I Cannot Believe that Just Happened…

Earlier this morning, I witnessed one of the most dramatic events at TCU.  It involved a girl, her water bottle, and a campus recreation center.

I was stretching my leg along the railing at the rec center whilst enjoying the breathtaking view of gym equipment and sweaty people. As I moved my leg to regain my footing, I accidentally nudged my precious Frogs First water bottle, which was perched atop this wretched railing. I reached out to save it from a doomed fate of toppling to the first floor, but alas, I was too late. I painfully watched my purple chunk of plastic fall to its death when, by the grace of God, it hit a cushioned chair, thus breaking its fall. Although my water bottle was projected another 10 feet from the chair, I had faith in its ability to still be able to quench my thirst. I ran down the stairs, picked up my beloved water bottle, and rejoiced.

Now, after reading this, many of you may think it is not funny at all; you’re saying to yourself, “Mackie is so weird,” but let me explain.  One of the reasons that I found this event to be so comical is because of its application to the Relief Theory.  This past week, I have been stressed out of my mind, and I have felt as if I am carrying the weight of the world.  Furthermore, I have been nitpicking every little detail that goes wrong in my life rather than just letting them go.  However, when my water bottle plummeted to the to the first floor, I could not help but to laugh.  It was something so insignificant and so silly, but it made me laugh because I had so many pent up emotions inside myself.  I needed to laugh to calm down and to recollect thoughts.  This moment provided me a quick break from reality; it was like a ten-second vacation.

Furthermore, in relation to humor possessing a social function, I agree with the humorists that think something is only funny when it is experienced by a group (but only in this specific situation).  While I laughed out of relief and partly out of embarrassment, I think the entire situation would have been funnier if there were witnesses to this event and if they had laughed, too.

When it comes down to it, though, I have a bizarre sense of humor.  Moreover, it is important to note that I think virtually everything is funny, so it does not take much to make me to laugh.  This relates to one of the main lessons I learned in class: humor is relative.  Each person has his/her own perspective; what may be funny to one person may be highly offensive to another.  While I realize that not all humorous stories, jokes, or cartoons hold the same meaning for everyone, I also acknowledge that humor makes the world a happier place.  After all, who doesn’t like to laugh (that’s a rhetorical question)?

Marky Mark and the Funky Quotes

           The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain, edited by Alex Ayres, is unlike any book I have ever read, unless you count the dictionary (but I don’t!).  Before I opened the book, I thought it would be a biography about Mark Twain, incorporating pieces of his work here and there.  However, the book is actually a dictionary of quotes, starting with “Adam” and ending at “Youth”.

            The style of the book reminded me of The Tales of Juha, so I assumed that the content would be much similar.  Yet again, I was wrong.

            I was excited to read this book, but I honestly am not too fond of it.  I think, as I mentioned in other posts regarding various texts we have read in this class, some of the content is hard for me to relate to because Twain lived nearly one hundred years before my time.  While I will concede to humor in many of his jokes, such as, “I would rather have my ignorance than another man’s knowledge, because I have got so much more of it,” (p. 113), I find myself somewhat bored while reading.  It is as if I have become immune to cognitive shifts.

            My boredom may come from the book being quite long or the fact that I am stressed beyond all get out, but I have yet to lose myself in this book.  In addition, I think that I had incredibly high expectations for this text, and because they were not met, I read it with a little aversion. 

            Nevertheless, the importance of this post is to relate this book to what I have learned and continue to learn about in class.  As I have wrote in nearly every single one of my posts, cognitive shifts are widespread throughout the text.  I think he is going to finish the quotation with one thing, but then he finishes it with another.  For example, he writes, “both marriage and death ought to be welcome: the one promises happiness, doubtless the other assures it,” (p. 147).  This quote definitely made me laugh.  It also reveals social commentary that Twain displays throughout his works.  Furthermore, you can apply any of the theories, like the Incongruity Theory, the Relief Theory, or the Superiority, to an array of quotations.

            I will admit, though, that I feel like I know what kind of person Mark Twain was through reading his work.  He sounds like a fascinating person (which may be another reason why I was upset that this is not a biography), and I think he brings a lot of value and humor to what he speaks and writes about.

            Lastly, I want to point out that this is not a bad book; I have just been in a bad mood.  I am tired, stressed, and drained.  On a more positive note, I bet Twain will have some advice for me.

