Wisdom: Mitch Hedberg

Etsy

Are you familiar with Mitch Hedberg? He's one of favorite comedians, and I'm so bummed that he's not around to continue with his humor. I have a few of his cd's and they play randomly on my ipod. It's such a jolt to go from a song to one of his stand up bits like this:

No matter how many times I've heard his jokes, they always make me laugh. Something about them is so satisfying. I went through a big stand up comedy phase around nine years ago. I devoured all the specials I could find on tv, and I desperately wanted to go see some live performances but at that age I just couldn't afford it. If only youtube was around, I would have spent too many hours watching all the stand up clips I could find. I remember when, in high school, I realized I could find stand up on napster (yes, I said napster). Who did I download first? Well, Bill Cosby of course.

One thing about comedians that I really admire is the way they analyze the world around them. I like to joke that I'm a bit pattern obsessed, and I am, and I think it makes for interesting observations of my day to day interactions. When I watch stand up, I notice that the comedians I most enjoy are the ones who comment on those daily interactions and notice the quirkiness in some of our patterns.

Do you have any comedians you can't get enough of? I'm always on the lookout for more laughter, send 'em over!

Guilty Pleasure

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love pictures and videos of cute animals. I do. There is almost nothing in the world that makes me laugh so hard. It used to embarrass me, and I would try to understand why, oh why, I giggle uncontrollably and then cry like a baby whenever I watch them. They lift my spirits and distract me 100% from my current thought process. They are such a guilty pleasure.

Dylan knows me so well, and is such a great guy, that he has a miniature treasure trove of adorable animal pictures stored on his phone that he sends to me whenever I'm having a bad day. He recently sent me the rain frog video above, and if it doesn't make you smile then move along. Just move along. If it does make you smile, then hello my friend, and welcome to a safe space to be completely yourself about cute critters.

I will say that the stranger the creature, the more likely I am to become infatuated with it. I watch the occasional cat and dog videos and chuckle here and there at photos of puppies and kittens, but it is the unusual animals that really get me.

Have you seen the tiny iguana's out there?

And, one of my all time favorites is the elephant. I adore itty bitty creatures and gentle giants equally.

No matter how I'm feeling, these pictures and videos offer me temporary escape from my worries and quandaries of the day, and for that I am grateful.

(images found on pinterest and google)

Wisdom: The Doctor

See what I mean? Lovely things to be heard on Dr. Who. I love the visual of a 'pile of good things and bad things'. 

Wisdom: The Doctor

I really identify with this quote. Sometimes I try to be more realistic and less hopeful, but that just brings me down. I think my natural state is just to believe the best will happen, and work towards that ideal. Sometimes it works in my favor, other times I feel like a fool, but I rather like being a dreamer now and again. 

Wisdom: The Doctor

This makes me think. It's so true. Life is so much more faceted than we are led to believe. But, without the darkness, would you appreciate the light?

I have to say, I have many days where I just despise being an adult. The responsibility can make me so anxious and stressed. But the responsibility is just one side effect. I have to remember to savor all those crazy, wonderful days spent how ever I chose with whomever I like.

I used to drive to work and get a little smattering of joy from thinking that I could just take a different exit and drive to Monterey, that the only thing in my way was my sincere desire to see my students. I never did it, but I could! That always made me smile.

Wisdom: The Doctor

I'm always trying to find new tv shows to watch streaming on netflix. We don't have a traditional tv setup, but a common hulu and netflix combo. We recently started watching Dr. Who, mostly because we love the show Community and they poke fun at Dr. Who quite a bit. I love it. 

Both shows are very goofy and strange. Dr. Who is especially quirky. But not as quirky as the people who adore the show. Whoa. I love fandoms, little social niches, and this show seems to have quite the following, just check out tumblr or pinterest. 

I'm not quite there yet...but The Doctor says some interesting stuff.

Soccer

Do you watch soccer? We are big soccer fans here, I am mostly by proxy. I do enjoy watching the sport, though I honestly love anything where a crowd cheers in unison for a joined purpose. I love the hope and the dismay of sporting events, the way the crowd reacts together and laughs together. The feeling of anxiety as you sit on the literal edge of your hardly cozy seats, weather be damned, waiting for the score to lean in your teams favor, and when it does, oh when it does, I do stand proud, pound my fist into the air and high five anyone around that feels the same way, and usually that is a lot of high fives.

This year,