Bad day? Mad? Crazy People? Bunny can help.

Click to enlarge:

The patented 5-step process: How to Hug a Baby

Step 1: Find a baby

Mission accomplished!

Step 2: Verify that what you have found is indeed a baby: Employ classic sniffing techniques.

Yup, it's a baby!

Step 3: Be sure to flatten the baby before actually beginning the final hugging process.

Good work!

Step 4: Slide paws around baby in preparation for close-up (the 'paw slide').

Well done!

Step 5: Wait for a camera to appear. (If all previous steps have been performed accurately this is inevitable.) Perform the difficult and patented 'hug, smile, and lean' for best photo quality.

Love to you all!

Susan Austin photos of Jawaahir dance performance Sparkle

Susan Austin of Austin Images Photography took these photos of me and my fellow Jawaahir dance members recently (that's me in the first pic!) You can see many more on the Jawaahir Flickr page. And there is a short, fun documentary that was done about the making of this show, Sparkle.

Susan is a wonderful photographer—obviously!—in the Twin Cities area that we met through Twitter, where she is @SusanAustin.

Forced to move: 100% wind-powered music-animated Christmas lights raised over $10,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation—Richard Holdman’s Amazing Christmas Display

UPDATE! All the 2008 videos are now up.

Below in high-quality (click here if you have a slower connection)  is a selection of my favorite Christmas light displays synchronized to music, by the amazing Richard Holdman. Be sure to click the icon to the left of the word “vimeo” on each video to view it in high-quality full screen mode—it looks like this:

His 100% wind powered, computer-controlled display raised over $10,200 for The Make-a-Wish Foundation in 2007 (45,000 lights on a 176 channel controller) and for 2008 it has been moved and upgraded to 150,000 lights on a 215 channel controller. He started in 2006 with an 80-channel system.

2007 display before animation

Community forces display to move in 2008
Update ►2008 video “Frosty the Snowman” added at bottom!!


After the 2007 season, the gated community where Richard lives, by a vote of 13-11, decided to close the gates during Christmas to prevent the traffic that comes with the display. A number of people volunteered to host the display, and for 2008 the new location is 12 Denali Drive, Lindon, Utah, which is his parent’s house. It went up Dec 1 with one song to start. Video should be up by mid-December. They wrapped 20+ trees—some over 20 feet tall!

Richard provides answers to common questions about the display , has a video showing what he did, and and even some very helpful do-it-yourself videos. Below are some of my favorites from 2007, and the last video is from 2006, “Jingle Bells Techno”:

Carol of the Bells

Amazing Grace

Miracle on 34th Street

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Click here for ALL the videos from the 2007 display

2008 Video #1

One of my favorite actors, Kevin Spacey, on Inside the Actor's Studio

Kevin Spacey is possibly my favorite actor.

One of the things I love about him is that he doesn't watch dailies, and he chooses roles based on the story, irrespective of money, who else is involved, etc. He's an actor’s actor. He trusts what he is experiencing when he plays a role more than the words in the script and relies a lot on instinct and spontaneity.

Spacey has said in not watching dailies he has to trust the director, and that he has very rarely been let down.

Kevin Spacey: Impersonator?

Kevin is also a fabulous impersonator! If you just want to skip to the part where he shows what an incredible impersonator he is…skip to 1:30 in part 2 below. (He also does a great Christopher Walken & Walter Matthau in “Star Wars auditions”) Here is just a small sample of awards he has won:

• Two Oscars;
• A Tony;
• Four New York Film Critic’s awards;
• Two National Board of Review awards;
  
• An Olivier award;
• A London Critic’s Circle award;
  
• …and dozens more.

Part 1: Upbringing; road to Julliard;
Long Day’s Journey into Night
 

Part 2: Jack Lemmon; Standup Comedy; Impersonator!
As good with the Improv as the characters
 

Part 3: Mike Nichols; Lost in Yonkers; GlenGarry GlenRoss;
The Usual Suspects; The Oscar experience
 

Part 4: Choosing parts; dancing; directing; LA Confidential
 

Part 5: The Iceman Cometh; American Beauty
 

Part 6: The questionnaire, and Q&A with students
 

Tell someone the best thing you can about them today!

Ready to smile your biggest smile? A short film about the magic of validation in the form of a fable about the magic of free parking:

• Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, 
• Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, 
• Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, 
• Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, 
• Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, 
• Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, 
• Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, 
• Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.

Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis.
Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne

“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.” - Hafiz

If you haven't seen this video, watch it at least until the people start dancing with Matt. Or until the traditional dancers in India. Or heck, all the way through. Sure to bring a smile to your face!

And one more video that makes me smile, from zeFrank:

A touching story of love and loss: Do animals have feelings?

Here is a story making the rounds on the internet. If this touches you, you might want to visit the Angel Animals blog, read some of their books, or see other stories online. You can also follow @AngelAnimals on Twitter.

(When people say animals like dogs don't have feelings like humans, my husband likes to say that, no, they seem to have a better version than we do!) 

The story says “From Republic of Ukraine where the bird is interested quickly to save his wife. Millions of people cry after watching this picture in America and Europe:”

 

“Here his wife is injured and the condition is very appalling.”

“Here he brings her food and attend her with love and compassion.”

 

“Brings her food but shocked with her death and try to move her.”

 

“Stand beside her and scream saddened of her death.”

 

“Finally aware that she would not return to him and she departed him, stand beside her body with sad and sorrow.”

Flatulence, tumbling thoughts, and other strange and funny stuff from acround the internet

Ah, the internet! You never know what strange and funny things you will find. 

I post things as I find them at @Laughing_Improv on Twitter. But before we get to that, here's me on a morning radio show, making a fool of myself and causing my coworker to spit into his microphone.


Probably the most popular thing I've posted is the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator (If I was born to Sarah Palin, my name would have been: Copper Catfish Palin). But the greatest "laugh out loud" quotient (for people who use Twitter) has to be "No Twitter for Hitler:"

I think you'll also find it virtually impossible to keep from laughing at some of the lists of unusual quotes I've seen lately:

• "His flatulence reared up like a proud stallion... "
• "His thoughts tumbled in his head, making & breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
  

And here are a few more things that caught my eye recently:

The strange and the funny

• You never know what will happen when you start pleasing multiple women 
  
• Nursery Rhymes performed by popular bands ROFLMAO
• Cheating on Women is Dangerous
  
• 21st Century Excuses
  
• Why can't I find my page on this website?!
• Political candidate interview form
  
• Is anyone really surprised?
• Hidden dangers of cliched writing.
  
• Animals and humans: are we that different? 
• Embarassing sample of personal search history leaked
  
• I'd really like to see some alternative captions for this photo
• Pants?

Pics and Video

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist
Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans

We're #1!

... and a few quotes:

• God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh – Voltaire
• Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?
• You are hypnotized. Your screen is actually blank. I am waiting around the corner. Take a look. Return, and this will say: “Paranoid much?” ...
  
• Wiseass: My paper is late due to sexual exhaustion. Teacher: Learn to write with your other hand.
  

Cats and Kittens: Pictures, facts, videos, funny stuff and websites.

http://is.gd/2QJC
Here are some of my favorite recently discovered places about cats!

Our homegrrl sisters Stasha and Ruby practice night and day for the next Olympics (the power lounging event). My husband Dave is our resident photographer.

If you want to see more cool stuff about cats, I put up links as I find them (a few a week) on Twitter as @CatMom. Send me your links to share!

• The magical, mysterious cat purr 
  
• Do cats adapt to their owners? 
• Try this if your cat isn't feeling well
• Iris and Fern demonstrate how to assemble and decorate a Christmas tree 
• How can you not love the hidden kitten attack?
• Open wide and say ahhhh!
• Cute kittens -- the highest rated photos
• Too much time watching the humans watch TV (Can't you just see a little remote in that outstretched hand?)
• Cats 'n' Kittens virtual postcards (scroll down for photographic ones)
• Free PDF issue of I love cats magazine
• Cat TV! 
• The best of the cute!
• Attack!
• A new cat tale every week "What a good cat!"
• Fascinating cat facts 

... and a few quotes:

• All I know I learned from a cat: When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, nap. When you go to the vet, pee on your owner. 
• Climb your way to the top. That's why the drapes are there. 
  
• When your cat falls asleep on your lap and looks utterly content & adorable, you will suddenly have to go to the bathroom.
• I can't use Windows. My cat ate my mouse.
  
• You don't have to tell your cat you love it - it knows you do.

You might also like to read Understanding cats: the short course, or Do's, Don'ts, Tips and Worries for Cat Owners.

Stasha resting on a favorite pillow.

Ruby checking for twilight critters.


Lounging practice is essential when the
Olympics are never more than four years away!

