Mark Twain Quotation

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“Whenever I am rested and feeling good I can’t help being frivolous.”

--“The Begum of Bengal,” speech, 1907

Initially, I think that this quote’s short length caught my eye. I always like the quotes that are short and simple because it makes them easy to remember. Although it may appear very simple, I think that this little wisdom is something that is relatable and applicable to the reader. Everyone has had a time when they have just felt really good. There wasn’t any specific reason you just kind of felt that way. I think that Twain’s making a point to recognize these moments; moments that could otherwise be easily passed by unrecognized.  He is able to capture that inexplicable feeling and remind the listener of this feeling in all it’s complexity in just a simple little passage. The tone of this quote is very casual, almost childish which helps bring the reader or listener into the moment that Twain is referring to. It is an honest and succinct message.

The vernacular in this passage also contributes a sort of complexity to an otherwise simply stated quote. Frivolous. This quote had a definite advantage in being chosen as my favorite because this has always been one of those words that I have just really liked for no particular reason.  In this passage, however, I think that it really adds to the carefree vibe. It makes the speaker sound light-hearted and you can tell that they really do feel good. Although Mark Twain’s life was full of both profound and simple truths, this one just really spoke to me personally-especially as summer approaches. This was just one of those quotes that I read a few times, thought about and immediately marked it with the intention of looking back to remember it. One of those things that you just would like to remember as you’re walking through TCU’s beautiful campus after you finish your last final exam as you look around at the blooming flowers and blue sky and feel like you could do anything you wanted. A feel good, memorable quote.

Humor 4

I know it’s a while past April 1^st but I successfully executed the best prank I can ever remember completing and I have to brag about it. Although this started off as something small and over a text message it turned out to be a pretty darn good joke with larger implications than I had foreseen.

Friday night I went to a birthday dinner with a group of good girl friends. We were all eating and talking and being plain old girly so, naturally, we got onto the topic of wedding rings and styles. One of my best friends always wears her grandma’s old ring on her right hand and so we started looking closely at her ring and examining the style. I’m not quite sure what turns the conversation took but all of a sudden she was wearing the ring on her left hand and joking about being engaged. The whole table was in play mode and giggling right along with her. 

Now, before I go on you should know a little more about this friend. I think every friend group has that one motherly figure that watches out for the group. That’s Julia. She is the one who likes cats, staying in, routine and anything that eschews adventure or unpredictability. This being said, she definitely isn’t out on the social scene. This implies that she also doesn’t know very many people, especially guys.

So, back to the glorious prank, I was also in play mode as this was going on and had what I would now like to label as a brilliant idea. I was texting a friend of mine who also knows Julia pretty well and we decided to send them a picture of the ring on her hand just to elicit a response. This is a harmless prank right? I mean who would believe that this girl, the girl who barely knows any guys at TCU, is randomly engaged?

Not the text recipient. Ironically, we also have another good friend named Julia who just so happened to also be at dinner that night. The text recipient knows a little less about that Julia than Grandma Julia and sent a response that reads, “Julia Peterson? Congrats! How exciting!” When I read this to the table they busted into hysterics. I think that the play mode of the table as well as the irony of the situation are what made the responses so intense. A simple joke we thought would be quickly shot down and seen through turned out to be even trickier than we anticipated.

So, what was going to be an innocent one-text joke soon to be forgotten turned into an elaborate prank via text message. We thought that this claim would be quickly dismissed but since our expectations were violated by the response we laughed, and then we decided the joke must go on. We made up a whole story about Julia’s high school sweetheart surprising her and proposing at the restaurant, the whole 9 yards. Then, on Saturday morning I went to breakfast with the victim of this prank and the topic was brought up again. I played it off like a champ.

Having forgotten about the whole situation, I was sitting at lunch with Grandma Julia in the BLUU today and cramming for a test. I looked and checked my phone and had a text from Julia Peterson and from the victim of the texts. Julia’s text reads “I am sorry” and the victim’s text read, “Just talked to Julia, you are so mean.” Again Julia and I burst out laughing. This time it was not the play mode that made us laugh but the sheer surprise that these messages presented.

This prank got to an unforeseen level of joking. I don’t normally assume the trickster role as our friend Juha does, but I have to admit watching this small seed of a prank bloom into something way bigger was gratifying. Apparently these friends encountered each other casually and the victim of the prank congratulated Julia on her engagement. Julia felt so awful (and was taken so off-guard) that she told the victim it was all a joke. I think that this is so funny partially because of the relief theory, I wasn’t the one who had to break it to the victim of the texts and I avoided their awkward confrontation.

There were definitely a lot of comic devices at play as this whole prank panned out over the course of four days. From the play mode initiating it to the element of surprise to end it, there are many reasons that one might laugh at this situation. I think that the drawn out course of the prank and nature of the different environments that it occurred in contribute to the humor diversity present in this joke, especially since text messages aren’t somewhere you would expect to be pranked. I know that some may feel pity for the victim of this prank, especially when I tell you that they had told some of their friends that happened to be at the same restaurant Friday about the engagement, but the victim took the joke gracefully overall. I should probably watch my back for some sort of revenge though just to be safe because the magnitude of embarrassment…in multiple friend groups. Needless to say I’m still laughing.

