10.31.09
Posted in Humor~General at 12:46 am by Dr. Trina Hess
I was just checking my account on myspace ( www.myspace.com/hessmeister because my name was already taken. Ditto for my YouTube channel [cleanatrina]). While on myspace, I clicked on some of my friends and looked at their activities.
It struck me as bizarre. We are putting ourselves on display. We are literally making our communications available to the entire world. And we’re doing it on purpose! This realization could be disturbing to you. Or it could be exactly like humor.
Here’s what I mean:
–The best humor is about being yourself. Authenticity is hilarity. The best humor is based on at least a grain of truth. People want to know who you are before they can trust or believe you.
–When we are open we are free. We can be more creative. We are less afraid of making mistakes. We try new things. We don’t waste energy on protecting ourselves or keeping secrets.
–We speak the language that the modern world speaks. Your online abscence makes other people think you have something to hide. They will require more energy to book, hire, or pay you, because they must make an extra step to find out about you. Make it easy for them. Don’t be a lurker.
I have to admit, I hated YouTube when I first went there. I still don’t understand completely what I’m supposed to be doing on Twitter. I hadn’t checked my myspace in months. But I am there. Studying the language patterns. See for yourself, and make your first public comment! Pick a site, any site–
www.myspace.com/hessmeister
http://www.yourshiningexample.com
http://twitter.com/trinahess
Facebook http://tinyurl.com/cleanatrina
http://www.youtube.com/user/cleanatrina
“If you bait the hook with your heart, the fish will always bite.” –John Burroughs
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10.29.09
Posted in Humor~General at 9:46 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Scatalogical. Scathing. Sarcastic. Sinister. That’s the impression a radio host got from a recent episode of, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The story line involved urinating on a picture of Jesus in someone’s bathroom.
What’s so funny about that? Plenty. Depending of who you are. According to your own sense of humor.
But is it clean comedy? No. And not just because the main joke occurs in a bathroom.
It isn’t clean because the protagonist (antagonist?) broke a cardinal rule of clean comedy. He made fun of ‘the other’.
It may not have been hilarious if he were a Christian and made that joke. But at least he would have been in the realm of authenticity. Making fun of ‘the other’ makes you look attacking. Mean. And your audience will attack you.
If the actor and writers would have known about situational humor, they would have done things differently.
–they would have made fun of the situation, rather than a particular religion
–they would have made fun of themselves; anything less appears narcissistic
–they would have let the other person in the scene save face; as it was he attacked on two counts, the person’s gender and her religion
Why do I dissect comedy into minutiae and analyze it? So we know what NOT to do. So we can learn from others’ mistakes. So we can continue to Live Live–Lite!
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Posted in Humor~General at 3:30 am by Dr. Trina Hess
How amusing are you? Scott the Nametag Guy advises in his newsletter to be more amusing.
Why? “Because there’s a direct correlation between how boring you are and how successful you become. As creativity guru Edward Debono wisely suggested, ‘Becoming interesting will never be a waste of your time.’”
How? HUMOR
Why? “Amuse me or lose me. This is the reality of our culture. Whether you’re communicating your idea in person, on the phone, during a presentation or via webinar. You need to be more amusing. Period.”
How? HUMOR
What? “Interestingly, the word ‘amuse’ dates back to 1480 French term amuser, which means, ‘to divert or cause to muse.’ Your job is twofold: First, to divert. People’s eyes, ears, attentions and minds. SECOND, to cause to muse. So people stop fixedly and begin to ponder.”
How? www.yourshiningexample.com
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10.28.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:36 am by Dr. Trina Hess
I picked up my kitten at the vet’s office today. It was the usual scene in the office waiting room. A woman with her three little daughters, there to pick up their two kittens who got spayed today. Several people with their dogs on leashes. One of the receptionists talked to the FedEx guy. And there was an older couple with their dog they called “Sandy”. It was a short dog with fluffy hair (I’m not a dog person, so I have no idea the breed).
It was a microcosm not just of life but of my clean comedy shows.
People often ask me, “What IS ‘clean comedy’? Does that mean you’ll be doing housework and tidying up after the show?” (Or, if the show is in Western PA, they ask if I’ll “red up”.) They wonder if it means that I’m off drugs. Some people assume I will discuss whether Ivory Soap is better than shower gel.
Clean comedy is comedy that applies to and appeals to the typical vet’s office scene. Families with young children can’t easily attend a comedy show with adult themed jokes. If they do want to hear comedy, they have to find a baby-sitter, get home on time, pay the sitter, etc.
Some professionals can’t be seen laughing at certain jokes that are told in comedy clubs. People we see on a daily basis, like the FedEx guy–would their opinion of us change if they knew what makes us laugh? Our image is a fragile thing. Like trust, it takes a lifetime to build, and a fraction of a second to decimate.
But maybe the people today who are most like my audience are the older couple. Not their age, but their story. The vet technician came out to talk to the couple. “We’ll get her settled for the night,” she told the man. I thought, “It’s probably some surgery for dogs.” I saw the woman take the dog’s face in her hands, and kiss him in the nose. She wiped her nose with a kleenex. I noticed she was crying.
That’s when it hit me: they were probably going through what I went through last Spring with my Scendi. I brought him to the vet’s office on a Sunday afternoon when he suddenly threw an embolysm and got paralyzed. I knew what her kiss meant. She would never see her dog again.
