Cartoons by Gavin

Posted on 2018/02/01 by circuskitchen

2018:

A Study in Faces

 

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Guy Under a Bridge #LifeChoices

 

 

 

“Face Functionality”

 

 

 

#Nah

 

More to come…

Posted in art, childhood, comedy, education, making art | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Hospital Clowning: Talk Like Dees

Posted on 2018/01/30 by circuskitchen

Tuesday,  January 30th 2018

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Yesterday two of our clowns visited a very special long term “frequent flier” friend and fan of our team.   I will call her “Boss Lady” on account of her renowned personality.  She is in her early 20’s and returned to the hospital recently and has not been doing well.  When the clowns got there she had been unresponsive for a couple days, and the mother was distraught feeling her daughter was slipping away.   Along comes the genius Dr. Mal Adjusted and Dr. Bucket Buster who is naturally UNABLE to stick out her own tongue.  I wasn’t there but this turned into a game and then guess what, Ms. Boss sticks out her tongue!  Mom flips out, the nurses are astonished.  They summon the doctor who instructs her to stick out her tongue and… nothing.  (Silly doctor, you cannot boss the Boss Lady.)  More antics from the clowns and more sticking out of the tongue, for them.  As she grows tired and the clowns beat their retreat, she sticks it out one more time, of course.  Mom was beside herself to learn her daughter IS still there.

Well today Dr. Gonzo and I are up.  She is not on our schedule but we make a special trip.  I’d like to tell you that we get a clear and tangible response out of her but this is not a fairy tale.  I can say the nurses and the mom are extremely glad to see us, we do make the mom laugh several times, and after our jokes fall flat I play a fair amount of music for Ms. Boss.   From my experience with her in the past I know she likes it, and I certainly get a lot of very prolonged eye contact with her which I absolutely connect with as much as possible.  At one point it’s dumb but I end up singing about how beautiful her eyes are because they ARE (and as clowns, being present to what is happening in the moment is pretty much job #1).  She certainly seems totally present and in charge to me; my opinion of course being nothing if not humble.

Other than that, remembrances of today are a blur of hospital rooms, absurd antics with Dr. Gonzo and the smile, giggle, gufaw or outright squeal of various kids.  I don’t know what we ate at lunch but it gave us ridiculous fake Eastern-European accents, which stayed with us for the rest of the day.  Because today was the day to Talk Like Dees.

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Watch what you eat, clowns.

#BostonChildrensHospital  #LaughterLeague

Posted in education, food, Hospital Clowning, Laughter League, making art, mental health, music, parenthood, Performing Life, ukeoke, ukulele, work | Tagged , | 1 Comment

All Dressed Up and No Show To Go

Posted on 2018/01/28 by circuskitchen

Sunday, January 28th 2018

My show this morning didn’t happen afterall.  There was a scheduling mixup.  Here is me all dressed up and at the theatre with no show happening.

Unless you count the sweet older gentleman who pulled off the road to drive up to me in the parking lot when I was loading back out of the theatre.  He said, “I just wanted you to know I saw you all dressed up and I thought it looked great, and I wanted you to know that you made my morning.”   Then he asked me what I do etc and I let him know he made MY morning.

On my way back home I tried to take a photo of myself all gussied up and getting GAS, to show how ridiculous I look out of context sometimes, but apparently I don’t know how to work the selfie-timer on my phone.

 

I refuse to get upset about what turns out to be have been a scheduling snafu.  I’d rather show up with no audience than BE a no-show letting an audience down.   I’m still glad I have someone else (an amazing person actually) doing all my booking because it not only frees me up to not DO IT ALL but also to not WORRY about it.  At this point I’d make way more mistakes on my own.

No one got hurt in the making of this Non-Show.  And go figure my family was even glad to see me back so much earlier than expected.  (AND the kids were finishing their chores, but that is another post.)

 

Posted in patience, Performing Life, Secret Juggler, work, work-life balance | Tagged | 1 Comment

There’s Only One Word For That

Posted on 2018/01/28 by circuskitchen

Sunday, January 28th 2018

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AT RISE:  Mamma is next to ClaraJane’s bath combing out sections of her profoundly tangled hair.  It is almost time for Mamma to get in costume for her juggling show today.

Mom:  So, there’s this beautiful theatre out in a town called Natick, and there’s going to be a show today!

Daughter:  Oh, what’s the show?

Mom:  Actually, it’s Jenny the Juggler.

Daughter:  Oh.  [Pause.]  There’s only one word for that;  B-O-R-I-N-G.

Mom:  [Silence.]

Daughter:  Do you know what that spells?

Mom:  Yep.  Thanks.

