I particularly like Darth Penguin there at the end.
There are some versions of this video that have the Star Wars music with them, but that was a little on the nose for me.
What made you happy this week?
(This next clip is actually my favorite penguin video . . .)
Those videos are wonderful and I say that as someone who is generally immune to the cuteness of of penguins. (They always seem to reek of fish in real life).
Happiness is not watching/listening/reading the news. At all. I don’t do it to be callous. To me it’s for my emotional survival. My family and friends have promised to let me know if anything earth shattering happens.
Happiness is yoga and running in the morning. Happiness is drinking coffee on the front porch and seeing the world come to life with spring. The cherry trees across the street are in bloom and they’re so beautiful. I take a picture of them every year even though it doesn’t capture them.
One of my neighbors has an old sweet corgi named Jasper. I believe he has some health problems, but I still see them walking him most days even though they have to pick him up and carry him up and down the front steps. Just seeing that he’s around and kicking and living his life makes me happy fright now.
One of the things about the news that is comforting is Dr. Fauci. Yes, he’s warning that things are going to get to worse, and they are getting worse, but they’re getting worse the way he said they would. In other words, we have an actual expert in charge of things. And people seem to be wising up fast about staying home, and there’s a lot of interesting stuff about video conferencing for games and parties now–Zoom seems to be really hot right now–and speculation about the way things are going to change that’s kind of encouraging. And with all the cars off the road, the air is getting cleaner slowly. Good things will come of this. I even find the dire news encouraging because maybe it will reach the idiots who still think this is a hoax.
I wonder if the dark penguin is a juvenile?
It isn’t uncommon to see Dr. Fauci on the NIH campus, but my favorite memory of him was during the swine flue pandemic when NIH started a vaccination program for employees. I was standing in line waiting, and he came marching down the line just to make sure that everyone was getting sorted into the proper line, and to ensure that things were going OK.
Zoom is great fun. My yoga instructor has been giving on-line classes, and they work surprisingly well. It’s adorable, everybody’s pets stop by for a snuggle. I think I’m going to try to walk my mother through the set up, so that we can have virtual dinners together. Her continuing care community is on lock down.
The dark one is a baby. It’ll take it a while for the smooth feathers to come in.
Thanks for the happy penguin videos. It was a weird week with both DH and I working at home in different corners of our ground floor and DS also home. Lucky for us, we’re all introverts and fine with our own company. I took the dog for a long walk every day to which is harder to do when I’m at work. Connected with friends and family through FB and by phone. A friend is in self-isolation after returning from Cuba last week and I dropped off some groceries for her – included a bunch of bright orange tulips to brighten her day. While DS is spending most of his time in his room, he’s very chatty when he’s with us and is always ready for puppy cuddles. I’m happy week 1 went well!
My husband is working from home as well. Which means I now get up at the time I should, instead of at the last minute. 🙂
Happiness is the See’s chocolate butter cream and pecan egg that my darling sister mail ordered for me.
Happiness is my cat having gained back weight after having gotten way too skinny last year.
Happiness is looking forward to more Surprise Lily (I instantly bonded).
Glad to still be able to work in my 4 person office. Glad spring is coming. Glad I have good things to read. Glad to be part of this untaxing and very funny community.
I love those penguins. The Betties (who are sort of cousins of the Arghers) always think of our friend Bethany when we see penguins, because they were her favorite animals (other than her cat Toby). We’ve been sharing lots of penguin videos on our Facebook group page, which makes me happy. So thanks for the penguins.
Have you seen the clip of Benedict Cumberbatch on the Graham Norton show, demonstrating that he can’t say the word penguin? Lots of happy there.
I’m happy that my family is keeping in touch via email. We are notoriously bad at communicating with each other, but I started an email loop a couple of weeks ago and my parents and sisters and a few others are sharing sporadic updates. My youngest sister called yesterday from San Diego just to check in, which made me happy too.
Work on the cozy is going at a snail’s pace, despite the fact that I am home and out of work for the moment. But a number of author friends have commented that they’re having trouble writing too, so at least I know it’s not just me. And one of my favorite mystery writers asked me to beta read her current WIP and offered to read the cozy when it is done and give me suggestions, so that made me really happy too.
Plus the first snowdrops poked their heads up, although apparently actual snow is going to cover them back up tomorrow. (Oh, upstate New York spring, you are so neurotic.)
I texted my sister this week with the opening line of me just checking on the elderly (she is younger) of course she called me back and we chatted until her cell phone gave out, sputtering between words. I think about texting her again to tell her that the neighborhood called and didn’t want her to sing out the window. Sister humor!
I am an aspiring rather than published author, but I find it almost impossible to write right now. I want to! I want to lose myself in my fictional world and forget about the real one, but it’s really hard right now. So you are definitely not alone.
Today is our 40th wedding anniversary which we spent in peace and quiet. Took a long walk through the woods – lots of sunshine, but a cold wind from the East. The red kite just passed my window to say hello, my cat is sitting on my lap as I type this. The kids are all well, working from home in the various places they live. Life is still good.
