I love personal stories. They let me reminisce on old times and at times even embarrasses those who are involved in the incident. The story I have today is actually quite recent. Me and my best friend were on a college visit to Appalachian State University, which is located in Boone, NC. It was about half past noon and the leader of our group thought it would be nice to visit the little town of Blowing Rock, NC. Available at
http://festivaresortsbannerelkblog.com/2010/09/07/romancing-the-stone-in-blowing-rock/ , September 7, 2010.
If you’re not familiar with Blowing Rock, it’s a small town located a few miles from the actual University. Available at http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-boone-north_carolina-NC514, April 16, 2012 It’s a beautiful place and there are stores for days. We traveled to the mountains on an activity bus, so parking for us was a hassle. We decided to park in a nearby parking lot, so that we wouldn’t inconvenience anyone from getting to their destination....well at least I thought the parking lot was nearby. We later found out that we were required to take a shortcut to get back to the little town of Blowing Rock. We arrive at the shortcut and realize that the shortcut isn’t so short. We have to climb a hill, and we see that on its surface lies about thirty-two steps. We had no breath left when we reached the top of the stairs. The only thing that motivated us was the playground that was only inches from where we stood. Available at http://brittwalkerskindergarten.edublogs.org/, July 15, 2010.
We immediately took off to what interested us the most, which were the swings. I hadn't been on a swing in years and neither had my friend. We started slow and thought we were big and bad, so we started to go faster. The wind was blowing fast and it seemed like the swing was on our side. All of a sudden everything changed. We got so high that it became hard to stop. I tried and ended up with my shoes not even being in the perimeter of the playground. I was holding on for dear life and I had never been this scared in my whole life.
The funny part is, that during all this commotion not only was everyone watching, but a storm was right above our heads. I had to think which one was worse? All of a sudden there was a sudden burst of thunder and lightning and before I knew it I had flew off the swing and made a dash down the steps to the bus.
I wanted to see what could actually be a good comparison when witnessing personal fails. When you see a fail picture you can’t help but wonder if that person is hurt or just simply embarrassed. Now for those who get ever so slightly confused, being hurt involves getting physically or damaged. Being embarrassed are those in the heat of the moment times. It involves crying uncontrollably, and those moments when you want to take something back, but everybody has seen it so, you can’t really do anything about it.
Here are a few photo examples of what I’m actually trying to explain for the visual listeners.
As I’ve clearly illustrated in the picture you can clearly see that there is a big difference between the two, but there are also many similarities. Of course when we look at these fail pictures we can all agree that they are hilarious. You can try your hardest not to laugh, but even the most serious person will at least crack a smile. With both I have learned there is a few major concepts why we laugh when people get hurt or embarrassed. The two major concepts are play frame and incongruity according to William F. Fry, of Stanford University.
Play Frame- the physiological reaction we have when we see events occur. For instance if someone gets hurt or embarrassed, no matter if we want to laugh or not, that play frame is the main controller of how things how occurred in our minds.
Incongruity- is that moment when an incident happens unexpectedly and you’re not prepared for it, so your immediate reaction is to laugh. Such as when you fall all of a sudden and you know that you’re embarrassed, but instead of the walk of shame you laugh it off.
I had the pleasure and permission of interviewing one of the greatest and funniest people in the world my brother, Octavious Hopper. He is a man of wisdom and he has some of the funniest stories to tell. Sadly, he finally moved out, so I had to hold the interview over the phone, but believe me, the story is just as funny as it would be in person. Me: What do you consider funny?
Him: When you laugh until you get stomach cramps and tears roll down your eyes.
Me: Like that time when we had that giant ice storm and you decided to go sledding in that plastic pool. Little did you know that you wouldn’t be able to stop the pool and you flew into the woods, which led to the stream. Ok, I’m getting distracted, so What is the biggest fail you ever made?
Him: It was actually during that storm, I went outside to play in the ice and snow and I fell down the steps and slid into dads car.
Me: (Laughing) So, when were you going to tell me this happened?
Him: I wasn’t, but it’s about the funniest thing I could think of when you brought up the ice storm.
Me: Have you ever witnessed somebody else make an epic fail?
Him: Yeah, it was when mom put down that Mop and Glow down in the kitchen and you ran to answer the phone and you rolled into the kitchen table
Me: I knew you were going to say that, I shouldn’t have even asked that question.
