history riddled with conflict. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I am fascinated by cities with such a long, deep history, something we lack in the majority of the United States.

The Cathedral of Konigsberg is the most visited and meaningful attraction in Kaliningrad. The city's most famous resident is the philosopher Immanuel Kant. He is buried in Kaliningrad and many travel to his tomb every year.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Anastasia's hometown and Texas is the weather. Yes, Americans envision every part of Russia as Siberia and a constant blizzard, but there happens to be some truth in that. Because Kaliningrad is positioned on the sea, it is the recipient of a great amount of precipitation every year, paired with freezing temperatures.

An average day in Kaliningrad

She asked me about my hometown, Dallas, and I described the differences between it and Fort Worth, which was more difficult than I anticipated. You really just have to experience the vibes of the two cities to understand it. 

All in all, this date was an enlightening one. I got to learn so much about her city and hopefully she learned about mine. I'm excited to see what our next meeting has in store!

PS. She made fun of us for freaking out about the possibility of sleet...which I guess is fair if I think about it...

Our Third Date

You know what the third date means...well for Anastasia and me it meant talking about the differences in holidays and drinking laws.

One of the main differences between holidays in America and Russia is with whom you spend them. The majority American holidays are centered around family time, when many generations come together to spend the day together. In Russia, on the other hand, Anastasia rarely spent the days with her parents but rather her friends. In her words, "holidays in Russia are just excuses to drink."

That led us to discuss American holidays such as Halloween and July 4th. While they are celebrated for a reason, many simply use these holidays as a reason to throw parties. Maybe we are more similar to Russia than we thought?

Anastasia then brought up the debate over the drinking age in the US. She had done some research on it and the United States is one of only three or four countries that have 21 as their drinking age. She also thought it was very funny that Americans' 21st birthdays are celebrated so greatly because they've most likely been drinking for years at that point, so it's really nothing new. I had never thought about that aspect of a 21st birthday. It is meant to celebrate the ability to do something you've never done; though at this point, it's being able to do it legally.

The last topic we discussed was the difference in ages of cities in Russia and America. I mentioned the bicentennial and she countered with the fact that Kaliningrad is over 700 years old, so she won that one.

It must be amazing to live in a city, country even, with such a rich and long history. Even visiting New York astounds me - every place there used to be something else. Here we so easily throw out the old in favor of new, shiny, state-of-the-art buildings. It must be simply awesome to live in a place where history surrounds you at all times.

Well, the moral of our conversation today was: Thanksgiving is a great holiday, readily adopted by the foreign exchange students. Who doesn't love a day off to just eat? So to my millions of blog readers, happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Working on all of my papers and projects

Whining and Dining

We're here. The time has come. We have entered the last few weeks before Thanksgiving. And what does that mean? It means it is time for every teacher to suddenly remember they need more grades on eCollege and assign additional papers, projects, presentations, and exams.

But what does it really mean? It really means that every man, woman, and child who steps foot onto a college campus feels the prerogative to complain about the amount of work they have to do. And no one will understand what they're going through.

Approximately every student's reaction to their to-do list

I must admit, I have participated in this competition to see who has the most work to do. (I would also like to point out that I have been winning. This means that when I tell people all of my assignments due, they shut up about their workload.) I have even called friends at other schools to vent to them about my 5 papers, 3 exams, and 2 projects all due before the salvation that is Thanksgiving.

We have heard our entire lives that we shouldn't complain, that there are people far worse off. I agree with the latter. When I complain, I'm not proposing that my life is the worst possible situation on the face of this earth. However, I think it is healthy to complain, at least for a little.

Humans have a natural desire to connect with others and share experiences. Unfortunately, the majority of our experiences during these three weeks of our lives revolves around the library. So isn't it only natural to share that with others? It takes a little bit of the load off when someone else knows what you are going through and can relate.

Complaining allows us to let off some steam, rant about our professors (or our procrastination habits), and then move past the anger/frustration and get to work. If we kept all of that inside, we would simply spontaneously combust.*

So, yes, I have learned many things this semester. I have learned about Aristotle's views on humor, acute glomerulonephritis, analytical essays in Spanish, the symbolism of an egg in the Japanese film Tampopo, and how to assess the environment of a learner. Your tuition dollars are well-spent, Mom. But I have also learned that it's okay to complain. It's alright to let a little frustration and panic out to your friends (or random people if your friends are tired of hearing it).

In the end, you will get everything done. You will make it to Thanksgiving. And you will get to come back and take all your finals.

 You deserve a little pity, college student, so go out there and get it.

*This is just a theory of spontaneous human combustion that has yet to be scientifically proven.

