Hospital Clowning: TED Talk – The Serious Business of Clown Doctoring

Posted on 2017/10/18 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, October 18th 2017

A fantastic and inspiring TED Talk originally given in New Zealand 2014.

The Serious Business of Clown Doctoring | Thomas Petschner | TEDxChristchurch [13:48]:

 

 

Posted in comedy, education, faith, health, Hospital Clowning, love, making art, mental health, Mindfulness, work | Leave a comment

Hospital Clowning: Back to Clown School with Jeff Smithson

Posted on 2017/10/17 by circuskitchen

Tuesday, October 17th 2017

2017-10-16 09.06.36

En route to my first Laughter League Workshop with my most recently discovered fellow member of famiglia.

As I continue explorations into this new realm of performing, and after my first workshop with the Laughter League team yesterday and getting to know my newest favorite colleague, what do I find but his TED Talk!  I’ve been raving how wonderful it’s been to make his acquaintance.  What a delight to discover he’s already curated some of his views, experiences and philosophies into a beautifully condensed TED Talk.

One, Two, Three: Play: Jeff Smithson at TEDxMosesBrownSchool [12:42]:

o Our body is a mouth that never stops talking.

o Foam in, Foam Out.

o Clowning from the the Head, the Gut, the Heart.

o “If you’re not comfortable, they’re not comfortable.”

o Sometimes what the patient -person!- needs is control.

o  Being available in the present moment is the best place to begin.

o We have a choice of where to put our awareness.

o We can follow a thought a long way, sit with a feeling, examine a want.

o Your attention is the most precious thing that you have, so spend it wisely.

o By choosing to be in touch with your breath and to be present with another person you give them the greatest gift that you can.

 

9870

My new lid and new teammate, Jeff Smithson, Proponent of Play.

Thank you Jeff!  I can hardly wait to work with you … this Thursday!

 

Posted in art, comedy, education, Friendship, health, Here & Now, Hospital Clowning, making art, mental health, patience, work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hospital Clowning: A Glimpse

Posted on 2017/10/16 by circuskitchen

Monday, October 16th 2017

From the throes of training for my new bestest dream job in the world, here is a wonderful news piece covering the team I will be joining (which is now called Laughter League).  In fact the sage and veteran Nurse Bee Bee seen here is precisely whose enormous shoes are leaving the void into which I begin to step.

2014-05 Big Apple Circus Clowns Create Smiles At Boston Children’s Hospital [2:44]:

 

 

Here is more about clowning at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, where our team also performs.

2011-07 Clowning Around at Hasbro Children’s Hospital [3:13]:

 

I still have so much to learn but if there were such a thing as *ready* to begin, then I AM.

 

 

 

 

Posted in art, childhood, comedy, education, faith, Friendship, health, Hospital Clowning, learning, love, making art, mental health, patience, work | 2 Comments

Meta Mini Meow Meow

Posted on 2017/10/13 by circuskitchen

October 13th 2017
2017-10-13 21.04.30

aka: Watching ‘The Lion in Your Living Room’ WITH the Lion in YOUR Living Room who is also watching ‘The Lion in Your Living Room’:

2017-10-13 21.04.36

Any questions, just say:

2017-10-13 20.57.08

“I mustache you a question!”

That is all.

 

Posted in animals, childhood, comedy, domestic life, family, Friendship, health, love, parenthood | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hospital Clowning: Training Rounds #2

Posted on 2017/10/13 by circuskitchen

Friday, October 13th 2017

2017-10-13 13.54.18

 

Here we go for my second training day at Boston Children’s Hospital!  Today I have the honor, joy and pleasure of following “Doctors” Mal Adjusted and Gone Golfin’.

My newly joining the team causes them to count how many years they have been doing this job and the answer is -collectively- 41!!!

2017-10-13 11.03.30

 

And we’re off.  First up, party time at the Reception Desk!

2017-10-13 10.23.37

(Don’t ask me what department this is.  Thankfully I am not expected to know my own way around this unbelievable labyrinth for quite some time.)

2017-10-13 11.11.03

 

 

[Stage whisper]:

OKAY!  We’re gonna

clown real quiet now!

2017-10-13 10.28.04

Who let the clowns out?

‘

The question is also, who will let them IN?

Here Dr.s Mal & Gone Golfin are invited into a room in which they clown around and then naturally cannot properly operate the door on the way out.  Finally Mal backs away VERY gently, closing it ever-so-tenderly so as to avoid getting hit in the face with it A-GAIN.

This day also took some interesting turns in that;

  1. A patient’s mother couldn’t find the LAUNDRY ROOM, but luckily bumped into these two clowns who provided her and her son a merry escort all the way.

2017-10-13 10.41.14

 

2.   I got to say hi to one of our esteemed colleagues in Child Life Services over in the E.D. (Emergecy Department).  She is in fact so esteemed that one of our team *married* her… something like 14 years ago!

2017-10-13 14.19.37

Her office is aptly labeled a “closet!”

3.  By far the most bizarre turn happened after the hospital could not furnish me with a *badge* on account of some of my own medical records have not been processed.  This prompted a trip over to the “Occ. Health” department, in a whole different building.

A solitary clown diffuses administrative ennui by solemnly bouncing his red nose off the back of a smiley face ukulele…

2017-10-13 13.12.06

Suddenly I am required to switch into Death-con 5 Mode when the lovely Occ. Health administrator invites me to remotely access my own medical records online, capture screen shots of every vaccination record I have and send them to her in an email right then and there.  I’m like, “DO WHAT!”

