Interpersonal relationships are the spice of life.

Have you given any thought to routine things you do everyday, and their repurcussions? Like, opening doors, walking, etc? I do.

I try to play a game every now and then, for instance: Today I am a ninja, and will do everything silently and in fluent motions. Or, Today I am going to be a gentlemen, all the way to the hilt, not just holding doors for people, as I always do, but ceding the right of way to others, with a bow and a gesture. Or, Today, I am going to strike up a conversation with anyone I possibly can. Most days, I combine as many as I can.

The last two are my favorites. It’s fun to do, and it puts a smile on people’s faces. When they get into their cars, they are going to be less susceptible to road rage, so you’re actually performing a community service. Let’s be honest, dealing with other humans is a hassle. Some lady at a deli is making sandwiches all day long and it’s monotonous. She appreciates a chat about this, that, or the other thing. And you are going to get a few extra slices of meat and cheese for your effort. People are generous when in a good mood. I even got a nickname out of this habit from my local sandwhicheur, Mrs. Kim: she calls me Mr. Bank.

So I like to put people around me in a good mood. This can be done with a held door, a wink and a nod, or an unusual word in a sentence. I’ve found that using the word “Smashing!” delivers excellent results. People don’t hear that word, so it puts them off their guard, in a good way.

It costs nothing. It gets you some extra pastrami on your sandwich, and it cuts down on traffic accidents. Why wouldn’t you do this?

Lengthy Comedic analysis regarding Steve Colbert.

All this week, people have been saying “Sync, Sync, have you seen Colbert’s bit at the white house correspondent’s dinner?” The answer is yes. As a political junkie, I ALWAYS catch the white house correspondent’s dinner.

So, yeah, I saw it. And to be honest, it wasn’t that funny. I say this not from a political standpoint, but from a comedic standpoint. Colbert bombed hard. I’ve seen two bits from the dinner.

Bit #1: The better, and less funny one.

Bush steps up to the dais along with a Bush impersonator. Hackneyed right? The jokes are not really all that funny, but they get a few things right.

#1: Knowing your audience

The bit actually has some harsh jokes in it. Particularly the bit about Cheney shooting that lawyer. I wouldn’t have gone there, but who am I? The jokes are in no way as funny as the bits Colbert fired out, but they play better, because the joke writer knew his audience.

#2: They set up their jokes.

Granted, they did this in the opposite way, with the straight man (bush) explaining the joke afterward, which is usually comedic death, but in a dinner like this, it worked somehow. A bit awkward, but decent.

Now lets look at Colberts bit. Here it is, in three parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Ignore the third part, unless you want to delve into boredom. It’s just not funny. Watch the clips first, and then come back. I’ll wait.

Now that you have done that, lets deconstruct his bit. How did he manage to bomb, when he had so many funnier jokes than bush’s bit did?

#1: He has no concept of what his audience was.

He is sitting in front of a group of inebriated Washington insiders whose job it is to show a marginal amount of respect for politicians. And they have all been drinking. Look around the room, and count the wine glasses. He had a lit room and bombed, and here's why: His jokes were way too pointed, and way too harsh. I’m sure that when he and his team wrote these jokes, they were hilarious. But he wasn’t delivering the jokes to his staff. Bombing in a room that primed is hard. But he pulled it off.

#2: Set up your jokes properly!

He even acknowledges the importance of this step when he screws up once. It’s like he never even tried to set up his jokes. He just tells them. It’s like a Don Rickles bit, but he is not at a roast. It might seem like he is, but again, know thine audience. He comes off like a drunk, clinging to lampposts for support, rather than illumination. You really do have to inform your audience beforehand what the punchline is going to be.

#3: Timing.

Steve Martin said it best. The #1 rule of comedy is……wait….oh man…I totally know this…..it’s….uh……Timing! Colbert never sets up his jokes, so timing is practically irrelevant. He isn’t making jokes, so much as he is making statements of opinion. There are no riffs in his bit. He jost goes from line to non-connected line. You might think Don Rickles is a comedic hack, but you’d be wrong. He understood comedy well enough to tell his crowd they were retarded, and then got them to laugh at themselves. That is not an easy thing.

#4: Grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me, while telling me truth is not going to make me laugh.

This goes back to knowing your audience. Colbert is lecturing the audience. People don’t appreciate being told how hard they suck. He makes many truthful statements about Bush, and politics in general, but don’t expect them to thank you for it. If your job is to make people laugh, and that is indeed the entire reason Colbert was there, you should probably try to not break a bottle over their heads. He was not being a comedian, he was being a supervisor, and lets face it, we all hate our supes. Being someones boss isn't funny, especially when you violate fundamental laws of comedy.

And for the record, I saw Jon Stewart on Crossfire, and I thought he killed. Colbert should learn from his former boss.