Share |
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Laughter: The Great Leveler

These pictures were floating around email for a while. My good friend with a goofy sense of humor sent them to me, and I all but forgot about it until last night when for some reason it popped into my head. Take a look, have a good hump-day laugh (it's Wednesday and a lot of these pictures are accidental humping photos), and let me know what you think.

By the way, the aforementioned friend is someone I've known since childhood (different from the friend mentioned in my recent blog, The Road Less Traveled). We always bonded over our shared sense of humor; enjoying the stupid and silly things in life. He loves the movie Kingpin, which you should check out if you haven't already seen it and you like crude poop and fart jokes and can handle some gnarly inferred sex scenes (you'll understand when you see it). Funny thing is, we have very different views on life now - he's a politically conservative, semi-judgmental Christian, Western Medical-model following, eat-anything-you-want-as-long-as-you-exercise type and I'm, well, not really those things. But I love him, and he compliments my way of life at the strangest times. Once he told me I'd be a great patient because I'm actually willing to change my lifestyle if my health and well being requires change. He's a doctor and told me that most of the patients he's seen a) want a pill to take care of their problems, and b) once they have said pill don't take it as directed anyway.

It's wonderful how laughter is the great leveler. Contrasting viewpoints, backgrounds, lifestyles and beliefs be damned! If something is mutually funny, the playing field is leveled and for as long as the laughter lasts, all of those differences melt away and there's just good old, roll around, side-splitting laughter.







In case you missed why this picture of the Queen is funny: Look closely, but cautiously, between the guy's legs, picture left of the Queen.







Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Laughter, Elation & Wonderment - The Up-Side of Releasing

I have a busy day today so this will be a quick one... We're filming more for the television show/documentary Marcus and I are creating/developing.

Recently Marcus facilitated a friend doing some releasing, or as I sometimes call it "release work."

If you've done this, you know what it's about. If you haven't, here it is in a nut shell.

Emotions, experiences, beliefs, fears, trauma, et cetera, are almost always carried in our bodies. They get released or vetted throughout our lives, especially in dreams and body work (if it's good, and usually intense body work), but from what I've seen, deliberate release usually helps really get it out.

Release work or releasing can be anything that I listed above, but to really get it out, it should be deliberate - crying, screaming, moaning, deep body work, tantrum-throwing. It basically looks like the girl from Exorcist but without the pea soup...

Or with the pea soup.

Almost anything goes. Almost.

It sounds pretty nasty and intense, no?

Well here's the good news and I'm sure I'll write more about it in a future blog...


Every time I've experienced it, witnessed it or facilitated it...the release work always ends with laughter and/or elation and/or wonderment.

Why? Who the fuck knows for sure. Well, maybe some shaman or gurus or holy men/women out there know. Me, I think it's because underneath all of that crap (I know I should love it but it feels like crap!) is laughter, elation and wonderment.

I'm sure all that thrashing around releases endorphins and whatnot, but it seems to me that a sort of popping takes place that sort of releases all of the tension (or in the case of Ms. Exorcist, pea soup).

Hopefully, this will encourage anyone hesitant or afraid of what they might experience or discover if they let themselves really get into releasing their demons, skeletons or whatever else they're afraid of releasing and unleashing.

Have lots of pillows, good quality water (natural spring water or high-ph water is best), and one or two experienced facilitators with you. Trust me. These essentials are non-negotiable.

Last time I really did this, I experienced all three...

Laughter, Elation & Wonderment.

I also fell in awe or more familiarly, in love with myself. Not as narcissism, but as wonderment.

Another benefit to having facilitators - witnesses. I have witnesses.

Let me know how it goes.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

These books are made for laughing


 Follow 
StrandMusic on Twitter

My blog the other day about laughter and television got me to thinking about my favorite funny books.

At times being a voracious reader, and at other times taking a sabbatical from reading, I admit that I sometimes forget books that I loved when I read them. In retrospect, I wish I'd kept a complete list as it's own journal, separate from my regular journals, dedicated solely to books read.

Alas, I'll just have to go off memory.

One of my favorite things is to take one of these funny books on a plane ride. I do enjoy a good movie on a plane, but if I'm into a really good book on a flight, time moves much more quickly. (I think it was Einstein's incomplete last law of time and space: Clever and funny book reading on a plane makes time and space move faster and leg room appear a few inches greater...)

  • Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. The movie starring Tom Hanks made the titular character of this book a household name, but the book is hilarious. Similar in many respects, different in others - the Forrest in the book is still hero, but slightly more...of a screw-up or something, but no less lovable. It's been years since I read this book, but I remember laughing aloud on several instances. I passed it on to my father who tells the story of reading it one night while my Mother was sleeping next to him, and he was laughing so hard he had to leave the bedroom to avoid waking her up. He went and cried (laughing) in the bathroom. (Note: This is the second story of my father crying in the bathroom in because of me - the first was the day of my birth - relief I was okay; the second - Forrest Gump. Those who know my Dad have a great image in this - retired football coach whose stature is as big as his heart crying in the bathroom of a hospital in relief that his first born child is alive and well, and crying in the bathroom of the home he built so as not to wake his sleeping wife. Sums my father up very well.)
  • Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. Any book where the title makes you chuckle to yourself is likely worth looking into. This book does not disappoint from the title. Entertaining, clever, and a bit of a journey, I laughed, quoted passages to friends, and cried at the end (we all know how it ends, right?). Moore spins a tale of a missing disciple from the bible, Biff, who gets resurrected so that he can write his gospel. He was, after all, Christ's best friend. From fornicating so he can tell Joshua (another interpretation of Christ's supposed name) about it, to composing the sermon on the mount and leaving out "dumb-fucks," as one of the groups who receive something, i.e., "The kingdom of heaven," this book is pure adventure, pure hilarity, pure delight. Well done, Christopher Moore! (Warning: If you're easily offended or sensitive about the "facts" of the bible, you may not like this book but it may expand your horizons so I suggest you read it no matter what your religious persuasion.... Who the heck am I kidding? You wouldn't be reading my blog if you were a thumping bible-belter, would you?)
  • Dave Barry's Guide to Guys, by Dave Barry. It has been over ten years since I read this book. Writing this blog actually reminds me to go back and check it out when I need a little literary pick-me-up. What I do recall is meeting this girl Brooke at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan while she was sitting on the floor laughing and reading this book. Or maybe my Mom met her for me. I don't remember, but she turned me on to Dave Barry, who, while simple and relatively easy to read, is also quite amusing. Unlike Moore, Barry isn't necessarily weaving an adventure, but he never fails to amuse. This book stands out in his collection for me, though I haven't read everything he's written. Probably a good summertime, sipping lemonade on the front-porch-rocker read. 
  • The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. Don't let the book-turned movie thing of this book or Forrest Gump dissuade you. There is more to the story than what the movie shows in both instances. This is one of my favorite books, without a doubt. I've given it away several times and I always replenish my copy. Goldman is a brilliant writer, and the characters get even more attention in the book - you get more background on Fezzik, Inigo Montoya (You killed my father, now prepare to die...) and his relationship with his father, as well as more interaction between Buttercup and Westley during their brief courtship - an amusing and heartwarming section of the book in it's own right. This is a great book for road trips, as I've read it aloud with people and they're always amused (much like Columbo's grandson, the Wonder Years kid, from the movie.) Of all the books on my list, this is an absolute, must-read!
That's it for today. If I think of more, I'll let you know and if you have any recommendations for me, please share.

Go, laugh - be it by plane, train, automobile, book or tv show. Bring a friend, too. Laughter is almost always better in droves.


 Follow 
StrandMusic on Twitter

More Interesting Katie Strand World Posts
New Music
&
Posts 
at
Katie Strand 
Music

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Laughter every day keeps the doctor away


Follow 
StrandMusic on Twitter
 

Yesterday I spontaneous said, "laughter for happiness is like flour for bread."

Get it? You can't have happiness without laughter, you can't have bread without flour.

Whether it's gluten-free, spelt, whole wheat, unbleached, white or rye, you can't really make bread without flour. It's not the only ingredient, but it is the most essential.

As many of you already know, laughter and health are as intrinsically linked as laughter and happiness, but now we have medical proof.