After a couple failed attempts I’m about to give up when Brian (Gone Golfin’s secret alter-ego) encourages me again, and together we figure it out.  I’m feeling guilty about holding up these clowns -my friends- from patients who deserve their attention, but they remind me this is important too.  “Look at me,” I’m told, “It’s OKAY.”

2017-10-13 13.25.37

“It’s OK!”

Seriously.  How can I stay stressed out looking at these faces??

What fine frigging human beings I am privileged to be joining, is all I have to say about that.

Back to work:

2017-10-13 13.44.54

 

Then lots more stuff happened.

And that’s how you do that!

2017-10-13 10.05.57

Thank you Mal and Gone Golfin!  I am gonna love it here!!!

 

 

Posted in art, education, Hospital Clowning, love, making art, mental health, patience, work | 2 Comments

Hospital Clowning: Training Rounds #1

Posted on 2017/10/11 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, October 11th 2017

IMG_8511.JPG

On this day I was privileged to follow these two extraordinary hospital clowns on their rounds at Boston Children’s Hospital:

2017-10-11 09.28.12.jpg

Drs. Bucket Buster and Mal Adjusted.

After getting ready,

2017-10-11 10.05.12.jpg

filling up on bubble solution…

2017-10-11 10.19.33

connecting with your partner…

2017-10-11 10.19.36

and summoning the Clown Within…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time for bright lights in the big city.

2017-10-11 10.24.53.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to pull over immediately for photos:

2017-10-11 10.25.15

 

As we make the rounds, every protocol on every floor is followed, nothing is presumed and every entrance to a room is plied ever so gently:

2017-10-11 11.25.09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017-10-11 11.11.01

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clowning in the elevators and hallways is *almost* as ubiquitous as washing hands:

 

This day was anomalously interesting in several ways including;

  1.  It was National Coming Out Day, and I got some information, stickers and a my own beautiful new rainbow Children’s Hospital lanyard:

2017-10-11 12.02.31.jpg

2.  A giant fly was loose in the hospital a nurse, a rabbi and a social worker flailed around their office trying to kill it, entertaining the clowns for a change:

2017-10-11 10.56.37

3.  Dr. Mal helped herself to the flu clinic, with an assist by Dr. Bucket Buster:

2017-10-11 13.34.06.jpg

Look out behind you Dr. Mal !

2017-10-11 13.34.22

Ah, nothing to worry about.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  All this excitement required a lunchtime nap for Dr. Bucket Buster.

2017-10-11 12.46.52.jpg

(Pardon the invasion of your personal time Dr. Bucket Buster, butt…           I just think you’re wise and wonderful.)

 

Good thing she napped too because no sooner did we round a corner than one of the hospital workers flew into a frenzy upon seeing her, challenging her to some ritualized pirate duel dance or something, which melted into hugs (not shown here).

2017-10-11 14.21.12.jpg

The amount of joy this lady exuded at seeing her FAVORITE CLOWN IN THE WORLD was frankly incredible.

The overall degree to which the clowns are beloved by the staff and the amount of spirit lifting that happens- is inescapable.

There is a lot more that happened on this day, but only so much one little clown heart can process at a time.  So before I squeak on out of here and I just have to say; THANK YOU Drs. Mal & Bucket Buster for showing me around on my first hospital clown training day!

IMG_8518

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in comedy, education, health, Hospital Clowning, love, making art, mental health, work | Leave a comment

#TakeAKnee: How Racism Works

Posted on 2017/10/06 by circuskitchen

racism protesting america

 

Can you believe this is how our PRESIDENT’S administration doubles down on profane and racist remarks???

sanders appropriate to say son of a bitch

Just #wow

how racism works

 

And as a good egg in our family put it:

Ryan re knee protests

 

Here’s to raising MORE GOOD EGGS!
Whether or not we’re able to help other relatives overcome their racism.

SHINE YOUR LIGHT,

NO MATTER

THE DARKNESS AROUND YOU!

 

 

Posted in activism, art, education, family, fight, forgiveness, grandparenthood, mental health, politics, racial injustice, social justice | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

#TakeAKnee: Historically…

Posted on 2017/10/06 by circuskitchen

1 protesting public transportation

 

2 protesting injustice

 

4 Rosa Parks & Kaepernick

 

5 without national dialogue

hee hee haw haw “satire” by the Onion

 

3 Acceptable Protests

for blacks in this country, that is.

 

Here is an artist and role model my son and I are proud to call friend:

6 Captain Corey Morgan Takes A Knee

Corey Morgan, Captain America

 

Posted in activism, education, fight, history, politics, racial injustice, social justice | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

#TakeAKnee: It’s Not About Veterans or the Flag

Posted on 2017/10/06 by circuskitchen

Take it from a (white) four star general: 

2017-09-27 16.24.44

 

This WWII Vet: 

2017-09-26 08.45.28

 

This patriot: 

black veteran flag knee

 

These solidiers:

2017-09-26 08.52.20

 

This radical concept:

2017-09-29 12.51.14

 

Or my favorite quote about the whole issue: 

I'm a Vet

 

american-flag-2014-from-twitterfeed-of-puchi-at-machucartier.jpg

 

 

Posted in activism, education, fight, history, politics, Religious Hypocrisy, social justice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

#TakeAKnee: And the Racists Go Crazy

Posted on 2017/10/06 by circuskitchen

2017-09-26 08.43.06

White People vs. Peaceful Protest

the confederate flag

 

2017-09-26 07.57.08

2017-09-26 07.58.43

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017-09-26 08.36.33

 

white flag racists

#Smh #TakeAKnee

Posted in activism, education, fight, politics, racial injustice, social justice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment