Do you ever really LOL?

Today's Topic: Laughter

We live in such a serious world. Crime, poverty, human suffering, war, disaster, end of the world theories, loss, death, etc etc etc. I firmly believe that it is because of this that people do not laugh as often as they should, or at least never seem to. People rushing around day to day; I guess that's why they call it the "human race." Think back and ask yourself, "When was the last time you actually just stopped to laugh?" Or actually LOL?

If you look closely, the expression of happiness is everywhere, even behind the more serious of issues. It's just whether we take part or not that makes the difference. Myself, I try to laugh at least once everyday. My fix: Michael Scott from The Office or Kramer from an old rerun of Seinfeld. If you were to actually look up the meaning of laughter, one might suggest that laughter "helps humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and provide an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group—it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. When you laugh, 90% of the time others laugh because they either agree with you (or are laughing at you). These can both be equally funny at any given time or situation.

I got my parents tickets to the Second City for Christmas, hoping that they would enjoy what I cleverly coined "the gift of laughter." My sister also tagged along, rounding out the group that was set for a much needed night out. After having a long week, with only a seldom laugh here and there, all of my emotion was released on Saturday night. If you haven't been to the Second City, you have to take in their live theatre. By the end of the night, my sides hurt so bad from laughing for nearly two hours straight. It was the facial expressions, the sexual innuendos, the constant barrage of inappropriateness and just the writing in general that makes this place a comedy heaven. These people are absolutely hilarious. If you ever need a night out of just laughter, this is the place for you.

Life is a serious thing, I get that. However, laughter makes the world we live in so much more livable. I think about how lucky we are for the culture we live in, to laugh and not be judged or deemed "inappropriate to society" and for the many times that we laugh, even at the most awkward times. But as a species, we are also pretty sick minded. You Tube any video about "man falling down stairs" or "lady getting hit with broom." Maybe even "guy getting slapped in the face," and 10 times out of 10, you can't help but at least smile. Why is it that we find these things so funny? Is it the shock factor in that "I can't believe that just happened" moment? What about swear words? Who told everyone that it was okay to laugh at swear words? Who made it funny? Was it because it was so taboo?

Why is being "dumb" funny? I think what makes shows like The Trailer Park Boys overnight success stories. They are actually brilliant at being dumb. Great acting is the source for their humor. Anyone of us can be a jackass like them, but it's being good at it, so to speak, that makes for humor in it's truest form. The movies, the television, the morning radio shows, yes even the everyday labelled "idiots" walking among us; it all brings joy and laughter into our lives. It's funny how laughter goes in revolutions. The classic water cooler joke is easily replaced by the funny email forward, which was replaced by the You Tube video. The silent Charlie Chaplin mishaps was replaced by the married couple sitcom scenarios, followed by the bugs bunny and tweety show sound effects laughter, taken over by general shows about "nothing," followed by human pain with America's Funniest Home Video's as the source for laughter.

I am able to draw a simple conclusion: Idiocracy makes the world go round. We feed off stupidity like it's a drug. The dumber they are, the more times we'll slap our knee. It's messed up, but it's undeniable. Yes, it certainly is a funny world we live in. There is no escape from it. So go ahead; burst into laughter! The sound is contagious. Make the joke, watch the movie, or tape it for all your friends to see. Accept it, live it, and think about what a greater world we would live in if we could just laugh a little bit more everyday.

The Meaning of Friends

Today's Topic: Good Friends

There are few things in this world that make you happier then good friends. A good conversation, a good laugh and just a general get together filled with good times...it's what makes the world go round. Friends help you when you're down and pat your back when you succeed. When you are in a time of need and you lean on people for support, that's when you really find out who your friends are.

People walk into and out of your life all the time. Some friends stay awhile, others check out early. Some friends you grab coffee with, some friends you grab a beer with. You might stay up late, watch you tube and laugh your ass off or you might just watch a movie at home, enjoying the other person's company. It's amazing what we will do for others and what others will do for us. You're no where without friends. Period.

I can honestly say that I finally understand what it means to have good friends, and surrounding yourself with good people. This past weekend, one of my best friends flew home for his birthday. It's one of those friendships that even though you are both doing your own separate thing in your own separate life, seeing them once reconnects you and the past you shared, followed by laughter and a cold beer. There really is no greater feeling then seeing a familiar face that you have missed. I also was fortunate enough to see some University friends this weekend for a friends going away party. It was her event that brought us together; a rare occurrence for so many friends from school to have nothing planned but this party. It was a chance to reconnect and catch up and I was talking to people I hadn't seen since June 2009, when we stepped across the stage at graduation. Within minutes of seeing them, it was like we never left, and it brought me back to a simpler time when life seemed so care free. I realized that its true what they say; your college and university days are some of the best years of your life. You're with a group of people who all have the same goal: trying to better themselves. And you all share the same passion. For us, it was media studies. It was journalism that brought us together. Without trying to age myself or sound like a broken record, you look back at memories in your rear view mirror and you smile or reminisce of days gone by. To each of us, we opened up our lives for four years, partied, and shared unforgettable moments. And for each of us, we all look back and say, "Wasn't that just awesome?" The pictures tell the stories.