Several studies done by The University of Maryland Medical Center found that people who'd suffered from heart attacks tended to laugh less at life than people who did not suffer from heart attacks.
The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease. University of Maryland - Laughter is "Best Medicine" for Your Heart
 Also, laughter contributes to increased blood flow and healthier blood vessels:
Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow. University of Maryland - Laughter helps blood vessels function better
Here's a video that sites the University of Maryland studies:



Obviously having a healthy heart, blood and blood vessels are essential for overall health, but have you ever talked to someone on heart medication or blood thinners? It does not sound like fun. So along with your healthy diet, make a point to laugh at least once per day. Laughter lowers stress. According to another study used funny movies as the trigger to see how it affected their subjects. Check it out:

Arterial compliance was improved for a full 24 hours after subjects watched a funny movie," said lead researcher Jun Sugawara. "Laughing is likely not the complete solution to a healthy heart, but it appears to contribute to positive effects. Medical News Today: Laugh A Little To Help Protect Heart, Lower Blood Pressure
So if nothing in your life is striking you as particularly funny, you can help the process along through television and movies.

My personal favorites, most of which are available on DVD, netflix or reruns if you have DVR.

Television:
  • Chappelle's Show and Dave Chappelle in general. The great thing about The Chappelle Show is that I can watch different episodes and skits over and over and still laugh even when I know most of the lines. Genius!
  • 30 Rock. I hate to overuse the word genius, but really...this show deserves it. Genius!
  • Arrested Development. If the family's dysfunction doesn't bother you too much, this show is brilliantly written, acted, directed and edited.
  • Better Off Ted. This is a relatively young show, being that it's only on the second season, but I laugh during every episode without fail. My favorite part is the "Veridian Dynamics" fake commercials. Hilarious!
  • The Simpsons. Good today, yesterday and tomorrow. Thanks, Simpsons, for being so reliably funny and smart.
  • Family Guy. Another solid animated show that always delivers. It is sometimes a little more déclassé than Simpsons, but I kinda like that.
  • South Park. This show goes where The Simpsons and Family Guy would only tread in the darkest of their dreams or deepest levels of their basements. As far as I'm concerned, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have serious cajónes.
  • My Name is Earl. I was a bit surprised that I like this show so much. But it's clever and I like the karma aspect. I just started watching it on netflix and appreciate that the episodes are commercial free (on netflix), about 21 minutes - so I can get a quick laugh fix in when I really need it.
  • I Love Lucy. Another one that's good today, yesterday and tomorrow. The on-camera chemistry between characters Lucy and Ricky is unparalleled in television. Also, Lucille Ball is one of the best physical comedians of all time. All time!
  • Seinfeld. There's a reason this show is still rerunning all over the place. "Festivus for the rest of us!"
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm. Warning! This show makes awkward and super-dry humor funny. Not for everyone, but those who it is for, love it.
  • The Office. Another awkward show. Ricky Gervais' performance is incredible. The man never breaks character. His stand-up is pretty great too.
For those of you into the old school comedies, try:
  • I Love Lucy. (see above)
  • Married With Children
  • The Golden Girls
  • Night Court
  • Taxi
  • Family Ties (How can liberal parents have a rebellious child? Easy. Give them a super-conservative son in the form of Alex P. Keaton. Nice move.)
  • The Carol Burnett Show Another brilliant cast. Love the way they interact and crack each other up. Also, Carol's Q&A with the audience is priceless!
  • The Honeymooners. While this isn't one of my absolute favorites, it is a nice, simple, classic comedy show with very cute and earnest players.
  • Cheers! From coach, to Sam, Woody and Norm. Great characters, great dialogue, great show.
That's enough for now. Write in the comments your favorite comedy-outlets, entertainment or otherwise and maybe I'll do a second Laughter blog.
    One last note. Marcus and I crack each other up at least once a day - it's my personal conviction that your significant other should be a source and sounding board for your laughter; at the very least you two should be able to laugh together at comedies or comedians - or for those rare couples who have very divergent humors, maybe you just support each other seeking comedy relief via your personal flavor of humor.


    A video for your viewing pleasure: The Landlord from Funny or Die. "I need to get my drink on."

    The Landlord from Will Ferrell



     Follow 
StrandMusic on Twitter

    More Interesting Katie Strand World Posts
    New Music
    &
    Posts 
    at
    Katie Strand 
    Music