Judgement
OK. So...
As my graduate OT elective, I chose a 1-credit course entitled "Humor: Laughter is the Best Medicine." The professor who teaches this course is an OT who specializes in hand therapy. She is also a trained professional clown, known in costume as “Tutti Frutti" and "Professor Featherbrains." Thirteen years ago she started a clowning program called TLC - Tender Loving Clowns - at Methodist Hospital. She is also one of the founders of a local clowning organization, the Jolly Joeys, whose members visit nursing homes, churches, schools and other non-profit organizations for a donation.
I could have taken American Sign Language or written a report on a special topic, but no, I decided to enroll in this ridiculous elective which was conducted at the end of our longest day of classes for the week. When other people got to leave at 4:00, I used to joke, "I still have to go to humor. FUNNY HAHA." I know, it wasn't funny.
Anyway, the main project of this no-grade pass-or-fail class was for each of us to construct a personal "humor notebook." This individual notebook was to consist of jokes, comic strips, pictures, etc., which the student found funny, and each of us was supposed to collect these pieces over the course of the semester. This notebook was supposed to be designed so that I could look at my personal notebook on a bad or stressful day and be able to smile and laugh. Each notebook would be a representation of a student's sense of humor.
Well, the moral of the story without divulging the actual conclusion is this: I guess you can't give me a creative arts and crafts type project and expect a cookie-cut type outcome. Plus, I guess I'm a little bit crazy, so anything honest that comes out of me is a little bit crazy too. I guess?
On the day before this project was due, I went to Half Price Books and found a "Mi Baptizma" photo album which had never been used. A sketchy fresh faced baby adorned the cover of this album. I scratched out the title "Mi Baptizma" and wrote in "My Humor Notebook" with a permanent marker. I drew a red fro on top of the baby's head and added some sharp teeth and a long red tongue. The 2nd page showed a married couple and a priest dunking their baby into a bird bath of holy water, so I whited out the baby and pasted a picture of a giraffe's neck coming out of the bath. And before the actual album portion of the book, there were a couple pages for notes and such, so I wrote in some jokes. I can't remember all the jokes I wrote in, but one in particular stands out: "Q: What is the opposite of Christopher Reeves? A: Christopher Walken." Dude! That's fucking funny! If you ask me, it's better to laugh about a disability than to cry and whine about it. There was also a cute joke about puns and something about Asians I think.
The rest of my humor notebook consisted of pictures and comics I found funny, including but certainly not limited to the following: a picture of McCain's wife with my friend Kate photoshopped next to her and DUMPSTERS written in poop brown text over them; a picture of a person's spiritual chakras with the name of a stool softener next to it; a blown up picture of my dog Hopper's face; a picture of a bunch of women squatting over some urinals and asking for equal rights; and a picture of a chubby shirtless and tattooed mexican man with the script, "Spooky... really, REALLY spooky!" written over him.
I spent at least 4 drunk hours working on this bullshit notebook, and althought the construction of this book took place during a time of intoxication, I can absolutely 100% honestly say it wouldn't have turned out any different had I been sober.
I don't know. I really thought it was creative and funny and cute. I guess I didn't think much about it at all, except that I worked hard on it and hopefully the teacher would see that. Bringing it to school and turning it in, I was actually really proud of my work.
Well, last Monday evening, over a week after turning in my notebook, I checked my school email and discovered this message from my humor professor:
Hi Kelsey-
Dr. Beck and I would like to meet with you on Thursday, after her class and before Humor……just come to the office as soon as her class is done. Thanks!
Thinking it rude to demand a meeting, 2 professors against 1 little me, without even divulging the topic to me, I replied and said sure but asked what the meeting was to be about.
Her reply: "Yes, we want to talk with you about your Humor notebook……."
Gee, well ok. Thanks for all the extra periods helping you to express your point.
To be continued...
As my graduate OT elective, I chose a 1-credit course entitled "Humor: Laughter is the Best Medicine." The professor who teaches this course is an OT who specializes in hand therapy. She is also a trained professional clown, known in costume as “Tutti Frutti" and "Professor Featherbrains." Thirteen years ago she started a clowning program called TLC - Tender Loving Clowns - at Methodist Hospital. She is also one of the founders of a local clowning organization, the Jolly Joeys, whose members visit nursing homes, churches, schools and other non-profit organizations for a donation.
I could have taken American Sign Language or written a report on a special topic, but no, I decided to enroll in this ridiculous elective which was conducted at the end of our longest day of classes for the week. When other people got to leave at 4:00, I used to joke, "I still have to go to humor. FUNNY HAHA." I know, it wasn't funny.
Anyway, the main project of this no-grade pass-or-fail class was for each of us to construct a personal "humor notebook." This individual notebook was to consist of jokes, comic strips, pictures, etc., which the student found funny, and each of us was supposed to collect these pieces over the course of the semester. This notebook was supposed to be designed so that I could look at my personal notebook on a bad or stressful day and be able to smile and laugh. Each notebook would be a representation of a student's sense of humor.
Well, the moral of the story without divulging the actual conclusion is this: I guess you can't give me a creative arts and crafts type project and expect a cookie-cut type outcome. Plus, I guess I'm a little bit crazy, so anything honest that comes out of me is a little bit crazy too. I guess?
On the day before this project was due, I went to Half Price Books and found a "Mi Baptizma" photo album which had never been used. A sketchy fresh faced baby adorned the cover of this album. I scratched out the title "Mi Baptizma" and wrote in "My Humor Notebook" with a permanent marker. I drew a red fro on top of the baby's head and added some sharp teeth and a long red tongue. The 2nd page showed a married couple and a priest dunking their baby into a bird bath of holy water, so I whited out the baby and pasted a picture of a giraffe's neck coming out of the bath. And before the actual album portion of the book, there were a couple pages for notes and such, so I wrote in some jokes. I can't remember all the jokes I wrote in, but one in particular stands out: "Q: What is the opposite of Christopher Reeves? A: Christopher Walken." Dude! That's fucking funny! If you ask me, it's better to laugh about a disability than to cry and whine about it. There was also a cute joke about puns and something about Asians I think.
The rest of my humor notebook consisted of pictures and comics I found funny, including but certainly not limited to the following: a picture of McCain's wife with my friend Kate photoshopped next to her and DUMPSTERS written in poop brown text over them; a picture of a person's spiritual chakras with the name of a stool softener next to it; a blown up picture of my dog Hopper's face; a picture of a bunch of women squatting over some urinals and asking for equal rights; and a picture of a chubby shirtless and tattooed mexican man with the script, "Spooky... really, REALLY spooky!" written over him.
I spent at least 4 drunk hours working on this bullshit notebook, and althought the construction of this book took place during a time of intoxication, I can absolutely 100% honestly say it wouldn't have turned out any different had I been sober.
I don't know. I really thought it was creative and funny and cute. I guess I didn't think much about it at all, except that I worked hard on it and hopefully the teacher would see that. Bringing it to school and turning it in, I was actually really proud of my work.
Well, last Monday evening, over a week after turning in my notebook, I checked my school email and discovered this message from my humor professor:
Hi Kelsey-
Dr. Beck and I would like to meet with you on Thursday, after her class and before Humor……just come to the office as soon as her class is done. Thanks!
Thinking it rude to demand a meeting, 2 professors against 1 little me, without even divulging the topic to me, I replied and said sure but asked what the meeting was to be about.
Her reply: "Yes, we want to talk with you about your Humor notebook……."
Gee, well ok. Thanks for all the extra periods helping you to express your point.
To be continued...