01.21.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:59 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Here’s a fun read from the Great Lakes Film Association’s Spotlight Newsletter. If you want to receive their updates on what’s going on in the Erie, PA region, please email them at mailinglist@greatlakesfilm.org This issue has a lot of fun and funny visuals! Including this one:
…You Might Be An Erie Native If
by T.R. Septaric
There are some things that Erie natives have picked up over the years. Here are just a few of the ways to tell if you are a TRUE Erie native.
1) If you walk into an out-of-town restaurant and order a Greek Dog and the waitress asks you what that is…you might be an Erie native!
2) If you go outside in a tee shirt in 45 degree weather…you might be an Erie native!
3) If you can see four Country Fairs within a few blocks of each other…you might be an Erie native!
4) If you can see a football, basketball and hockey game in one weekend, in the same building…you might be an Erie native!
5) If you pay an extra $9 to fish down the street from your house…you might be an Erie
native!
6) If you drive to another state to save money on milk or gas…you might be an Erie native!
7) If you watch a Detroit Tiger baseball game and say “I saw him play at the Uht last year”…you might be an Erie native!
8) If you’ve driven a friend into Erie and had to try to explain the smoke stack outside of the library…you might be an Erie native!
9) If you know what a Seawolf or a Bay Hawk is…you might be an Erie native!
10) If you STILL use the Boston Store clock to tell time…you may be an Erie native!
11) If you still call Dobbin’s Landing the Public Dock…you may be an Erie native!
12) If you spend an entire summer looking for an open beach on Presque Isle…only to find one the last day of the season…you might be an Erie native!
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01.20.09
Posted in Humor attitude at 12:14 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
You have probably seen the inaugural events today in Washington, D.C. Probably heard the talk about “reaching across the aisle” and “working together” with the new president.
I’m here to tell you–don’t do it!
From a comedy standpoint, we need to see the other perspective. We need to digress from the status quo. We need to question things.
If we can’t do that onstage, we are merely reciting poetry or making a speech.
If we can’t do that in our daily lives, we are merely following orders.
Let this new president represent a new era.
An era of awareness.
An era of critical reflection.
An era where we improve our creativity.
An era of cutting edge comedy.
Let’s go, and “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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01.19.09
Posted in Humor attitude, Humor~Creativity at 6:58 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
I was looking at an old videotape of my sister’s wedding back in the 90’s. The 1990’s–not in her 90’s. What struck me were the images I saw. Not just the schlocky dresses, really bad hairstyles, and cliche music (and I was one of the musicians, too).
What struck me most were the stern faces–not just of the bride and groom, but especially of the rest of us in the bridal party. It smacked of perfectionism–or a really valiant attempt at it.
I had forgotten that I played the guitar at the beginning of the ceremony. As the singer went on and on in “Through The Eyes of Love,” my eyes were glued to the music on the music stand. I’m not sure whether I was deep in thought, or whether my jaw was wired shut.
There was no frivolity in this wedding. Oh, no! We were very serious about playing this music! The soloist never cracked a smile, neither did the bridesmaids. But why? Because we were so intent on doing everything perfectly!
We didn’t want to miss our cue to come into the sanctuary. We didn’t want to play a wrong note. We certainly didn’t want to trip and fall. Above all, we did not want to look stupid. And you know what? We looked stupid! Completely inexpressive, and very, very frightened. And we weren’t even the ones getting married!
We were focused on the very things we did not want: wrong notes. Tripping. Falling. Looking stupid. Being laughed at. And those fears and worries were reflected on our faces.
Research shows that people who try to appear perfect achieve the opposite of their goal. That is, they do not gain authority or respect from their peers or employees. Instead, everyone is just waiting for them to slip up. Maybe they themselves are waiting for that, too.
The feedback loop continues ’round and ’round–the fear of it happening makes us brace ourselves. Then we appear aloof, afraid, unfriendly and unapproachable. And we look very, very bad in pictures.
All this can turn around when you, “Get Your SHINE Together!” and lighten up. We will never be perfect, even though we try perfectly to achieve that goal. But we will always be human. Imperfect. And that is always a good look!
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01.18.09
Posted in Humor~General at 8:11 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
This week’s Comedy Around The World segment is going…to…THE SUPER BOWL! Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers for making yet another trip to the Super Bowl! I am too distracted to write anything coherent here today. I know, you are thinking, how is that different from any of these blog entries? Did you catch Rod Woodson on the post-game show? Check him out on my Photo Gallery here on www.yourshiningexample.com And Tunch as always, was doing the radio broadcast today. He’s there too on Photo Gallery. Go now, and celebrate! And don’t forget to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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01.17.09
Posted in Humor~General at 9:12 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Good Luck to The Dark Knight in the Oscar race. The Dark Knight was the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time! Here I am with Eric Roberts, on the set of the upcoming Shannon’s Rainbow. Eric played a bad guy in The Dark Knight. If you see Eric today, wish him luck!
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01.16.09
Posted in Humor~Business, Humor~Social Media, Humor~Technology at 9:48 am by Dr. Trina Hess
http://twitterhandbook.com/blog/category/twitter-in-education/
Check out the above link and video–using Twitter in educational settings.
Having a sense of humor actually helps us to be more techno-savvy. And, using new technology is like stand-up comedy, believe it or not. A comic has the task of making you laugh, but also has the following tasks to accomplish before, during, and/or after a show:
* Being unafraid of the unknown. Comedy audiences may or may not like your material. They may laugh or not. But your belief in your ideas and your courage in presenting them will give you your answer.