What's Funny? My Schedule Next Semester

My latest uncontrollable fit of laughter occurred yesterday when I got my schedule for next semester. This was not a completely joyous fit of laughter, however.

We are randomly assigned our classes and I actually could not have been given a worse schedule. Here it is so you can understand the gravity of the situation:

Monday: 6:30am - 12:50pm
Tuesday: 8:00am - 10:50am, 3:00pm - 7:50pm
Wednesday: 2:00pm - 4:50pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 1:50pm
Friday: 6:30am - 12:50pm

Let me emphasize, as well, how I hate mornings.

As soon as my friends and I saw my schedule, we all just started laughing uncontrollably. I had discussed with them the worst possible scenarios for my schedule, and none of them were as bad as the schedule that unfolded in front of us.

A few reasons this schedule is so tragic:

1. Unlike the majority of TCU nursing students, I have to be at lab or clinical at 6:30 am two times a week, rather than one.
2. I cannot do anything on Thursday nights because I have to wake up at 5:30 the following morning.
3. I am taking 18 hours, but I will in fact be in class for over 25 hours per week.

The laughing, which I believe was an attempt to make this unfortunate situation more bearable, led on to tangents of other educational horror stories. As fits of laughter tend to do, this snowballed into who-knows-what.

As this fit continued, it slowly morphed into an impending sense of doom. I don't think my friends even noticed by gradual change in tone, but it went from (literal) tears of laughter to (metaphorical) tears of distress.

Kristen Bell gets me

This laughter, at least temporarily, diffused a stressful situation. I have begun to notice more and more often how important it is to have a good sense of humor, particularly during trying times.

Example: One of my life-long friend's fathers passed away this summer. We were all talking after the funeral and were trying to keep the topics light, but didn't want to offend her by making jokes. A man also attending the funeral fainted from the heat, and, surprisingly, my friend looks at us and says, "Geez, this is my dad's funeral, why is he stealing his thunder?" This simple joke changed the mood of the day and reminded us that there is still joy in the world, despite the the difficult day at hand.

While my situation obviously in no way compares to my friend's this summer, it shows again that laughter is a great medicine (real medicine may be better, though). Not only does it release endorphins, which are proven to make you feel better, but it brings you together with those around you.

I continue to laugh at my schedule for next semester, or else I just might cry.

Our Second Date

Today I met again with Anastasia, and this time, we were really clicking. There was little-to-no awkwardness, a feat for me in any situation. I am still beaming from this fact because I have a special gift to make any situation uncomfortable. So props to me.

We started off the discussion with celebrities, clearly an intellectual conversation. She told me how Russians have many adaptations of American reality shows, including Dancing with the Stars and Big Brother. Anastasia mentioned how "J-wow-wow and Slookie" are celebrities even in Russia, a fact which made me a tad ashamed of American culture.

The conversation then transitioned to movies, particularly comedies. While Russians produce their own films, they also enjoy American movies as well. "People always ask me if we watch the movies in English," remarked Anastasia, "and I'm like no, we have translators." They digitally alter the mouths of the actors to make it appear as though they are speaking Russian. They also change some of the jokes in accommodate the Russian audience and their different sense of humor an aspect of translation I had never considered.

Anastasia then had a question for me about friendship. She explained to me how they go to school their whole lives with the same people and live in the same place until they go to university. They have known their friends for many years, know their entire families, and have a very deep relationship. She asked me how we make and keep friends if we switch schools and move around, another difference between Russian and American culture.

After explaining how we tend to develop different groups of friends from each phase of our lives, we determined there is a difference in the meaning of the word "friend."

Friend (United States) noun : a person you enjoy spending time with, does not specify how deep your relationship is (could range from acquaintance to confidant)

Friend (Russia) noun : a person you like spending time with, a buddy

The people we consider a friend in America, they consider a buddy in Russia. Friend has a much deeper meaning in Anastasia's country, with the connotation that you share secrets, spend a great deal of time together, and are important parts of each other's lives.

This conversation with Anastasia was very interesting and highlighted differences between our two cultures and lifestyles that I had never thought about before. I can't wait for our next meeting aka the third date, when things get serious.

Our First Date

IT HAPPENED. Since Mull ditched me (I'm over it), I received a new conversation partner, Anastasia. And we finally met! I have decided to write this blog post on Anastasia and my one week anniversary. That means that we had our first meeting last Monday.

