The Oatmeal I’m referring to isn’t a breakfast cereal, HE is a web designer turned comic who was one of the speakers, along with local singer/songwriter Sarah Donner, at the TEDxPrincetonLibrarySalon: Humor event held at the Princeton Public Library earlier this month. The theme was comedy, and both delivered!
When I was told how excited people were to have The Oatmeal come to Princeton, I wondered why he was under my radar. I love comedy, and friends share with me funny things they find online. So why haven’t I discovered The Oatmeal until now? I don’t know, but I’m glad I found him. He has the unfiltered sense of humor of a college student. At one point during his performance I asked a friend “Did he just say that?” after I laughed so hard, almost in disbelief. And the funny thing is, I didn’t even find his humor offensive in any way.
His new book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth is a compilation of some of his funniest work online, plus 25 new comics, and a pull-out poster. If you purchase it directly from him, you received an autographed copy. If you’re a bargain hunter, you can enjoy the buying power of Amazon.com and get it there for less (unsigned, of course).
I first discovered Sarah Donner a.k.a. Catlady (guess how she got that nickname?) last year at the TEDxPrincetonLibraryWomen event, also held at the library. So, as you can imagine, any one with the moniker Catlady probably has an interesting sense of humor. She was quite funny, and a talented singer. Her album Typing is Dangerous has 12 soothing folk songs that are a great way to de-stress.
The Princeton Public Library keeps raising the bar. The programming is phenomenal, and at this TEDx event, each attendee received a swag bag consisting of a copy of 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth and Typing is Dangerous in a cloth shopping bag. All had the option to stay and have them personally signed, and The Oatmeal even drew comics in the books upon request. Awesome entertainment and an amazing swag bag all for $25! How cool is that? I can’t wait for the next TEDxPrincetonLibrary event!