Have more FUN SPIRIT this year.

New Year Dog by mphoenix

I’m re-inventing my blog this year. Over time it’s fallen by the wayside. I originally wrote about how to have fun, or how fun is good for your mind and health. Eventually I ran out of ideas. I wasn’t having fun. (Well I was having SOME fun, but not enough for me to have ideas to tell you how to have fun.)

This year the blog will just be anything fun – in any and all of it forms. After all, sometimes fun isn’t about laughter or being silly. For me, lots of times it’s about having time to read a book, or learn a new skill or even bargain shop at the local flea market. (I’ve gotten some unusual things that way!)

Also – what’s fun for me may not be fun for you. Thanks Gretchen for that tidbit of wisdom. So I’m just going to write about my fun. What I know. If you know of other, better ideas – share them. Most of us want to have fun, but sometimes we run out of ideas. That’s why we need this blog. So we never lose that FUN SPIRIT. J

Here’s some fun ideas I’ve heard others doing lately that sound good but I haven’t gotten around to:

• Baking cookies. YUM! Or cupcakes or brownies too!
• Getting a massage. Haven’t had one yet, always make up the time or money excuse, but man this is one I need to do. A coworker came back from a one-day spa day and looked VERY relaxed upon her return. Oh yeah.
• Seeing a play or musical. This is something I’ve been more interested in lately as my tastes have changed. To hear the live music and the bright costumes would be cool. How about the Wizard of Oz?
• Amusement parks and rollercoasters. It’s winter, so most of my parks are closed. But I lived in FL for almost 20 years and they were open all year. I miss going. Hello Disney World!

Some fun ordinary things I’ve done lately:

• Taken a walk at the park in the sun. This was a big deal for me since it’s been a cold winter before winter even officially began. The sun and warm tempatures was a nice change – even if only for a day.
• Read “The Magician – The secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel”. This is book 2 in a series. Has everything you need – immortals, monsters, super powers, danger and a quest to save the world. Book 2 in a series.
• Played my new Wii. I finally got one for Christmas. I like the idea of being able to pop in and out of a game for 15 minutes or 30 minutes at a time. This way I don’t have to complete every level or collect every hidden item. Just play for a while and have fun.
• Watched Despicable Me again. I like animated movies, and this one was fun. I don’t know what it is about those funny little minions, but they are just too cute. Of course any movie that includes a freeze ray, shrink ray and octopus gun has to be good.
• Falling off my balance ball. I got a fitness ball for Christmas, and was surprised to find that even simple looking moves are much harder than I thought. The amazing thing is that I had so much fun laughing at myself for not being able to keep my balance that I kept trying the exercise again and again. (Note – the same thing originally happened when I tried to learn to juggle. Some things are too much fun to mess up just once.)

This year, let’s all invest more in our FUN SPIRIT. Let’s have fun, and share that fun with others. Perhaps we’ll find common interests, or explore a new interest. Let’s try hard to make sure we relax, unwind, laugh, smile and enjoy our life more. A worthy goal for anyone.

Book Review: Breathless

Picture by Chocolate Geek

Puzzle and Riddle. There two enchanting creatures are the main reason why I liked this book. As a huge Dean Koontz fan, this was the latest book on my list. I am continually intrigued and captivated by the ideas and characters Koontz presents.

Breathless will leave you just that – holding your breath in anticipation of the next chapter, the next unique synchronous event to boggle your mind and stretch your imagination farther than it’s gone before. Although it may be a bit disjointed and rambling at times, if you love to stretch your brain into areas of the unknown and unusual, this story will deliver. Chaos theory, evolution, and glow-in-the dark pigs await.

His love and adoration for the canine species pops up again with Merlin, a gentle and good-natured Irish wolfhound, who with his master Grady Adams discover an unusual pair of animals unlike anything seen before. The playfulness, beauty and features of Puzzle and Riddle will captivate you and have you pondering the beauty and variety of life on planet Earth.

Grady requests the help of veterinarian Dr. Camillia Rivers to identify these eccentric creatures. Meanwhile synchronicity brings seemingly unrelated events together. In Las Vegas the casinos are visited by a card counter of a most unusual nature. Dr. Lamar Woolsey, mathematician and physics professor uses his knowledge of cards to give great gifts. A disfigured vagrant begins a strange journey into the unknown, following signs only he can see. Violent psychopath Henry Rouvroy hunts down his identical twin to steal his identity. Elsewhere a law-breaking lawyer sets up the murder of his own family.

With his fast paced story telling, Koontz reveals intriguing characters bit by bit. They can be both innocently charming and hideously evil. He weaves together story lines and characters so vastly different and divergent you are left contemplating their connection with each other and the unpredictability of life.

While this may not have been Koontz’s best work, it was none the less an interesting and enjoyable read. Unlike many authors, Koontz leaves you with unanswered questions, things for you to ponder and think about. And that is what I love best about Dean Koontz – how he makes you think.

Humor Month is Time for Fun!

Picture by hilmandale

As some of you know, April is National Humor Month. Just in case you haven’t found the time to enjoy this national celebration, here are a few ideas to help you cram a month full of fun into 1 ½ weeks!

