Needed Day Brightener: Watch This 97 Year Old Dance To Justin Timberlake

Chuck Franzke, 97, know just how to dance properly to a
Justin Timberlake tune. 

I want to be like this guy.

This guy is Chuck Franzke, 97 a World War II Navy Pilot, who, while maintaining social distancing, had to get some dancing out of his system.  The video, naturally, went viral.

In the video, he dances to "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake.

Friends texted the video to Timberlake, who had this to say about it:

"I actually got choked up.... I said to my friends, 'When this quarantine is over that is the first person I want to find and meet.' That was just so amazing."

Timberlake said Franzke was already a certified bad ass, given his World War II service, but this takes it to a whole new level.

I have to say that Franzke's moves are pretty damn good!

Here's the video:

"Jumper Cable Jam" Is Delightful Result Of Chance Neighborhood Meeting; You Will Smile

A random woman named Cleopatra walked by some musicians
jamming on an Oakland, California stoop.
The result was glorious. 

I love it when random, inconsequential moments turn into an alchemy that puts us all in a good mood.

Such was the case this month in Oakland, California. The ingredients to what happened are no big deal.

A couple members of a musical group called Milk For The Angry were on a front stoop, just jamming with their instruments.

A car on the street broke down, and somebody went to get jumper cables to get the vehicle running again. A woman named Cleopatra walked by.  From what I can gather, she was bringing popcorn and ice cream to her brother. Those jumper cables were also on her mind. Then she took notice of the musicians on the stoop.

Cleopatra joined in, and the rest is glorious history. I just LOVE Cleopatra. Watch, and you will, too:

I Wish Mr. Reed Was My Fourth Grade Teacher

Teacher Dwayne Reed welcomes his fourth grade
students with his awesome viral video.
The kids will be alright in Reed's hands. 

There's a guy named Dwayne Reed in Chicago who is a first year teacher, presiding over a fourth grade class.

To break the ice with his students,  he came up with a song and a music video to greet his students and happily establish the ground rules.

The whole thing makes me happy that there are teachers like Reed out there.

As Slate notes:

"His enthusiasm is a good reminder of how important good teachers are to our kids, and how important it is that we support them. 'Have respect for each other and don't forget me,' he raps, also putting in a good word for the staff and the school. Reed packs in all the usual warnings and rules, but so sweetly you barely notice."

Below is the awesome viral video for his students. I think Reed's fourth graders will do just fine:

Saturday Smile: Dog Groomer Dances Through His Work Day

This dog groomer in Argentina dances the day away
with his furry clients, making us all happy.  

Luis Antonio Caballero, 58, is a dog groomer in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The guy clearly loves his job, and apparently so do his furry clients.

One day recently, Caballero's wife, who works with him, stepped away to make some tea.

When she returned, she caught this scene, which she recorded on her smart phone for all the world to see.

Caballero should just change the name of his dog grooming businesse to Love Shack.

Watch and smile:

Dog Appears Pleased To Be Leaving Animal Shelter After Being Adopted

Coso celebrates as she leaves an animal shelter with
the two people who just adopted her.  

I just had to post this because the photo is perfect.

Coso, age seven, is an Australian Shepherd mix who had been at the Lort Smith Animal Shelter in Melbourne, Australia because the family that had her could no longer care for her, says The Dodo.

Eventually, a family came to the animal shelter and decided to adopt Coso and bring her to a new forever home.

Judging from the photo, Coso looked rather pleased as she left the animal shelter with her new family. Her new human companions don't exactly look upset, either.

Guy Who's Blind In One Eye Finds His Perfect Dog Companion

Jordan Trtent, who is blind in one eye
with his new bestie, who also has vision
in only one eye.

This isn't a big, consequential story, but it's an example of how it's great when somebody finds a perfect friend.

A guy named Jordan Trent has been blind in one eye since he was in middle school.

He and a bunch of family members were in Texas recently when they went to a flea market.

There, they found a guy sellig a puppy, a mini Australian Shepherd. It was the last one of the litter, because nobody wanted it.

Why? the puppy had been born with just one eye.

