Josh Blue

Some of you may not know who Josh Blue is. He is a famous stand up comedian who makes fun of himself and his disability, Cerebral Palsy. I've known Josh for about 9 years now, since he was a student at The Evergreen State College. At the time, he needed my help with voice recognition software in the computer center and his dorm room. As a man with Cerebral Palsy, it is difficult for him to use his hands and arms to type, so he used his voice to write his papers through college. While at Evergreen, he started doing stand up comedy and really enjoyed it. He graduated in 2001.

Over five years later, I saw him perform in Seattle and got to spend a little time with him after the show. He won Last Comic Standing on NBC in 2007 so now my friend is 'famous.' It is much harder to reach him because his 'people' take care of most of his communication.

This week I got to see him perform both in Kirkland on Saturday and at Evergreen on Monday. I was invited to attend an alumni reception for him on Saturday before his show. My friend John and I went to the reception and I actually got some time to visit with him. I held his plate for him while we got ourselves some dinner. He was cracking me up because his use of tongs isn't any better than a keyboard, so we dropped a lot of food on the buffet table and floor. :) (As a side note, oyster shooters were served throughout the night and I finally got up the nerve to try one, or two. They aren't anything I'd want to order, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...)


Then on Monday, he came to my office to see me and I wasn't there! So, I ended up using tickets I'd purchased for someone else who couldn't go. I had a great time! Josh and I got another chance to visit after the show. He sure has matured since he was a college student - and next month he's going to be a daddy!