The past 7 days have felt like the start of a new chapter in my life.
We returned from a fantastic vacation last Tuesday (I'll get into the details in another blog), and at the end of that trip, my girlfriend and I spent almost 48 hours in airports and airplanes. It gave us a lot of time to just sit and talk about our lives, and our future. We have a lot of the same outlooks on life, which is a big part of the reason we've been together as long as we have. One of the opinions we share, is that life is too short to not be doing what makes you happy. It took us some time to reach that conclusion, but we're both there now. And what makes me happy, is stand up comedy.
So as of last week, I don't have a job anymore.
That's certainly not a brag, it's more of a leap. It's like I've been standing on the edge of a cliff for a while now, too scared to jump. But the time has come. I haven't liked working since I was a teenager. I've had some fun jobs, and I've had some fucking awful ones *cough* Uline *cough*, but even when I didn't hate my job, or the people I was around, I hated having to go there. The feeling of someone else telling me how I have to spend 8+ hours of my day has always bothered me. I just always figured that I had to suck it up, because that's how life works. It's what were taught from a young age; get good grades, get a good job, work until 65 and then enjoy the "golden years". That's what most people do. And hey, if that's what makes you happy, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But it didn't make me happy. I've been looking for alternatives since I graduated High School. I've tried many things; traditional work like warehousing and sales. I worked with sheet metal for a while. None of them scratched that itch. I would settle in for a few years, bound and determined to crush it, climb the ladder and become successful. And then I would hit a wall, I'd get bored, sick of routine, and I'd have to find something else. I always knew that I didn't want to have a regular job and a regular boss, but I didn't want to start my own business. That's a ton of work, and I'm not motivated by money, I'm motivated by freedom.
And then I tried stand up. I remember telling people before my first set, I wasn't scared of bombing on stage. I was scared that I wouldn't like performing comedy. In High School, I would walk around with Jerry Seinfeld's "I'm Telling You For The Last Time" in my disc man, and I would lip-sync it the same way I would Eminem and Limp Bizkit. (I know). It seemed like such an incredible thing, to stand in front of a bunch of strangers, and make them laugh. It intrigued me. All this guy does is travel and tell jokes.....
(For the record, the last couple years have taught me that there's a lot more to it than that!)
So after spending the last 15 years hyping up the life of a comedian in my head, I was scared that I wouldn't like it. And then I would be stuck. "What do I do now?" I think part of the reason it took me so long to try comedy was because of that fear. I could hate my job, but daydream of being a comedian. The thought of trying stand up, hating it, and then not having a dream to escape to anymore was terrifying.
But I tried it. And while it certainly isn't the glamorous, free wheeling life style I thought it would be, it's pretty sweet. And now, I've finally hit a point where I don't have a regular job anymore. I'm a comedian. Not a famous comedian, or a rich comedian, or even a successful comedian, but I'm a comedian. And I'm happy.
And now I have more time to really dedicate to my chosen craft. More time to write, to hit open mics, go on the road. I need to tell jokes to buy food. There's something really cool about that in my mind. I have the most supportive partner in the world backing me up. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
I'm 34, and for the first time, I'm not spending my days fantasizing about what I could be doing with my life. I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea that I'm doing it. I don't want to be rich or famous, I just want to be free to do what I want. And I am.
I numbered this post "#1". I enjoy writing, and now that I have a little more free time, I'm going to do a lot more of it. I've been (verrrrryyy slowly) working on a novel, and in addition to dedicating more time to it, I'm bound and determined to blog more. I'm going to shoot for 100 posts in 100 days. I don't care if anyone reads them, I just want to do it. I tried YouTubing a vlog, but it's just not as fun for me to do as this is. So we'll see how it goes.
The only thing stopping me from hitting 100 in 100 is me. The only thing stopping anyone from doing anything is themselves. If you have something in the back of your mind that you keep there as a dream to escape to every day, you owe it to yourself to try and make it a reality. It can change your life.
Start a new chapter.
Adam
Thursday, 24 May 2018
Sunday, 1 April 2018
Unorganized
My office/spare bedroom is a fucking mess.
There's just notebooks and scraps of paper everywhere. I have so many bits and jokes that I've started, and then just tossed onto a pile or forgotten about. Podcast episodes that I'm half way through completing or uploading to YouTube. There's a handful of blog posts on here that I've started and not finished (including the initial concept for this one). I need to be better with this stuff.
