Comedian Mark Reedy likes finding absurdity in even the most ordinary of places, such as the grocery store.

“Everybody has to go to the grocery store,” Reedy says. “How many people stop and think of all the strange and unusual things that happen to them there, though? That’s what I do — I’m what you might call an observational comedian.”

Reedy will show his gift for turning even the most mundane of everyday events into full-fledged belly laughs at the Great Hall of the Memorial Union Friday night.

It will be his first appearance at Iowa State.

“We’re sponsoring Mark as part of ‘Cyked Up @ the Memorial Union,'” says Shu Tosaka, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies and member of the Student Union Board Performing Acts committee. “His act is a lot of fun.”

Reedy describes himself as a sort of a Renaissance man. He’s done a little bit of everything.

Growing up in Chicago, Reedy thought about becoming a teacher for the hearing impaired like his mother.

He decided that wasn’t for him, though, when people heard his jokes and began to tell him he might have a career in comedy.

Soon, a career in physical therapy beckoned. However, Reedy found laughter to be much more therapeutic.

“The next thing I tried was being a hair designer. I worked my way up to working as educator for Paul Mitchell products,” Reedy says.

“That was really where I discovered that comedy was what I wanted to do,” Reedy says. “When you have a person in your chair, they’re sort of a captive audience.”

Reedy says his clients were also honest and told him his nonstop tirades about everyday life were what kept them coming back to him.

Reedy says he took it as a sign and decided to follow his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.

That was 18 years ago, and Reedy hasn’t slowed down since.

Over the years, Reedy has appeared on Showtime, MTV, NBC and HBO, among others. He has also opened for other comedians such as Bernie Mac and D.L. Hughley.

Reedy says he also enjoys doing motivational speaking, and the world of corporate entertainment is another step in his wild climb up the comedy ladder.

He wants to give some of the encouragement he received back to those who need it most — the physically challenged, as a tribute to his mother’s hard work over the years.

Tosaka says what attracted the Student Union Board to Reedy was the fact that he promotes positive images in his act.

“He finds funny things in real-life situations, but at the same time he does it without having to put anyone down during his act,” Tosaka says. “We’re happy to have him here.”

Reedy says he is also looking forward to coming to Iowa State in February for another reason.

“It’s Black History Month — how appropriate is that? At least they didn’t book me on St. Patrick’s Day,” Reedy says.

“Not to offend anybody, but I could never figure out why the city of Chicago spends so much money to turn that river green each year. That’s its natural color.”