Staying Present in Saskatoon

Funny Man Jody Peters

Not only did I check out The Great Plains Comedy Festival last night, I snagged the headlining act!

Actually, it was a set-up. The Calories manager must have taken pity on me  for having to dine alone at his restaurant the other night because shortly after that, he called up a drinking buddy… and the next thing I knew I was on a date with what must be the only black comic in Saskatoon – a sweet coup, if I do say so myself.

And it wasn’t your typical date either. Before show-time, the Comic (a.k.a Jody Peters) and I went out for dinner. Well, I ate. He picked at his food (he was a little too anxious to eat – understandable). Afterwards, we swung by the festival’s all-star jam, took in some prairie comedy, he excused himself, hit the stage, nailed it and we carried on with our date. All in all, his performance was a fairly minor interruption in our evening.

I have to say he’s a great guy. He’s funny, but he’s not always “on” like some comedians can be. Plus, he’s really quite a progressive thinker (he took a nice swipe at redneck homophobia during his set). And he seems to sincerely want to settle down with a woman and have another kid (he’s got a five-year-old son from a previous relationship). He’s also creatively full-filled, straightforward, sweet and genuinely interested in me. Basically, on paper, he’s pretty much what I’m looking for.

But, as much as I enjoyed his company, I couldn’t really give him my full attention. See, my mind is on somebody else I dated out west. Suffice to say, I really have to let that go and stay in the present moment if I’m going to give my next 50 or so dates a fair shake. 

Thankfully, I never leave home without a copy of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Deepak, work your magic.