Hi. I’m…

I love Ira Glass. I love his voice. I love his wit. I love his glasses.

With this in mind, it’s a shame I didn’t say more about the the live taping of This American Life Jeff and I saw last month in Chicago. A few weekends ago, NPR broadcasted the taping and it reminded me of how funny it was. At times it was more than just funny; it was, for lack of a better word, touching. I laughed until I cried, and sometimes I just plain cried. You see, my emotions were a little less restrained due to a half bottle of wine.

Here is a link to the episode where you can listen to the show through another link for free.

If you listen to the show you may have found yourself doubled over with laughter during the story about the drunk driver accident. The guy telling the story is Mike Birbiglia. Comedian. Funny. As. Hell. Most comedians are kind of assholes. (sorry for all the expletives, I just don’t think any other words would seem appropriate) I mean, that’s just part of their schtick. They have to have this huge ego. They have to think they’re super funny or you definitely won’t. Some comedians use this to its full extent. Like Dane Cook. He’s not funny, he just cusses a lot. But he is so confident that he is indeed funny, that he’s put many people and their money under his spell. Well regardless, Mike Birbiglia isn’t Dane Cook. He manages to be hilarious in a non-asshole way. He’s really funny in a smart, witty, humble, charming kind of way. Maybe a David Sedaris kind of way.

Moving on, this short animation film was a nice treat they showed the audience during the taping. I think it’s an interesting portrayal of how we sometimes treat the people we love. Moral of the story: don’t date someone who keeps you in the cupboard. Ta ta!

Quimby The Mouse from This American Life on Vimeo.