Support4Change Blog

January 29, 2008

Category: Pictures for Pleasure and Diversion, Miscellaneous

By Arlene Harder, MFT

My last blog was titled, “These Are Good Enough.” In typical perfectionist fashion I couldn’t claim the e-book, Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life, the CD, Words of Encouragement for Everyone, and the animation, Getting Through the Gate to Change, were “really” good until I had finished polishing the formatting of the book and the animator had added Jane (that’s her on the right). 

The truth is that these three new features were excellent additions to Support4Change even before Jane joined the team. So if you haven’t yet watched Getting Through the Gate to Change, please do. I also hope you will check out the book and the CD. And don’t forget to recommend them to your friends.

Okay, now that the sales pitch is over, let’s get down to one of the main topics for today.

You see, I was told that people want bloggers to be fairly current. Not absolutely every day, of course, but more often than I’ve been creating entries. Yet with the work I’m beginning to put into the development of the Better Tomorrow’s Program (I’ll tell you about that in a few weeks), I don’t have time to write as often as I’d like.

Then this morning I had an idea that I believe is fairly doable, which is selecting a number of general categories that don’t all require as much time as I like to put into my writing of commentaries on life today. However, I will have fun creating them, most days when you come here you will find something new, and you will discover topics and questions designed to get you to think.

Anyway, that’s my plan. Not going to lose sleep if I’m unable to do this quite as I am envisioning it at the moment [see articles under Lessons of a Recovering Perfectionist in the blog index and on Support4Change]. Nevertheless, I figure that by having a framework around which I can build the blog, I don’t need to face the pressure of coming up with ideas when I hit a what-will-I-write-today quandry.

Here are the categories, in addition to the Q-and-A Club, that I hope you will find when you come to this blog, with something new at least several times a week:

Commentary on Life Today — I have started an article I hope to finish by the end of the week. Its title is: “Change and the Law of Unintended Consequences.”

Ideas for Parents and Grandparents — These ideas will help you share your experience and open horizons for both you and the children in your lives, as well as teach all of you how to ask questions

Visual Viewpoints — About a year ago I created a feature on Support4Change with pictures with a certain “point of view,” based on where I was standing when I took the picture and the subject I chose to shoot. I will share some of those with you on the blog, rather than just include them in the newsletter, and you will have a chance to submit photos of your own.

A Visiting Blogger — I will be inviting others to share ideas that can stimulate questions

The Lighter Side — In today’s world we all need a little humor to keep our sanity.

Favorite Quotations — This will be kept for days when I need a quick and easy blog. I already have loads of quotations I’d love to share — and hope to get your reaction to them.

A Book Review — I receive many requests for me to review books and, while I don’t have time to read all of them, I do find some are well worth recommending.

Pictures for Pleasure and Diversion — Read the following for an explanation

Until a few years ago, the information that flowed across our computer screens via the Internet was static, if colorful. Gradually audio and moving pictures were added, providing a new dimension to this technology. With more and more people getting faster and faster connections, we are able to view a wide variety of shows and information right in the comfort of our own homes, though watching it with family and friends may not be as cozy as watching TV from the sofa.

Nevertheless, these amazing pictures show us a slice of life we could previously only get in the movies and on TV. Today we have access to news, YouTube, first-person shots of disaster scenes, and funny stuff that isn’t important, but lightens our day.

Therefore, when you see the category of “Computer Pictures That Move” at the top of my blog under the title, you’ll know that I’m about to tell you about a feature such as a movie, Flash, or animation that I hope you’ll like because I liked it. I certainly like the one I was told about yesterday.

Pictures for Pleasure and Diversion

The Dog, The Cat, and The Rat

This is a video of a homeless guy in Santa Barbara and his pets. You can see these guys every week working State Street for donations. The animals, as you can see, are pretty well fed and mellow. They are a family. The man rigged a harness up for his cat so she wouldn’t have to walk so much (like the dog and himself). At some juncture the rat came along and as no one wanted to eat anyone else, the rat started riding with the cat and often on the cat! The dog will stand all day and let you talk to him and admire him. The Mayor of Santa Barbara filmed this clip and sent it out as a Christmas card. Hope you enjoy it.

If you click on the trailer that follows The Dog, The Cat, and The Rat, you’ll find a three-minute trailer called Our Story, put out by the Humanity Ascending Foundation. It begins with, “Any society that has lost a positive image of its future will perish.” Excellent pictures and a powerful message. I’d like to know what you think of it.

And speaking of moving pictures on the Internet, did I mention that the animation of Getting Through the Gate to Change turned out great? Definitely better than good enough.

If you come back to my blog soon, you’ll know whether I’ve been able to keep up with my plans for more frequent entries. And if you have any comments or suggestions, please write me at the Contact Us page on Support4Change.