A Classic

As I have been reading The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain, edited by Alex Ayres, I found a variety of surprising yet intriguing quotes by this great American author.  In fact, I found myself reading the text in an old Southern accent in my head (but that might be irrelevant).  Regardless, I feel like I have a better understanding of the type of person Samuel Clemens was with each page I turn.  

Thus far in the book, one of my favorite quotes has been, "A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read," (p. 43).  This quote comes from Twain's 1900 speech,"The Disappearance of Literature".

One reason that I like this quote so much is because I find it to be completely accurate.  While I have enjoyed reading some of the classics, there are many that I did not find joy in and utterly despised - to be blunt.  Furthermore, saying that you have read classics makes you - in my opinion - appear more educated.  I think this is due in part to the fact that the classics are not the easiest books to read; it takes effort.

In addition, I like how Twain can make fun of something that is part of his profession; he is a writer, after all.  Moreover, though he did not know it at the time, he wrote classics.  It makes me wonder if he would still agree with his own statement today.

Haircuts, How I Met Your Mother, Las Vegas, and Alarms

             Today was my third time meeting Joe.  I met him at the tables in front of 1873, just as we did the first time.  We were both happy to see each other again, but – I’m not going to lie – I was feeling a little stressed and exhausted (which was fitting, considered my professor talked about burnout in one of my classes this morning).  I started off by asking him how he had been.  In response, he told me that I asked that question a lot, and he did not understand exactly what I meant when I used the word.  He elucidated by grabbing his bangs, and said (in an accent), “Ben.”  Oh, I get it now.  I then corrected him, and told him that the word I was using was actually, “been”, which he pronounces as “bin”.  It’s all a little confusing, right?

            His mentioning of bangs, though, provoked me to ask him if he had his haircut recently, which – to my relief – he said he did.  He continued by asking for my recommendations of hair salons.   Before I did so, I warned him that I usually get my haircut at home, so my advice might not be all that helpful.  However, I started naming some places that I knew of.  I told him about Sports Clips off University (for males…to my dismay), Great Clips off Hulen, and the salon in University Park Plaza (at least I think there is a salon there…).  He knows where all of those places are, and he told me that he needed to find a new salon because he normally gets his haircut in Dallas.  Yes, Dallas.  Holy cow! No wonder he wanted to find a new hair salon!  Furthermore, he likes the nice salons (there goes Sports Clips and Great Clips).  I proceeded to tell him that I might not be the best person to ask; I told him to try seeking the advice of a male, a male who gets his hair cut at nice salons.

            We continued to discuss more topics (i.e. plans for this weekend), when Joe started talking about the CBS series How I Met Your Mother (which I will abbreviate as HIMYM).  Now, I do not exactly remember what led up to this moment, but I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN HE MENTIONED IT (side note: being a busy college student, I rarely have time to watch TV.  In fact, I do not even have a TV in my room.  However, I WILL make time to watch this show!)!  We both agreed that the sitcom is hysterical, and the anticipation of finding out the identity of the “mother” is absolutely killing us!  I asked him if the show helps him learn English, and he told me that it does.  He says that it is a useful tool, and he can watch the same episode multiple times and still laugh.  I agree that every time I watch a show, it is still funny.  Even though most of the cognitive shifts are eliminated upon the second viewing, I think knowing that something funny is about to happen is what makes us – or at least me - laugh.  Also, he told me that this week’s episode of HIMYM is Legen-WAIT FOR IT-Dary (this is a show reference, so I apologize to any readers that are confused)!

            As the conversation progressed, Joe and I started talking about traveling.  We both agreed that it is important for him (and any international student) to explore the United States as much as they can.  He proceeded to tell me of his plans to go to Las Vegas over Thanksgiving break with one of his friends.  He wants to go during this time because virtually no one will be on campus and because his friend will be 21.  I told him that Las Vegas is an absolute blast, and the culture there is quite different from that of Texas.  His mentioning of him and his friend both being 21 and able to drink in Las Vegas prompted me to ask him what the drinking age is in China.  To my surprise, he told me that there is no drinking age; I couldn’t believe it!  I thought it might be younger than in the United States, like 16 or 18, but I was so wrong!  This truly baffled me, and I asked him if it was difficult for his friend to come to the U.S. and to not be able to drink (Joe is already 21, so the law does not affect him as much).  He told me that it is weird for his friend, especially since he was able to drink at home.  Joe cautioned me, though, that his friend does not have a fake ID because he does not want to get in trouble – thank goodness.

