The Science of Humor

Many times I have pondered what makes something funny. Why are certain comedians hillarious?? Sometimes its because there is a funny punchline to a joke or they even talk funny. However I think I have realized that the funniest things are really the common things that we have all experienced. We have all seen/felt/thought/heard/experienced this thing before, but when somebody brings it up, we get a good chuckle from it.

I'm gonna use Dane Cook as an example simply because I recently saw some clips on YouTube. His funniest material is full of "we always do _______ Right?" We know its true that when people start coming into our lane we start to go "uuh... hello?!" This is so funny because its so true. And yes we are all terrified of leaving our shopping cart unattended in the grocery store (even if you dont have a purse in there)... as if someone is going to come up to it and be like "awesome! these are the exact things that i wanted!" yaank!

I am having a hard time coming up with better examples but I think you know what I mean. Human behavior is very humorous when you stop to take a look at it. Some of the best comedians are really just great observers that make us all look ridiculous. This is not the only secret, but it is definitely one of the best forms of comedy.

Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

My observation on my way home from work yesterday:

The Carpenter Union building of Newton is made entirely out of brick.

A little too ironic. And, yeah, I really do think...

Apartment Pics

So I finally got some pics uploaded to show people. I know... its a finished attic.... but its comfy enough for a single guy!

Click on picture to enlarge

Late nights

Staying up way too late watching several episodes of That 70's Show. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I've given up on trying to figure it out...

Politics - - - yuuuuuck

You know what really grinds my gears?

"Lindsay Lohan!"

Sorry... just had to throw out my Family Guy reference. No seriously. You know what really bugs me?? It is November and all they talk about in the news is presidential candidates............

.... the elections won't be for another year!!! You mean I have to listen to this crap about Iowa and New Hampshire and conventions and nominations and fund raising and campaign promises for a whole year?!?!

I understand the importance of politics and being involved in the political process, but seriously... I could care less about the 1.3% of an increase in the polls that Obama gained on Hillary over the weekend. The media offers great benefits to making informed decisions when it comes to voting but this is too much.

Sorry... needed to vent about that. I can be happy though because today is pay day. Yay bills!

New Employee

Oh yeah -- for work they issue everyone an ID badge we have to wear everywhere. They say that nobody likes their picture and I can see why. Nobody likes taking a mug shot. Well, this is how mine came out. I've had worse pictures taken of me...

Closer to work - further from home

I finally found an apartment! I moved in this past Monday and have everything set up for the most part. I get the 3rd floor of a house in West Newton to myself - like a studio apartment. I share a kitchen, bathroom, and living room with 2 other roommates on the 2nd floor. One girl who's 23 and a guy thats 36. So once again, I'm the youngin. But the awesome part is that it only takes me 20 min each way to get to work - as opposed to 1hr 20 min from Plymouth. "You mean I don't have to fill up my gas tank every other day??" Perfect!

I was busy for the first few days setting up the room, doing grocery shopping, building a new desk I bought. Now that most of thats done... I'm not sure what to do with myself. Last night I spent most of the evening in front of my computer - as if 8 hours a day at a computer at work isnt enough! I'm determined to set goals for myself and not waste all my time once I get into my apartment. Maybe practice more guitar, write letters to friends/family, read a book (not my favorite), lift some weights, etc.

On occasion I def need to get out of the house. But where do begin? I'm not about to start going to local bars to meet people at night. I'm hoping to get plugged in with a church sometime in the next few months. A new home means new opportunities to build good habits and surround myself with positive influences. It was too easy to become lazy and build bad habits in Plymouth.

So its hard to say where my life will head from here. Most of my friends are gone, and I have begun a new job and moved to a new area. Where do I want to go? Who do I want meet? What am I gonna do about it?

This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything that you dreamed
that it would be when the world was younger,
and you had everything to lose?

Dear Pop

For all the times growing up that I swore I'd never be like my Dad:

Thanks for always giving me your best advice even when you know that I don't want to hear it and may not agree. Thank you for not majoring in the minors (most of the time) and for thinking about how things will play out in the long run. Thanks for always being very approachable and never putting me down when I've messed up or have asked a stupid question. I know that I can ask you anything, even if its awkward for a father and son to talk "heart to heart."

