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Have You Seen This? Balancing a bike 650 feet in the air
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I'm not sure anything has ever made me as anxious as watching this video. - photo by John Clyde


INSANIVILLE Once in junior high I received my midterm report card and somehow I miraculously had a GPA of .32. That is not a typo, it was actually .32.

My anxiety level shot through the roof. The terror of seeing my parents, repeating classes, and my utter laziness stared back at me in the face. As anxious as that made me, it didn't come close to the anxiety I felt watching this video.

Biker Fabio Wibmer balanced his bike on a railing at the Koelnbreinsperre Dam in Austria. The railing is only as wide as his bike tire, and he rides it expertly 200 meters in the air. For those of us Yanks, that's 656 feet in the air.

I found myself yelling at my screen over and over again at Wibmer, "OK, you proved you can do it, now get off the railing. Why are you pushing your luck? You've made it far enough, call it. Get off! Get off the rail...."

That's when I blacked out because I couldn't handle it anymore. When I woke up, Wibmer was back on solid ground, and I was on the floor.

I do not condone anyone attempting this crazy stunt, but I am in awe of it, and I'm not totally sure I can bring myself to watch it again. Maybe I should lay down before I do it again so I don't pass out and hit the floor again.

For the record, I ended up on the honor roll by the end of that semester. I guess that terrifying midterm sparked something.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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