I concluded my interview and thanked him for his time. After I was finished I sat there and thought about all the funny fails and memories that happen in my everyday life. All I can say is WOW!
I have to honestly say they worst day of my life occurred on August 6, 2011. I was invited to a camp resort which was located in Newton Conover, NC by my best friend and her aunt. I was stoked to go, and I heard that we were spending the night at her aunt’s house afterwards . The following day I was up and ready to go. I mean my bag was packed, I had eaten breakfast, and I had even made my bed, which I usually fail to do.
My ride had came and I knew that I was well on my way to being drenched in the glory of refreshing pool water. Our little crew arrived in Newton a little early, but luckily my friends aunt lived nearby and she welcomed us to her house. We relaxed at her house for about an hour and when it was time to go I felt like I was the most excited one.
The Tragedy Itself : This is where all the drama began. On the way out of the house I all of sudden lost my step and I fell smack into the concrete. I didn’t know what to think. You see people refraining back from laughing because they can see your pain, but I can honestly say I was embarrassed. I had a big scrape on my knee, but that wasn’t going to ruin my good time.
We arrive at the camp resort and it is huge. I mean there's two pools, a lake, a water slide, and even pedal boats. I was overcome with joy. Everyone races to the pool and I immediately jump in the pool. With all the excitement I don’t realize that I’ve just jumped in the pool with my brand new phone. After suddenly realizing this I start to freak out.
What am I going to do? I am livid, but I will not let this ruin my day neither. I lay my phone out in the sun hoping its rays will shine some of its golden glory upon my damaged cellular device. I see everyone leaving the pool and their headed towards the pedal boats. I find my pedal boat and just as I’m about to get in, I slip on the edge and my foot is submerged in water, but I manage to grip onto the edge. Not being enough that I had just fell in the pool, but all of a sudden while pulling myself up my knees goes into duck feces.
I had finally had enough and I’m ready to go home when all of a sudden a big storm floats upon us. The wind is blowing, and people are panicking, hoping they make it out of the water before the storm picks up. I felt as though a certain “someone,” had just sent me a sign telling me that I shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Everyone makes a vote and we decide that the rain doesn’t seem like it's going to let up anytime soon so we ditched the resort and we even took it as far as to go on home and I was thrilled because it seemed like I was finally put back in my comfort zone.
We've all had that dreadful first date in which we wonder, what’s going to happen? Famous actor and comedian Michael Cera tells us How to Avoid a First Date Epic Fail. If you're like me first impressions can be extremely hard. It seems like you stare in the mirror for hours practicing what could you possibly say that won’t make you sound like a COMPLETE fool. Available at
http://guyism.com/lifestyle/deal-breakers-on-first-dates-for-men.html/attachment/bad-date-pic , January 16, 2012.
It always seems like the worst moments in dates are when the conversation isn’t going to smooth and there is nothing, but dead silence. You ask yourself, “What can I do, and what should I say to make this night start off right?” Thankfully, Cera has given us a list of “Do’s,” and “Don'ts,” to keep that first date from being the last.
Do: Take some interest in them and their personal life Ask them about their likes and dislikes, and what they do with their free time Make small talk Make a question out of a previous answer Ask about some of their goals in life Find out if they’ve ever traveled anywhere out the state or country
Why I call all of these topics “Chill Questions.” You can’t help but sit back and listen to all the interesting stories that they have to tell. If you get bored you can always drop your silverware on the floor for some alone time if needed!
Don’t: Talk about how much income you bring in Make yourself the center of attention Talk about any type of sexual encounters Bring up your religious preference Talk about a previous intimate other
Why Not
The main purpose to not use any of these topics is because, all of these topics can be turned into an argument one way or another. Before you whip out these challenging topics get to know your date a little bit better so you don’t end up like this guy.
-Please don’t try to dig up your nose while your date is occupied - If you have Section-8, Food Stamps, or SSI don’t let it be known until he/she decides to move in -You're not as desperate as you seem -He/She doesn’t know you live with your mama -If you can’t afford the meal tell he/she your on a strict diet and bread and water is all that you've been craving -If you know that your mom won’t let you use the car, order your bus tickets in advance