I'm out of school now, just started a new job, and will soon be living in an apartment in a totally new area to me. You (and Mom) have been very encouraging to me and helped out in every way. More than ever, as things have been radically changing, I realize that you are not only a great resource to me. As I become an adult, you are also becoming a good friend.



Ok I can hear the symphony reaching the crescendo to a tear-jerking arrangement right now so I gotta stop all this sappy confessing. I hope I can come up with this sort of stuff next year for my father's day card I give...

2007 MLB World Champions!

Congrats to the one and only Boston Red Sox on their 2nd World Championship in 4 years!

Searching for Home Sweet Home

Now that I have a job, I have begun the difficult process of finding an apartment closer to work. There are so many pros + cons to weigh with each place, and I really don't know what is gonna be right for me.

No matter what I find, its sure to be lonely. This is gonna be a tough winter for me...

Separation of Work & Play

One adjustment I am trying to get used to is not studying when I get home. Ok... let me rephrase that: I am trying to get used to not feeling guilty for not studying when I get home. I am learning all sorts of new things at my job, and it feels weird to only study this new material while I'm at the office. Thats one of the best things about a full-time job rather than school. I can leave my work at work rather than having it ruin my evenings. Why couldn't school have been like this??

On The Job

Today is my second day of work here at MEDITECH. I was not bold enough to venture on to anything like blogger or aim on my first day of work of course. But over the course of yesterday and today I have learned the "dos and don'ts" for our group. It is an understood fact that the first month or so of training is overwhelmingly boring... you can only read manuals and guides for so many hours in the day! Plus my supervisor is out today so he can't really give me instructions what to do. Don't worry... I have been working today: sitting in on a demo someone gave, going over notes for different concepts.

The setup of the office here is very interesting. They like to encourage communication between group members so nobody is in cubicles. Instead there are desks at "terminals" that face all different directions. Of course the new guy got put in one of the outer terminals that faces away from everyone else in the group. In other words, all of their conversation is to my back and anyone can pretty much watch what I'm doing. No big deal really, not like I'm doing anything sketchy.

So I'm attempting to adjust to "office life." Now I'm wearing a collared shirt and nice pants rather than dirty jeans, a t-shirt, and my faded red sox hat. My commutte is the killer part about this new job. With traffic, I spend about 3 hours a day in the car stuck in some sort of traffic. Hopefully I can move into some sort of close housing in the next month or so. I have an appointment next Monday to check out a Dedham apartment thats about 5 min away from my work. The dimensions are very small though... so we'll see.

Maybe I'll be posting here a lot now... if the first part of training is really as boring as they claim.

Grounded Life

Solitude in a crowd
Space to clear my mind
Remembering the important
Seeking only to find
Silence has been waiting all along

Far above the clouds
It seems at this height
I am reminded of the big picture
Though we travel by night
The darkest black I've ever seen

I live with impatience
Choose a frown over a smile
Take love for granted
Gratitude only once in a while
For blessings I've been given

No reason for negativity
How can I be down
Don't deserve what I've been given
Not right to wear a frown
My life I did not design

The air pressure is dropping
The plane begins to shake
Touchdown is eminent
But one thing I will take
A new perspective on my grounded life

Joe Is All Growed Up!

So it is OFFICIAL! - I will start working for MEDITECH, Inc on Oct. 15th.

They are the number one provider of healthcare software in the US and parts of Canada.  I've been hired as a Client Training Specialist which means I will be training and supporting specific hospitals as they migrate to our software. This will include traveling onsite to hospitals across the country several times a month, which I'm pretty excited about! Benefits are very good as well which is nice.



