 Mirkin started out as a stand @-@ up comedian in 1982 and performed across the United States , including at The Comedy Store , where he became a regular , and at The Improv . The first joke he used in his routine was , " Is it just me or has everybody been coughing up blood lately ? " Mirkin considers the joke to be " an insight into the way [ he writes ] . " Stand @-@ up comedy was the most profitable and easily accessible route Mirkin found into the comedy industry , but " it wasn 't a lifestyle that [ he ] particularly coveted , " especially due to the traveling required . 