Perfect!! As you can imagine, Trent and the puppy bonded. The pup is now named Shiner Solo, and the man and his dog get along famously.

I'm only tellling this story because i a world where there's so much bad news (Hi, North Korea and your alleged new hydrogen bomb!) --- that you want a story with a happy ending.

The one eyed dog isn't a big story of national importance, I get that, but it IS important that we hear about every happy, perfect ending we can grab onto.

Proud To Be An American; Proudly Gay And Married

The Gay Men's Chorus of DC react perfectly
to Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision.  

I'm sure nobody is surprised that my husband and me were thrilled by Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex marriage in all 50 states.

Where I live in Vermont, it's been legal for years. Jeff and I will celebrate our third (already!) wedding anniversary on August 26.

Of course, now it's nice to, say, travel to visit relatives in South Dakota, and if anything happens to one of us, we can still be together no matter what.

I might have more to say on this subject in an upcoming blog post, but for now, I'll let the Gay Men's Chorus of DC  do the talking singing with their reaction in front of the U.S. Supreme Court decision was handed down Friday.

All I can say is, Jeff and I concur with this group:

Bad Mood? Use This Video As Go To For Better Feelings

Here's a brief video that's gone viral of two eight month old twin girls pretty much enjoying their mom's singing to them.

The kids have pretty good moves for their age, too.

Watch:

Internet And Very Nice Human Beings Rescue 6-Year Old's Birthday

After a false start, Glenn Buratti ended
up having a really nice sixth birthday
celebration. Also, nice Minion, Glenn!  

I often whine and moan about all the awful trolls on the Internet, people who say and do the most vile things because they're scum buckets and just want to spread their dark clouds far and wide.

Like I said, scumbags.

But, the number of awesome people on social media seems to vastly outnumber the bad, hideous trolls.

Case in point: Glenn Buratti, 6, and his mother, Ashlee, invited 16 of his school classmates to the kid's sixth birthday party at their Florida home.

None of the kids showed up.

Mom took to Facebook and vented, talking about how Glenn, who has autism, was so disappointed and almost seemed permanently unable to smile after that, says television station WKMG

People saw the post and responded, big time. The Osceola County Sheriff's office did a flyover above Buratti's house with their helicopter. The celebration became a weeklong event, with neighbors, strangers coming over.  The local fire and police departments showed up with fire trucks and cruisers so Glenn could check them out.

Ashlee said she still hasn't heard from the parents of the 16 kids that didn't make it to the party. (I bet they're mortified now!) But it's OK. Glenn had a great birthday, thanks to the Internet and some kind people.

This all just makes it easier to ignore the online trolls, doesn't it?

I'll also put in added props because the video you see below shows Glenn holding a big toy Minion. Kid after my own heart, I'll tell ya.

Happy Birthday, Glenn!!

This Guy Seems Happy

Winter doldrums got you down?

Maybe this guy at the String Festival,  bluegrass event in Oregon last summer could help cheer you up and warm you up.

He seems happy enough:

Lesbian Couple FINALLY Get To Marry After 72 Years Together

Vivian Boyack and Alice Dubes getting married
in Davenport, Iowa Saturday. Photo by Thomas Geyer  

A big shout out and congratulations to Vivian Boyack and Alice Dubes who got married in Davenport, Iowa last weekend.

They probably broke the record for the longest courtship before a marriage. Boyack, 91, and Dubes, 90, have been together for 72 years, says the Quad City Times. 

I'm sure the happy couple would have gotten married many years ago, but of course gay marriage has only recently become legal.

Still, it's nice to see the couple finally tied the knot at the First Christian Church in Davenport.

According to the Quad City Times:

"Surrounded by family and a small group of close friends, the two held hands as the Rev. Linda Hunsaker told the couple that, 'This is a celebration of something that should have happened a very long time ago.'"

More from the Times about the couple:

"Over the years, the two have traveled to all 50 states, all the provines of Canada and to England twice. 

'We've had a good time,' Dubes said. Boyack added it takes a lot of love and work to keep a relationship going for 72 years."

Here's hoping the couple have many more happy years together.