I will be working out of Westwood, MA, which is right off 128 (north of Norwood).  It's right off the highway, but this means I'm going to need to find an apartment within the next month because it takes 50 min. to get there with absolutely NO traffic. This translates to a 1 1/2 hr commute on a Monday morning.  Anybody know someone who is looking to get an apartment in this area??

when the world caves in

trying to listen to whispered clues
leading towards heart's home
open eyes towards a moonlit sky
restless thoughts still roam

discontented in the night
regret of my indecisions
shame of falling once again
following countless provisions

closer than close
face to face
so far away
different place



throw to the wind...
or grab a hold
and never let go...

Update!

I apologize for forgetting about this blog and keeping everyone on their toes for months. Do not worry, life has improved since I last wrote. I have since graduated from UMass D and moved back into my seasonal job of landscaping. Things just seemed too crazy last semester to start a career job right out of school. I'm glad I made the decision to relax a little more this summer and have an outdoor job for probably the last time. However, those rainy days really motivate me to search for a real job soon!

Speaking of a new job, I recently applied at a company called MEDITECH, Inc based out of Westwood, MA. I had an interview back in the spring with them, however I was not able to further pursue the job because of my commitment to landscape till mid September. This past week I had my first interview and I thought it went pretty well. My interviewer told me that they would get back in the next 4-5 days to possibly set up another interview. The very next day, I received a call asking "when can you come back in again?" So I guess they like me! My second interview is this upcoming Friday which will consist of me giving a 15 min presentation on any health care topic to several managers. I am def nervous, but I have enough presentation experience that I should feel somewhat comfortable once I start. I'm gonna do some research on the recent legislation in MA that requires everyone to have some form of health insurance and how this will affect the health care industry as well as low income families.

Besides this new employment opportunity I am also getting more involved in the remodeling project for our new church function center. I have no construction experience, but I am helping out my best with designing a 3D model that we will base the project on and show the church. It is very time consuming but once it is completed I really think it will help people get excited about it. Here are a few samples of the work in progress:











So those are a few things going on in my life now for the summer. Hopefully I'll get on here more often to give more updates about other areas of my life! Haha I will keep you in suspense until then...

Where's that stress ball?

This semester has been so tough for me so far. More than ever before I just feel like I have no extra time - the time i relax i should really be working on something. Especially after coming back from my spring break in Birmingham, Alabama to do Habitat for Humanity, I have felt so apathetic towards school. I am 1 1/2 months away from finishing college and i just cant seem to get the motivation to really put in the effort needed. I understand its important to study and do well in school but I also realize that I only have a few more months left with college friends and then i'm back in Plymouth to rot away. Maybe I'm trying to cram in my entire college experience into one year?

I'm skipping my accounting class right now because I havent finished the project thats supposed to be due for today. I should care more but, in the long run, I just feel like all this stuff is so pointless. I'm almost out - I wont have to do homework again. I'm ready to move on to a career, not fill out some stupid Peachtree accounting software with fictitious crap about a company that doesnt exist! The only good thing about accounting is it provides my father with work.

Oh yeah another thing that is starting to wear me down are my stupid night classes. The only free night I have during the week is usually Tuesdays. Monday is an incredibly boring class and every Wednesday I want to shove a pencil in my eye because I have to sit in the front row and listen to long boring presentations from case studies. AAAhh! stop wasting my time! I'm not upset with Thursday nights because I do enjoy going to the Christian Fellowship on campus, but because I have to play guitar for worship, there is an unneccesary nervousness and stress I have about preparing for and practicing the songs. Even now I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna have time to finish some of my homework before going back to my room to pick/practice songs and eventually find some time to make myself dinner before I rush out to fellowship.

Six classes a week and working 15 hours each week is combined with the added stress of wondering how in the world I'm gonna pay for my bills each month. I really try not to waste money here, but seriously - it costs money to live and I'm not gonna be that jackass who doesnt want to grab a bite to eat because i'm cheap and boring. My debt to my dad keeps growing which I hate because I know he doesnt have extra money lying around.

I know nobody ever reads this, but I just feel the need to vent right now somewhere/somehow. I go to bed late each night and have to wake up early to finish homework. My mind is starting to stop functioning sooner in the evenings than it did before. After 11:30 my eyes are starting to shut on me and any attempts at productivity are useless. I have this constant feeling of dissatisfaction with who I am as a person and the decisions I am making. I was created to be so much more than I have become.