 And of course, we must not ignore Ninja Cat!

Can You Heal Your Life? How?

You Can Heal Your Life was on the bestseller lists for 13 weeks. There is a movie about the book, and author Louise Hay. It shares insights into Louise's fascinating personal story; and shows how her views on self-esteem, abundance, and the metaphysical causes behind physical ailments were developed. It also reveals how she applied these concepts to her own emotional, spiritual, and professional life.

A number of luminaries in the fields of self-help, philosophy, health, spirituality, and New Thought join Louise, giving their take on success, happiness, and the myriad ways in which people can heal their own lives. And there are also gripping firsthand accounts from others who have been positively affected by Louise's work.

At the bottom, there is a trailer for the movie. First, here's a six-part interview with Greg Braden from the movie:

Trailer for the movie:

Wandrei-Tlusty Wedding Pics!

I had a great time dancing at the wedding of my friend and fellow Jawaahir company member Rebecca's wedding! (She: Wandrei He: Tlusty).

If you were there, send me some pics! Our camera died almost as soon as we got there, and all we got was a handful of photos before the battery died.

I'll update this with more details a little later, but here are my fellow dancers and a pic from my solo:

The meaning of life as seen through 11 thought-provoking, clever and funny commercials

Also don't miss A Jewish Mother’s 10-point guide to the Religious Philosophies of the world. Be sure to watch the advertising "disclaimer" at the end.

1. Best ad for
showing the meaning of life:
This character is from a popular video game,
where he beats, kills and robs people .. usually!

2. Worst ad for
showing the meaning of life:
The people in your life are there to love and learn from to become calmer, happier, better at working with others, etc.

3. Desire and attachment
to things cause problems:
Taking off from the previous ad .. okay ..
then ... is this what it's like without kids?

 

4. Copying others is not
a good long term plan:
You can get inspiration from others, but only discipline
and lots of your own work will bring you consistent success.

5. Creativity is
better with persistence:
There is a lot of creativity--and no special effects--
in this ad. It took 3 months of engineering
and filming 606 takes to complete.

6. Find a way to let people know
you care and amazing things can happen:
Also, music can uplift and bring people together!

7. Finding a purpose
makes life worth living:
If you watch to the end to see what's really going on,
you'll want to watch it over again:

 

8. To love others, learn to
understand and help them:
Is it love, or is it survival and self-interest? I say, love first,
see where it leads you! See the last video for more info about this product.

9. Pay attention! Unexpected
realizations are a key to spiritual growth:
No matter how hard you work, if you're
not mindful, you can miss even the most obvious clues.

10. Don't let others
define reality for you:
People who want to tell you what is true and what is not
usually don't have your best interests at heart. See the last video.

11. Sometimes love takes work:
Use whatever skills you have, with whatever time
you have to love someone more than yourself

Disclaimer about believing advertising!
Don't trust what you are told about products
regardless of how popular or common they are

Never criticize an architect for forgetting to let the cat in!

When cats live with humans, who owns who? Here's some photographic proof from the Katt-Trappa blog:

And a peek inside "The Cat's House"

Tough day?

My husband Dave is often one of the last people to get mad or frustrated at another person. He will say something like "There's no way to tell what they're going through."

Although he certainly does sometimes get frustrated, it's more common that he finds himself wondering what might actually be happening for that person that he has no way of knowing about and treats them with good will instead. (He usually denies he's as forgiving as I say he is, but the tougher things get, the more understanding he seems to get.) Here's a video that shows a similar viewpoint:

Add "under the sheets" to most sentences .. or videos!

They say if you add "under the sheets" to most sentences, it makes them funnier (Like "That's what she said!" from The Office). Just ask this cat (VERY safe for work):

Are you a Chimp, or a chump? Could YOU do this as well?

Animals often have more human-similar abilities than we expect, but this is frankly incredible!

Random numbered boxes appear, then the numbers disappear before you can clearly see which was where. Then you have to press each box in numbered sequence. Can you remember where the numbers were? Ayumu the chimp has no problem:



Can you do better?
 
You can test yourself vs. the Chimp here. Don't feel bad about your results. In tests, college students have lost to the chimp.

Incredible synchronicity: Movie "Born Free" frees another Lion. Handkerchief ready?

Received this from a friend who said "totally made me cry. . ."