I can't help but wonder if my new favourite joke, or a new closer or something is just laying in one of these piles, half-assed written out, and forgotten. Part of my problem is that while I love the process of coming up with new premises for jokes and writing out the basic concepts, I HATE the polishing and reworking that goes with turning an idea into an actual salvageable bit. What ends up happening is that I have a pile of half finished jokes just laying on my desk, judging me while I start working on another new bit instead of trying to finish one of those old ones.
For those that don't know, a comedian will often write a joke, try it, re-write, try it again, tweak, etc over and over before they finally settle on a finished bit they put into their repertoire. Coming from a comic two years into the game, I don't think any of my material is completely done. And I don't know if any good comic ever considers a joke "finished". You never know when you'll come up with a new line to add, or a subtle little change to how you word a set up that can make the bit 100x better. I just hate doing that part. Because it's the hardest.
Anyways, the point of this blog is just me calling myself out for being unorganized. I need to get all of these "half-jokes" into one book, clean up my podcasts, and come up with a game plan. I spend too much time sitting here thinking about what I should do next instead of just getting some work done. One of my goals is to make the transition from 45 minutes to 1 hour of material this year, and it isn't going to happen if I don't get my head out of my ass.
The annual "Funniest Person with a Day Job" competition kicks off here in Edmonton next week. I was the runner up in it last year, and I really want to finish this year's contest one spot higher on the podium. I've been studying "game film" of my set from the competition last year, and it legitimately hurts to watch. I need to stop being as hard on myself as I am for that video, because I'm sure at that time it was the best I could do, but I think it's just awful now. I really hope for the rest of my comedy career I can look back on video from the past year and think it's terrible, because that (hopefully) means I'm getting better. Or at least trying to. I love watching headliners crush, but I can't help but spend the entire time watching the audience laugh, and it makes me think about how far I am from doing what they do. I don't look at that as a bad thing at all; it motivates me. I want to be on their level someday.
Where I was going with "Funniest Person", is that I'm sitting here, trying to figure out which jokes I want to take onto that stage with me, and Im struggling with that because my thoughts and me desk are a disorganized mess. I need to clean this shit up.
That gives me an idea for a new joke!
- Adam
There's just notebooks and scraps of paper everywhere. I have so many bits and jokes that I've started, and then just tossed onto a pile or forgotten about. Podcast episodes that I'm half way through completing or uploading to YouTube. There's a handful of blog posts on here that I've started and not finished (including the initial concept for this one). I need to be better with this stuff.
I can't help but wonder if my new favourite joke, or a new closer or something is just laying in one of these piles, half-assed written out, and forgotten. Part of my problem is that while I love the process of coming up with new premises for jokes and writing out the basic concepts, I HATE the polishing and reworking that goes with turning an idea into an actual salvageable bit. What ends up happening is that I have a pile of half finished jokes just laying on my desk, judging me while I start working on another new bit instead of trying to finish one of those old ones.
For those that don't know, a comedian will often write a joke, try it, re-write, try it again, tweak, etc over and over before they finally settle on a finished bit they put into their repertoire. Coming from a comic two years into the game, I don't think any of my material is completely done. And I don't know if any good comic ever considers a joke "finished". You never know when you'll come up with a new line to add, or a subtle little change to how you word a set up that can make the bit 100x better. I just hate doing that part. Because it's the hardest.
Anyways, the point of this blog is just me calling myself out for being unorganized. I need to get all of these "half-jokes" into one book, clean up my podcasts, and come up with a game plan. I spend too much time sitting here thinking about what I should do next instead of just getting some work done. One of my goals is to make the transition from 45 minutes to 1 hour of material this year, and it isn't going to happen if I don't get my head out of my ass.
The annual "Funniest Person with a Day Job" competition kicks off here in Edmonton next week. I was the runner up in it last year, and I really want to finish this year's contest one spot higher on the podium. I've been studying "game film" of my set from the competition last year, and it legitimately hurts to watch. I need to stop being as hard on myself as I am for that video, because I'm sure at that time it was the best I could do, but I think it's just awful now. I really hope for the rest of my comedy career I can look back on video from the past year and think it's terrible, because that (hopefully) means I'm getting better. Or at least trying to. I love watching headliners crush, but I can't help but spend the entire time watching the audience laugh, and it makes me think about how far I am from doing what they do. I don't look at that as a bad thing at all; it motivates me. I want to be on their level someday.
