Addicted

I have a confession to make. I have developed an addiction. There were a few years I had managed to curb my urge but it has been back for a while. I don't think I will ever be able to move on from this. It has changed my sleep patterns. It impacts my mood.

I am hooked on late night television.

My shows of choice are The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Both shows contain an off-kilter sense of humour that strikes a chord with me. Their ability to laugh at themselves and use their public flaws connects with me. It's just really funny.

It is the only medium that can regularly go from hilarious to poignant in seconds and you never know when it could happen. Because guests are part of the format there is always an element of unpredictability. They can have a conversation about nothing important that is very entertaining but they can also raise a key point on a critical issue that makes you want to know more.

These hosts were not my first go around with late night television. The first hit was The Arsinio Hall Show but that flavour is no longer available. I figured I would grow out of this one day but I'm pretty sure I will be soaking in the pure entertainment of late night will into my seventies.

I admit it I have an addiction to late night television. As addictions go, I think this one is pretty good.

And We Laughed

In the last few months I have rediscovered late night comedy. I'm not sure why I stopped watching but like many things in life, I forgot how much I enjoy it.

Comedy is important.

Although, laughing makes you feel good and usually relieves stress, that's not why comedy is important.

Comedy is important because if it is done properly it pushes boundaries.

For some reason, society seems to be moving further and further toward not offending anyone. People do not share what they believe because they fear the repercussions of rubbing someone the wrong way. As we have moved from a duty based society to a rights based society, creativity and honesty have taken a back seat to not saying anything that may hurt anyone.

By laughing about what is different we can move to closer together. Being able to poke fun at yourself, makes you human and approachable.

I know my humour is edgier than most and I find something funny in almost anything. I know not everyone shares my sense of humour. I'm quite fine with that. I feel for the people who don't share or pretend not to share my sense of humour. They are loosing out.

If you don't push forward you will risk withering away. Humour can move you forward and enlighten you. It can make you see the world around you. In this world of being highly connected it appears that people are less aware of the world.

We need to get out and laugh more. We need to find the funny in the world around us, we need to share this with those we know. We need to do this without fear. If we do this we will all be in a much better place in the long run.

The Mass Email

If you work at a desk job you know what I'm talking about. You email a small fact off to a couple of buddies and the conversation begins. It starts out innocent enough but eventually it spirals deep into a pit of degenerate discussion.

Yesterday, I emailed a couple of buddies about the opening acts at a concert we are attending in January. From there we moved on to intimate relations with the undead and finally finished with metaphorically comparing each other's 'junk' to data storage media. How does this happen.

Today, I received an email about helping a friend move a table. Somehow this conversation degraded to a discussion on polygamy and the competition for head wife. How does this happen.

I think part of this is desk jobs are not particularly exciting. Most of the people capable of doing the work also happen to be rather creative and need those quick one or two minute breaks. The mass email provides an outlet to help people get through the day. Some of it is rather funny. Some is rather bizarre. All of it is saved on a server somewhere. I'm sure someone will publish a book someday about their mass email, it would be quite the read. You would have to take it with a grain of salt.

I know it appears that the mass email may be unproductive, and I am sure it is at times, but I am also sure that it often recharges desk workers and helps them get through their day.