Incredibly, right after the married couple who had just finished filming “Born Free” dropped into a furniture store looking for a desk, they ran into these two guys who had raised a lion and now didn't know what to do with it. (Born Free was a movie about the inspirational story of Elsa, the lioness who is reintroduced to the wild)

In 1969, Australians Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall lived in a hip section of London. Out of curiosity they went somewhere you could buy exotic animals (which wasn't unusual back then) and spotted a 35-pound lion cub in a small cage. It was born in a zoo and sold to a department store (!). Bourke and Rendall felt sorry for the cub and bought it inexpensively.

Inspired by the Bible and a sense of irony, Rendall and Bourke named the lion “Christian,” a name that became even more appropriate when the Vicar of the St. John’s Church, which called itself the “Church at the World’s End,” gave the young men permission to exercise Christian in the churchyard.

Rendall referred to the video below in describing the reunion. "You can see in that clip his body language," he said. "When he first starts seeing us, he's looking, looking. Is it us? Is it us? And then suddenly, he says, 'Right, this is them.' And down he comes. And there wasn't a moment that we ever doubted that it was going to be a wonderful greeting ... we never doubted it." 

But the video tells what you really need to know:

Today Show interview with Anthony and John (starts at 2:02):

 "It is pretty extraordinary footage and quite humbling. But it is sort of very beautiful, the response," Bourke told Vieira. "I suppose, 35 years later, to find that people are so fascinated by it and have so enjoyed it, is slightly overwhelming ... and all the comments on the YouTube site, they're so positive. It is marvelous that so many people are getting so much enjoyment out of it."

And here's the rest of the story ... (also see this longer story)

If you loved this, consider supporting the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust, as mentioned in the Today show interview.

Whew! It was hot today!

First dance class was canceled because of the heat, then I saw this:

Instant free do-it-yourself photoshopping with PhotoFunia and other online tools

Found a really fun "instant Photoshop" site: PhotoFunia! (Note: They recently moved from their old site at en.photofun.od.ua and upgraded their server to a Dell 1750 2xXeon 3.2GHz to handle all the traffic!)

Choose an effect and instantly modify the photo of your choice. 

See the example at left, where I put my cat on Paris' album. It took all of 5 seconds! Scroll down for more examples with our family photos. Other sites  such as Dumpr offer similar effects, but PhotoFunia is best! (Scroll down for ever more sites).

They have several dozen effects to try, and again, each of those shown on this page was created in just seconds with the automated tool at PhotoFunia. (If your photo needs a little adjusting first, try Improve Your Images -- quick and free.)

PhotoFunia even offers an ultra-large, ready for printing setting: just click on the "Save for Printing" option when your image is done processing. (They reserve the right to disable this option from time to time if traffic gets too heavy on their server.)

More free and cool one-click tools!

Then what? How about take your final image over to fd's Flickr Toys (most famous for their faux motivational poster tool) or Image Chef for some additional processing and then over to block posters to make a wall-size image from your regular printer!

I've already mentioned Dumpr, but did you know you can stretch your image like silly putty with Gooifier, or start with BeFunky's free cartoonizer (video version coming soon) or digital dieter and then use their free e-card or comic strip maker? Their cartoon avatar creator ("Uvatar") is also great! I like using the function to make my photo look like a sketch (in cartoonizer). You can even add their tools to your MySpace page (and similar sites).

Or heck, why not a free virtual makeover? You'll need a shot of someone with very short hair, or hair pulled back (take a new picture of yourself and try it!) but then this amazing site will take your image from nobody to celebrity!

If you want to make animated images or slideshows with effects, try Rock You or MixerCast. Some other fun and free tools out there:

• Put your image on the cover of a well-know magazine at Mag My Pic.
• Add a reflection to your image with reflection maker.
• Turn it into a Poloroid style image with Poloroid maker.
• Make a web-size image of yourself on a hundred dollar bill (and other simple effects)

Give it a try!

Here are the original photos I used, followed by some of the photoshopped versions. Those are our cats on the magazine and CD covers, Dave in giant posters, and an artist drawing me. Click any image to view larger.

Organize your photos with Pictomio
Pictomio is a very useful, fast and cool photo organizer/browser for your computer, similar to Adobe Bridge, but currently free for personal use. They're adding more features all the time too!


ther cool photoshop stuff

• Want to see how the pros do it? Check out these photoshopped pics of the week.
• Already using photoshop? Ever wonder so many images on the web look carefully crafted but still not finished?
• Also check out this nice collection of dozens of great free large background desktop vertical wallpapers for portrait monitors