            As we were nearing the end of our conversation, Joe and I were talking about our plans for the rest of the day.  We both had work to do (how shocking…).  I told him that I needed to take a nap, so he told me to set an alarm.  However, Joe had difficulty in pronouncing this word.  He had to use other words to explain what he was trying to say.  At first, I thought he said “airplane,” but –trust me – he did not.  When he started talking about a clock, I understood what he meant.  We then sat at the table for a few minutes, and I had him practice saying, “alarm.”  He told me that pronunciation is difficult because one pronounces things here differently than he/she would in China.  He was getting better with his pronunciation, though, and I continued to encourage him.

            In summation, I think my third meeting with Joe went well.  I learned some things about him and about Chinese culture, and he learned some things about me and about English – a fair trade in my book.  While Keith was an excellent conversation partner, I think Joe is getting more out of our conversations, which make me happy.  As we said goodbye, Joe told me that I am a great conversation partner (how kind!), and I told him that he is, too!

Baptism, Cake, Jesus, and Ariel

Brittany with her baptismal cake!

            This past Sunday was my friend’s baptism.  Brittany (my friend) is an incredible human being and a Godly woman.  I am honored that I was able to witness her baptism at Christ Chapel last Sunday.  Now, I know what you’re thinking: How on Earth is a baptism funny?  Just trust me on this one.

            To understand why I thought Brittany’s baptism were funny I think it’s important to know a little bit about Brittany.  Brittany is a junior Fashion Design and Merchandising major with a Spanish minor from Cornado, California.  I first met Brittany when she was an Orientation Student Assistant the summer going into my freshmen year.  Since then, Brittany and I have become extremely close, especially since we are both resident assistants in Colby Hall.  Furthermore, Brittany has a fantastic sense of humor.  That girl can find the humor in anything, and she always does.

            To bring you up to current speed, though, the reason that I thought her baptism was funny was because of her baptismal cake.  First and foremost, I did not know that people celebrated baptisms with cake – talk about a cognitive shift!  However, it was what was on the cake that really made me laugh.

            Perched upon a square vanilla cake with white icing were a doll of Jesus (that’s fitting) and a doll of Ariel (from The Little Mermaid).  And, if that is not a cognitive shift, then I seriously don’t know what is!  I’d like to disclose that Brittany loves mermaids, and she loves Ariel.  This is in part due to her vibrant red hair and her love of the ocean.  In fact, she wears jewelry with starfish and seashells to make her appear more like a mermaid, but that’s beside the point.

            I think the placement of Jesus and Ariel is a great example of the Incongruity Theory. Let’s be honest; that’s not something that you would normally expect on cake…at church...for a baptism....  On the left side of the cake, you have this holy and worldly figure, but as you glance over to your right, you see a famous Disney princess.  Nevertheless, upon seeing this extraordinary cake, I laughed (and I took a picture…I could not miss out on that opportunity!).

            Another aspect of this situation that facilitated humor was that the laughter was social and collective.  I was able to experience this with a lot of friends.  Their laughter, in turn, made me laugh even more.  I will admit, however, that I still would have laughed at this image even if I was by myself.

            Moreover, I think the cake also demonstrates part of the Relief Theory.  A baptism – for most – is quite a serious thing.  Hearing her testimony, singing worship songs, and then actually witnessing the baptism were all powerful and touching.  By having a Jesus and Ariel cake to top it all off (pun intended), it put more people at ease, and we were able to celebrate, which – of course – was fun!

            All in all, witnessing Brittany get baptized was a great experience.  I know this is an event that she will never forget, and neither will I.  The best part about it was how real and true to Brittany the entire process was.  The Jesus and Ariel cake made the atmosphere more humorous and light-hearted.  Not to mention, most everyone there got quite a few laughs in.  Well done, Brittany (and Jesus and Ariel), well done.

A Pleasant Surprise

On Friday afternoon, at around 1:00 pm, I strolled into Market Square to eat lunch.  I looked around hopefully to see if any of my friends where there, but – sadly – there were not.  I admitted defeat, and as I turned to walk outside to the balcony (to eat by myself), my conversation partner, Joe, called my name.

We said hello to each other, and then he asked me how I was doing.  I was happy I got to see him, and then he surprised me by asking me to join him and his friends for lunch.  What a kind gesture! Of course, I said yes!  I put my stuff down and made my way to the salad bar to finally eat some food (I was pretty hungry at this point in the day).

