The Swamp

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:18 pm TT are you doing a show with Billy D. Washington on the lineup? I met him through an old Rockets message board and he gave me tickets to see him in Ft. Worth when I lived up in DFW area. He was on tour with Christopher Reid (Kid) and the 15 minutes spent chatting with both of them after the show is still one of the most surreal moments of my life. Billy's opener that night is still one of the funniest intros to a comedy show I've seen.

Kick some ass this weekend and I will see you soon, for sure.

I am but not this weekend. he is doing opening weekend and I am next weekend, fridat and Saturday 730pm and 9pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 11:28 am You were good and had value before this, but it's great that you found something you like to do and you're good at.

This is very well put.

I can't really add anything to what the others have said. I can just wish you good luck, TT. Not just on the shows, but for the more serious emotional struggles.

You know how all the pro athletes talk about not getting too high after a win or too low after a loss? Try to keep an even keel? I think there's something to that. Chin up, TT! We love ya.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:06 pm You know how all the pro athletes talk about not getting too high after a win or too low after a loss? Try to keep an even keel? I think there's something to that. Chin up, TT! We love ya.

Phrasing, SC!

Don't know how many people saw the set TT posted about a few weeks ago, but he sent the video to me and I can tell you that the laughs he got were certainly not pity laughs. You get laughs from the crowd because you are saying things they aren't expecting to hear and they are laughing even though it can be some pretty dark material. The bit about your ex and the Sweet Tea could be expanded out and used for call backs as your act gets longer and better. The difference between your stage persona, stage presence, the way you present your bits and your follow ups from a year ago to now are fantastic.

That being said, you are fighting demons, no doubt. Keep sharing here if it helps, you have my number and can reach out anytime. Good luck this weekend, happy birthday and break a leg.

TT, you're awesome and don't think otherwise. Your standup is great and you are talented. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise. Keep at it because one day I want to attend your show.

And please, please, please if you're having suicidal thoughts, call me immediately. I mean that.

Me: I should have done standup. I would have been good at it.

Also me: That's frightening, I could try it even now, but...no.

TT: Does standup. Kills it. Making progress as a professional.



You're good, TT. You belong on the stage. You're earning it with each gig. Keep at it.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:09 pm Me: I should have done standup. I would have been good at it.

Also me: That's frightening, I could try it even now, but...no.

TT: Does standup. Kills it. Making progress as a professional.



You're good, TT. You belong on the stage. You're earning it with each gig. Keep at it.

Right? It takes big brass balls to get up on stage, put yourself out there in the ridicule firing line, and get them laughing. Sure, people go to comedy shows looking to laugh, but people are also looking to heckle and watch you fail. Then, you don't fail. You slay them. It's a big deal, and we're all proud of you.

I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:18 am I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

Fuck ya!

This is something I'm frequently working on with my wife, who gets caught up in anxiety and always chasing the next "thing". Stopping and acknowledging the achievement of goals (or steps on the path to a goal) and making a concrete mental note of the good feelings. I think creating those positive connections in your brain makes it easier to weather the lows, which are inevitable in life.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:18 am I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

You may not be rich (yet), but you are a professional comedian.

Think of how many people want to be able to say that and can't.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:19 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:18 am I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

You may not be rich (yet), but you are a professional comedian.

Think of how many people want to be able to say that and can't.

In my limited experience its been almost every person i've ever met Professional seems very generous at this stage. Yes people have paid me money but i've never made enough to even have a survivable month...most of the time if I break even its lucky.

TT - this is awesome. Keep this feeling tucked away for those other times, ya know?

I've been following this thread the last few days - I can empathize as much as anyone about your depression and imposter syndrome, believe me. I know how real it is. I've had a few year run where it looked on the surface like everything was awesome but it was most definitely not; among a million other things when i was in Vancouver i lost my job there due to company finances which i got logically but a) it totally f'd me/us financially (still recovering) and then b) i soon took it really really hard / personally. "i'm terrible / i suck / no idea what i'm doing in life" etc. very real, and very harmful.

Topping it off, I couldn't find another job (you learn quickly about how hard it is to get a work permit in canada as an american) so naturally (ha) at my lowest point i enrolled in audio engineering school for a year with kids literally half my age. I crushed it and have been doing that as a night/side job ever since but it never takes too long until i feel like i suck every single time, it's soul crushing.

but then. sometimes i'll go back to some of my previous work - you can probably identify with this - and think...ok *that* really sucked so i guess i have definitely improved. ...that's not really a great self-pep-talk but that's the best i can do for myself some days, so i'll take it :)


so anyways - i'm really glad to read you giving yourself positive feedback. i think it's ok and probably natural if you slip back again, but just remember that you do have these high points and they'll very likely come more often.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:18 am I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:35 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:19 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:18 am I reread shit I write here when I'm depressed, so feel free to ignore this one, but I just want to remember how good this thing feels when you manage to do it well. Tonight was soooo good.

You may not be rich (yet), but you are a professional comedian.

Think of how many people want to be able to say that and can't.

In my limited experience its been almost every person i've ever met Professional seems very generous at this stage. Yes people have paid me money but i've never made enough to even have a survivable month...most of the time if I break even its lucky.

That sounds like enough to void your NCAA eligibility, so “professional” it is.

Best month i've had so far was 1300, so yeah probably can't play spring ball.