Anyway, as all blind dates, the beginning was a tad awkward. She had told me she'd be wearing an orange jacket, but of course there were two orange jackets. I sat with some friends and anxiously watched Orange Jacket 1 and Orange Jacket 2. They kept me guessing for a while, but when Orange Jacket 2 greeted a guy with a kiss as he sat down with her, I figured Orange Jacket 1 was my girl.

Anastasia was so kind and seemed genuinely interested in our conversation. She had a conversation partner last semester as well - a little perk for me, as she knows what to expect. From Russia, she explained that just about everything was different here in Texas. What was most different? The weather. Not surprising, as she "has never sweat so much in her life." Yay for Texas summers!

Discussing plans for the future brought out stark differences between us. I am a planner. I need to have my days, weekends, next semester, and life planned out. If not planned to the hour, I at least have a general idea and order in which I will do things throughout the day. Anastasia is the opposite. She is completely content in not knowing what the next semester, year, or decade hold in store for her. While I somewhat admire this quality in a person, it also stresses me out and I want to plan her life out for her. Don't worry, Anastasia and I will get through this.

It was a delightful and educational hour with Anastasia and we meet again tomorrow! Being an awkward person, I naturally made the goodbye awkward. Not sure if we should hug, shake hands, or just say bye, I fumbled around with my hands until I dropped everything I'd been holding. I'm very used to awkward situations at this point in my life, though, so we moved past it quickly. I can't wait to see what our next conversation as in store for us!

We decided on simply a verbal goodbye, if you were wondering.

Herpes and Humor

Learning about viral diseases of the digestive system in my microbiology class, my professor told a joke: "What's the difference between true love and herpes? Herpes lasts forever."

Pretty accurate imitation of my awkward laugh

While we weren't sure whether to laugh or awkwardly look around, it got me to thinking. When humor is incorporated into the class, I learn so much better. Studying over 50 diseases for my microbiology test, I easily remembered that there is no treatment for human herpesvirus 1.

And I'm not the only one that feels this way. My roommate changes her notes into vulgar comments on the facts which she must memorize before the test. Studying one of her psychology reviews, I would remember the jokes or comedic phrasing, facilitating my memory of the specific experiments, theories, and psychologists.

Research has shown that the presence of dopamine in the brain aids in long-term memory of facts, events, dates, and faces. This same neurotransmitter is released when you laugh. Logically, then, it makes sense that you remember even small facts if you learn them while laughing.

That's great, but how can we use that? My roommate's method of studying demonstrates one application of this fact. If you can incorporate comedy (really laugh-out-loud material) into your studying, it will be much easier for you to recall these facts. It also makes studying not as excruciating. You can also associate boring facts and figures with funny situations in your everyday life (or more likely, TV shows).

But there are changes that can be made by the professor as well. Let's start off the classes with some stand-up comedy. Professors should entertain us during class with jokes, funny YouTube videos, comical anecdotes, maybe even some short skits. Who's with me?!

I'll admit, maybe those aren't the most realistic suggestions. But professors should attempt to liven up their classes at least a little bit. Their students would be more attentive, more interested, and would remember the information better than simply reading PowerPoints out loud. At this point, we're all capable of reading; why don't you spice things up a bit?

This may seem like a strange direction to take a simple Herpes joke. There is a possibility that my growing hatred of my large lecture classes is seeping out a little into this blog post. Nevertheless, it is scientifically proven that learning while laughing aids in memory. Better memory means less studying which means more Netflix and pizza, the ultimate light at the end of the tunnel.

So the moral of this blog post: professors, please make your classes funny. I'm begging you.

The Corgi Flop

Here I am trying to think of a time when I was caught in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Trying to remember long, winding stories or disastrous tales, I remembered the most recent thing that has made me laugh until I cry: corgis.

My friend Kelli shows dogs (and won Westminster, gotta brag on her), so the topic of types of dogs comes up often. Somehow we began talking about corgis and we ran across this video on YouTube.

Because the video does not allow embedding, here is the gist of it:

What makes this simple video so funny? Is it how long the corgi thinks before he decides it's worth it to jump? Is it how surprisingly high he jumps? Is it how the corgi flattens his entire body to achieve the most aerodynamic shape? Or is it the fact that he's wearing a life vest?

All of the above, in my opinion. The shape of corgis already makes me laugh, but when you add them belly-flopping into a lake, I just lose it.

As uncontrollable fits of laughter go, every subsequent corgi video we watched grew funnier and funnier until we could no longer breathe, just silently laughing and crying on the floor together. Why is it that once one person starts laughing, others just join in? Humans feel empathy. We not only share in the losses and heartbreaks suffered by others, but also in their joys and triumphs.