That is an accomplishment. I only made it twelve years, and the only way I would have gone into the woods with him would have been to bury his body. CONGRATULATIONS!
My favorite penguin videos are those I took myself in Simon’s Town, South Africa. The best ones were at Boulders Beach, where I literally was wading in with them. I have a photo where I’m sitting next to one at the parking lot, where it and its mate had decided to nest and lay eggs. You have to watch out because they roam all over the place — there are signs warning you to check under your car for errant penguins before driving off. They’ll let you get about 3 feet away before they start to get skittish.
I also collected penguin feathers out of the water to bring back to our department secretary, whose daughter loves penguins. Somehow you don’t think of feathers…or at least I didn’t (duh). Daughter was thrilled.
Have had lovely weather here, sunny and warming. I am, quite frankly, enjoying being home. Spring has sprung very much, trees are already greening. Have finished two shawls and work8ng on finishing one of a number of unfinished necklaces. If this keeps up for a couple of months, I won’t have too many unfinished projects left…
😁
The second one made me laugh out loud !!!
The Montco/PA Covid-19 news is up to 77 cases in our county.
It’s getting a little too real here
As much as I would love to share which restaurant the dotter and I selected for Sunday Dinner and Shopping Therapy, we instead looked at each other and said, “Nah.” We’ll both need a shopping expedition this week, but not today.
The humor… You like penguin videos. I prefer Dad Jokes. What with Covid-19, the dad jokes have reached pundemic levels. (Not that there’s anything funny about that.)
Some guy went by me on a tractor, yelling “The end is nigh!” I think it was Farmer Geddon.
Due to the crisis, Finland has closed their borders. No one will be crossing the Finnish line. That’s the end of the human race.
I ran out of toilet paper so I’m using old newspapers. The Times are rough.
Due to the quarantine, I’ll only be telling inside jokes.
There. That’s a sample.
It’s a cold but sunny day here in central NY; I am trying to convince myself to go for a walk along the canal but there is a wind chill which is making me want to stay in and snuggle up with my cars. I just finished eating an apple and tossed the core out the window (I’m not littering, the squirrels like the apple cores) and a squirrel came up right away. It’s sitting there in the sun nibbling away at it right where it picked the apple up.
Umm, that was supposed to cat “cats” not “cars”!
That’s a relief.
I assumed another instance of…
AUTO CORRECT.
(And that makes it a Dad Joke.)
Spring happening. There was a green haze on the hedges along the road to Shrewsbury (going by bus meant I could enjoy the scenery). I’ve talked to more friends than usual, and my nephew rang for a long chat: it was great to catch up with him. The garden’s taking shape, and I pricked out my February sowings and sowed some sapphire-blue salvias today.
PS. Forgot the best bit: sitting in my garden in the sunshine this afternoon, for the first time this year. Fetched my big straw sunhat and read for a couple of hours. Bliss.
We (the dogs and I) stayed outside today while I tried to master a new Tunisian stitch. It was bliss here, too.
It’s actually going to try to snow tomorrow, but since the high will be in the forties, HA. And then warm all week. SO GLAD SPRING IS COMING.
Thank you for the penguin videos. I enjoyed penguins when I went to New Zealand, but since they were much smaller breeds, they acted differently than the king or emperor penguins I was used to seeing in videos or at the zoo.
What really blew my mind was the albatross preserve. The wings on those birds are so long that they always overbalance on land, but they are utterly majestic in flight. It was quite a change from the Canada geese I grew up feeding in Wisconsin.
The big happy of my week is the fact that my computer is now fully operational and at my apartment. Since everything except grocery and drug stores is closed, any contact with the outside world is precious. I pulled up my email and read what my local lawmakers had to say about coping during the shutdown. I especially liked the line about how those of us with mental illness should continue our regular treatment. How? Since I no longer have a landline, phone sessions are difficult.
I also like Dr. Fauci. When Trump was still saying that he thought Covid-19 was a hoax, Fauci was saying that he wouldn’t fly anywhere. It was nice that somebody was telling us the truth.
Can anyone here tell me how to use Skype? My brother in France wants to be in closer contact and thinks that it would be a way to get around my inadequate cell coverage now that I have a functioning computer again.
I’m also happy, for the first time, that my TBR pile is so big. Who knew that procrastination would turn into a virtue?
I can’t give you instructions, but I’m sure there’s info out there – presumably Skype has a how-to video? Just wanted to say it’s pretty easy: my mum got confident Skyping her American cousins. They used to email each other to set up a time. (I stick to FaceTime if possible, but it only works if both of you have Apple devices.)
I haven’t used Skype for a while but I also remember it being easy to use. Maybe try googling “how to Skype”?
Kind of cold but sunny here today. I walked my dog this morning so that does ‘outdoors’ for me today.
Two of my cousins are cleaning/decluttering. For one of them it’s nervous energy. Her son’s in a nursing home and she was there everyday for hours. Now she’s cut-off. Hope she manages to stay sane. I do call her to keep in touch and to let her vent to someone other than her dil and granddaughters.
