Christmas Kitsch

This is the extent of my decorating so far. It's enough. I love me some kitsch!

Where can I get one of those tiny trombones?

Bookish

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Monday's not so bad...

from cuteanimals.org, via Jezebel.

She's ba-ack!

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Persistence

Sensible Election Video

I know the title of this post sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true.



And tomorrow we vote!

Major Big Props

When I was in 9th grade, my parents, who were maybe getting divorced but kind of not really, but then again, maybe they were...sent me to a small (380 kids) Catholic high school. I had exactly two friends. One was a cool, smart, funny girl I had done ballet lessons with for years. She was nothing but friendly to me, but she had other friends, having gone to school with those guys for years. And we didn't have that many classes together. The other friend was another nice girl who was not at all my type and we probably would not have been friends except for the fact that we had both transferred in and didn't have any other friends and our lockers were close to each other. Also? It was ninth grade. Ninth grade is hard, no matter where you are socially. And then there was gym class.

Gym class at this Catholic school was "old school" gym. We had to do a billion jumping jacks and 25 push-ups every day, from the beginning. I was picked last for everything except basketball, because I was tall -- even though I promised the pickers that I was not very good at basketball (they got mad when they saw my "mad skills"). The teacher, of course, was a man with a pornstache who thought he was more appealing to teenage girls than he really was (or had any right to be). He was of the "Humiliate your pupils" school of thought. And he made us do dance routines. After all the popular and middling popular and not really popular kids had grouped up, I was left on a team with the nice girl I didn't have much in common with and two totally awkward guys from her old school*. And the gym teacher made us do our dance routine to FOOTLOOSE. And it was awful, truly awful, but we had to do it FOR A GRADE. There was never a room full of teenagers that was as wretchedly quiet as that gym, when the last note of "Footloose" played from our boombox.

SO! All of this sad, sad saga was merely to explain why this next video makes me almost drunk with happiness.



*PS: I do realize the irony of *me* calling my fellow students awkward...
PPS: By 11th grade, I finally convinced my parents to let me go to a large public school, where I found my tribe. And was good at Lifetime Sports.

This Makes Me So Very Happy

So warm and real and reasonable.

{kvelling}

What's in Your Happy Box?

These are the contents of my treasure box. Plastic doo-dads, shiny things, shells, ribbons & buttons, worry dolls, etc. I take this out when I need a little happiness or inspiration. Nothing is worth more than a couple of dollars, but these items give me comfort. sigh.

Turn that Frown Upside Down

No, seriously, I'm not speaking figuratively. I mean it...

Pez is Happiness. Happiness is Pez.

Who doesn't like pez? Now you can choose your favorite Elvis to dispense that oh-so-delicious Pez Candy. This kit came with the apropos cola flavored candy. I'm partial to the 1960's Elvis myself (center), but there's always something to be said for that white jumpsuit. Available from www.candywarehouse.com

p.s. thanks for the prod no. 1

All's Fair

I didn't make it to any state fairs this year. And summer came and went. However, I did stumble upon this slice of Americana. It'll have to do!

Minnesota State Fair on Flickr.

(good job, Mykl Roventine)

Are you happy?

Hay, BeezerFriends: it has come to the attention of management that only one of us has done any posting of late.

Management is concerned that her beezer com-madres might not be happy. If so, try the blog cure! Looking for happy things is happifying!

Management realizes her beezer com-madres might also be all kinds of happy. Happy, happy, happy. Overflowing with happiness. So happy, they don't have time or need to check this little blog. If so, share the wealth! Spill a little bit of that up in here. Hear?

Itty Bitty Bit o' Sweet

Man-o-man. This makes me wish I were a woodland gnome. So I could hang with my homies.

I don't care if he is a Sekrit Scientologist

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Will Smith is a good sport.

I'm rather font of this one...

What's your favorite font?

So Happy Together

This video might be a little slow to capture your attention but man-o-man it's jam-packed with all kinds of happy. Seriously. Sit down, take a minute, and enjoy.

D'accord?

Is there anything cuter than little kids speaking a different language?
Now *I* want some candy. Under a desk. In footie pajamas.

Bar snacks for beezers?

These sound so tasty. And yet...I'm afraid!

I'll have what she's having...

Just because we can, we do.

(I tried to link to the original source of this photo

but couldn't find it on Flick'r.)

This takes the cake...

"Pooh," he said, "Christopher Robin is giving a party."

"Oh!" said Pooh. And then seeing that Owl expected him to say something else,

he said,"Will there be those little cake things with pink sugar icing?"

Credit for the image and pairing it with this quote goes to Flickr member Chotda. Thank you, Chotda! (If you say it like a rock star, it's more fun.) We beezers really appreciate when other people share their cups o' happy with the world.

Hungry for fun?

The Ultimate BFF

Just need someone to talk to? hang out with? A good friend is never far away!

(from a facebook bumper sticker)

If dogs ran the world, there would be no war...*

Willie Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane is not your average candidate. He tells no lies, doesn't cheat on taxes, and the only thing he's ever stolen is a soup bone. Willie Bean, a Labrador Retriever, is running for Mayor of Fairhope, Alabama. And he's not even the first dog to have political aspirations! Read all about it.

