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Have You Seen This? Giant balloon T-Rex
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It's a life-sized T-rex made entirely of balloons. Who wants this guy at your kid's next birthday party? - photo by John Clyde
BALLOON TOWN I've tried making balloon animals, but a few things were not in my favor.

For starters, my hands are about as gentle as a rabid raccoon that just found a box of Twinkies. I also have no idea how to make balloon animals. So, with those two factors in mind, I was impressed by this video of a life-sized T-Rex made entirely out of balloons.

Mark Verge is a six-time World Champion balloon artist and with this piece you can easily see why. Verge says he likes to make "big" things, and I definitely think this replica of an ancient dinosaur measuring 12-feet tall and 43-feet long qualifies as big.

Verge said the dino took over 40 hours to build and required about 700 balloons. I'm lucky to get 40 hours of work in a week. Wait, scratch that. Nevermind, employer, I get 40 hours minimum, usually more. I think I covered that up well.

Whether I have a job tomorrow or not is apparently up in the air, but what is not up in the air is the fact that this balloon dinosaur is amazing, and Verge makes some pretty awesome stuff.
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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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