SCENE.
bored emoji

#thanks

Posted in childhood, comedy, domestic life, family, making art, mental health, money, Performing Life, Secret Juggler, work, work-life balance | 1 Comment

ClaraJane’s Playdate

Posted on 2018/01/27 by circuskitchen

Saturday, January 27th 2018

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By some series of miracles;  I decoded some clues about who my six year old’s friends are , that she’d like to have them over to play, how to reach their parents, REACHED them, they replied, I had this Saturday OFF, they did too, and BOOM.  It happened!  A playdate for the kids AND the mommies.  Maybe not a big deal for some, but definitely an achievement for me.

The moms were rad and the kids played like magic.  They even have a thing they invented called “Hug Meeting.”

2018-01-27 HUG MEETING, THE MOVIE [13 seconds]:

 

Can we just put kids in charge of the world?  Haven’t grownups messed things up enough already?

#HugMeeting

ClaraJane’s review of the Playdate:  A Diagram of Happy and Sad

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“Happy that it happened, Sad that it’s over.” 

Wow.

 

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fun playmate AND kind person

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Touchnote Card

♥♥♥

Posted in childhood, domestic life, evidence they get along, Friendship, health, love, mental health, parenthood, politics, work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Independence Morning

Posted on 2018/01/27 by circuskitchen

Saturday, January 27th 2018

Ahhh! We just let our nine year old son walk to the corner store for milk! His idea entirely.

He’s got his sneakers on, the money, his Dad’s phone, a mopey little sister, and a game plan.

“Why can’t I go too?” she moans morosely.

“Cuz’ you’re six!” Plain and simple. Sorry toots. But here’s a hug from your (considerably older) brother, who is not going to be saddled with responsibility for another person on his first voyage.

A hug…

 

And he’s out. 

 

In fact, I’m writing this post to assuage my nervous energy while he’s gone, and he just *called* me with an update!

“Hi Mom, I just wanted to call and let you know how it went. Everything went fine. I got the milk. You were right they didn’t have lactaid. I have the change, and I’m on my way back!”

And hell ya, here he is:

Phew!

OK, existential bullet dodged.

Let’s never try THAT again.

Miright?

Wait;

Who said anything about candy?

 

Well;

I guess if you’re going to share with your sister…

 

#EvidenceTheyGetAlong

 

Anyway, looks like we survived this harrowing ordeal. Thank goodness this is all behind us now.

Right?

Posted in childhood, domestic life, education, evidence they get along, faith, family, food, forgiveness, health, love, mental health, parenthood, patience, siblings | Tagged | 1 Comment

Hospital Clowning: ABCD with Dr. Gonzo

Posted on 2018/01/26 by circuskitchen

Friday, January 26th 2018

Blessed to work with Dr. Gonzo not once but twice this week!

Drs. Be Bopper & Gonzo  (o:

 

A) KAZOO DUNNIT

A seven year old boy named Jesus speaks only Spanish.  After exhausting our limited Spanish we devolve into strictly Kazoo Language, which turns out Drs. Gonzo & Be Bopper speak fluently!  two kazoosWe have a juggling competition and a spat -all in kazoo- and when one of Gonzo’s juggling balls mysteriously disappears, I look on as Gonzo brilliantly pins the crime on the kid, even “finding” the ball behind his bed!  I am happy to report (in my highly professional Medical Clown opinion), that Jesus received a vigorous dose of laughter today.

 

B) INTERRUPTING CLOWN

I love partnering with Dr. Gonzo as I am trying to be the dignified (#1) clown and he (#2) keeps “interrupting” with “Wanna see a magic trick!?!“wanna see magic

Be Bopper:  Dr. Gonzo, please, I’m trying to (introduce myself, learn this person’s name, etc.).

Gonzo:  Oh really?  OK.  … WANNNASEEAMAGICTRICK!?!!

 

C) SQUEAK, FART, REPEATfart gun

I also love his ability to diagnose a squeaky pillow, blanket or bed, and then treat it with a fart gun.  It’s like poof!  Problem solved.

 

D)  BEARY PUNNY

We finish our rounds in the E.D. (Emergency Department), regaling a teenager and his mom and aunt with tearable puns“TEARABLE PUNS.”

(The few times I’ve been asked for puns before I was unprepared.  Risking that no more these things have been burning a hole in my pocket all day. )

The teen was at least 15, and doggedly trying to focus on his device whilst failing to disguise his palpable discomfort with our presence.  The ladies however were delighted.  It was the kind of teenage angst that begs being leaned into at times, and we were on the job.

When I finally said, “A dyslexic man walked into a bra,” he cracked.  We agreed once we got three laughs we’d leave.  After just a couple dozen more groaners we were outta there.  What better way to finish off the week but by grinding it into the floor with the lowest form of humor?

