Sunday, April 3, 2011

Jenn's Thoughts: I'm Too Old for This Stuff

This week was a great week for comedy!  Both clubs had good shows on Thursday making them both to watch, but most importantly, two of JH5's Top Ten Males were performing here in Ottawa.  While Trevor Thompson performs here often, this week was some of his best work.  He hosted an evening featuring headliner Mark Forward, our number one favourite male.  We are not wrong in our assessment of Forward.  On his Friday night show, he received an encore.  Encores are exceptionally rare in comedy, and this one was well deserved.  We are thrilled he is back in comedy!

Today, as promised, I will blog about my goings on Friday night with Kathleen McGee and Christina Walkinshaw; the two females featured on this week's WHO TO WATCH.   Throughout what I hope is an interesting and entertaining story, please be advised that in this article guilty of selling out to name dropping.  I did get permission to do so from all parties, and am name dropping deliberately to help all those who were part of my experiment out with some shout outs.  Also, perhaps their friends like to see their name  in print thus increasing viewer ship to the blog.  Like I said, this is a sell out piece, and I make no apologies!

I live a ordinary, boring existence.  Through my amateur comedy, and JH5's endeavors, I find myself around people who are fascinating.  They party like it's 1999 (I hear it was a good year to party), and seem like the funnest people in the world.  They have no children, no spouses, and they live to perform for people, and have fun.  Intrigued, I agreed to really give partying a shot.  The timing was perfect for me as a very close family member is sick back in Saskatchewan, and there is nothing I can do from afar, so I needed a distraction.


Let's Get The Party Started  (also a song from 1999 I think, it really was a party year)

I attended the comedy show at Prescott featuring McGee, JY Harris, and Dylan Mandlsohn.  The show was great, I really enjoyed it.  I tend to sit off by myself when watching comedy, not with the other comics or the managers as I like to really be part of the audience wherever possible.  The show was pretty much non-stop laughter, after which I joined McGee and we went to Yuk Yuk's on Elgin to meet up with Walkinshaw.  When we arrived, we joined a very festive Mark Forward, with two superstar locals, who I will not name because I didn't ask their permission (if they wish to have their name put in, they can email me if they read this).  Harris and Mandlsohn soon turn up and poof, my night out with two women thus becomes many.

Yuk Yuk's on Elgin has Garaoke after it's Friday night shows, and is located in the basement of a bar named Hooleys, so the bathroom is shared.  Yes, you read that right, I started out my discussion on partying to talk about the bathrooms.  These are not elegant bathrooms by any means during comedy hours, but they worsen as the night goes on.  (women, you are disgusting!)   I spent a decent portion of my night in the bathroom.  Not because I had to go, nor because it was a cool place to be, but SOMEONE had to mother these young women!  I spent much of my night teaching 19 year old girls that while bras are nice, they are often complimented by putting clothes on top of them, and of course telling them that they are indeed better off without him.  One part de ja vu, one part very concerned about the future of Canada.


I had one glass of wine to which the bartender said "That will be $8.00 please", single handily ending my evening of drinking.  Here is my first negative review on my blog:  $8.00 for wine that tastes fresh out of the box???    I look around though and realize I am the only chump drinking wine, everyone else has shooters, beers and fruity cocktails.  Another sign I am old.  (we will go with refined here)  While sipping my wine that must be made of gold, I enjoy conversations with the comics, dance a little bit, and watch karaoke.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, so I relaxed and decided to let loose.  Then I realized I don't do that, and stood and swayed to the music.


Things changed halfway through the night.  Harris came up to me, and told me how disappointed he was that I was married, because I was so hot.  (well he didn't say hot, he kind of outlined my body and looked like he could take me right there).  This was the SECOND time this week where someone hit on me, or told me they were sweet on me.  This is important because before this it had been 13 YEARS where no one hit on me.  (the husband yelling "I'm SHOWERED" doesn't count as being hit on!)  Alas, I am wildly in love with my husband, also I am not sure how drunk Harris was when he did it, so hopefully this is not news to him while reading it!  


Moving on, the night became more "festive" for everyone around me.  Walkinshaw and McGee sang some karaoke, McGee amazing, and while Walkinshaw had fun and sang great, her choice in songs, notably Invincible


One of the locals was very inebriated.  By very we are talking drunk uncle at your wedding drunk.  I immediately turned back into mom role, and spent a bit of time following him around making sure he was okay.  He is and was a dear, and I emailed him the next day to let him know if he ever needs someone to take him to a Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, I was available.  (Knowing comics, he probably thought that was an offer to sleep with him, their ego's at times misconstrue things)


Close to 2:00 a.m. everyone is discussing what they want to do next.  NEXT??? It is 2:00 in the morning!  I had promised to see this night out until the end, so I grin and get ready for "next".  Turns out next was the casino....and I won't say I have a problem with gambling, but a few years my husband made it clear that life savings are NOT for gambling.  I use this as my excuse to exit, hug them all, and knock over a few drunk people while trying to get up the stairs to the outdoors.  I really have to pee at this point, but will not use the facilities.  I wait until I get home half an hour later, and it was satisfying.  (I am now blogging about going to the bathroom, this must be Walkinshaw and McGee's influence.  Next I will start talking about flatulence)


The night was fun, the people were as I said, interesting, but honestly I will always prefer small group gatherings talking about life issues and witty banter.  Sometimes it is good to mix it up a bit, and I am ever so thankful that have had some fun during a period of letting go and grieving, so thank you to all the comics.  


I left the party, and jumped into bed and snuggled with my party of two, then woke up and played with JH 3,4 & 5.  The JH5 party never ends, it exists in everything we do, from our monkey dance before dinners, to wine and cheese tasting (well fake wine for the kids), even in the way we turn up the music to clean the house.  This is a party where I will always truly belong, at least until they are teenagers and want nothing to do with us, which will have an upside that JH1 and I will have much more time for that "party of two".


If you can take anything away from this blog, then you are reading too much into it.  It was just a party folks, no deeper meaning intended.


Jenn H.
Name Dropping Sellout
JH5



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