–All new technology is unknown. We might not understand how to use it, explain it to someone else, or even where to plug it into the wall. But by being unafraid, we are at least willing to give it a try.
* Being truthful. All comedy (that is actually funny) is based on the truth. Then we build, stretch, maim, and mangle our way to the punch-line.
–Likewise, all technology is truthful. It is metal, it is plastic, it is just–there. We have to also be truthful about our uses for it. Whether we like it or not, we need to use certain technologies for our business, our hobbies, our progress in this life. To lie to ourselves about that fact only hurts us.
* Being able to make mistakes. If one joke doesn’t get a laugh, I don’t just pretend I never said it, or run off the stage. I say, “If you think that was bad, wait ’til you hear this one…”
–Similarly, technology requires that we roll with the punches. Look at today’s world, and the fact that few people have spelling skills. And even more people don’t seem to care that no one has those skills. We are rolling with the punches, tossed about by the waves–and we had better enjoy it. Because no one can be smart enough, energized enough to keep up with each new minute addition to our technological world. Sometimes we’re required to learn about things on the fly. Just as sometimes we’re required to respond to a heckler.
Technology is here to stay–or to be replaced by a newer model. But keep your sense of humor about it. Be comfortable with the ambiguity. Anything can happen. Trust that it might just be something very, very good. And continue to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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01.15.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:30 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
You’ve read a lot here about tips on using humor, tips on comedy, show news, entertaining and humorous travel stories, and interesting photography from both my real life as well as from the life of “Sample Photos” on Windows XP.
Now you have the opportunity to read more humor articles on EzineArticles.com For example: my most recent article, ”The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Humor in the Workplace” - has been accepted and published on EzineArticles.com:
http://EzineArticles.com/?id=1877331 It should appear within 48 hours.
I also have earned Expert Author status:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trina_Hess
RSS Feed is also available there, as well as here on my website. If you would like updates, please subscribe.
And as always, I welcome your input, ideas, humorous stories and of course compliments. Thanks again for supporting live comedy, and for bringing more humor to your life. Please continue to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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01.14.09
Posted in Humor~General at 6:28 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Thanks again for your support of www.yourshiningexample.com and for helping everyone to, “Get Your SHINE Together!” We have just passed the 400 links to the site! Great job!
Here’s more good news: Check out my bio page on the EzineArticles.com site and look for more informative and entertaining articles I’ll be posting there.
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Trina_Hess
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01.13.09
Posted in Humor attitude, Humor~Health & Goals at 12:25 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
I asked my chiropractor today about the snapping noises I heard in my neck. Maybe it was a good sign, since I had done a lot of stretching exercises for my neck.
But, she said, “It could be either good or bad.” What?
“It could be a good sign, in that things are moving in the neck area. But it could also be a sign that the joints above or below are locked and not moving properly.” (That is a paraphrase; after I heard that it could be bad, I stopped listening to many more details.)
So it is with humor. (And yes, I know that on this blog, most everything is like humor.) It can also be either good or bad.
The Good:
* Humor can expose our blind spots.
If your workplace offers a light-hearted atmosphere, people will feel freer to joke about anything. And most humor starts with truth.
* Humor can improve morale.
Especially when people start by putting the joke on themselves. As a leader, you can be a role model of taking yourself and your mistakes lightly. Then others will feel more free to risk, experiment, and be creative.
* Humor can alleviate stress that builds up during the day.
Humor offers us a physiological release of tension. We gain lots of healthful benefits from laughing, and from just thinking about funny things (without the accompanying loud guffaws).
The Bad:
* Humor can be a license to let our negative feelings run amok.
Sarcasm is a brilliant cover for some of our baser attitudes. Make sure you recognize your motives before speaking sarcastically.
* Humor may let us get carried away.
You may mis-read the leeway you have been given. Maybe your humor reveals some inside information you weren’t supposed to expose. The fun environment that humor engenders can be a very drastic change from our mundane existence. We may not adequately evaluate our responses.
* Humor can be like those locked joints on either side, putting pressure, pain, and unpleasantness on the person who’s not “in” on the joke.
Better to use situational humor so that everyone can have fun laughing at a shared circumstance.
By realizing our motives, we can better assess and capitalize on our humor abilities. With better humor-mobility, everyone can become healthier, happier, and can, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
Here’s some Good News: We’ve just passed the 300 links to this site! Thanks again to everyone for supporting live comedy, for supporting www.yourshiningexample.com and for helping everyone to, “Get Your SHINE Together!” See you soon!
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01.12.09
Posted in Humor~General at 6:47 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Just passed the 200 links to this site! Thank you everyone for getting the word out about, “Get Your SHINE Together!” and www.yourshiningexample.com And as always, I am glad to hear your comments, stories, ideas, humor, etc. Just write info@yourshiningexample.com and in the subject line please include this phrase: “Blog Comments” so I’ll be sure to get the message through the spam filter!
We all know how depressing the news has been. Whether it’s the economy, the war (which one?), the weather, or something in your own personal world, we are becoming filled with doom. One way to counter this feeling is through humor. Another way is to check out something from my friend Tim Piccirillo. He offers another natural way to fight depression.
You can find out more at http://www.enddepressionnaturally.com/
His tips will help you, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
Thanks again!
Trina Hess
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