First, you must stop by the great National Humor Month web site. Try some of their free downloads. I recommend 30 Days, 30 Ways if you need a humor lift. You can also try many of the ideas from their Classroom Tools list. This handy little brochure has lots of tips for teachers and students, but many, if not all can be used by anyone who wants to practice and enjoy the benefits of humor.

Read some children’s poetry and books. For riotous rhyming poems that will have you rolling on the floor laughing, visit Kenn Nesbitt’s Poetry for Kids web site. This fun-filled stop encourages children to try their hand at poetry and is full of playful, mischievous poems that you will love to repeat again and again. Today my favorites are “My Car is Constructed of Pickles,” and “A Rock Makes an Excellent Puppy.” Kenn Nesbitt’s whimsical style is great fun that shouldn’t be missed.

Here are a few other ideas:

• Tell a joke.
• Watch a funny movie.
• Say a tongue twister. “Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gabbling goblins.”
• Practice different laughs. Snicker, chuckle, chortle, giggle, guffaw, hee-hee.
• Share your favorite TV commercials. One of my favorites right now is the Ice cream and cake song. “Ice cream and cake, ice cream and cake. . .” The best part is the toy T-Rex dinosaur with bunny ears on.
• Sing your favorite happy song. “Don’t Worry be Happy.”
• Listen to comedians on CD. Bill Cosby can still crack me up.
• Read some comic strips in the newspaper.

While looking for the Ice cream and cake video, I found that Baskin-Robbins updates it for the holidays. Here's the Easter one (note T-Rex's bunny ears.)

Here's the Halloween version. . .

Spring is here - ejnoy it!

Here is a funny little video I found on You Tube about a hyperactive little lady bug. He must have had a touch of cabin fever. Makes you want to pay more attention next time you're outside.

Wacky Fun.

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Pictures by jane_sanders

I used to love the old Saturday morning cartoon Wacky Races. You would think that week after week of watching cars race each other would get old after a while, but it never did. First of all you had all the amazing teams (including the cool cars.) The purple menace of Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Mean Machine. There’s the elegant beauty of Penelope Pitstop in her pink Compact Pussycat. Or the inventive Professor Pat Pending in his Convert-a-car.

You can’t forget the rest of a great cast; The Slag Brothers in the Bouldermobile, The Ant Hill Mob in the Bulletproof Bomb, The Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe, Peter Perfect in the Turbo Terrific, Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chuggabug, Red Max in the Crimson Haybailer, Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly in the Army Surplus Special, and Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth in the Buzzwagon.

Re-watching this now as an adult I enjoy it just as much as before. I love the silly but inventive ways that the teams trick, cheat, and speed their way to the finish line. You never knew who would have a sneaky trick up their sleeve (except for Dick Dastardly – the name says it all.) Some of the special features were fun and clever, like Dragon Power in the Creepy Coupe, or the Ant Hill mob shooting out the tires of their opponent.

Week after week the cars raced across mountains, deserts, through cities and around various “shortcuts’ other drivers added to the course. There were land mines from Sergeant Blast, cars sawed in half by Rufus Ruffcut, and scientist Pat Pending could transform his car into boat or plane as needed.

Life-size working versions of these cartoon cars were made for the UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed every year until 2008. They have now completed the entire set. How cool is that? Head down nostalgia lane and purchase yourself a copy of this fun TV show on DVD. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Easter!

Spring colors are blooming everywhere!

Hope the Easter Bunny brings you the perfect treat!

Fun Things for Fall.

Fall picture by George E. Norkus

Fall has arrived with all the fun it always brings – colorful changing leaves, cool, crisp nights, Halloween, and hot chocolate with marshmallows. But this year, I wanted to think of a few different things to appreciate about the season. Here are a few ideas:

1. Candy bars don’t melt in the hot car on the way home from the store.
2. Entertainment – ever watch someone raking up leaves on a windy day?
3. Cozy firelight. Something about a warm, crackling fire just says contentment and comfort.
4. Singing in your car. Finally a chance to roll up your windows and belting out your favorite tunes without hurting the sensitive ears of other drivers.
5. No more pests. Bees, mosquitoes, snakes and other creepy-crawlies go away for awhile.
6. Apples! Apple pie, applesauce, apple cider, apple butter, and of course – an ordinary apple. Yum!
7. Bulky sweaters. They’re colorful, bright, and great at hiding the flaws of our not-always-perfect figures.
8. Quieter Saturdays once the lawnmower is retired for the season.
9. Sunday is for Football!
10. Romance time. Snuggling under the covers for warmth leads into something more.
11. New TV shows. The end of summer re-runs and a return of old favorites.
12. After the exciting fireworks of multi-colored leaves, you get to crunch-crunch-crunch them under your feet as you walk. I don’t know why it’s so fun, but it is.
13. Being outside all day long and not getting sweaty.
14. Pretending to be someone else for a day. Isn’t Halloween great?
15. Smelling cedar and pine in the chimney smoke.

What are your favorites?