So what’s so funny about THAT? You’re probably crying just reading this. I am. But those are exactly the people who need clean comedy. They appreciate humor that doesn’t offend them. Jokes that they aren’t embarrassed to laugh at. Comedy that builds connections with people and distracts them from kissing their pets goodbye.
This kind of comedy reminds us that there is hope. Things will get better. Other pets will come into our lives just like little Maestro who I was waiting for at the vet’s office.
Clean comedy wipes away the tears, clears the smut, and shines us into people who Live Life–Lite!
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10.27.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:34 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Click here to view Social Media Video
Watch the video clip above, and see if you feel as exhausted as I did when I watched it. The speed-up that technology spawned leaves us in the dust. We can’t keep up with it. But, unfortunately, we still try to.
Too many times, we become like the technology we use. We get used to being impersonal, factual, businesslike.
This makes us redundant. Unnecessary. Unseen and unheard.
But with HUMOR, we become different. We stand out. We offer something that the most exquisite computers can’t–an opportunity to laugh.
When you, “Get Your SHINE Together!” you bring a human element into today’s techno-infused world.
* You literally counteract the distance created by technology.
How? You connect people with HUMOR.
* You offer a respite from the tedious and the technical.
How? Your sense of humor allows breathing space during the processing of info-overload.
* You give people the one thing that computer technology can’t.
What? The ability to form irony, throw sarcasm, and witness wit.
And when you’ve recovered from that video, you can view more research on how technology is changing us, at www.teachertube.com
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10.26.09
Posted in Humor~General at 12:16 am by Dr. Trina Hess
This week’s Comedy Around The World takes a short-cut through the mountains of central Pennsylvania.
I drove to and from Happy Valley yesterday–location of Penn State University and the Nittany Lions. During my tenure as a graduate student at Penn State, it seemed there were always delays because of road work.
It was a frustrating experience. Kind of like a boring meeting. Or a pointless conversation. It feels like there is no end to the journey. (Incidentally, that’s what graduate school felt like until September 30th of this year…).
Now, though, the new highway is finished! It cuts off 15 minutes from my normally 2 hours and 15 minutes drive. I was thrilled to discover this time-saver. And I was excited to remember that humor is also a short-cut for us.
1. Humor matches your message to the shortened attention-span of today’s listener.
2. Humor (the best humor) bases itself on a grain of truth. You save people’s time. They don’t have to check to make sure you’re not lying. Oh, sure, you are exaggerating, but you are building on a thing that is essentially true.
3. Humor builds a connection with people. You don’t have to waste energy bringing people to your side. They are already there.
4. Humor saves time by geting to the point. But more importantly, the stress-relief of humor provides space. Space for people to create new ideas and responses.
This week, see what other short-cuts your sense of humor creates for you. Try it: it’s worth the wait!
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10.25.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:49 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Anything. Seriously. A New York Times article reported that computer devices are causing us to lose our memory. We literally don’t remember how to remember things, because we don’t NEED to remember things. We can always look up the information on our computer, cell phone or other device.
That’s where humor can help. In The Memory Book, authors Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas say that humor is a great way to recall information. When we imagine something outrageous, exaggerated or otherwise unreal, we remember it. It leaves an imprint on our minds because it is something so unusual that we can’t forget it.
Try it next time you may need to remember something. Or if you forget where you put your Blackberry.
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10.23.09
Posted in Humor~General at 8:35 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Click here to view Social Media Video
How fast is your merry-go-round going? Like an invisible hand, technology guides our actions and reactions. Author Arlie Hochschild calls this the speed-up of life, and it affects every area of our lives. We are so used to it that we seldom notice it. Instead, we blame whatever–or whomever–is nearby. It must be our coworker’s fault. Traffic. Taxes.
We forget that we’re ALL in this together. We are ALL affected by technology and the speed-up of life. View the video above to prepare for the next few days’ posts. Read all about how we can counteract this speed-up by using our sense of humor!
Maybe you won’t be able to slow down the merry-go-round, but at least you’ll have more fun while you’re on it!
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Posted in Humor~General at 2:45 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Click here to play clip of Professor Irwin Corey on Smothers Brothers Show
One of my favorite things is when someone tells me about a legendary comic–one I’ve never heard of before. It’s so much fun learning about the trailblazers in my art. Occasionally I’ll feature some of these clean comics here in my blog.
Today that comic is Professor Irwin Corey. Do you remember this comic? If so, this clip from the Smothers Brothers variety show will be a nice memory for you. If not, you’ll get a nice surprise.
By the way, if you know of some other clean comics you’d like to see featured here, please let me know. You can send me a message on my Facebook Fan Page or fill out the contact form here on the website. Let’s create a humorous atmosphere where you can return to time and again to, “Live Life–Lite!”
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10.22.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:44 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Occasionally I like to share interesting lenses I find on Squidoo. Today’s lens celerates the Halloween season:
“Look at all the things you can do with a pumpkin! This lens gives you 15 great ideas of things you can do with your pumpkin like us them for props, make a bird feeder, decorate a table and more!”
To read more, just copy and paste this link in your browser: http://www.squidoo.com/pumpkin-ideas
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