My teddy bear companion when I was little was Grizzly. He was a small, simple bear, nose missing, but I cuddled him most nights as a kid. When I was older and got a puppy, the first night it stayed with us, it whimpered. I assumed he was missing his brothers and sisters. I decided to give Grizzly to the puppy; it snuggled right up next to him and the whimpering stopped. The dog slept next to Grizzly for its whole life. I named the dog Grizzly, too; it was a weird name for a Pomeranian. But for a kid, or a Pomeranian, a teddy bear can be a lot of comfort.

I went into comedy because my teaching career was going okay, and I got sick, so I decided to re-prioritise my life and start doing things I'd always wanted to do, but was putting off. Thankfully, this was before Breaking Bad. If I'd seen that show I might have tried something else instead. I didn't take the Heisenberg path, I took a more Whoopi Goldberg one.

The last time I laughed really hard was when I heard a little kid swear loudly at the shops. When he got in trouble, he exclaimed to his Dad: "Oh! So it's all right when Mum does it!" I laughed, I saw the Dad smile, and file it away for the next time he forgets to put the bins out. Good kid.

A great weekend involves lamingtons and cups of tea. Is it possible to be angry while you're eating a lamington? They placate people. You might start a lamington angry, but you won't be by the end. It's impossible, like whistling after a dry Weet-Bix. But my tip for surviving any high-pressure situation is taking a big plate of lamingtons along. Trust me.

Jay Sullivan performs Comedy for Stuffed Animals at Civic Pub on November 4-5 to raise money for The Smith Family's charity Christmas appeal. Every ticket sold will buy a stuffed toy for a child for Christmas. 8 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Tuesday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 5, at 8pm. Tickets $20. Bookings on comedyact.com.au/gigs