Friday Fun~Some Interesting Videos

I hope y'all had a wonderful time yesterday. You probably talked too much, ate too much, and I hope were surrounded by love.

I ran across some interesting videos this week on YouTube (yeah, yeah, I spend too much time on YouTube) having to do with disabilities. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, these are worth millions of words. I always say disability is a perception problem. In some ways we are more creative, determined, and more adaptable than our able bodied counter parts. The able bodied are hampered from reaching their full potential.

(All of these have YouTube standard licensing)

The first one I saw was at Rose B. Fischer's blog. It's called the Social Model of Disability by Geoff Adams- Spink. Just think if the shoe was one the other foot as this animation demonstrates so well.

The next one is also self explanatory about inclusion for disabled people. The last one is the perfect example of why I can't read for pleasure since my second stroke..on dyslexia. One of the best explanation videos I've seen to date.

So we're all in this together. Stand up and be heard.

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ All I Want for Christmas...

Actually, there are a lot of things I want for Christmas, but I ain't gonna get 'em. I realize this because I'm the caregiver in this house. You might call me Santa Incognito also because I do all the shopping and budgeting too. There is barely enough cash for groceries, house payments, utilities, and the occasional splurge for Mickey D's each month without borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Drugs and doctor bills eat up the remainder of what would have been disposable income.

What I've been hankering for is a video camera. I started a YouTube channel years ago when I was making book trailers for myself and others. It has been gathering dust since my stroke. Being single (functional) handed takes a lot of time just doing what needs to be done. It's also a lot of trial and error on my part. What I wouldn't have given for someone to show me how to do in the beginning. It might have saved me some gray hairs. Whom am I kidding? I EARNED each and every one the hard way.

I have a lot of back to basic knowledge, and thought to start a channel on how I do things. Yes, I'd be joining a long list of homesteaders on YouTube, but my niche is different. I do it all now with only one working hand.

I raise a garden, chickens, and angora rabbits. We were almost totally on-the-grid, but off-the-grid in our home before my stroke and my husband's health downward turn. I've learned how to groom my rabbits for their fabulous wool, and yes, thanks to a fellow Raverly member, even spin that wool into yarn, single handedly. I also do everything that anybody else does like grocery shop, drive, cook, cleaning, etc. OTs can only show you so much. The rest you have to figure out yourself.

If I can do it one handed, I might just influence someone else who might be interested in doing it, but also serve as inspirational/instructional for other stroke survivors. Not that homesteading is easy. It's hard and doubly harder for a stroke survivor, but there are things that I do that have take away value.

Most of my new how-to knowledge has been garnered from watching videos on various sites and my stubbornness to do it. Let's face it, when you have an aphasic brain damage sometimes a picture speaks clearer than words. It is easier for me to understand if I hear and see the words, than read the words because of my dyslexia. So that's why videos are appealing to me. Quick less than ten minute segments that you can watch as many times as you want to. I must have watched the knitted Dew Drop Shawl video thirty times before and while making them.

Drool, drool, drool

Explanation aside, I still want a video camera because it would be easier to operate than a smart phone or tablet which would take a hand to hold leaving nothing to work with because there is only me to do it. Sure, I could run out to my local Wally World (Wal-Mart) with a hundred dollars or less and get a cheap model, but with electronics cheaper is not always better. I've been drooling over the GoPro Hero 4 video camera ever since John Anderson mentioned it to me.

Droo-o-ol, see how small it is?

It is compact and there are all sorts of mounts including one that fits on your head. This option really interested me because it eliminates the need for a tripod or hands holding it for filming. Wherever I focus my attention, it follows.

Now for the bad news, it's $400-$500 depending on the options you want. Talk about steep. It's way out of my budget. I can barely afford the head mount at $19.99. It might be worth it if I had a several thousand followers so YouTube would pay me. But I don't see that happening any time soon, but I can still email Santa...

So. dear, sweet Santa,
If you have a few extras of these GoPro Hero 4 video cameras with the head mount, I sure wouldn't mind getting one.

P.S. I've been a very good girl this year.

Notice the sugar dripping off the candy cane opening and the P.S.

Nothing is impossible with determination.

Sunday Stroke Survival~ Dr Jill Bolte Taylor

When I first came home from the hospital, I started researching stroke recovery. Not that the hospital staff didn't give me loads of information to read, but I had read or knew all of that stuff. I was a retired nurse. I understand medi-speak and layman terms. Aren't I lucky? When my brain got too tired from deciphering letters into words, I would watch youtube in an attempt to garner more knowledge of what was going on with me.


