What Gives You Joy?

Can you remember back when you were a kid? For the first ten years of my life, I grew up really poor. But, I truly never thought of myself as being part of a poor family. I has no idea what that even meant. It wasn't even something that I thought about. Life was what it was and I found joy in the simple things that most of us often take for granted.

Without even thinking about it, I knew that I didn't need "stuff" to make me happy.

And I swear, just like this film, it wasn't toys that gave me and my siblings the most joy, it was those stupid boxes that the toys came in that created the most happiness for us. As long as we knew we were loved, expensive toys weren't that important. Simple boxes gave us all of the joy we needed.


The Adventures of a Cardboard Box from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

Love Someone

The Inventor

According to the filmmaker, Benjamin Gibson, - earlier this year I proposed an idea to my 92 year-old neighbor and life-long inventor to shoot a short film documenting many of the inventions he's created throughout his life.

Nervous at the idea that many of his un-patented inventions may be compromised, Carl opened up to me in a much different way than I had originally intended, sharing his inspirations and the philosophy behind his life-long passion of creating - to help his fellow man.

The "Old School" generation, you've got to love them. They know what's important in life.


The Inventor from bzgibson on Vimeo.

Voice Over | A Short Film

According to an ABC News blog: Tell Me The Truth, Doctor, Dr. Richard Besser says that it’s hard to imagine someone getting to adulthood without experiencing the pain of a broken heart.

It’s all part of living life and forming relationships. As painful as these experiences were, with a little bit of time, I got over them. Most people do. But on this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to answer a question I’ve been asked: Is it really possible to die from broken heart? Unfortunately, it is.

There is actually something called broken heart syndrome, the name for sudden heart failure that comes on after emotional trauma. It was first recognized by Japanese doctors in the 1990s who named it takotsubo cardiomyopathy after noting a resemblance between a Japanese octopus trap, a takotsubo, and the shape of the affected heart on X-ray.

And there are many stressors that can trigger this unfortunate syndrome later in life, most of them occurring during a period of time when you may need your heart to perform at it's maximum capacity.

So, all I have to say is - that when given the chance to prevent this type of cardiomyopathy and avoid this condition, make sure to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves early in your life. But then again, don't just take my word for it. See for yourself.


VOICE OVER (English subtitles) from Kamel Films on Vimeo.

Happy Valentine's Day

Just promoting people to be themselves and express their love however they see fit. But remember, STIs don't discriminate. Make sure to cover up before sharing the love this Valentine's Day.


The Queen from Christina Choe on Vimeo.

Sixto Rodriguez | Sugar Man

If you haven't seen the documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, then you are missing, what I think, is not only the best documentary of 2012, but the best film of the year.

Searching for Sugar Man is a 2012 Swedish/British documentary detailing the efforts of two Cape Town, South Africa fans, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, to find out if the rumored death of American musician Rodriguez was true, and, if not, to discover what had become of him. Little did they know how difficult their search would become.

Rodriguez's music, which never took off in the United States, had become wildly popular in South Africa, but because of Apartheid, very little was known about him there. Rodriguez was considered "Bigger than the Beatles" in South Africa, but in America, no one ever heard of him or his music.

If you love a movie with a great story line, especially an almost unbelievable one, and an inspiring and uplifting one, then you'll love this true story. Sixto truly deserves what happens to him in this film.

But what I really love and admire about this documentary is the man himself, Sixto Rodriguez. He's the epitome of what I call "an honest man", someone who's fully embraced the cynic lifestyle for the freedom it allows. He could even be considered the Diogenes of Detroit.

And he's a great father. I especially love the fantastic job he's done in raising his beautiful daughters to become successful citizens, irrespective of not having any money. The film shows how much they love and admire him.

The director of the documentary, Malik Bendjelloul, whom I also tremendously admire, does a much better job of describing Sixto, his personality, his motivations, and his idiosyncrasies. Here's a recent interview with him on the Tavis Smiley show. [best description begins at minute 20]


Source: PBS: Tavis Smiley

Cadaver

Some of the stuff they don't teach you in A&P.


CADAVER - A bittersweet love story from Jonah D. Ansell on Vimeo.

The Six Dollar Fifty Man

It's hard to look after yourself in the playground when you're different.

Set in 1970s New Zealand, The Six Dollar Fifty Man follows Andy, a gutsy eight year-old boy who lives in a make believe superhero world where his imagination allows him to perform extraordinary physical feats, to deal with playground bullies.


The Six Dollar Fifty Man from NZ Shorts on Vimeo.