(Photo's from the AP.)

* Maybe a lot of begging and bum sniffing, but no nukes!

Sometimes I want to be little again.

Minichefs at a Peruvian cuisine class in Lima.

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Super Bun!

A quick-thinking, thunder-pawed rabbit in Melbourne, Australia saved its owners from a fiery fate by raising a ruckus to alert them to the danger.

To the cabbage patch...and beyond!

Acres of Cakes

Wowie, wow, wow! Flickr has a cupcake photo pool! Several, actually.

I only get to eat cupcakes a couple times a year because my family members are not big cake eaters (I know, crazy, right?). So I take every chance I can to admire them: even looking at cupcakes makes me happy.

(The cupcakes pictured here were done by a Miami shop called Cupcakes Nouveau.)

Feisty

The original video for this song is great fun, but everything's better with muppets.



Also -- love those chickens just back from the shore!

Perseverance

This is from a series, and man-o-man do I love this segment! It's long, but worth it.

Lost your mojo?

Well run dry?

These guys have the answer.

Creativity on tap.

Happy Independence Day!

And then there were four...

Well, hey! The happiness pub was getting a little lonely, so without further adieu, I'm pleased to introduce Beezer Numero Quatre. She's hip, she's fly, she's the apple of my eye. And she's oh-so-good at finding awesome bandwith. Raise your mugs to b.n.q. -- this round's on me!

-- b.n.1

Who, Me?

Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a traveling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage.

The animals were back at the circus later Monday after being rounded up by police and circus workers with the assistance of dogs.

Suffering from Saturday night fever?

Why not get your svenska groove on?

For those not-so-spring-chicken days...

A monday Morning tall, foamy mug...

That'll Do, Pig. That'll Do.

um...thank you, magic fortune cookie

Walking on Sunshine

Not so happy, eh?

This orta do the trick.

Plenty Papaya

Everyone Knows It's Windy

Look at all the pictures

Animation by artist Jeff Scher.

Likey! Likey! Likey!

This artist seems to be hitting the happiness tap quite regularly.
Her Flick'r name is oh-anne.
If I had a real name for her, I'd give her credit!

Favorite Things

Colorful file folders make me happy.

What are your favorite office supply indulgences?

What's New With You?

TGIF

Dogs Gone Wild!

Presidential Thumb Wars

Who needs CNN when you can host your own digital (har har) presidential debate?

Spring=hope

My Lego Bin is Fine, Benny Lava!

This looks like fun!

Iconic Photos Recreated with Legos

Didn't your progeny do lego videos, Beezer Number 3?

A small thing, a big difference

I realized today that I now delete newsletters like Publishers Lunch and Publishers Weekly unread without giving it a second thought. You wouldn't think this is a big deal (ha ha), but it has been. I'm happier, more light-hearted. For me in this case, ignorance really is bliss.

Try not to smile!

And don't you dare dance in your ergonomic office chair!

Frozen in Grand Central Station

My loony bun is fine, Benny Lava!

Tawny Scrawny Lion

Don't be alarmed! This is heartwarming. And that's not a word I toss around lightly...

Photobooth Tangent

American Photobooth

I love those old photobooth pictures! Such interesting, funny and touching portraits have been taken since its invention. My favorite is this one of my mom and dad, which I recently discovered in a box of books. It fell out of a paperback copy of "The Little Prince".
A new book is out on the history of the American Photobooth, by Näkki Goranin (W. W. Norton, 2008) . I can't wait to read it.

Here is a fun website filled with photobooth photos:
http://squareamerica.com/pb1.htm

Why buy expensive toys?

What was your favorite toy?

I had a few...but always have had fond memories of my Chatty Kathy doll with the little plastic records that slid into her side...or so I thought. After a little internet snooping, it turns out I actually had a "Charmin' Chatty" doll, Kathy's younger cousin.

You guys realize the cute kids posts won't stop until you start posting, don't you?

Hey, Jude

I love a kid with focus.


Asian Baby Sings Hey Jude - Watch more free videos

Cholly!

This kid is such a good-natured, tolerant big brother. Check out the range of expressions that cross his face! Little Charlie looks like a 40-year old man, doesn't he? Like on of the minor characters on Four Weddings and Funeral, name escaping me...

Snarky Snark

Some days I feel pretty, oh so pretty...and some days I feel something that rhymes with twitchy. Gawker is a snarkalicious remedy. It recaps and recasts current events and tabloid news in terms that make even a sarcastic snark like me feel mild-mannered and easy-going.

WhatEVer!

Having one of those days?

With a name like Big Happy Funhouse...

...it's got to be good. Interesting old pictures, funny captions (scroll over the pics to see them).

Big Happy Funhouse

Diversionary Tactics

It's not like I need more time wasters in my life...but I do find that a round or too of a strategy game helps me re-focus when I'm in a writing rut. And I'm pretty much over minesweeper, spider solitaire, and hearts. It's not a new phenomenon but it's new to me: Chain Factor

Okay, it took a few tries to figure it out. I'm still having doh! moments when I realize out simple strategies that I've missed a lot of times. But the music and clicking sounds are soothing and clearing the board of dots is really satisfying to a clutterbug like me.

--Flora

Try not to smile