I don't know what a scrum-master does. Or that it is a business thing that's real. And would have thought DiS was making shit up except Max Webster said it too -so either he's in on it or it's a real thing and not a weird well planned joke.

i LOLd (LdOL?)

it is a real fucking thing and yet also often a joke. i'm too close and bitter to explain it well :D but essentially it's someone who runs a daily meeting and makes sure it goes smoothly and each member of the tech team is on-point for the day's tasks. cross-referencing my other post, we have one who is "certified" and is a complete disaster.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:09 pm I don't know what a scrum-master does. Or that it is a business thing that's real. And would have thought DiS was making shit up except Max Webster said it too -so either he's in on it or it's a real thing and not a weird well planned joke.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:17 am i LOLd (LdOL?)

it is a real fucking thing and yet also often a joke. i'm too close and bitter to explain it well :D but essentially it's someone who runs a daily meeting and makes sure it goes smoothly and each member of the tech team is on-point for the day's tasks. cross-referencing my other post, we have one who is "certified" and is a complete disaster.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:09 pm I don't know what a scrum-master does. Or that it is a business thing that's real. And would have thought DiS was making shit up except Max Webster said it too -so either he's in on it or it's a real thing and not a weird well planned joke.

Yes. A manager. Way to reinvent the wheel, tech world.

As a manager, I can say it's definitely not like a manager.

I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

I have no idea who Chadwick Boseman is.

eta: one thread down. now i know

Dear lord you two.

As soon as i got offstage last night my brain reminded me that I have no shows in september, one in october and then none until the end of time and i don't understand how i ever got booked on the ones i had and now it might be all about to come to a crashing halt. Don't mind me, just going to keep my head down and hope people still remember im a comic.

not proud of it, but seconded

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:02 am I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:02 am I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

I don't like super hero movies and rarely watch them, but Black Panther was legit good, and Boseman was outstanding in it. I saw a clip he did on maybe Fallon's show, where they had a cutout of Black Panther and people would talk to the cutout, saying how much the movie or character meant to them, then Boseman would step out from behind it and hug them. It was actually touching.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:49 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:02 am I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

I don't like super hero movies and rarely watch them, but Black Panther was legit good, and Boseman was outstanding in it. I saw a clip he did on maybe Fallon's show, where they had a cutout of Black Panther and people would talk to the cutout, saying how much the movie or character meant to them, then Boseman would step out from behind it and hug them. It was actually touching.

Him on “Black Jeopardy” as T’Chala was great fun.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:54 pm not proud of it, but seconded

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:02 am I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

Never saw '42'?

BSF21 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:00 am

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:17 am i LOLd (LdOL?)

it is a real fucking thing and yet also often a joke. i'm too close and bitter to explain it well :D but essentially it's someone who runs a daily meeting and makes sure it goes smoothly and each member of the tech team is on-point for the day's tasks. cross-referencing my other post, we have one who is "certified" and is a complete disaster.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:09 pm I don't know what a scrum-master does. Or that it is a business thing that's real. And would have thought DiS was making shit up except Max Webster said it too -so either he's in on it or it's a real thing and not a weird well planned joke.

Yes. A manager. Way to reinvent the wheel, tech world.

Not at all. Scrum is a type of Agile Development which is a software development methodology. It's expanded out of software dev, I believe, but certainly not to anything like law. The whole point of Agile is to break large projects down into small, easily planned and estimated pieces, each of which you could ship as a new feature if you wanted. It's a vast improvement over the old "waterfall" method used for decades where you had discrete cycles of requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, etc. that came out of government work on massive projects.

Scrum just means a certain way of doing Agile, including having short, daily status meetings called Scrums. The Scrum master runs those meetings, making sure they stay focused on status and any blockers as opposed to getting into discussions about how to solve problems (which inevitably happens when you get 2+ engineers in a discussion). There are other aspects and other meetings as well, but basically, it's a way to keep folks working and make sure nobody's stuck waiting on someone else. It's very common for the Scrum Master to have no direct managerial control over the developers on the project.

i know, i know. i'm horrible and said with no sarcasm - one of those "i'm definitely going to watch this" movies but...i just have never gotten around to it (i don't watch a lot of movies, clearly). Even this weekend with everyone wearing 42s we've been reminded as a family that we need to watch it.

duff wrote: ↑Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:41 am

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:54 pm not proud of it, but seconded

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:02 am I've never seen a Chadwick Boseman movie.

Never saw '42'?

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:35 amIt's very common for the Scrum Master to have no direct managerial control over the developers on the project.

Unless they roll a 17, in which case the..

I only saw the James Brown movie with Chadwick Boseman.

Movie kind of sucked, but he was good.

The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

Nothing odd about it, that is terrifying.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:01 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

Nothing odd about it, that is terrifying.

What type of sadistic procedure is this?

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:09 am

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:01 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

Nothing odd about it, that is terrifying.

What type of sadistic procedure is this?

I figured they just have hardcore Laser Tag in Vegas

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:01 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

Nothing odd about it, that is terrifying.

I had a mole removed from my chest about 10 years ago and it was the wildest medical thing. One needle of lidocane, didn't feel a thing, but watched him take a scapel and lop the thing off me, and then burn the cut to cauterize it. I can still smell the flesh burning.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:09 am

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:01 am

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:56 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm The smell of blood from your gums being burned with a laser is...well, it's not a good smell.

it's oddly terrifying to me.

Nothing odd about it, that is terrifying.

What type of sadistic procedure is this?

It's called a debridment or something like that. Basically to ward off serious gum disease since I haven't been to the dentist in so long and my gums are so fucked up. They have to do a deep cleaning below the gums and on the teeth which causes a lot of bleeding, so they seal the gums with a laser.

Yeah, back when I had my lower teeth capped twenty years ago, there was a problem where i had ground down a few teeth. So, to get more of each tooth to cap on, they had to "lower the gum line" by doing the same shit on me that Brian went through. Good times. I think periodontists (gum specialists) are sadists.

Teeth and having to go to the bathroom are proof intelligent design is bullshit.