Negativity

People like humor. It is one of life's joys to have an honest (not forced) laugh. Laughter comes from friends, stories, comedians and the more I think about it negativity. People don't find Louis CK funny because he is hugely successful and has everything going for him. His humor comes from his challenges of being a middle-aged, divorced father. The funniest person on Seinfield wasn't the comedian, but his dim-witted, stocky friend. Comedies like There's Something About Mary, The Hangover and Meet The Parents all were loved because of the negative situations the characters faced in the movie. Sure, not all humor comes from negative comments, but my guess is that people find negativity funnier than the alternative.

However, people don't tend to like a negative person. Negativity in life can serve as a funny backbone to a good joke or story, but a negative person is normally shunned in social situations. Pop culture includes examples like Debbie Downer and Eeyore. There is a fine balance between recognizing negative situations and being a negative person. This can be especially true for people that like to use humor. The best comedians are probably those people that are able to talk about negative situations, while still being portrayed as a positive person.

That finished, I would like to bring up the exciting things that have happened recently in my life. I will try to forget about the wild ride in the stock market, the riots in London, the Twins losing streak and certain industry challenges at the Well. Below are the positive things that probably all deserve their own blog post:

• Andrew Ojus was born on Friday. He weighed in at 9lbs 6 ounces and from all indications the entire Cooperphurs family is doing well with the new addition. I am pleased to be an Uncle (times 2) and am looking forward to the days were I can take the Cooper boys out to the basketball court. M and I celebrated the birth with champagne and a home-cooked steak dinner.
• Field of Dreams: M and I decided to drive down to Iowa to go see the Field of Dreams and catch a minor league baseball game in Cedar Rapids. The entire trip was a huge success. The drive down along the Mississippi River was scenic and easy. The Field of Dreams movie site was perfect in its simplicity. It looked exactly how I expected and it was great that it was open to the public. I was able to pitch, play the field and bat and enjoy being outside on a movie set.
• Columbus trip: M and I went back to Columbus to help her Mother celebrate her 60th birthday. It was a fun, relaxing trip that included my personal favorites; sleeping in, visiting friends, drinking whiskey, Skyline chili and generally eating great food. 

I am sure I am missing some of the other positive things in my life, but for now that will have to stand.