Where I was going with "Funniest Person", is that I'm sitting here, trying to figure out which jokes I want to take onto that stage with me, and Im struggling with that because my thoughts and me desk are a disorganized mess. I need to clean this shit up.
That gives me an idea for a new joke!
- Adam
Sunday, 25 March 2018
No Comparison
At the risk of looking like a knob, I really enjoy watching motivational videos and stuff like that. Particularly when I'm feeling lazy, and....unmotivated....
Duh.
I think one of the traps with those types of videos is that you sit down with the intention of watching one, to kick you in the ass and get you moving, and then like with anything else on YouTube, you end up watching 3 hours of them and not getting anything done. I try to treat them like a 5 hour energy. Just a quick pick me up. Because if I start clicking the "next video" links, I'll fall down that worm hole every time.
Anyways, one of the most popular folks in that field these days is Gary Vaynerchuk. I know there are a lot of people out there that don't particularly care for him, but I like his stuff. He talks openly about his dream of buying the New York Jets, and constantly hammers home his message of "work work work". He's a rich, rich, man. Honestly, I could take or leave the "get rich by working hard stuff". I don't want to be rich. But he said something in a video I watched the other day that motivated me to write this blog. I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like:
"People hear me talk about wanting to buy the Jets, and I think sometimes they take the wrong message away from it. You don't need to compare your dreams or your goals to anybody else's. My dream is to buy an NFL team. If your dream is to work for yourself, or take a trip to England, or to lose 30 lbs or 300 lbs or whatever, that's fine. Figure out what will make you happy, and go get that. Don't make it you're goal to get rich just because it's someone else's. Otherwise, someday you'll get rich and you'll just be miserable with a bunch of money."
I have zero aspirations to get rich. The idea of having a 7 or 8 figure bank account that comes with a 7 day/70 hour work week makes me miserable. I just want to be able to tell jokes in exchange for a comfortable living. I want enough money to eat, and travel with Shay. Freedom drives me more than anything on this planet. I know other comics that have goals of being famous, getting on tv, making the big money. I respect that, and I hope they make it. But I see one of them get a gig that will help them get closer to those goals, and I can't help but get jealous. And I have to ask myself, "what do you care?" It's because I'm comparing my goals to theirs, and feeling like I should be trying to accomplish what they're trying to accomplish. Fuck that. I just have to put my head down and work on what I want.
(Maybe that's not why I get jealous at all. Maybe I'm just an ego-maniac, I dunno.)
I'm getting better and better on just focusing on what I enjoy, and what makes me happy. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I produce my podcast every week because I enjoy it. It doesn't get thousands of downloads, and it probably never will. It won't make me a ton of money. But it makes me happy. This blog gets a couple hundred views when I update it. Good enough for me.
I just want to be a guy that pays his bills with jokes, and instead of having to go to an office every day I can spend my days booking shows, writing jokes, and working on things that interest me. That's the dream if you ask me.
Ramble, ramble, ramble. I'm going to go play video games.
Thanks for reading.
Adam
Duh.
I think one of the traps with those types of videos is that you sit down with the intention of watching one, to kick you in the ass and get you moving, and then like with anything else on YouTube, you end up watching 3 hours of them and not getting anything done. I try to treat them like a 5 hour energy. Just a quick pick me up. Because if I start clicking the "next video" links, I'll fall down that worm hole every time.
Anyways, one of the most popular folks in that field these days is Gary Vaynerchuk. I know there are a lot of people out there that don't particularly care for him, but I like his stuff. He talks openly about his dream of buying the New York Jets, and constantly hammers home his message of "work work work". He's a rich, rich, man. Honestly, I could take or leave the "get rich by working hard stuff". I don't want to be rich. But he said something in a video I watched the other day that motivated me to write this blog. I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like:
"People hear me talk about wanting to buy the Jets, and I think sometimes they take the wrong message away from it. You don't need to compare your dreams or your goals to anybody else's. My dream is to buy an NFL team. If your dream is to work for yourself, or take a trip to England, or to lose 30 lbs or 300 lbs or whatever, that's fine. Figure out what will make you happy, and go get that. Don't make it you're goal to get rich just because it's someone else's. Otherwise, someday you'll get rich and you'll just be miserable with a bunch of money."