Once I sat down, we started talking about the differences in our meal selection: Joe was eating a burger and spaghetti with meatballs, and I was eating a small bowl of salad.   He gave me the strangest look (because he knows I like food), so then I explained to him that I was not feeling very well (hence the small amount of food).  This answer satisfied him, and as I was barely finishing my tiny salad, he stood up to get more spaghetti.

When he got back from his second round, our conversation took an interesting turn.  He asked me what I was doing this weekend, and I told him that I was going to San Antonio for my boyfriend’s fraternity’s formal – that’s a mouthful.  This evolved into us talking about dating and the differences between the U.S. and China.  Although he was surprised that this is my first boyfriend, he explained himself by saying that many people start dating one another in high school (like in the U.S.), and this kind of dating is “practice” for “real” relationships.  He said that at that age, people are not truly in love.  While I think there are people who fall in love in high school, I do agree that most people do not end up marrying their high school sweethearts because people change.

He used one of his friends, a former TCU student, as an example.  He told me that she is returning to China because her parents are worried about her.  His friend is 26, and she has yet to date someone.  Joe said that if she had already been in a relationship, her parents would not be as concerned.  However, most people in China get married at this age.  In the friend’s case, she still needs to find someone, date him, and then marry him.  This, in turn, could take a long time.

As Joe was telling me this, I felt sorry for his friend.  Nevertheless, I realized how similar the culture in China is to that of the U.S.  Society frowns upon not dating someone in high school, and people will especially think someone is strange if he/she has not dated another by the age of 26.  After all, women’s biological clocks are ticking, and they only have so much time to find a man, get married, and have children (with other circumstances pending, of course).

This prompted me to ask Joe about his past relationships.  He said that he dated a girl in high school for a couple of years, but they are no longer together.  I think she still lives in China.  He also told me that they talk to each other, but only occasionally.

Joe and I talked about a few more random things (to be honest, I do not remember all of them at the moment), and I am so glad we did.  I had a wonderful time talking to him, and thank goodness he noticed me in the BLUU!  As we parted ways, Joe told me that he enjoyed our conversation and that he hoped we could meet up again sometime soon.  I gave him the only possible answer: I would love to!

Dr. Flores for the Win

        My Spanish professor, Dr. Flores, is a wonderful teacher and a charismatic person.  As many know who have ever taken a language course, the professor needs to be animated and expressive, as it helps students to understand the words that he/she is saying.  While Dr. Flores’s hand motions and facial expressions are quite comical, it is his voice crack that gets me every darn time.

            For example, Dr. Flores’s voice cracked today, thus causing the class to burst into an uproar of laughter.  As he has done multiple times before, he was speaking, when his pitch suddenly changed into that of a six-year-old girl.  He was quick to correct himself by clearing his throat and repeating what he said in a much deeper – I mean, much, much deeper – than normal voice.

            This minor incident was (and still is) funny for multiple reasons.  Like I have discussed many times in various posts, a cognitive shift occurred which caused us all, everyone in the class, to laugh.  You do not expect a man, especially one who is in his sixties, to have a voice crack.  Now, if he was a thirteen-year-old boy, that would be a different story, but he obviously is not.  This shift occurred because we did not expect an elderly man to experience something that usually characterizes adolescent males in puberty.

            In correlation with this cognitive shift, the Superiority Theory came into play.  We were laughing because we were glad that our voices did not crack (which is important for a language class, especially one called “Oral Communication in Spanish”).  Moreover, I think the men in the class experienced the Superiority Theory on a higher level than the women, as they have been – most likely – in Dr. Flores’s situation before. They were particularly happy that it was Dr. Flores’s voice that cracked and – thank heavens – not their own.

           

            In addition to the Superiority Theory, I think the Release Theory is exemplified in Dr. Flores’s voice crack.  Many times (but not all the time), students get bored in class.  They may even get antsy and/or tired.  They have all of this energy built up inside of them, so when something like this happens, that energy is released through laughter.  This, in turn, is good for the class because it refreshes them and usually causes them to be more attentive.

            Another aspect of his voice cracking that is important to point out is that it was definitely a social experience.  As I stated earlier, the whole class, including Dr. Flores, laughed.  Hearing each other laugh inspired more laughter.  Although I think that laughter is not always social, it was in this case.  Seeing my other friends laugh facilitated more laughter from myself.

