#2 in a Series: Lucky Break

(This is a recounting of my journey into standup comedy. Read the posting below this one first!)

For three months, I went to every open mic I could find in Portland. If someone would give me stage time in Salem, Cornelius, Seattle, or Siberia, I'd drive there to do my 3-7 minutes. Okay, I didn't drive to Siberia because the landbridge was covered with salty water.

And then came my "big break": Headliner Cain Lopez and feature act Roger Lizaola needed a ride to Oak Harbor, about 9 hours from Portland. If I'd give them a ride, they'd let me emcee their show.

That was my first paid gig. Actually, Cain slipped me $50 under the table to help pay for gas, but I call it a paid gig. I was clearly a novice, but the audience was polite and Cain and Roger couldn't have been nicer to me. I'll never forget their generosity.

MY STAND UP COMEDY JOURNEY: #1 in a Series: My First Open Mic

Day One: My First Open Mic
October 19, 2005

I'd only been to one live comedy show in my life...about 5 years earlier. Tonight, I went to my very first open mic. I just wanted to see what it was all about, figuring that someday I might get up there on stage myself. My husband went with me.

As each of the comedians took their 3 minute turn at the mic, I got more and more antsy; I wanted to get up there, too! I tried to stand up to go sign my name on the roster, but my husband yanked me back down.

"No!! You'll only make a fool of yourself!! Don't do it!! Wait 'til another time!"

I pulled away, and signed up.

As I waited for my name to be called, my hands started shaking. Then my legs started shaking. And just when the emcee called my name, even my boobs started shaking. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, I had never heard of anything like that, either.

The lights shining into my eyes were blinding. I tried to remember the 3 minutes of material I had written in a 6-night community college comedy course. Some people get on stage and say that 3 minutes feels like a lifetime. I don't know if I got any laughs...maybe a few....but those minutes zipped by, I thanked the audience, and their applause carried me back to my seat. My husband was waiting....slumped in his chair, embarrassed, not proud of me. Perhaps it was because the topic of my material was his colonoscopy.

All I know is that magical night was the beginning of a wonderful journey, and my life has never been the same.