Dog Launches Formerly Homeless Guy's Thriving Arts Career

John Dolan and his buddy and artistic muse George
Photo by David Levene for The Guardian  

John Dolan, in his early 40s, was a homeless heroin addict in Britain.

Somebody sold him a charming dog named George for the price of a can of beer.

Dolan and George quickly became close buddies, and Dolan realized unless he got his act straightened out, he'd go to prison, lose George and God know what would happen to George.

Dolan recognized having a dog companion is great, but also a responsibility, so he had to take responsibility.

So Dolan began drawing sketches of George, and his surroundings in London. The sketches really are quite good.

One of John Dolan's sketches of George.  

According to The Guardian newspaper, a guy named Richard Howard Griffin saw Dolan and his sketches. He thought they were quite good, too. Howard Griffin is into street art and is a gallery owner.

He put on an exhibition of Dolan's drawings last fall.

The exhibition turned out to be a sellout, a second one just opened. The sketches often sell for more than $5,000 apiece, according to the Huffington Post. 

Dolan is releasing a memoir, called "John and George: The Dog Who Changed My Life"

Dolan told the Guardian George was his lifesaver: "I feel like he's a guardian angel. If it hadn't been for him, I'd have never picked up my pen."

Dolan said he knows he has to be careful. Now that all this money is rolling in, he could slide back into heroin use. He can afford it.

Or, actually, Dolan says he can't. Yes, he's got the money for the drugs, but he's also got George. And he can't let him down. So he's staying clean.

Frank The Dog Is Happy, Makes Us Happy

Frank the happy dog

With all the bad news out there today, from that airliner that was shot down over Ukraine to the war in Gaza we need something to cheer us up.

Enter Frank, star of a viral video who is so happy he wags his tail in his sleep.

His owners say he was abused and neglected by his previous owner but has come around nicely. And a note: Yes, you see he's not neutered, but the owner say doing that to dachshunds can cause weight problems.

He's mostly an indoor dog and always on a leash when outside, so the risk of unwanted puppies is low.

Anyway, here's happy Frank:

A Great Big Gay Weekend Unfolds

Twitter was, um Atwitter Saturday night with these three facts repeated ad nauseum in hundreds of 140-character or less missives:

Michael Sam, with his boyfriend, being told
Saturday that he is being drafted by the NFL team
St. Louis Rams.

1. A bearded drag queen singer named Conchita Wurst won Eurovision, the enormous, premier annual song competition in Europe. She's quite good.

2. Two lesbians got married in Arkansas Saturday, complete with a valid Arkansas State marriage license, thanks to a judge's ruling on Friday

3. The NFL team St. Louis Rams drafted Michael Sam, the openly gay football player. When Sam got the news he kissed his boyfriend, and the pair playfully smashed cake into each others' faces.

Needless to say, few of us, including Yours Truly, never thought we'd see any of these things happen, much less all in one bright Saturday in May.

It sure does leave me in a cheerful mood, though.

Bearded drag queens, Arkansas lesbians and gay football players might or might not be your cup of tea, but the message to the LGBTQ community is clear: You've come a long way, baby.

The world still isn't perfect for gay people, but it is slowly becoming more fair.

There will always be a virulent anti-gay crowd, still paranoid that any time a gay person gets married, or keeps a job, or adopts the kid, the Apocalpyse Is Upon Us.  So far, the sky hasn't fallen, so I think we're safe.

This anti gay crowd has long seen the writing on the wall, which is why they seem to have been getting more shrill and unhinged in their opposition to gay rights.

This couple got married in Arkansas Saturday.  

The news from Saturday will probably really put them over the edge.

I have mixed emotions about that fact. Of course I have a terminal case of schadenfreude, that sense of guilty pleasure over people not having a good time, so I'll indulge in that for awhile.

I'm sure the religious right, and probably Fox News, is depressed, angry and distraught at the moment.

On the other hand, when some people are ideologically backed into a corner, they lash out like a trapped animal. I worry that the drumbeat of great news for the gay community will increase gay bashings, as a few yahoos take matters into their own hands, thinking they're "saving the world" when they're just being idiots.

Other nations see what's going on and are joining the gay bashing wagon, too. These national leaders trying to distract their populace from their own incompetence or mendacity by exploiting anti-gay hate for their own self-preservation.