I kept running across videos of this one doctor, Jill Bolte Taylor. I couldn't figure out why her name kept popping up so I watched a clip. I really didn't want to watch another doctor explain what a stroke was. Was was greeted by this woman with gray flowing hair reminiscent of the '70s. She spoke with such humor about her stroke giving a blow by blow description that I was fascinated.

She explained how the various hemispheres of the brain worked and she was diagnosing herself as did I when I had my stroke. That's the problem with being medically trained before your body goes haywire. You take the time to diagnose what's wrong. You rattle off the symptoms one by one, and try to figure out what exactly is going on. It doesn't help when your family asked what is going on, because then you start doubling your effort.

The only problem is that it's your brain that is affected impairing your decision making function. My mind kept screaming at me that it was my diabetes and I was arguing with myself that it was something else. She related the same thing in the video I was watching. I ended up watching all of them and realized she'd even written a book.

So I clicked my way over to Amazon and ordered a copy. Now I've read a bunch of stroke written by stroke survivors and their caregivers over the past nine months trying to get a firm handle on recovery from a stroke. The cover told me it was on the New York Times Bestseller list, if that really means something. It doesn't to me, even as an author. There a lot of books to the Times' bestseller list that I wouldn't pay two cents for. They just don't have a point of interest for me.

Personally, I'm glad I did. The same sense of humor and hippie vagueness she exhibited in the videos came across the pages. She wasn't writing a poor pitiful me book. It was educational, but I could laugh too. She describes her inner peace like I feel when dealing with day-to-day issues. While I didn't doubt she felt that way, I realized that we saw the source differently. That's okay, really it is. It just gives me a different point of view to chew on. I love opposing points of views because I learn so much. I love her style of story telling.

I just learned that Ron Howard wants to direct a movie based on this book. I'm there! While I usually do not like movies based on good books, it should prove interesting. I've liked Ron Howard since he was Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Dennis the Menace way back in 1960s. The quality of his films speak for themselves. On top of that he wants Jodie Foster in it. I'm doubly there! But that was posted back 2010. I'm not sure what the when it will be filmed and in theaters.

Nothing is totally impossible. You just have to figure out a new way of accomplishing your goal.

Friday Fun~ Music Videos

With the birth of MTV, music videos are all the rage. Book video trailers are gaining popularity also. To make interesting book trailers, I tend to mimic those that receive the most hits. Makes sense, right?

So, this week I've been watching music videos to stretch my creativity process. It's market research. Yeah, uh huh, uh huh. I'll go with that instead of wasting time that I could spend writing.

I was over at the Compuserve Books & Writers forum a lot this week and the sysop for the Writer's Workshop is named Margaret. When I have a question directed at her I usually entitle it, "Margaret, it's me again."

Another sysop chimed in and asked with a chuckle whether I got the line from the book by Judy Blume.  The title of her fourth grade reader is "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."

I had to admit that it was not the book I was thinking of. Shocker! A reader and children's author not relating a post to a book. Shame, shame Grandma Jam. Actually confession time, my children weren't into Judy Blume. They read things like Goosebumps by R.L. Stine and Mercer Mayer's Little Critter books. I know they were strange kids, but at least they were reading.

No, the title of my post came from this Ray Stevens' song and video.

I'm strange too, so they come by it naturally. Be careful Mom's when you mold young minds. Now I have no idea what this kind lady looks like. I'm just twisted like this.

What surprised me is Ray Stevens is still producing music and videos. I remember back in the 60's when he came out with "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills,""Ahab the Arab" and every Christmas, "Santa Claus is Watching You." Now sadly, most of his new material is strongly political in nature. Although the new songs are true to his style. You can see more of Ray Stevens HERE

Of course, I couldn't leave music music videos without watching Michael Jackson's Thriller again. With an unlimited budget just imagine what I could create for a book instead of being a meagerly published author. Zombie lore aside, I think if zombies could move like this I'd be terrified. Enjoy.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Sundays Videos About Writing

I'm taking some down time today so I'll just post a couple of video's I found on YouTube about writing and editing. Enjoy.

Can you guess the book?

Now a word or two from Dean Kontz about editing...

And now a video about social media just for fun...

 

And as always...

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Thought I'd share!

I saw this on smashwords on facebook. It really hits the point of self-publishing and the marketing ordeal we go through. Good for a laugh and reality check. Love it and thought I'd share!
Keep writing and loving the Lord.