Third Conversation with Mehran

Mehran and I met again for the third time at our usual location of 1873. Every time we meet I am always nervous that I will not be able to think of things to talk about, but that is never the case.

            We began our conversation talking about how our fall breaks were. He said that he just stayed here, and that he attended the TCU and Iowa State football game. However, he did not stay at the game long because TCU was losing by so much. He literally left as soon as he saw the scoreboard and was there for only five minutes. I agreed that the TCU football game was disappointing, and I told him that it was just a bad weekend for football because my beloved Broncos also lost. I then asked Mehran what his plans were for the upcoming weekend, and he mentioned that he was going to going to the Fort Worth Zoo and to a haunted house for a fieldtrip. I told him that I was insanely jealous because I have not had opportunity to go on a fieldtrip since eighth grade. My school life now consists of lectures and books. Mehran laughed a little bit at this comment, and invited me to come to the zoo with his class on Friday. I told him that I unfortunately had class, but I was beyond tempted to skip my classes and go.

            Mehran then mentioned a program that he is involved with called Toastmasters and was shocked when I said that I had never heard of it before. Mehran told me about all of the activities the Toastmasters does, which includes discussion circles and presentations. He even told me a story about how he had to give a presentation the other day when his friend came into the meeting and started making funny faces at him. Mehran said he could not refrain from laughing and had to excuse himself in order to tell his friend to stop. I found this story humorous because everyone has at least one goofy friend. Mehran then showed me where Toastmasters meet, which is on the third floor of the BLUU. He also said that I should attend one of the meetings, which are every Wednesday from 12:00 to 12:50.

            I always enjoy our conversations because he always has such interesting stories to share. He is always so energetic about everything we talk about, and I cannot wait until we meet again.

Second Conversation with Mehran

Once again I met with Mehran at 1873; however, this time the conversation was primarily focused on Fall Break and dogs. We also exchanged funny stories, and many laughs. After all, it is hard to talk about school and work during midterms week.

            The conversation started with us talking about our Fall Break plans. Mehran said that he was planning on going to Las Vegas for Fall Break; however, he was not quite sure yet. I asked him if he was driving there, but then he looked at me as though I was crazy for even asking and explained that he would fly if anything. I then told him that I was planning on going home to see my family during in Colorado and then ranted about how amazing Colorado was for the next several minutes. I explained how it would actually look like fall in Colorado unlike in Texas because in Colorado the trees’ leaves turn orange and red, while in Texas the leaves just turn burn and fall off. I found it refreshing being able to explain Texas to someone else because usually Texans have to explain that sort of knowledge with me.

            I then mentioned how the thing that I was looking forward to the most by going home is seeing my dachshund puppies to save them from the horrendous costumes that my mother dresses them up in. To prove my point I showed him a picture of my two dogs dressed up as frogs with a TCU banner in the background. Mehran found this picture hilarious, and then mentioned how he had a German Shepard. He then pulled out his phone and showed me a video of his German Shepard and its white German Shepard friend playing on a bed. They were absolutely adorable, which made me laugh. I suppose animals are considered universally funny because the humor associated with them is so simple.

            I thoroughly enjoyed Mehran and my conversation this week because it was so laid back and easy to talk to him. I cannot wait until our next conversation, so I have the opportunity to get to know him better and catch-up with him after Fall Break.

A Few Bumps in the Road

            Everyone has heard the expression that it is the journey not the destination that matters in the end; however, this rarely applies to road trips. From the time I was practically born until I was in seventh grade I had the distinct pleasure of driving from Denver, Colorado to West Des Moines, Iowa. Therefore, I managed to connect with the short story “Vacation ‘58” by John Hughes because it exaggerated many of issues that arose during my family’s road trips, which made the story utterly absurd.

            The issues that the family encounters are humorous because the average person can relate to it. The family begins by preparing for the trip in almost every manner possible. The father makes sure that “the tire pressure was perfect,” and that the “AAA maps were organized;” despite all this preparation, the vacation is doomed to fail (260). This reminds me of every family trip my family has ever been on. My dad always obsessively plans out every detail of the trip, but it the end the planning hardly matters because some aspect goes astray for example a cancelled flight, a flat tire, or an outbreak of the flu.

However, the family’s misfortune in “Vacation ‘58” far exceeds anything that my family encountered; in fact, the ridiculousness of their bad luck makes the story humorous. Aunt Edythe dying was probably one of the most comical parts of the story. This is because the entire family is so cold about her death; they tie her to the roof of the car and leave her on Normie’s porch with a note attached. One would expect Aunt Edythe’s death to be a tragic event, but the family acts completely heartless. Therefore, the family’s response reflects the incongruity theory of humor because it goes against one’s expectations. As the story goes on it becomes more and more unbelievable. Somehow the family drives through a missile proving ground, and the father shoots Walt Disney.

Family vacations hardly ever go according to plan, especially road trips. Despite the countless efforts to make the trip go smoothly, a family generally hits a few bumps in the road. The family in “Vacation ‘58” just hit a few more extreme bumps than the average families making them appear crazy. However, it is important not to judge this family because ultimately every family is a little crazy.