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Have You Seen This? Close encounters of the whale kind
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There is whale watching and then there's this. This is a whole new level. - photo by John Clyde


THE OCEAN I'd like to say I have a great respect for the ocean, but that's a lie. The truth of the matter is that it scares the Dickens out of me. It's so big and you have no idea what's lurking underneath.

Don't get me wrong, I still love going to the beach and playing in the water, but there's always this little voice in the back of my head saying, "Oh, you're super going to die today."

I think I'm over that fear and then I see this. I know most of you will watch this video and think, "This is amazing. I want to go do that." I respect that, I really do. But my pessimistic little voice would be saying, "Sure. That looked cool, but where is that thing now? You know it's the size of a bus, right? Would you be all smiles if a bus came that close to eating you?"

My little voice isn't much on logic.

Truth is that this video is amazing. These whale watchers in Quebec got their money's worth and then some.

Check out the video and I challenge you to not gasp the first time.
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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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