So I was in Canada for vacation the last week of July. In Toronto, I recommend renting a city bike (24 hours = $7). On one day, my friend VK and I biked from our hotel to the harbor; and we wanted to bike across the waterfront and back up to Graffiti Alley (map below - sorry this is the biggest I could get to work). When we got to Graffiti Alley, I discovered that I was missing my wallet; it must have fallen out of my tote bag strapped to my bike while we were biking along the waterfront.
VK and I decided to retrace our steps on route back our hotel; not surprisingly, my wallet was not seen lying on on the streets/sidewalks on the way back. So I hurried back to my hotel and notified the receptionist that I had lost my wallet which contained my hotel key.
Plot twist - the hotel receptionist notified me that someone had called and reported that he found my wallet. The person left a number which I called, and he told me he saw the wallet fall out of my pocket, but couldn't catch me in time as he was driving. After picking my wallet up, he called the hotel number which was on my hotel key. After I got into contact with him, he was able to stop by my hotel lobby within 10 minutes to drop it off (he drove a mail truck). Nothing was missing in my wallet, and he refused any compensation I offered. I later discovered on my work email that the person had called my employer, since that was listed on my company credit card, and attempted to reach me through that channel as well. I went on the mail delivery company's website and saw an option to send a message to the CEO. Later that day...
So...Canadians are all as honest and nice as that guy is, right?
I have an analogy...I think humor is like spicy food.
If someone grows up eating spicy food, his/her sense of taste will probably be dulled over time, and he/she will need to eat super spicy food when they grow up to get the same level of flavor.
For humor, I grew up reading/watching a lot of comedic stuff - I was exposed to many styles...and so, now I find myself needing something really extreme, or somewhat offensive, for me to find something significantly funny.
Sometimes at work, when I don’t have much to do and I don’t feel like listening to music, I’ll put on some standup comedy. I especially enjoy the Comedy Central Roasts and yearly Presidential Roasts at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. However, it’s hard for me to listen to any single comedian for too long without getting bored. Most comedians like to tell stories, but I’ve found that if I lose interest in a story in the beginning, then the next 5-10 minutes are...not so fun.
My favorite comedian by far is Anthony Jeselnik (warning: not at all for the people who are sensitive to offensive jokes). His whole persona is that he’s a guy who doesn't care about offending anyone, and his drawn-out, deadpan execution/delivery is on point. He also usually sticks to one-liners, which helps with the boredom thing I mentioned earlier. According to Wikipedia, Jeselnik is known for his “dark comedy style, which emphasizes misdirection, non-sequiturs, biting insults, an arrogant bearing, and a stage persona that frequently takes amoral stances.”
Huffington Post says there are 9 types of humor: Physical, Self-deprecating, Surreal, Improvisational, Wit-wordplay, Topical, Observational, Bodily, and Dark. I'd say my humor is a combination of Topical, Observational, and Dark.
I wonder when I get older, if what I find funny will change, and if I’ll start liking older comedians more since they’d be more relatable...