In fact, one of my favorite things is laughing with friends for no reason. It happens more than I expected, and once I started looking for it, I found it happening quite often. Sometimes you don't need a specific trigger, joke, or theory of humor to make you laugh - you laugh because you are one with the people around you.

What I do know for sure is that it was not the superiority theory, the incongruity theory, or a cognitive shift that made us laugh at the corgis. Some things are simply funny. Isn't that enough?

Waiting for my conversation partner to email me back

Third Wheeling

As Mull, my IEP conversation partner, has yet to email me back, I decided to accompany Caroline McGraw as she met with her partner, Chen, at McAlisters.

It began as awkwardly as you would imagine: Caroline and I at one table, Chen alone at another table on the other side of the restaurant, and no one else in McAlisters. After about 10 minutes had passed, we realized Chen was Chen and we finally joined him. The seating arrangement enhanced my third wheeling, with Caroline and Chen at one two-person table and me, alone, at the table next to them. So that was fun. I felt like this:

As the conversation progressed, however, I felt as though I became less and less of a third wheel, which was nice. By the end, we were a wonderful trio; I had successfully implanted myself into their relationship. Success.

Talking to Chen was fascinating. From China, his life back home is very different than what we can imagine here in the United States. We discussed how he knew no one in China that had siblings, but he had always wanted one himself. He told us how everyone lives in apartments with multiple generations of their family and everyone works (i.e. no stay-at-home moms). Chen talked about how much more approachable people in the US are and how one never chats with someone they don't know.

We also discussed his adaptation to American culture: attending football games, living in Brachman, American food, etc. He told us about the large Chinese community that lives in Arlington and how to find authentic Chinese food. I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't like Asian food, sorry Chen.

Chen was very proficient at English, though a handful of times Caroline and I had to repeat or rephrase what we were saying. He mentioned how English is much easier than Mandarin, one of the most difficult languages to learn. Caroline and I realized how grammatically incorrectly we spoke on a regular basis. The amount of slang we utilize and how quickly we speak was increasingly evident as the date progressed. You don't realize how bad you are at something until you try to teach it to someone...

I learned a lot talking to Chen about the differences between China and the US. It made me feel so lucky to live here, where our families are our choice and you can talk to a stranger on the street. Though Chen is not my real conversation partner and I am anxiously waiting by my laptop for a reply from Mull, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with him and, who knows, maybe I'll crash their next date, too!

Reading Comic Relief

Uncomic Relief

For a book about comedy, Comic Relief is remarkably dry. And "dry" is putting it nicely.

Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe this is my fault. I had hoped to be laughing to the point of tears, reading about different ways to evoke laughter and what people find funny, viewing examples and reading jokes. Instead, I find myself falling asleep after two pages of Morreall's saga. You'd think that a man who has spent his life researching humor would add a little comedy to his book. But you'd be wrong.

The only cognitive dissonance I experienced during this read was from dashed hopes about comedy in Comic Relief. 

I understand and value the theories on humor and the research Morreall has done. Educationally, I understand why this book is important and why we are reading it. Learning about Aristotle, Plato, and Hobbes' views on humor allows us to better understand comedy throughout the past 2500 years. But at what cost? I am not asking for a lot here; I'm very easy to please. A little pun every now and then or a even a simple sarcastic comment at the end of the chapter would make this book more enjoyable. 

Furthermore, Morreall's favorite past time seems to be repeating himself. One could condense this book into half its size and it would still hold all the necessary information. Clearly "short and sweet" does not apply to theories of humor. 

What confounds me the most, though, is how he blatantly ignores every tactic of evoking humor. Morreall goes on for pages and pages about how to make someone laugh, but he fails to give it a whirl himself. I'd love to see him attempt to be a eutrapelos and utilize bons mots or flyting. But alas, Morreall is content with researching and reporting on humor as opposed to trying it out himself. 

Humor plays an invaluable role in my life. I approach every situation as a new opportunity to laugh and use comedy to cheer up, simmer down, distract, and entertain my friends and myself. I will laugh at just about anything, often at inappropriate times (sorry, social norms). But you know one thing that makes jokes un-funny? Dissecting them down to the bone and explaining why you should be laughing. I remain extremely uninterested in exactly what aspect of the joke makes me laugh; all I know is the joke is funny. And I think we should leave it at that.

I have hopes and dreams. But I have let any positive expectations about Comic Relief fall by the wayside. Maybe I have become too pessimistic about Morreall's well-researched report, maybe too cynical in my old age (I recently turned 20). But I am now asking, begging, even, to be proven wrong.

In conclusion, I think I will help Morreall in his eternal quest to answer the question "what's funny?". Not this book.

What Is Humor?