            In summation, I am lucky enough to experience humorous moments everyday.  Knowing that Dr. Flores’s voice might and most likely will crack in class is just one example of a funny situation.  Because it happens so frequently, I am starting to think that he does this on purpose.  Even if he does, though, I don’t mind a little laughter in my life.

My New Friend Joe

          Yesterday, I met my new conversation partner, Joe.  Like Keith, my former conversation partner, Joe is from China.  Although we had a shaky start to our meeting, we ended up enjoying one another’s company.  This is what happened:

           

            I arrived in front of the tables outside of 1873, where I saw a young man sitting by himself.  As I approached him, he looked at me, and he held my gaze as if he already knew who I was.  I asked him if he was Joe, and – to my relief – he replied that he was.  No more than a minute into our conversation did Joe’s friend, Rain, arrive.  I thought I’d be getting a double dose of conversation, but Rain quickly left after his short introduction.  Suddenly, it was just Joe and I.

            I opened my mouth to learn more about Joe when he told me that he did not want to talk about the “boring stuff”, such as his major, his hometown, et cetera.  This kind of surprised me, but I was not about to start this conversation off on the wrong foot, so I simply nodded my head.

            He told me about Keith, and how the two of them are friends.  In fact, he accompanied Keith on some of the adventures that I had previously talked to Keith about.  Like Keith, Joe loves food – something that I love, too!  He told me about his love for seafood; he likes the restaurant Pappadeux’s.  He then went on to explain how important fish is in one’s diet because of all the nutrients it has.  This impressed me, yet I felt a little ashamed, as I am not a fish fanatic.  Moreover, Joe told me that he is what the Chinese would call a “food man” (he told me the Chinese version of this, but I do not remember what he said/I would completely butcher the spelling of the word). He said that he is called this because he can eat a lot of food, which I completely respect.  He

            Another thing that was so wonderful about meeting Joe was how complimentary he was towards me.  He noticed that I said hello to a lot of people that walked by our table outside, and he said that he was impressed.  He told me that I have a lot of friends, and he admired that because he wants to make friends here.  I told him he’s already got at least one friend – me (well two because he is friends with Rain).  In addition, he told me that I am a “social flower”, which is what we would call a “social butterfly”.  I thought it was interesting how similar yet different these two sayings are.  He expanded upon this by saying that social flowers are successful because they are friendly and easy to talk to.  Joe told me that I would be successful one day in whatever I do. Awe…thanks, Joe.

            Now, remember how I mentioned Joe not wanting to cover some of the basic questions that are customary when you meet someone?  Well, we did…eventually.  He told me that he plans on studying Business.  In fact, he got his acceptance into TCU (meaning he passed his English test) yesterday in the mail; I am so proud of him!  Moreover, he told me how he plans on living off campus next year with some of his friends, including Rain.  He is excited about this because he will be able to cook his own food (he’s not the biggest fan of Market Square), and he will have a pool in his backyard!  He also invited me to his house-warming party next year, which I will be more than happy to attend.

          In summation, I had a wonderful time talking with Joe.  He told me that I am a great conversation partner, and I can easily say the same thing about him.  I am excited for the conversations that await us!

Awkward.

Well, I tried to complete the assignment of listening to someone else's conversation. It was - as you guessed it - awkward. I was by myself in the BLUU (unfortunately), and as I was eating my bland salad, I was intently listening to two girls' conversation.

They were eating their food and talking, and I was stoked! I figured they would talk about something funny, which would then give me material to write about. Boy, was I wrong. :(

No more than one minute into my eavesdropping did they stop talking. Now, it wasn't because they were aware of my listening; it was because they were both on their phones! It made me so sad! Here are two friends taking time out of their day to eat lunch with one another, and all they can do is text (or Facebook or Twitter...I mean, the possibilities are endless)?!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they started talking to each other again. I heard something about the Indy 500, but I couldn't catch all of what one of the girls was saying.  More small talk went on, and I was about to give up when I saw a smile spread across one of the girls' faces.

She started to laugh a little at herself as she explained to her other friend how there was kale (maybe?) in her smoothie rather than spinach. At this point, I was praying for the other girl to start laughing. And what did she do...SHE CONTINUED TO PLAY WITH HER PHONE!!!

I mean, COME ON! At this point, I admitted defeat. Tragically, I did so as some of the Market Square workers were laughing in the back (but I neither knew what they were laughing about nor why). 

Looking at my watch, I left the BLUU to write this post before today's class. 

Defeat? Check.

Awkward? You betcha.