Last night was one of the first nights I really felt like I was part of the comedy community. I have a big show on Friday, and I’d been putting off going to open mics, so I was committed to hitting at least one on Monday night.

I started out with Mutiny Radio‘s Comedy Workshop, hosted by the amazing Pam Benjamin. It was such a cool experience to give feedback to other comedians. Normally I just listen to other comics’ jokes and laugh. This time I was really paying attention and taking notes. What wasn’t working, and why? What helped people knock it out of the park? Hearing feedback from other comedy veterans was awesome.

The workshop ran until 8:30pm, so going to the Brain Wash open mic would have been condemning myself to signing up last in line and finishing at 1am, something I wasn’t willing to do on a weeknight. However, the Portals open mic was starting at 9pm, so we were guaranteed to get on the list early.

I packed my car full of talented comedians: Molly Trad, Jackson McBrayer, and Robert Lee, and we took to the interstate, stopping by a McDonald’s on the way. As we entered the bar with our greasy treasures, I couldn’t help but feel that this was what comedy was really about: we were a community of people having fun and doing the thing we loved.

I was in for a special treat: to celebrate two years at Portals, Justin Alan suggested a set swap. None of us was really familiar with anyone else’s set, so we wrote bullet points on a piece of paper and threw them into a hat. It was a really fun exercise to get our creative juices flowing. Thanks to Jackson for the bullet point “Hate Dubstep” inspiring an Irish dance.

Last night marked several milestones for me: I hit two open mics in one night, I ate McDonald’s for the first time in a decade, and I performed a Set Swap. I feel like I’m finally getting this “comedy thing”. I’m starting to feel like part of the community. Most of us are good-natured weirdos with something funny to say. Everyone seems willing to help each other out, and we have a lot of fun doing it.

See you at the next open mic!