But for right now I feel like a fish trying to swim upstream. I'm almost done, but I feel like I could break before its all over. I'm wearing very thin and dont know how much more I can take...

...

......

...........


help!
...

Was the setup worth the credit?

I am currently enrolled in a Psychology 101 class that I'm taking just to fill a Gen Ed for graduation. The class isnt that difficult, however all students in this class (several hundred I believe) are required to participate in 3-credit hours of psychology "experiments" that the department puts on. Kind of a pain, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Today I went to sign up for one of these experiments with my psych-buddy Kristen. I met her the second class when i decided that I would get the guts to find a cute girl and sit down next to her. I made that bold move, we had some good (and awkward) conversation, and now she saves a seat for me each class :-) yeah... it actually makes me smile

Anyways, we both went to see what experiments were being offered. I just want to get this requirement out of the way so I was ready to sign up for anything that would fit my schedule. Some of them were already passed, but sure enough there was a 2-credit experiment going on tonight. Not very excited that I was actually committing to a 5:30 - 7:00 session, I just put my name on the list to get it over with. I didnt care enough to change it, but I did notice I had signed up for a study on "Human Thought towards Homosexuality." Oh great - they're gonna try to accuse me of being a conservative homo-hating radical.

I got to the room where the survey was being held. There were only a handful of people in there. After a brief description, we began this series of questions. We had to rate our response from 1 to 5 ("strongly agree" through "strongly disagree"). The first page started off with statements that I had somewhat expected.

Homosexuals are fundamentally the same as heterosexuals.

I had to agree with this because I know that we all fundamentally have a perversion that separates us from God. Theirs is just more visible and bothers more people. I need God as much as Lance Bass.

The next page threw me for a totally new loop. I knew that this survey was written from the perspective of liberal, pro gay-rights, religion-dismissing faculty at our school. I just had no idea how impossible it would be to answer the questions without supporting the homosexual agenda or looking like a complete radically-religious homo-hater. I mean, these statements I was supposed to agree or disagree with were ridiculous! I would agree with the first half of the question, but totally disagree with the second. One example:

To avoid destruction, our nation needs to return back to the laws of God, and those who do not follow these laws should be severely punished.

What?! If I agree then I'm supporting some kind of "witch hunt" for all homosexuals to burn them at the stake. If I disagree, then I believe that the laws of God aren't relevant and shouldn't be taken seriously. Most of the questions on the second 2 pages were very loaded like this. I was either with them, or I hated them all and wanted them to pay for it. I added my own statement - "These questions are completely loaded." Of course I had to answer strongly agree to this statement.

The last series of questions asked if I knew any homosexuals, how well I knew them, how often I attended a religious service, and if I would consider myself religious. Of course I also knew that they were gonna twist the facts that I know few gay people AND am strongly religious. This was their way to come to ridiculous conclusions about me like "I don't understand or care about homosexuals" or even "conservative Christians try to separate themselves from homosexuals because they are in sin." Of course neither is true, but the whole survey was obviously set up to come to these conclusions.

I suppose I should've expected this sort of liberal material from my public university, I just didn't think that my one chance to express my opinions in an unanimous survey could be twisted like I know it will be. I feel like I was being setup - but there was nothing I could do about it. Was it really worth the credit? I'm still trying to figure that out.

Sore Loser

When will I give up this fight
The one settled 12 months before
Yesterday I had the upper hand
But today has left me sore.

i have lost to another

I cannot seem to let go
Of a battle that wages my head
The ups and downs I feel
Do not matter in the end.

it tears me inside out

A selfish stale perspective
Subtle corrosion of my thinking
Tastes of bitterness in my mouth
The envy I've been drinking.

double standard as my law book

So step away and look
This injustice is not true
She takes steps the other way
A future I always knew.

now i am without

When will I see freedom
Shallow lungs hinder deep breath
Will I balance my perspective
Or keep it to my death?

i may have lost the battle...