I have zero aspirations to get rich. The idea of having a 7 or 8 figure bank account that comes with a 7 day/70 hour work week makes me miserable. I just want to be able to tell jokes in exchange for a comfortable living. I want enough money to eat, and travel with Shay. Freedom drives me more than anything on this planet. I know other comics that have goals of being famous, getting on tv, making the big money. I respect that, and I hope they make it. But I see one of them get a gig that will help them get closer to those goals, and I can't help but get jealous. And I have to ask myself, "what do you care?" It's because I'm comparing my goals to theirs, and feeling like I should be trying to accomplish what they're trying to accomplish. Fuck that. I just have to put my head down and work on what I want.
(Maybe that's not why I get jealous at all. Maybe I'm just an ego-maniac, I dunno.)
I'm getting better and better on just focusing on what I enjoy, and what makes me happy. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I produce my podcast every week because I enjoy it. It doesn't get thousands of downloads, and it probably never will. It won't make me a ton of money. But it makes me happy. This blog gets a couple hundred views when I update it. Good enough for me.
I just want to be a guy that pays his bills with jokes, and instead of having to go to an office every day I can spend my days booking shows, writing jokes, and working on things that interest me. That's the dream if you ask me.
Ramble, ramble, ramble. I'm going to go play video games.
Thanks for reading.
Adam
Sunday, 4 March 2018
Focusing on Comedy
"Hey Adam, I love your blog. When are you going to post a new one??"
- Nobody. Ever.
Well, nobody, today's your lucky day. A new blog.
It's been a while, but it always is in between these things. Remember when I was gonna try and "blog once a week"? So dumb....
Anyways, in case by some small chance you WERE wondering why I haven't been posting more, I've been trying to really focus on my act. Frankly, as much as I like blogging, it takes a decent chunk of time out of my day, and there's not really any payoff from it. I've been trying to dedicate the time I'd spend working on this blog, or Youtube, or in some instances my podcast, on writing jokes and getting on stage. All those other projects are still things I'm interested in, but as my comedy schedule picks up, they just fall further down the priority depth chart. They aren't going away, they're just not important right now.
"Season 3" of my comedy career is officially underway, and as I've mentioned before, my big goal for the next 12 months is to make the transition and become a full time comedian. No more day job. I either tell jokes or I starve (or ask Shaley to buy me something to eat). With that goal in mind, I've really been pounding the pavement, looking for work and stage time. I set a personal best for shows in a month in February, and now my goal going forward is to top that number every month if possible. Stage time is to a comedian what the gym is to a.....gym.....guy? The more time you spend on/in it, the funnier/stronger you become.
I've also really doubled down on my writing. I used to write quite a bit, but admittedly, once I hit a point where I could comfortably do 30 minutes on stage (which is kind of the magic number to get road work as an opening act in this business), I kind of took my foot of the gas. Not a good business plan. I went on the road with my buddy Brent Ayton recently, and we had back to back shows where we co-featured, and did 45 minutes each. They were really fun shows, but one of the highlights for me was watching Brent tell his jokes for 3/4 of an hour. Brent is a notoriously good writer, and he works harder at it than almost anyone I know. And although he considers us equals as far as comedy goes, I look up to him. His writing ability and work ethic are inspiring, and they motivate me to become better as a comic.
So, I'm writing more. I've transferred all of my "finished" bits into a new book (I have about 10 notebooks full of joke ideas and bits), and I regularly read through it, looking for ways to add in a joke here, and take out something that isn't funny there. In addition, I have 5 or 6 new bits I'm working on right now, all to various levels of success. Going on stage with new material can be rough, but trying out a new joke and realizing it works is simply one of the best feelings in comedy. It motivates you to keep going, keep digging, until you fid that next bit that works. It's kind of like mining, and you never know when you'll find gold. Or oil. Or whatever people mine for.
I posted this on twitter and Facebook the other day:
And it's true. When I see a comedian that is further up the ladder than I am, be it a local headliner, a touring comic, Jerry Seinfeld, whoever, and they want to keep getting better, it really kicks me in the ass. If they have that eye of the tiger, I should too. The minute you stop working at trying to get better, someone else passes you. I try not to compare myself to other comics, but I also know there's only so much room at the table. If I take my time getting there, someone else is going to take my seat. So put Twitter down and get back to work!
