Friday, December 30, 2011

A great big grab bag of goodness :)

Few words (saving those for tomorrow, after the kids and I do our annual year end review and year ahead planning lunch).

Instead, for tonight, here are some wonderful tidbits I have found and been sent recently ... OK, a whole big bunch of them! Feel free to pick and choose - but I loved them all ... enjoy :)


This exquisite short film (6 minutes), about a cross-country team honouring their coach, was sent to me today by Tash Baycroft.

ESPN: The Finish Line 2 - Short Feature from Evolve Digital Cinema / IMG on Vimeo.




These gorgeous moon shots were shared by Vanessa Runs...


Beautiful lesson in meditating anytime anywhere instantly 
... shared by Linda Ryersee (2 min)



Dilbert is AWESOME!



Shared by Joseph Beckett ... (5min)



Shared by Sherry Matson ...




"Fishing with John" ... the most bizarre fishing show ever ... 
shared by Alex Richardson (5min)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_with_john



From Laura Paulo...




Sorry about the invective, but I actually love the energy and philosophy... (3min)




Posted by Sharon Lem ...



Shared by Amanda Woodman ... (2min)




Posted by Jeremy Burningham ... (5min)



From www.thebloggess.com ... posted by Karen Johnston Waite


Today I turn 38.

Marc Davis' concept painting for Disney
37 was a hard year, but a good year.  It was a year of hospital beds and wheelchairs, of worry and mental illness, of fear and more fear.  It was also a year of being ridiculous and silly, of finding drugs that helped more than hurt, of laughter and finding my tribe, and of being furiously happy and stepping out onto shaky  limbs I never dreamed I’d reach.
I got this print last week.  It’s the concept art from The Haunted Mansion.  The girl in the final version they used looks very different – wan and bereft and abandoned.  But this one was peculiarly contrary.  It was perfect.  When I saw it in the shop I knew I had to have it because it was the first time I saw a painting that seemed so perfectly “me.”
Victor stared at me, baffled, and pointed out how wrong that seemed.  ”It’s a girl on a frayed tightrope about to fall into the mouth of an alligator.  That’s pretty fucking bleak even for you.”
But that’s not what I see.
I see a girl intent on enjoying the sun while it still shines, smiling vehemently,  indignantly, and entirely celebrating a shining perfect moment even as alligators swim underneath.  Victor said she seemed oblivious, but she’s not.  She knows the alligator is there.
The alligators are always there.
They remind her to smile and enjoy those perfect moments whenever they arise, because life without fear is not a life fully appreciated.  She smiles – not because she’s unaware of the alligators – but because she’s aware of them and because she knows how wonderful it feels when they release their jaws from your ankles.
If you look online you’ll find a lot of critics who claim that the original tight-rope walker’s too-open eyes suggest that she’s just bat-shit crazy…too numb with fear to even understand the danger.  Her mind has snapped, and now teeters slowly, detached from reality.  I can’t argue with that, because that fits with my personality a bit too comfortably as well, but I still prefer to see what I see…a girl who has won a battle.  A girl who appreciates those moments between maulings.  A girl who knows all too well the dangers and pain around her but who has made a conscious and complete decision to be furiously happy in spite of it all.
A girl who knows how to wield a parasol like a fucking ninja.
I see me.  Proudly.
Happy birthday, me.
Look out, below.

I forget where I found this but the mom's laughter is the best thing ever!
(1min)



Forget who shared this but it is great ...




The words to this song are truly magnificent ... (6min)




Clips from various Spartan Races (Sprint, Super, Beast, Death Race) ... (4min)

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