It’s gotta be done, and by dog we did it.

#HospitalClowns

Posted in comedy, evidence they get along, faith, Friendship, health, Hospital Clowning, Laughter League, learning, love, making art, Performing Life, work | 2 Comments

Touchnote: Stand Up Guy

Posted on 2018/01/24 by circuskitchen

Post January 20th 2017

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At the risk of bragging, and reticent as I am to use the term, it is no secret I am PROUD of my young son and his political activism thus far.  He is the reason we made it all the way to D.C. for the historic Women’s March last year.  It was a joy to reprise and revisit that incomparable celebration of equality and inclusion on its first anniversary this past Saturday in our own town.

And though he is currently growing up under the horrifically racist, bigoted, xenophobic, dishonest, fascist, sexist, violent, kleptocratic and morally bankrupt republican kakistocracy,  we will never accept it.  He is of a generation that embraces the inherent dignity and worth of all people, whilst the OLD WHITE CHRISTIAN RACISTS  will DIE. OFF. DISAPPOINTED.

Ahem.

And thanks to the wonderful Touchnote app on my phone, in a few days Boy will receive this postcard (with picture up top), perhaps to add to the vision board we created next to his bed:

 

 

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Le swoon.

♥♥

Posted in activism, art, childhood, education, faith, fight, history, love, making art, mental health, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, Religious Hypocrisy, social justice, spirituality, The Progressive Movement, work-life balance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Elementary School Hazing

Posted on 2018/01/24 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, January 24th 2018

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(Side note:  He’s reading Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feyman; merely the Best. Book. Ever.)

 

This morning at school breakfast I accidentally hazed my son in front of his friends.  But he loved it.  Turns out he’s been sniffing and snuffling the past couple days, fighting off a cold and developing a red nose.  Meanwhile ClaraJane and I have prepared an elixir for this very circumstance in the form of our annual batch of Fire Cider; a daringly hot spicy medicinal drink made from garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, tumeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, lemon, lime, orange and rosemary marinated for a month in organic apple cider vinegar with honey “to taste.”

ClaraJane herself topped off a small bottle to bring with us today.  (She doesn’t use the stuff but is proprietary about it.)  I drank half on account of my runny nose and to stave off any hint of that ominous TICKLE one gets in the throat when falling ill.  Grr!  Meanwhile Gavin seemed so happy at the cafeteria breakfast table surrounded by schoolmates, I wasn’t going to interrupt.

Then he sees me.  I hold up the bottle and he summons me over, takes the bottle and puts it on the table in front of himself like a dare.

All the kids say, “What is THAT?!”

I explain it’s a medicine made from foods to keep you from getting sick that’s as spicy as hot sauce.

“Are you gonna DRINK that?!?”  they ask.

Gavin picks it up laughing and they all start chanting, “Do IT!  Do IT!  Do IT!”

And you know what?  He does.  Uncorks the bottle.  Chugs it.  Like a boss.

Chug Chug Chug [9 seconds]

Everyone enjoys his antics as the burning sensation spreads down to his stomach, and they just as quickly peel off to class.  Gavin stays behind to bask in the glory of having done it, and even lets me take his picture while finishing breakfast.

Daddy is in the kitchen per usual and when I tell him what Gavin just did he looks at me with a certain stunned dread.  Because now, if his nine year old SON can handle a shot of ClaraJane & Mamma’s Fire Cider… there’s that much less excuse for Daddy next time he ever starts to feel sick god forbid.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

MWUAH HA HA HA HA!
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Then ClaraJane has us all walk to class together; Invasion Oberhauser-Style.

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Daddy looks at his son with perhaps renewed respect.

 

♥♥♥♥

 

Posted in animals, childhood, comedy, education, faith, family, Friendship, health, love, parenthood, school | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Truth Bomb Mom Raising Kids (with Disabilities)

Posted on 2018/01/23 by circuskitchen

January 23rd 2018

Disabilities or not, this is just great and very entertaining advice from two extremely talented and funny people.

Tips for Raising Kids with Disabilities, from Zach Anner [4:51]:

 

If you haven’t seen Zach Anner before, here are some of his other great great pieces.

Lessons for Life with Zach Anner [2:26]: 

 

Zach Anner & The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel [6:57]: 

 

Zach Anner: “Top 10 Things I Wish People Knew About Cerebral Palsy” [3:22]:

 

Pullups and Pick-me-ups – Workout Wednesday #1 [3:28]:

 

And FTR… he’s got over 20 more hilarious inspiring W.O.W. videos and counting.

And remember, “YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!  EXCEPT TIME TRAVEL, DUE TO THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!”

 

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