That is what life is all about. Surrounding yourself with great people that you can communicate with is the reason we are all here. Deciphering meanings and messages is something we do together. Opinions and voices are something we begin to understand. Yes, we have our favourites and it's finding the people who are saying the same thing you are that creates bonds and solidifies friendships. Friendship is the greatest gift to have and give. Never turn your back on it.

Making sense of nonsense

Today's Topic: Time Travel

Yes, time travel is nonsense. That's why people make movies about it. And it's also why, at the start of a time travel movie, you'll never see the words "Based on a true story." Black holes and wormholes are at the centre of it all.

It just so happened that I watched three movies this past week on time travel: Back To The Future 1 and 2 and for the first time, Hot Tub Time Machine. One used a hot tub to travel back to time, the other used a souped up GMC Delorean, equipped with a flux capacitor (no, it isn't a real invention.) The concept of time travel has always interested me, much like it did for Doc Brown in Back To The Future; where we are, where we are going and how we get there.

I think at some point we have all said "I wish I could just hop in a time machine and ________." Some of us would erase mistakes, or maybe we would bet on the future. Maybe you would rekindle an old relationship with that person you never should have broken up with. What if you could have avoided injury or failure, created Google or Apple, get rich, or finally "have it all." If only it were that easy. If only when you bought a Delorean and gunned it to 88mph, you could make it work and live in that alternate and perfect universe. Your perfect world where you can become whoever you wanted to be, live with no mistakes. And if you didn't fix it the first time, just keep traveling back in time to fix it, over and over again. It almost begins to sound exhausting. Instead, you're stuck with reality, and will 99% likely never get to experience the space time continuum. The basics surrounding time travel involve a black hole and falling into that alternate universe. Ridiculous? Probably. Impossible? Likely. For years, scientists have been scratching their head at the idea of traveling forward or backward in time. It's safe to say that unless a time traveller comes and actually TELLS a scientist that time travel is possible or not, (ironic right?), they will still be scratching their head for several years to come.

Why is it that we always dream of things we cannot control or experience? Would you really go back and change the past if you could? Or would you leave your life the way it was? Would altering a small part of the past change your life that much? Or would you still feel the way you do in this moment, in this life, on this planet? What about the future? Do you really want to see how and when you or your friends and family pass on to the afterlife? Do you really think it would help heal pain and suffering for your future? They are all valid questions, I realize that. I guess maybe the situation and the ability to travel through time would be different for every individual human being. And if someone finally did invent time travel, what do you think they would charge people to use the device? RIGHT?

Watching these movies made me realize the things in my life that at a certain point, I wish I could have changed or done differently. But from each of these moments where I failed or succeeded, it all made me part of who I am in this moment. Each mistake taught me a lesson and each success made me appreciate learning from my mistakes. Sometimes it's the struggle and the lesson you learn that makes you a better person. Do I have regrets in my life? Absolutely. Would I jump in a time machine to change my life dramatically? Probably not. It's tempting, yes. But it's not necessary.

Our lives go by second-by-second one day at a time. Everyone always says "Wow, I can't believe how time flies." Stop and think about it for a second, and you realize, isn't it amazing? How we age, how we grow, how our bodies transform, how we perceive time and change...it really is mind boggling. Our concept of time is night and day. Sun goes up, sun goes down. Clocks move forwards, not backwards. We step ahead to get where we are going, not backward. Everything in this life, in this universe, moves forward. Into time, into a future, into a world that has yet to be discovered by human beings. That's just the way it is. Every time we see a road, we travel forwards. We perceive it as moving forward. Every time we see the sunset, we hope in our minds that it will rise again the next day. And every time we see the moon fade, we imagine the night again after the day is over.

Yes, time travel is nonsense. Making sense of it has also turned out to be incredibly hard. However, the general concept of time continues to amaze me. How does life know to move forward and not backward? How did we come up with this natural progression? More and more, it seems like the world has made us want to have a little button to Undo what we may have done, thus changing the concept of time. Unfortunately, life doesn't come with the Ctrl + Z function. And if it really were that easy, would you do it?

The seconds of our life turn into minutes, into hours, into days, months and years. The question I will always have: Where does all this time go after we have lived it? Where does this time travel to?