Author: DJones BranchingOut

Pushing 50 and it's time to try a few (maybe... 365?) new things. This blog is not about reinventing oneself or one's life, but about how much fun one can have while going out on a limb and branching out. Kicking anxiety's butt one day at a time, yeah!

Midweek Fun- Johnny Cardinale at Mad House Comedy Club

I went to a new place tonight, just for a laugh (Ha, get it? Comedy club? Just for a laugh? I crack myself up). The last time I went to a comedy club was when we lived in the Midwest, and before that was more than 20 years ago when I took a roommate to a show at The Groundlings in L.A.

It’s been awhile! We got to The Mad House Comedy Club in San Diego’s Horton Plaza in time for a late dinner, and for The Husband to say hi to an old friend… he went to school with the headliner back in the day. The entertainment was fab- man, I wish I were that witty! If Johnny is playing in your area, go catch him. His take on pop music chords really shows off his overall talent and comic ability. If you can judge a comic’s ability by how hoarse their audience is at the end of the set, well then, my voice was shot by the time we got back to the car. Lots o’ laughs.

T’was a ball, highly recommend the venue and the comic- Johnny Cardinale is a great and funny guy!

http://www.johnnycardinale.com/Website/Home.html
Funny guy Johnny Cardinale has appeared on Chelsea Lately, Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Game Show Network and TV Guide Channel. Click his pic to get to his official website, the place from which I swiped this photo…
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Mad House Comedy in San Diego’s Horton Plaza http://madhousecomedyclub.com/index.cfm

Alternative Blog Titles… (Facepalm Guaranteed Humor)

The Husband helped me come up with the name of this blog. He liked the idea of branching out and trying something new every day. The Girl had her own suggestions including, but not limited to, the following:

  • My Life with the Three Other Farts (I really like how this implies that I, too, am a fart)
  • Attention Deficit Family/Effing Disorder
  • Don’t Become a Mom- your motivation for safe sex
  • This is Why You Should Marry Rich 
  • Just Shut Up and Eat Your Damn Dinner

I can’t decide which is my favorite.

P.S.
Thanks to knowyourmeme.com for the Picard Facepalm Meme photo…

SnickerWhat’s-its and Thank Yous

You know how you always get super-busy during the holidays? Do you wish you could spread out the giving and the thanking seasons to show appreciation for the many important people you see nearly every day? The school front office staff, the high school teachers, the postal workers, the folks who work for you or your sweetie… these people are all on my list this year. I’d like to get a thank you note out to these and many more people.

Today I’m going to try to catch up with the security guards at The Girl’s school. Amazing, isn’t it? Schools with security guards and metal detectors. That’s a whole different nut to crack another day, but not this day. We have about 10 guys at the high school working in different shifts, and they honestly ought to put their stories and experiences down on paper. I’d buy that book! Between looking out for our pubescing teens and directing visitors, they are watching over all the goings on of our fabulous high school.

So here’s to you guys- Pete, Bob, Anthony, Leighton, Jason, John, Suka, Ron and Steve! May you know we appreciate all that you do for our children, our families, and our entire school community. ESPECIALLY with the complete NUT JOBS you occasionally come across… make that daily, probably- I’ve been witness to some of the most bizarre behavior, from other adults- you men have handled it with calm authority and tact.

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January Book and Project Wrap Up

I’ve been so focused on daily business that I rarely have done or tried anything new or challenged myself in what felt like YEARS. Bottom line is, running a blog about trying something new daily has become my way to get over the freezing effects of anxiety, to force myself to make decisions and not be afraid to try new things.

After only one month I’ve learned:

  • Trying to coordinate with extended family to attend a theatrical performance is even harder than trying to coordinate an appointment with my son’s ortho and dentist.
  • it is not easy to make Indian food, actually ANY food look good in a photo. Maybe February’s project will help?
  • Family is totally fun to mess with by dragging them into this project!

January’s Project has been to learn how to use WordPress, and although there are a few things I’d still like to figure out (how the heck do I hook up the Twitter and Facebook feeds in the Widget bar? How do I link a “featured image” to its original site? Dianne Parks has beautiful artwork that she graciously allowed me to feature but maybe feature images don’t allow it), at least I have learned the following-

  • How to upload my photos
  • How to link up within a post the web pages to my photos or to those that should be connected to an original site- like the Comic Pearls embedded in my post here.
  • inserting links wasn’t that hard, either,  like this!
  • The tech support chat really does work!
  • I love that I picked a layout for my blog titled “2015,” reminding me of the blog’s overall goal.

January’s Book of the Month, The Happiness Project,” by Gretchen Rubin… I get a kick out of statistics and studies, I’m weird like that, so I’ve enjoyed reading her summary of literature and philosophies, as well as the 12 months of tasks that she chose to explore.

These are a few of the great lines and quotes I found in the book-

  • “I’d often wondered why anger, along with pride, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, and envy- were the seven deadly sins, because they didn’t seem as deadly as lots of other sins. It turns out that they’re deadly sins not because of their gravity but because of their power to generate other, worse sins. They’re gateway sins to the big sins” p. 47 (italics and bold are mine)
  • Oscar Wilde observed one is not always happy when one is good, but one is always good when one is happy.” p. 54
  • “Like grief has five stages, …happiness has four stages. To eke out the most happiness from an experience, we must anticipate it, savor it as it unfolds, express happiness and recall a happy memory.” p. 108

…and many, many more favorite passages could be listed, because I enjoyed this book tremendously. I definitely recommend “The Happiness Project” to anyone.

In one month I’ve banked two really enjoyable experiences- a new read and and a new skill. Here’s to the anticipating eleven more of each to come!