Humor 3

It’s 5:45 a.m. and my alarm goes off so I roll out of bed and groggily throw on my gym clothes. Unsuspecting, I jump at the sound of angry mumbles and grunts coming from the other corner of the room. I hastily run out of the room before I burst into hysterics in the otherwise silent room.

I know that people do weird things in their sleep but this particular morning is quite hilarious for anyone who knows my roommate. She’s the definition of an introvert. She’s pretty quiet unless we are in the midst of conversation, which only occurs in the middle of the day. I’m a morning person (as you may have guessed by the time of this event) and she is a night owl (we are talking about up until 3:00 a.m. type of night owl.)

A little over an hour and a half later I come back from my workout and creep back into my room unsuspecting once again and innocently getting ready for class after my shower. Out of nowhere my roommate begins to not only murmur strange things in her sleep but also furiously toss and turn. She would probably hate for me to mention this part but she also proceeded to throw her San Francisco Giants pillow pet across the room. Are you laughing yet? No? Don’t worry. There’s more. The pillow pet hit her lamp on her desk knocking it over. I wish I had this on video y’all. This woke her up, finally.  She was dazed and confused to say the least. She couldn’t resist but burst into pure unbridled laughter in disbelief about the crazy act. What a great start to the day.

It turns out that she, unfortunately, doesn’t do these types of acts on a regular basis but attributes these events to NyQuil she had taken to help combat her 2 week cold. I can vouch for her on this account because I have also experienced terrifying and bizarre dreams when I have been sick and taken NyQuil. Nevertheless, this morning was a definite bonding moment for my roommate and I.

I whole-heartedly agree with the idea that laughter is an effective means for relating to others, especially in awkward moments like these. This is something that she and I still talk about, laugh about, and tell our friends about. Personally, I still wonder what she is secretly so angry about or what strange dreams the magic that is Nyquil unleashed from her subconscious. (That’s a bit Freudian I suppose.)

At the risk of beating a dead horse I think talking about the role of cognitive shift in this situation is fitting because, as always, it is applicable. When you are half-awake in a stupor looking for your left sock and right shoe to drag your tired self to the gym about the last thing I would ever expect would have been any sign of life from my resting roommate. Literally I would expect a hurricane (yes, I know that’s highly improbable in Fort Worth so please roll with the exaggeration) to hit my dorm room before I would expect for her to say anything at this time of the day. Boom, there’s the cognitive shift. I especially didn’t expect for this to happen more than once, and in the same day.

Although it was fun to think my roommate has these type of outbursts on a regular basis, our common bond in our bizarre NyQuil outcomes has become a bonding point for the two of us. It also enhances the humor factor for this situation because instead of thinking about it in a superiority theory manner I keep wondering what I am like in this state of mind/sleep. Although it’s fun to laugh at her, I don’t well superior at all but more bonded with her and curious. There are many humorous theories and forces at play in that morning’s events but as I look back on it all I really can do is kick myself for not having the state of mind to grab my phone and capture some of this glorious occurrence on tape.

Tales of Juha: Wit & Wisdom

Reading the reviews and preface of Tales of Juha made me feel like I was the one kid at recess in elementary school that hadn’t heard the latest rumor. After completing the first section, I definitely agree with the universal role and symbolism of Juha that was proclaimed in the preface and reviews, but I don’t feel so much like I have missed out on some well-kept secret to enlightenment. The morals of the anecdotes carry universal themes and are just represented in a different cultural context in this novel.

The format of Tales of Juha kept me intrigued. They were easy to read and flowed together pretty well. Although most people appreciate continuity and beautiful flowing novels, choppy and witty anecdotes all connected (and some even more disconnected) are fine with me, especially clever little tales about a clever little protagonist.

I expected Juha to be a pristine character, clearly defined and described by the author (after all, the book is his namesake.) This was not the case. While Juha is definitely esteemed and well regarded by his community he is not easily defined, classified, or put into just one category. The character goes from beggar to scholar and from foolish to cunning. This is one of the ways that Juha’s universality is manifested. This also kept my interest piqued after reading the first portion of the novel. You never can predict Juha’s reaction or advice, other than the fact that the outcome will be in his favor.

 Juha’s character continued to violate my expectations as his advice and wisdom went from traditional or customary to witty and offbeat. (The section’s title was definitely fitting.) For example, when asked why Juha was eating with five fingers, he replied, “I don’t have six!” This was one of the many moments when Juha violates your expectations (yes, cognitive shift) and you can’t help but giggle. This book, as with the others in this course, is definitely not a laugh out loud type of read but it provides some interesting cognitive shifts along with a few opportunities to appreciate Juha’s snarky comebacks. Juha’s ever-changing modalities and ceaseless success in any situation he encounters certainly is fun to follow along.

Another quote that I enjoyed that defied the stereotypic response that one may expect was when Juha was asked about the proper etiquette for walking in a funeral procession. Juha replied “as long as you are not in the coffin…you can walk wherever you like.” I appreciate these quotes because they keep the reader on their toes about what Juha will say next and integrate some light-hearted answers as alternatives for potentially boring or daunting rants about social norms.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think any of the truths offered by Juha are profound or unheard of by our culture. I feel as if every culture has their own Juha with the same tales and morals to share. It could be helpful to have more cultural context for some of the anecdotes, it’s a little hard for me to relate to a story about a stolen donkey, but the motifs global nonetheless.