The Lonely Life Of A Cynical Pharmacist

While I'm sitting here at home after a hard workout, eating dinner, drinking a beer, reading Twitter, and yelling at the TV, it occurred to me that some people who read my Tweets and my blog probably think I never get lucky because I'm at home so much.

But, nothing could be farther from the truth. For some unknown reason, many women, young and old, but especially divorced single-moms looking for companionship without any strings, seem to find my crazy ass attractive and fascinating. Either that or they're just desperate.

I live in a very large townhouse complex FULL of single woman who don't feel the need to "date" and are fully satisfied with stopping by my house whenever they get lonely. While it's true that I'm happy enjoying my alone time at home, women come to me. I don't have to go out to find them.

Of course, no one will believe stuff like that could ever happen to me. So, I've posted this video clip from my home security monitoring system to help back up my claims.

[Original perfect video link removed by source] That little dick mofo trying to cock-block my action!


Do No Harm

It's The Time Of The Season

With all of the craziness that's be going on for the past couple of months, I'd like to remind everyone not to get caught up in all of the hate. Don't become a holiday zombie. Christmas is the time of the season for love. Ignore the hate and acknowledge the people in your life who really care about you.

Don't Let Your Job Defeat You

In pharmacy, it's only as you become older and more experienced when you realize that it's a serious chore dealing with the daily hatred and contempt you encounter in your job.

What makes it difficult to deal with is that this hate and contempt comes from multiple sources - customers, patients, supervisors, peers, and even your own colleagues. You get it from both ends, and it's constant, and it's inescapable. All that hate is destructive, and even worse.. it's contagious.

I cannot tell you how many angry and hateful pharmacists I've worked with throughout the years who continue to work even though they hate their job. And believe me, I've seen this unnecessary hate take it's toll on many older pharmacists approaching retirement age.

If you're a young pharmacist, ask yourself how many pharmacists have you met who were on psyche meds, BP meds, or cardiac meds while only in their forties? I've even worked with one pharmacist who dropped dead from a heart attack at work, on the exact day he was due to retire. So sad.

It seems to me that the quest for more money is the leading cause for all of these problems. Many pharmacists don't realize that they're caught up in the competition to impress each other and other people who really don't care about them. They have to have a bigger house, in a more desirable neighborhood, a more expensive car, better clothing, and a bigger bank account than their peers and colleagues. The more "stuff" they have, the more important they feel.

Believe me, the quest for more "stuff" isn't the answer.

Don't let anybody take your love away from you. Live below your means, pay off any debt as quickly as you can, save as much money as you can, invest it wisely, and become empowered to make your own decisions, and to live life on your own terms.

But, just don't take my word for it. Listen to the voice of experience.

How Can Nothing Be Something?

Watch this great little yarn, and learn about perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Blood Brother | A Documentary

Blood Brother is the story of a group of children infected with HIV, and Rocky Braat, a disenchanted young American that met them while drifting through India.

Rocky wanted to save all the children, but in reality he couldn’t cure even one of them. He had to stay. It’s a hard life. He faces opposition in many forms. He lives in a concrete hut. Sometimes, he is close to despair. The truth is, he needs them as much as they need him. They teach him, daily, that love is the only thing that makes life worth living.

The full documentary is coming Fall 2012. Here's the trailer -


Blood Brother Trailer from Blood Brother on Vimeo and Blood Brother Film

The Cynical Clicker

Although some people may have a cynical attitude about it, finding that one special person for you isn't too difficult. If one looks hard enough, a matching lid can be found for every cracked pot.


The Cynical Clicker from PAOLO PALAZZO on Vimeo.

Love At Any Price

What happens when love becomes each time more materialistic and, let's admit it, expensive?

Daily we become subjects to advertising describing love as something which can easily be bought, consumed and disposed. We learn that happiness is around the corner, but that is has its price.

Sound too cynical for you? This film just might be the antidote!

[Sorry, talented author made his video private] But, it can be watched at this link on Vimeo.


Love At Any Price (Kärlek Till Varje Pris) from Waway Film on Vimeo.

Jericho

We all have our own way of coping with grief.

Jericho from Liam Gavin on Vimeo. Hat tip: Short of the Week

Are You Hooked?

Kids, drugs are bad. And I'm not talking about that unlikely-to-be addictive marijuana or the often abused alcohol. I'm talking about the highly-addictive stuff that's even worse than nicotine, heroin, crack cocaine, prescription drugs, or even meth!

I'm talking about the life-ruining shit millions of people get hooked on every single day -


Source: Laugh Factory

He's Not Heavy, He's My Bro

Simon’s brother Mark suffers from Fragile X Syndrome. Simon believes his failure to lead a normal adolescent life is solely due to his brother's disability. What do you think?


Bro from Chris Dundon on Vimeo.