Welcome to the Open Mike Blog where author and comic Mike Carlon shares reflections on life, liberty, and the pursuit of laughter. Sometimes the joke is on him.
Fatman and the Boy Blunder
CHalloween was one of my favorite holidays as a kid. I loved the fact that, for one day out of the year, I could pretend to be someone else. It's not that I didn't like who I was, but the idea that you could put on a mask and a cape and turn yourself into your...
The Daily Smile—Time Travel Dream
Have you ever had a really awesome dream and not want to wake up from it? I did last night. It was one of those dreams where after I woke up I was disappointed that I wasn't still in it. I traveled back in time to the 1980s and went back to my hometown of Plantation,...
The Daily Smile Day 9-Does it Count?
It's fair to say that this Easter is unlike any I can remember. Instead of heading to a church for mass, we watched a live stream on TV. To add to the realism, Nicole came in a few minutes late and Maggie showed up during the closing hymn. I decided to dress up with...
Pat Oates
Pat Oates is a comedian, author, podcaster and comedy advice writer. He has been performing stand-up comedy for over 12 years and has appeared on TLC's Extreme Cheapskates, E's Talk Soup, and The Anthony Cumia Show with Dave Landau. In this interview, Pat discusses...
The Daily Smile Day 8—The Rule of 3s
The sun was shining through the window of our bedroom this morning and I must say it was a very pleasant way to wake up. As I smiled at the warmth hitting my face, I heard the unmistakable sound of my dog Murphy coming up the stairs. He's been sleeping downstairs...
The Daily Smile Day 7—Holy Thursday
If we were in ordinary time (my fellow Catholics will see what I did there), tonight we'd be gathering as a community and celebrating mass for Holy Thursday, in which we recount The Last Supper. I know, it's a pretty heavy topic for something called The Daily Smile,...
The Daily Smile Day 6: Jimmy Buffett
sI've got more than just a touch of cabin fever and the only cure is...no, not more cowbell, but a little Jimmy Buffett. I'm a Florida boy at heart. While I've lived in the northeast a heck of a lot longer than I did in the land of my birth, every time I step off the...
The Daily Smile Day 5: Columbo
There have been many game changers in the police procedural genre. I remember when NYPD Blue debuted and it was so "edgy," what with the foul language and nudity that was so racy for network TV. Law and Order and its ripped from the headlines take on plot lines...
The Daily Smile Day 4: The Love Boat
I have a confession to make, I've never been on a cruise. When I lived in Florida, my mother and father took my older brother and sister on a cruise on a ship called The Flavia. Jimmy and I didn't care because we were afraid of anything that went on the open seas....