That's why Vladimir Putin in Russia has been pushing anti-gay laws. And why Brunei wants to put gay people to death via stoning.  And why Uganda is pretty much doing the same thing, pushed along by the odious American anti-gay activist Scott Lively. 

But you've got to be brave. That's how Conchita Wurst the bearded drag queen, our happy married lesbians in Arkansas and Michael Sam got what they wanted and deserve.

For the rest of us, it encourages to seek and win our own little victories.

Which is always an awesome thing

"Now It Doesn't Hurt Anymore." Boston Marathon Win Has Me In Happy Tears

Although this just happened a little while ago as I write this, I'm sure everyone in the world knows that a guy named Meb Keflezighi has won the Boston Marathon.  

Meb Keflezighi winning the Boston Marathon today.  

He's the first American to do so since 1983.

There will be a lot of commentary about the symbolism of an American win a year after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Certainly a nice touch, to put it mildly.

And there will be a lot of commentary about the interesting juxtaposition of having an immigrant win the Boston marathon, a year after some ugly comments about immigrants, given the Boston Marathon bombers last year were immigrants.

In a post race interview, in which Keflezighi looks about as "exhausted" as if he'd just walked half a block instead of winning the marathon, he said, "You know what? I'm blessed to be an American."

I also love it that you can see briefly, in the background among the spectators right after Keflezighi's win, a man in a white cowboy hat near the finish line.

The white cowboy hat guy is Carlos Arredondo, who was in the iconic Boston Marathon bombing photo as he helped rush a greviously injured spectator, Jeffrey Baumann to medics, a move that saved Baumann's life. By the way, Arredondo is another immigrant, from Costa Rica.

As the Fox news story in the above link notes, Arredondo has become something of a comforter in chief for Boston. And now we have Keflezighi to add to the mix.

But I won't worry about the politics now. You'll see the video, below, all over the place over the next few days but I have to share it now, anyway. The announcers are besides themselves as Keflezighi comes in for the win.

And another side isuse. Keflezighi is 38 years old! How does such a "geriatric" guy win the Boston Marathon?

One of the announcers says near the end of the clip, "Now it doesn't hurt anymore."

Indeed.

Dog With Only Two Legs Runs On The Beach, Looks Happy

Duncan Lou Who, the Boxer with two legs
enjoys a recent frolic on the beach.  

Today's lesson in life comes from a dog, a boxer named Duncan Lou Who, a charming young guy who has no rear legs, just the two front ones.

Duncan was born with badly deformed rear legs that had to be amputated at the hip socket.

Removing the legs prevented Duncan from getting spinal damage and living his life in excruciating pain, something nobody wanted, least of all Duncan.

Some nice humans gave him a wheelchair to help him out, but he didn't care for the wheelchair all that much. Too confining.

Duncan was adopted by Amanda Giese of Panda Paws Rescue in Vancouver, Wash., and her daughter Jade, who was 9, when Duncan had his surgery as a four month old pup last fall, according to television station King5 in Seattle. 

Usually people coming into Panda Paws Rescue and adopt, but Amanda and Jade couldn't resist and brought him Duncan home.

Some people said Duncan should have been euthanized because of his condition, but Giese said that would have been totally wrong, according to King5.  

Shortly after the surgery, Amanda Giese said. "He's happy, painful, pain-free, joyful and a normal puppy in every other way."

She said many two-legged dogs have full, happy lives.  

Duncan seems to be Exhibit A in the kind of life such a dog can have. He makes do just fine with getting around on his two front legs.

Judging from the very viral video you'll see below, Duncan Lou Who seems quite happy, and quite agile as he runs around on the beach with his friend Miso.

Amid The Chaos, Some Joy

I often whine about bad news on this blog, but I also like to mix in some more pleasant fare, so I think I'll do that today with three videos that I hope make your day a little better.

Hat tip to great friend and our South African bureau chief Michael McCann for alerting us, via Facebook, to this first video,  from 2012,    of an "Ode To Joy" flash mob. It was sponsored by a bank, but luckily, we don't get any boring banking stuff.

Just a building crescendo of joy. Totally worth the watch:

 


Next we go back to 2008, for a video that's suddenly become viral again. It's some baby otters who are in a really, really good mood. They'll improve your frame of mind, too:





Finally, highlighted today in Huffington Post, we have a toddler who loves her St. Bernard. Said St. Bernard loves the kid back. Ahhhh......'

A Dog Adoption Proves Perfect And Perfectly Timed, As They Always Do

Political blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan usually spends his days entertainingly sparring over disputes involving public affairs, society and the sausage factory that is Washington, DC.

Andrew Sullivan and his new bestie Bowie
get to know each other last weekend.  

He makes no secret, though, that he has a serious soft spot for dogs, particularly beagles. His heartbreak was palpable after one of his beagles, named Dusty, died last summer.

Today, in his blog, however, he tells us how fate took over once again, as it usually does when dogs and people unite to become a team.

Sullivan said he was invited to upstate New York, where a three legged, 18-month old beagle named Bowie was looking for a home. Was Sullivan interested?

After a slightly rocky first meeting involving intestinal upset and an unfortunate pee time accident, Sullivan was smitten.

He writes:

"I have to say this weekend was a bit of a love affair. There is so much about her that reminds me of Dusty as a puppy--the pathological wolfing of the food, the constant interest in every smell, scent and sight, the sheer constant energy. But unlike Dusty, she's extremely affectionate. And even obedient.

By the end of the weekend, she perfected "sit" and "stay" and (almost) "down"--and there were no more accidents. We didn't use her crate after the first night. If I didn't see her, all I had to do was say "Bowie" and she would come scampering around the corner to shower me with love.

Just when you least expect it...just what you least expect. I think the grieving is done now."

It's interesting how Bowie came into Sullivan's life, apparently at the precise moment he was ready for this kind of thing to happen. Not sooner, not later, but at the right time. 

I think dogs just know how to do that.  The right dog comes into our lives just when we most need them. Even if we don't realize we need them.

Jackson The Cocker Spaniel (front) and
the late Bailey the Wonder Dog keep
watch over me and Jeff last fall.  

The past three years have been chaotic, but fun for me. Jackson the Cocker Spaniel has been there through that, cheering me up in my dark moments, enthusiastically sharing in my excitement at the good times, and calming me down during my too-often excitable, frustrated moments.  

It's as if he knows just what to do.

And I had Bailey the Wonder Dog in my life for a year before he died last May. His passing felt too soon, too painful, as we only knew each other for a year. 

But Bailey The Wonder Dog taught me to embrace the ones we love, because we never know when they will go.

Because of what Bailey taught me, or at least reinforced for me, I wake up each morning and see my husband, alive and well and loving right next to me. Which means I get another day with him. Another day to cherish.  May there be zillions more.

Some people say that dogs are wonderful teachers for humans. 

Some people are spot on. 

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Children's Hospital Offers An Inspiring "Roar"

Hat tip to my sister Lynn for reminding about this video that's gone majorly viral with more than 1.3 million hits.

This little boy roars as he sings Children's Hospital
at Dartmouth Hitchcock's version of Katy Perry's "Roar"  

Patients, family and staff decided at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in  New Hampshire to do one of those inspiration videos by lip syncing to Katy Perry's song "Roar"

I especially like the geeky staffers trying, and charmingly failling to dance, and of course the patients.

Special kudos to the little boy in blue who roars, the girl in the glasses and purple tie-dye, the boy in the red doing the muscle pose and the determined young lady in the tan knit hat and green shirt who is promising to do a lot of roaring in the future.

This video is a rare moment in which scenes from a children's hospital can make you happy and optimistic. So thanks, Dartmouth-Hitchcock!

Here's the cool video:

Still No Joy In The News, So We Rummage Around YouTube For Some

Congress, the shutdown, the debt ceiling the whole thing remains totally scary, pathetic and infuriating, so I continue to look for distractions that might make us smile.

So here's a video from December, 2011 of a U.S. Airman coming home from a long deployment and being greeted by his dog Odie.

Odie seems happy enough in the video. Bet you might get at least a smile, too.