smoke and mirrors » YouTube

He is the Reason

~m — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:25:58 +0000

It is about this time of the year that my spirit usually spirals seriously downward.
NIN downward.
Christmas commercials that are out of whack with reality and songs that say I should be happy do anything but depress the living shit out of me.
That said, I am fortunate and blessed although I don’t often realize that I am.
I have family.
I have three beautiful daughters that love me and are home on Christmas.
I can hug them and tell them that I love them.
I can cook delicious foods that we will all share.
I have friends that stop by on Christmas Eve to join in a celebration of the simplicity of love.
And yet I continue to bitch about anything and everything.
It takes a very special friend to tell you that you are a total Holiday tool.
And I am.
Why I am the Grinch that I pretend to be sometimes eludes me.
Maybe it’s easier being Grinchy than happy.
Or maybe I have to look at the true meaning of the holiday.
This video touched my inner core.
I cried and had goosebumps all over my body.
He is the Reason for the season.
The sooner I truly accept that in my heart, the better off I will be, I guess.
Seems I have already accepted.
That didn’t take long . . .

ps. Thanks to my friend GerryM for the video link!

Happy Halloween 2011

~m — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:59:19 +0000

I would be remiss in not posting for this crazy holiday after dressing up my blog for the holiday.
Here is one of my absolute favorite 3 Stooges videos.
It has been edited in a way that is not to my liking but it’s still pretty good.
Scary? Nah.
Funny? Yah . . .
Be sure to floss and brush your toofers tomorrow night!
Boooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bacon

~m — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:27:55 +0000

I needed a laugh today and got one from Klaatu42 at Youtube.
He does some of the funniest animal videos and I would love to see just how he does them someday.
Speaking of the post title, I overheard this at lunch today:
“Instead of wrapping bin Laden in linen, we should have wrapped him in bacon and tossed his sorry ass overboard.”
Bacon-wrapped bin Laden?
Meh.
I think I’ll pass, thanks.
Enjoy the laugh, peeps.
~m

Roxanne

~m — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:03:23 +0000

My wife would never consider this particular name for a daughter of ours.
For some reason I love it.
Check out this performance by Sting.
Although he may be a prick, the boy can seriously sing.
His vocal range makes me want to kill him.
Not much in the way of substance here but wanted to let people know that
I am still alive. [and writing]
Peace.
Out.

Happy Halloween

~m — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:54:59 +0000

I am still alive and well at Smoke and Mirrors and I have read every single comment left here.
I sincerely thank all of you.
If I could spend more time here I would.
But . . .
I wanted to dress the blog up for Halloween, so there ya go.
Yours truly is well and one day away from a week off.
I will be around the house next week *cooking, raking, reading ,writing and getting this house of mine ready for
Old Man Winter.
(*a roasted leg of lamb is on the menu)
This post would not be complete without a creep-your-junk-out video.
I saw this years ago and thought it was very strange.
Watch and get yourself a bag or three of goosebumps.
The Faces of Belmez. <<<—[Wiki Page]
Creepy?
You be the judge . . . or not.
The computerized voice in the video makes it almost ‘ClockWork Orange-like’ . . .
BOO!

Rachmaninoff

~m — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:54:22 +0000

I’ve played piano for 40+ years and one thing that’s always
pissed me up the wall is the size of my hands.
They’re incredibly small and very unlike Sergei Rachmaninoff, Dave Brubeck, Ray Garland,
McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, George Gershwin and Charles Ives. (and I love them all)
These guys have gorilla sized hands.

Palm a basketball?
No problem.
Palm a watermelon?
Easy.
Hand me that piano?
No worries.
Play a chord with more notes than the fingers on two hands?
Got more ivory?

To try and play a Garland or Gershwin tune you need about 800mgs of ibuprofen an hour
before playing so you don’t cramp up too much.
I’m serious.
Chopin?
Small and fast hands, the little bastard.
He was a magician and quite the sex fiend from what I hear.
Russian hands and Roman fingers.

I saw this video a while back and forgot all about it.
Tonight I am tickled pink to post it.
Interesting though that to play the Charles Ives ‘Concord Sonata’ you need several pieces of wood
cut to specific sizes and weights in order to play the piece.
I guess his hands weren’t big enough.
Enjoy this amazing and funny video.
I love it from a musical standpoint as well as a comedic statement.
This is Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor with much added levity.

“Small hands. But only hands small.”
I like this guy.
Alot.

Malarky Monday 25.4

~m — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:00:23 +0000

Welcome back to Malarky Monday!
It’s a new week and a fresh post of hi-jinx and mayhem.
My female cat, Opus, has gone MIA so with that in mind I found a few pictures
that may offer some clue as to where she may be.
Yeah, she’s gone undercover for the cat Mafia.
I can just feel it.
After your visit here, please head on over to my partners in crime:

Moe
Morky
Dilligaf

Here’s one way for a cat to infiltrate the high security
bunny compound at Easter time . . .

Is there such a thing as an Easter Lemur?
I didn’t think so.
I got a chuckle out of the picture though.
Little guy needs some eye shadow . . .

Last but certainly not least, Opus may be in the middle of a vicious turf war.
Nah . . .

Happy Malarky Monday folks!

MaLaRkY MoNdAy 24

~m — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:57 +0000

Malarky Monday =
the one day of the week me and my blogging freaks/friends try and make you
laugh, spit, giggle and hopefully pass a bit of coffee out your nose.
Actually, all we really want is a smile.
You are not done until you visit my fellows in hijinx.
Links will follow!
This week I have some favorite clips.
They’re not long but damn they’re funny.
If you have some YouTube stuff or some zany webpage that you think I haven’t seen, email me
and I will put your name in lights.
(*translation, you will get some linky-love, or a mention if you don’t have a blog)

First up, a product infomercial gone horribly wrong.
Epic FAIL!

I hate used car salesmen so I really enjoyed this clip.
Almost too much.

Last up, a short vid from ‘The Kids in the Hall’, a comedy show years ahead of its time.
Sadly defunct now.
This video deals with the abuse of a particular word in the workplace.
A classic, tbs (to be sure)
I ascertained the fact that you should watch this . . .

Now, go and visit my fellow hucksters!
And get more coffee!
They won’t disappoint.
I promise.
HaPpY MaLaRkY MoNdAy!

Moe
Mark
Dilligaf

I always cry at Christmas

~m — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:49:41 +0000

I have followed Richard Page for almost his entire career.
From ‘Pages’ and ‘Mr. Mister’ to all the background vocals he’s done over the years.
Who is Richard Page?
You have heard him before.
Trust me.
Click here.
Click here.
Click here.
An amazing musician that never got the recognition I think he truly deserved.
Such is the fickle nature of the music business.
Please enjoy his holiday offering.
The deeper message of this song far surpasses all the 70% off Xmas sales at ‘Walmart’ and ‘Macy’s’
This is yuletide warmth, cubed.
And yeah, I always cry at Christmas . . .

Lovefield

~m — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:21:08 +0000

Something for everyone with this video.
Watch it even if you hate horror flicks.
You will be rewarded at the end.
And somebody, please kill that damn crow . . .