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Have You Seen This? Mascot is having a rough day
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We all have those days, but the guy in this polar bear suit is about to call it quits. - photo by John Clyde


THE ICE We all have those days. The days when just nothing will go right. No matter what you do things just refuse to work out. This happened for me a few weeks ago when I woke up completely under the impression it was Friday (it was Saturday), I managed to pour orange juice into my oatmeal, I ripped my pants while putting them on and my infant daughter threw up all over me right after I got dressed. And this was all before I'd even left the house.

The mascot in the polar bear suit trying to shoot this local car commercial in Minnesota is having a very similar day. Even though I don't think he had baby throw up on him.

Watching this poor guy fail over and over just to succeed but have someone else mess up the take is aggravating and heartbreaking in a sense. Aggravating because you imagine yourself in that situation and heartbreaking because you know there is an actual human being in that suit who is ready to lose his mind.

You understand that things finally hit a breaking point when at the end the one guy not in a suit slaps the polar bear on the back just to send him to the ice one moe time. The polar bear-suit guy has just given up and lays on his face praying for this shoot to end.

It'll make you chuckle and the outtakes are likely the best local commercial ever made, because let's be honest, local commercials aren't all that great.
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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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