As for me, I’ll have to work on the Marie Kondo thing but I’m still too lazy and not bored enough.
Still making granny squares. That makes me happy until I realize I’ll have to put them all together soon.
The painters finished up this week, and I am slowly putting things back, or into their new homes (we took the coming of the painters to get rid of a few pieces of furniture, so things are re-arranged a bit). Relieved to have my house back, even if it is a mess.
We did a virtual happy hour with dear friends of ours who live 3 hours away. So much fun to catch up with them over a glass of wine (well, two….).
We’re camped out at home, even ordered this week’s groceries online. I’m determined to have as little exposure as possible (I have asthma, well-controlled, but still a risk factor) as we ride out this first wave.
I get to sleep in until about 15 minutes before my work starts now that I have to work from home. That extra time to sleep is really helping my night owl. Also, I LOVE that my coworkers can’t see me on Zoom meetings to complain about my behavior, how I’m tired, don’t look “engaged,” etc. I cried during a meeting and nobody knew about it.
Probably saves lots of money on laundry, water, shampoo, etc. now that I have no reason to get dressed or clean myself much (see above). I am well stocked for the time being.
Crafting! I finished a temperature scarf. I am doing the Arne and Carlos quarantine knitalong and finished two squares yesterday.
I am finding lots to watch online. It’s very gratifying to see entertainers pitching in around the world to keep up their work.
My mom moved in with her boyfriend instead of living alone in a hoarder house she refuses to clean up even if forced to.
Happiness is both older dogs jumping on the bed to get their toenails Dremeled. Happiness is not getting smashed in the face with the back of a dog skull. Some days the happy bar is low.
We had sunshine most of the day and I remembered to take my antidepressant so that’s good.
Our friends got their new kittens yesterday, the named them Sam and Dean.
I managed to wait until lunch to eat the Doritos I bought yesterday.
The bar is low.
I have been looking at the Dremel on Amazon as a way to manage my dogs nails. Does it work good, easy to use or any tips? Thanks.
Works great and very easy. I have tips: make sure both you and the dog are comfortable and the dog can lay on its side. Having a helper is fantastic, especially if you have a big dog. The helper just pets and distracts the dog because it feels weird. I have a deformed toenail that I use the Dremel on so I know. Start with it on lower power and go slow, you can speed up when you feel comfortable. Make sure you trim the hair between the pads and around the nails first, you’ll be able to see the nail better and won’t pull any out by accident.
The other big tip is to get a pair of goggles because you will get toenail dust and fragments flying around. I have prescription glasses and they aren’t enough.
Thank you! This information is great. I really appreciate you providing the details that will make the process a bit easier. I am going to order the Dremel this week.
I’m happy I’m getting some chores done in between my reading. Big happy was FaceTiming eldest and wife for happy hour. Rarely drink. Made a little cocktail, cheered, and talked for half hour. We will do this once a week.
I loved both penguin videos. Thanks for posting. This week especially I treasure anything that makes me laugh, or ok sometimes snort-laugh, out loud.
Which thankfully my grandson, who will be 10 months old 4/1, makes me do on a daily basis, as I am lucky enough to be his live in care giver while the daughter and son-in-law are fortunate to work from home.
Today he started sticking his tongue out, high-fiving, laughs hysterically as I try to teach him fist bumping, and started social laughing… we laugh, he feels like he must join in but has an uncertain look on his face, like am I doing this right? Which makes us laugh harder.
Lastly, I have my 2 dogs curled up with me right now, so feeling very blessed and happy.
Some years back, we used to attend a series of geographic movies, and eventually one was about the Antarctic. The lecturer came to the penguin sequences, and started to talk about their lifestyle — this was before the days of same-sex penguins raising chicks together — but he did mention that penguins mate for life, and are faithful to their mates. At that point the camera went from close-up to distance, and greater distance, and the penguins went from a few to a group to a mob of black and white, and the lecturer continued, “. . . but how can they TELL?”
I am sending out a Song a Day to my church choir, so I had fun choosing what I would be sending. I mix it up: some John Rutter choral music we’ve done, a South African Gospel artist, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington singing It Don’t Mean a Thing, It It Ain’t Got That Swing, a little bit of opera, Bobby McFerrin’s 23rd Psalm (The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, She makes me lie down in green meadows, Beside the still waters, She will lead…), and more. I lined up the week’s list so I don’t daudle doddle dawdle in the morning before I start work.
Yesterday was very sunny and not too cold, so a friend drew an appropriately sized grid on his vacant lot and had neighbors over for a drink. We stood in our grids and socialized. It was chilly, but great.
Happiness was finding ways to relax.
DH discovered a “Too Cute” marathon – really cheesy Animal Planet shows featuring puppies, kitties, etc.
And when I faced panic, I pulled out the heavy artillery: Dave Barry. We have a copy of “Dave Barry Slept Here,” and within minutes of blowing off the dust I was laughing.