Anyways, I guess that's it. That's why my posts on here are rare and spaced out. I really need to put the blinders (or blinder, anyway), and focus on my act. The blog, Youtube, and all that stuff will be there when I have time, but for now, I have work to do.
Thanks for reading, and supporting me, if you have. If you want me to fail, that's cool too. I don't care.
Cheers.
Adam
Saturday, 3 February 2018
Appreciate Life
I have a friend who has been diagnosed with cancer. Luckily, he's in a position to be able to fight it, and is undergoing treatment as we speak. Or as you read this. Or, whatever.
He's a really good dude. Young. Not the type of person you would initially think of when you think of someone diagnosed with cancer. At least, not who I would think of, anyways. But as we all know, cancer is a bitch, and it doesn't discriminate. As I mentioned, he's in a good position to bounce back. He told me that the way the doctor explained it to him was, "If you're going to have cancer, this is the cancer you want." What he meant is that it's one that can be beaten, but we couldn't help but have a laugh at that description. Some guy crossing his finger in the doctor's office, "c'mon cancer.......!"
Jokes aside, my buddy is tough. He's brave. The amount of respect and admiration I have for him can't be expressed through this blog. He's putting his head down, telling cancer to go fuck itself, and plowing through what I have to imagine is the worst experience of his life. Something that nobody deserves to go through.
I wanted to write this blog to send my support to my friend, and to remind everyone else reading this to appreciate life. You never know when someone will threaten to take it away. Maybe you hate getting up on Monday morning, or you don't like having to shovel the snow, or having to go to school or work. Those are all normal things to hate. Most of us complain about them all the time. I know I do.
But the next time you have to do something you don't want to do, remember that it could be a lot worse. While you're getting upset that it's freezing outside, someone else is sitting in a hospital, trying to stay alive. They'd probably kill to just have to the worst part of their day be having to get up and go start their car in the cold. I think a lot of people take life for granted. The little things like sitting around with your friends at work, making each other laugh. Having dinner with your family. Walking your dog. Take the time to enjoy them, and to enjoy life. Life is a gift. Before you complain about something, ask yourself if things could be worse. 99.9% of the time, they can be.
My friend often comes to my comedy shows, because he likes to laugh, and because he wants to support me. I can only try to pay that kindness back. I think he'll read this, and if you are reading this, know that there are a ton of us that have your back. You're gonna be fine, dude. And then you'll look back on this time on your life, and remember what a bad mother fucker you are. You beat cancer. And then you'll have to go out in the cold and start your car.
Hang in there, buddy. I'm proud to call you my friend.
- Adam
He's a really good dude. Young. Not the type of person you would initially think of when you think of someone diagnosed with cancer. At least, not who I would think of, anyways. But as we all know, cancer is a bitch, and it doesn't discriminate. As I mentioned, he's in a good position to bounce back. He told me that the way the doctor explained it to him was, "If you're going to have cancer, this is the cancer you want." What he meant is that it's one that can be beaten, but we couldn't help but have a laugh at that description. Some guy crossing his finger in the doctor's office, "c'mon cancer.......!"
Jokes aside, my buddy is tough. He's brave. The amount of respect and admiration I have for him can't be expressed through this blog. He's putting his head down, telling cancer to go fuck itself, and plowing through what I have to imagine is the worst experience of his life. Something that nobody deserves to go through.
I wanted to write this blog to send my support to my friend, and to remind everyone else reading this to appreciate life. You never know when someone will threaten to take it away. Maybe you hate getting up on Monday morning, or you don't like having to shovel the snow, or having to go to school or work. Those are all normal things to hate. Most of us complain about them all the time. I know I do.
But the next time you have to do something you don't want to do, remember that it could be a lot worse. While you're getting upset that it's freezing outside, someone else is sitting in a hospital, trying to stay alive. They'd probably kill to just have to the worst part of their day be having to get up and go start their car in the cold. I think a lot of people take life for granted. The little things like sitting around with your friends at work, making each other laugh. Having dinner with your family. Walking your dog. Take the time to enjoy them, and to enjoy life. Life is a gift. Before you complain about something, ask yourself if things could be worse. 99.9% of the time, they can be.
My friend often comes to my comedy shows, because he likes to laugh, and because he wants to support me. I can only try to pay that kindness back. I think he'll read this, and if you are reading this, know that there are a ton of us that have your back. You're gonna be fine, dude. And then you'll look back on this time on your life, and remember what a bad mother fucker you are. You beat cancer. And then you'll have to go out in the cold and start your car.
