Erica and Wes go see stand up comedy.

I spared Wes from taking a selfie, so instead I took pictures of our drinks.

Last Friday, Wes & I went to watch the Make Me Laugh competition. I've never been to see live stand up comedy so I was pretty excited (and we all know how I like to try--and then blog about--new adventures). Although I have never been to a comedy club, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I vividly remember Aisha Tyler's chapter about it in Self Inflicted Wounds and I just finished Jessi Kline's You'll Grow Out of It. Wes & I also watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon pretty religiously so I've seen tons of interviews where actors & comedians tell their stories about doing stand up at bars. I'm happy to report that my experience was similar to what I read/heard about. The bar was dim with a few spotlights, there was a bar stool on the "stage" with a single microphone, some comedians were funny and some were awkward but overall they were all pretty good.

The competition went like this; there were eight comedians who each got four minutes to tell their jokes. At the end of the first round, our judges deliberated (based on their expertise in comedy and audience laughter & applause) and then the top three got to tell more jokes for a second four-minute round. Finally, a winner was announced. Our MC Dan Frigolette started the show with his monologue. He was funny (mostly joked about dating and sex), seemed to enjoy his job and was friendly to all of the contestants...an all around good host for the evening.

Our MC is apparently famous enough to have his own business cards and social media following.

The contestants for the competition were a motley crew consisting of a transvestite, an older gentleman who told what seemed like jokes off of a Laffy Taffy wrapper, some gay comedians, a guy who had facial hair like Wolverine and a guy who had a full handlebar mustache. I'm sure none of them read my blog so I'm going to judge them and use their real names (unless I misheard the MC when he announced them... then the names will be what I think I heard. LOL)

We started with Amanda Carey (pictured above). She complained about the kids these days and how she's getting older. She then told us that she was a transvestite and her misadventures on dating websites. She was entertaining and moved onto the second round.

We then had Trey Wooster who lamented on being fat and single. He then told us what the difference was between real friends and Facebook friends, he had several examples and paused awkwardly between each one. We also heard from Bryan Gillian who knew a guy in school named Ted Hitler. He then randomly started talking about butt hole tattoos. Next was my favorite, CJ Lance. He said that he told his wife that he sometimes wished they had kids so he could incorporate their funny antics into his monologue. His wife flipped out and told him she was not ready for kids but he could always go to the park and observe other people's children...like a creepy pedophile. CJ moved onto round two and eventually tied for first place. He shook our hands and thanked us on our way out. Nice guy. That's him down there.

We also heard from Aaron Wilder, another really funny contestant. He looked and acted like Ross Mathews (he doesn't really in the picture below but you'd see the resemblance if you saw him in real life). His first monologue was about money and finances. He advanced to the second round and told about his attempts at weight loss. He also tied for first place.

The contestants rounding off the evening were Dr. K, who told us a bunch of one line zingers (probably memorized from a joke book ), Jeff C who told us some not-very-funny gay and fat jokes, and Jay Art, who did a Shaquille O'Neal impression. I didn't think he was that good but he wore a Mighty Ducks t-shirt which made up for his non-funniness. He advanced to the second around, which I found more funny than his first four minutes.

While the judges were deliberating after the first round, we were treated to a set by last year's winner, Andrew Frank. He was funny at first but then I felt like his monologue went on forever. He started to get weird and existential toward the end of it...and that's where he lost us. Although I didn't find all of the contestants' jokes to be humorous, my two favorite comedians tied for first so I had a good time overall. Before the show started, I was a little afraid that I wouldn't understand a lot of the jokes (I don't follow current events or pop culture/celebrities so oftentimes jokes go over my head) but I laughed quite a bit more than I expected. Wes enjoyed himself as well. I'm glad we spent our Friday night with the Make Me Laugh tour. If you're not easily offended by sex, gay or fat jokes, I would recommend a night of stand up as a fun date idea. 

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.

I feel like it is my responsibility as a sufferer of severe endometriosis to spread awareness through my writing this month, but I am at a loss of what to blog about. I have a pretty good hunch that you either already know what endometriosis is (thanks to celebrities like Padma Lakshmi, Julianne Hough, Halsey and Lena Dunham) or you don't care what this strange-to-pronounce-disease is. Either way, I won't bore you with facts and medical research. (If you want to learn what endometriosis is, here are some helpful links https://www.buzzfeed.com/laraparker/things-women-with-endometriosis-want-you-to-know?utm_term=.yppNG5bpY#.ljDb3paBv and  http://www.endochallenge.com/2017) Instead, I will share my small victory story.

I was diagnosed with endometriosis a few years ago but never spoke up because there was no way to win. If I complained about it in public, it would just add to the assumption that women are cranky bitches during that time of the month and we are all just being overly dramatic. I kept quiet until my place of employment implemented a new sick time policy. It's a pretty lengthy policy and since I don't have our employee handbook with me at the moment, I will paraphrase.

Too many employees were calling in "sick" (but in reality, they were just playing hookie). Management and Human Resources wanted to get this under control so employees are not allowed to call in sick anymore. In order to use paid sick time, employees are now required to give 24-hour notice of any absence due to medical reasons. I don't know about you, but it is my belief that there is no reason for me to be at work when I am unfit and will not be a productive employee so I ignored this new sick time policy. I continued to skip a day of work when my cramps were too painful or I would go home early if my period was too heavy. I went undetected for a while but, eventually, I was summoned to my manager's office.

Luckily for me, and unlike a majority of the population, my manager actually understood that endometriosis is an actual medical disease!!! \(^_^)/ Hallelujah! She didn't accuse me of abusing my sick time privileges or tell me that painful periods are just another part of womanhood. She asked if I had ever considered applying for intermittent FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act).  I contacted both Human Resources and my OB-GYN doctor and after a swift process of paperwork, I am now approved for intermittent FMLA leave. Once a week each month, I am able to skip two to three days of work with no questions asked. While this does not cure my endometriosis or repair my reproductive system, I am still calling it a victory.

So here is the takeaway from this blog... endometriosis is a painful medical condition. Period. (no pun intended) Chronic abdominal pain is not normal. Heavy debilitating menstrual cycles are not normal. If you suspect that you are a sufferer of this disease, speak up and get whatever aid you need. I know that a majority of the people you talk to will not believe you, misdiagnose you and maybe even laugh at you but that is no reason to stay quiet. If I had spoken up to my manager sooner, I could have been on intermittent FMLA leave probably two to three years ago. To my fellow endo-sisters, if you continue to speak up, eventually, you will find that one doctor, that one friend, that one person who understands what you are going through and is willing to help. By the way, I am that one friend so if you want, please feel free to message or comment... we are all in this together!