Good... broken... like that...

Walked into the bathroom today and I witnessed a visual display of one of Dane Cook's jokes. It cracked me up so I figured I'd share it with the cyber community:

You try to close the stall door, which apparently Van Damme kicked in! Why are they all broken?! Who is running in the bathroom going:

"I cant shit with a door in front of me! I dont like being in a perfect square when I shit! .... "

BAAAM!!

"Good... broken... like that..."

Long and Productive Day

Today was a very productive day for us. We had all the exterior walls up by the end of yesterday and put up less than half of the sheetrock on the outside of these walls. Today we started right off by going around the house and finishing nailing the plywood around the outside walls. Next, we all worked on building the inside walls and setting up the studs to make the individual rooms. This was a relatively long process with lots of different measurements and cuts.

Before we started working up on the walls, people were spread out between the ground and up on the sub flooring. Now, however, the only place with work was up on the subfloor so it was starting to get a little crowded and not much work for everyone to do. I managed to find some projects to do to keep myself busy and useful.

After the sheetrock was up around the exterior walls, we put Tyvek home wrap around the whole thing. All of the trusses for the roof (30 of them) were laying on the ground below the platform and we had been wondering how we were gonna lift them all up. There is over 12 feet to get them on the platform then another 7-8 feet over the walls, weighing over 100 lbs a piece. Luckily, we found some guys down the street who were operating a crane truck with a 45 foot arm, and we convinced them to help us out for a few hours. Those guys brought the trusses up in about 1/10 of the time that it would've taken us. Thank you!

So the project of setting up the trusses wasnt so simple, but with all the guys we had there we were able to put up and secure almost half of the trusses with all their supports in about 2 hours. Now the whole thing is starting to look like a real house! And I def got a sunburn today too. Oh well, it was in the 60's so I cant complain :-)

Alright we gotta go because dinner is coming real soon!

Back in the van outside the school hacking into their internet! I'm still bummed that I cant get into myspace or facebook but I guess I'll just have to live. Alright I dont know how much time I have but I wanna try to post a few pictures on. This home that we're building has to be 10 feet about the ground so that it is above the floodline, which poses a unique situation for framing. The picture below shows you the floor that we are starting to frame out for the house to sit on. The homes look funny on "stilts" down here but i guess its necessary because of the floods.


Well thats the only pic i could put up so far... We're about to pull away from the high school and loose internet for at least another day. I
promise to give more details when I get back.

We found Wi-Fi !!

So me, Dan, Steve the pastor, and his old college friend just finished driving around the neighborhood here in Lafitte, LA trying to find wireless internet at 10:45pm in a big blue church van. I felt like we were in some weird movie... very cool.

Well now that we finally found wireless internet outside of a local elementary school, I have just tried to log in, but they have myspace and facebook blocked!!! stupid wi-fi...

So I cant stay on very long to upload pictures or talk. Quick summary - last night we got into New Orleans airport and U.S. Airways lost one of my bags of luggage. I now have no underwear, t-shirts, etc. Luckily we drove to a local wal-mart to pick up some essentials. Work went well today even though it was raining for a while. Just kept working through it and it felt so much better to wear dry clothes when i got back! The people are all really nice and they serve us some great meals. Ok, we're driving back to our building now... man I'm going into myspace withdrawal! Later

Going to LA!

Ok, so I'm not going to Los Angeles. I'm actually going to Lafitte, Louisiana (LA). I have the opportunity to go with my buddy/roommate Dan to help rebuild a house that was destroyed in hurricane Rita over a year ago. We will be leaving with a group of about 5 people from a local church in Dartmouth Sunday January 21st and coming back the following Saturday the 27th.

I'm not sure if I will have any internet access while I'm down there (we might go to a local high school to use it). If this is the case, I am going to try and update this blog with interesting information and hopefully photos that I have taken. If not, I still want to send the info with my cell phone as much as I can.

This is only a quick intro because I have to go back to packing, but I would love to read any of your comments about my thoughts and photos from the week! This is a great opportunity I have right before my classes start in 8 days! Take care