Hang in there, buddy. I'm proud to call you my friend.
- Adam
Sunday, 21 January 2018
2 Years!!
Two years ago today, I tried stand up for the first time. It was the best decision I ever made.
Shout out to all my friends and family that have come out to a show, or sent me an encouraging text, or supported me in any way. I don't really know what I'm doing, and when I fall, you guys continually pick me up and tell me to keep going. It means the world to me.
And to all the comics and bookers that have ever let me be a part of their show, or given me a word of advice, or just been a friend to me, thank you. I really appreciate not only your stage time, but your friendship, as well. I love being a part of the team.
When I got on stage for the first time at Yuk Yuks, I didn't know if I would do well, or bomb, or what would happen. I remember telling people that I wasn't nervous about bombing, I was nervous about not liking it. I'd built stand up comedy up in my mind as this thing I wanted to do so bad, and I was terrified that it wouldn't live up to the hype I had built up for it in my own mind. But it did. Man, it did....
I've had ups and downs. Good sets, bad sets. I've been on top of the world, and I've felt like a loser who needs to give this up and get a real job. I've learned that stand up is a fucking rollercoaster, but I love it. I still have a long way to go, but I'm proud of how far I've come so far, and I wake up every day excited to keep going.
That's it. It's 2 years. In the grand scheme of stand up, I'm still a speck on the map. But that's fine with me, 'cause at least I'm on the map.
Thanks guys.
Adam
Thursday, 4 January 2018
Back at it
Happy New Years, Merry Christmas, blah blah blah.
I hope you had a great holiday season, and if you're one of those Resolution/New Year, New Me types, I hope you haven't given up yet. People that don't make resolutions shit on people that do all the time. I don't make them (anymore), but if you are, I really do hope you stick with it. And if you fall off the horse, don't wait 365 days to try again. Just get up and get back on it, or whatever analogy hits home for you.
I had a good time in 2017. Sure, I could look at all the negative stuff, (sex scandals, Trump, the Habs), but fuck that. I had a great time this year, made some strides toward my comedy goals (becoming a headliner and meeting Bill Murray), and Shaley didn't break up with me. Wins across the board. I was going to take a look at some of the comedy goals I set at the beginning of the year, and set some new ones, but my 2 year joke-telling anniversary isn't until January 21st, so I'll do a blog about that stuff closer to then.
I decided to sit down and write a blog today to kind of kick myself in the ass, and get back into my normal routine. Taking a couple weeks off for Christmas was awesome, but I only had 4 or 5 shows in about 2 weeks, and that consisted of no open mics, and no working on new material. (In my limited defence, a lot of the open mics around Edmonton take a little time off for Christmas as well). I haven't really been working out, I've eaten my weight in chocolate, and now it's time to shake that off and climb out of the lazy hole I've been digging for the last 14+ days.
One of the shows I was part of over that span was a New Years Eve show in Kelowna, BC, with Mike Dambra and Rob Balsden. We got a great turnout and had a fun show. My girlfriend, Shaley, even came along for the ride this time. There was a moment when we were sitting after the show, and I posted a Facebook status: "I spent New Year's Eve telling jokes in Kelowna with the two people I consider the biggest influences on my comedy career, Shaley & Dambra. It was a really nice way to end one of the funnest years I've ever had." It was a cool moment, and I'm very lucky to be surrounded by good people.
On New Year's Day, Mike flew home, and Shaley and I drove up to Quesnel to visit some of her family for a couple days. Working on New Year's Eve was a privilege, but getting an opportunity to spend a couple days with some family we don't see often enough was icing on the cake. I got a chance to record a podcast with my nephew, Ben, as well. He's an up and coming YouTube star, and turned out to be a great interview! That should be up this Sunday, and you'll be able to find it on iTunes, YouTube, or HERE.
Now we're home, and it's time to get back to work. I got a yoga session in today, sent a bunch of emails out to some bookers, and now I'm wasting time with this thing. My girlfriend is going out this afternoon, so I'll have the house to myself to focus on writing some jokes and getting this motor kick started. And I'm heading down to Black Dog on Whyte for the Underdog Comedy show tonight to put my name in the draw (they draw names for spots on the show), which will hopefully lead to my first official set of 2018. Get after it, and shake off that rust!
The last thing I wanted to touch on in this blog, is a side project that kind of fell into my lap. I have a meeting next week with some producers from Twitch. I haven't really talked about it too much, but I've been offered a chance to compete on a reality show that will be filming in Edmonton this year. I'm 50/50 on whether or not I'll do it right now; it sounds fun, but I would have to cancel a fair amount of my comedy bookings to do it, as well as I take 6 weeks off from my day job, and at this point in my comedy career, I don't know if that's something I should, or can afford, to do. It would be a great opportunity to pick up some social media followers and get my name out there, but as I've stated in here many times, my end game isn't to get famous or anything, I just want to tell jokes for a living. So I'll keep everyone posted on how that's going in my next blog.
I guess that's it for this bad boy, my first blog of 2018! (Side note, that's enough with your stupid "the millennium is legal now!" jokes) Thanks for reading, and supporting me, and all that jazz. Let's get after it this year and make some shit happen!!
Adam
I hope you had a great holiday season, and if you're one of those Resolution/New Year, New Me types, I hope you haven't given up yet. People that don't make resolutions shit on people that do all the time. I don't make them (anymore), but if you are, I really do hope you stick with it. And if you fall off the horse, don't wait 365 days to try again. Just get up and get back on it, or whatever analogy hits home for you.
I had a good time in 2017. Sure, I could look at all the negative stuff, (sex scandals, Trump, the Habs), but fuck that. I had a great time this year, made some strides toward my comedy goals (becoming a headliner and meeting Bill Murray), and Shaley didn't break up with me. Wins across the board. I was going to take a look at some of the comedy goals I set at the beginning of the year, and set some new ones, but my 2 year joke-telling anniversary isn't until January 21st, so I'll do a blog about that stuff closer to then.
I decided to sit down and write a blog today to kind of kick myself in the ass, and get back into my normal routine. Taking a couple weeks off for Christmas was awesome, but I only had 4 or 5 shows in about 2 weeks, and that consisted of no open mics, and no working on new material. (In my limited defence, a lot of the open mics around Edmonton take a little time off for Christmas as well). I haven't really been working out, I've eaten my weight in chocolate, and now it's time to shake that off and climb out of the lazy hole I've been digging for the last 14+ days.
One of the shows I was part of over that span was a New Years Eve show in Kelowna, BC, with Mike Dambra and Rob Balsden. We got a great turnout and had a fun show. My girlfriend, Shaley, even came along for the ride this time. There was a moment when we were sitting after the show, and I posted a Facebook status: "I spent New Year's Eve telling jokes in Kelowna with the two people I consider the biggest influences on my comedy career, Shaley & Dambra. It was a really nice way to end one of the funnest years I've ever had." It was a cool moment, and I'm very lucky to be surrounded by good people.
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| Me, Rob, and Mike after our New Year's Eve show for Train Wreck Comedy in Kelowna, BC |
Now we're home, and it's time to get back to work. I got a yoga session in today, sent a bunch of emails out to some bookers, and now I'm wasting time with this thing. My girlfriend is going out this afternoon, so I'll have the house to myself to focus on writing some jokes and getting this motor kick started. And I'm heading down to Black Dog on Whyte for the Underdog Comedy show tonight to put my name in the draw (they draw names for spots on the show), which will hopefully lead to my first official set of 2018. Get after it, and shake off that rust!
The last thing I wanted to touch on in this blog, is a side project that kind of fell into my lap. I have a meeting next week with some producers from Twitch. I haven't really talked about it too much, but I've been offered a chance to compete on a reality show that will be filming in Edmonton this year. I'm 50/50 on whether or not I'll do it right now; it sounds fun, but I would have to cancel a fair amount of my comedy bookings to do it, as well as I take 6 weeks off from my day job, and at this point in my comedy career, I don't know if that's something I should, or can afford, to do. It would be a great opportunity to pick up some social media followers and get my name out there, but as I've stated in here many times, my end game isn't to get famous or anything, I just want to tell jokes for a living. So I'll keep everyone posted on how that's going in my next blog.
I guess that's it for this bad boy, my first blog of 2018! (Side note, that's enough with your stupid "the millennium is legal now!" jokes) Thanks for reading, and supporting me, and all that jazz. Let's get after it this year and make some shit happen!!
Adam
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