Filipinos are Funny.

Ok, this is so damn hysterical. Filipino prison looks like fun!!!

Soulja Boy


You've probably seen this...


A little Sister Act for you...


I just like this one because it's called "Jumbo Hot Dog." What's not to like about that?


And now for some more 80's:


Here is a copy of an article about this whole deal. It's a rehabilitation program!:

By Hugh Riminton
CNN


CEBU, Philippines (CNN) -- The sea of orange moves with an urgent rhythm as music booms in the early morning light. The dancers twirl in unison, every movement carefully choreographed.


Prisoners at the Cebu, Philippines, facility recently practiced a "Sister Act" performance.

1 of 2 But what's most striking about these dancers are that most are accused murderers, rapists and drug dealers. They dance their jig behind prison walls. They are led by a choreographer who is accused of mass murder. One of their biggest stars is a transsexual, awaiting trial on methamphetamine dealing charges.

Welcome to the Cebu Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines. Once infamous for its gang violence, the prison is now famous for its dancing prisoners. Their hard work has spawned one of the unlikeliest hits on the Internet -- a reworking of Michael Jackson's 1980s smash hit video "Thriller." Filmed by the prison boss, it has drawn more than 6 million hits on YouTube.

They've also posted several other dance videos with less fanfare, including performances of "Sister Act," "Jailhouse Rock" and "Radio Ga Ga." Watch the prisoners boogie down »

"We don't have dumbbells here. We don't have weights. We have dancing," prison overseer Byron Garcia told CNN.

And dance they do. Every able-bodied prisoner -- about 1,500 of them -- must dance. If they refuse, they lose certain privileges, mostly conjugal visits. Sometimes, the dancing occupies up to five hours a day. Garcia rejects claims he's abusing the prisoners' rights by forcing them to dance so many hours a day.

He says it gives them a renewed sense of worth and confidence, breaking them of their violent ways. He is convinced his prison is a model for prison authorities everywhere, an example of how to crack the plague of violent prison gangs.

"These men learned they can dance and still be men," he says. "It makes them work together, it makes them exercise and they learn self-esteem.

"They no longer feel like lowly criminals." A smile breaks his face. "Now," he says, "they feel like celebrity criminals."

Garcia took a gamble when he took over the prison three years ago. Gangs and corrupt guards ruled the prison. Serious violence broke out at least once a week. He sacked most of the guards and ordered the prisoners, first to march and then to dance.

"I had to ignore everything in the handbooks to do this," he says. "People in the United States tell me it couldn't work in their prisons." He shrugs: How can they know without trying it?

The prison boss says there has not been a violent incident in nearly a year and a half. "They are just not hostile anymore," he says.

Garcia himself has a hard-line pedigree in law and order. His father, Congressman Pablo Garcia, introduced the death penalty to the Philippines in the 1980s.

Many of his inmates could yet be sentenced to death if they ever make it to trial. Philippine justice moves so slowly that simply to be charged can feel like a life sentence. Most of the inmates here are hardcore suspects, facing murder, rape, robbery and serious drugs offenses.

But many could be innocent -- and many remain here, as many as 16 in a cell -- awaiting trial.

Leo Suico, who's accused of mass murder, says dancing means "we don't think of bad things." Fighting back tears, he says the experience has taught him "love" -- pure and simple.

That sentiment is echoed by other prisoners, including Wenjiell Resane. An accused methamphetamine dealer and self-described "she-male," Resane shares a single prison cell with a dozen transsexuals. She has been waiting three years for trial.

Resane is the star of the "Thriller" video in which more than 1,000 other prisoners took part.

"I tried being a performer before, but no one took any notice," Resane says with the mock bashfulness of the practiced celebrity. "Now, in jail, I have become a star."

The Michael Jackson role is performed with flair by 36-year-old Crisanto Niere, an accused crack dealer who has been waiting five years for trial.

He loves the dancing and laughs at his unlikely fame, but says the video has brought him a reward he once thought would be forever beyond his reach. His son, Christopher, has only known him as a prison inmate.

"He used to be so ashamed of me," says Niere. "Now when he goes to school, he tells everyone the dancer on the Internet is his father."

He adds, "It makes me proud that my son is proud of me."


They are now practicing for their encore, a thank you and acknowledgement to their Internet audience. It is the 1980s hit "Electric Dreams," chosen by the prison boss.

"These people are behind prison bars," says Garcia, who admits he uploaded the "Thriller" video to YouTube. "But with the Internet, we all can be together in electric dreams."

San Francisco Represents!

My Aunt Pauline "Topol", her partner, Aunt Jill, and their daughter Carmel were invited to take part in the annual Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco this year.  This is a big honor!  They were featured on the float presented by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, which had the theme of "A Living Family Portrait - Three Generations of LGBT Family Love and Acceptance."  Along with several other people, Topes and Jill represented the second generation and Carmel represented the 3rd generation.  Despite the cold, rainy weather, they had a wonderful experience!

Nearly 3!

Partially because I didn't want to drop a crazy amount of money at Kiddie Kandids for the same shots everyone gets, but mostly because we live in a beautiful place with great scenery, I decided to try and do Riley's 3-year pictures myself.  A couple weekends ago we went down to the Springs to visit my folks, and it was the perfect opportunity.  They live just a couple minutes away from The Garden of the Gods, so we took Riley over there to try to get some great pictures with the gorgeous rock formations.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect!  The pics turned out pretty well for an amateur like me!  

Cowboy Up!

Today we went to a birthday party for Elyse, Wade and Mary's daughter.  She's the adorable little one that Riley was dancing with at Nate and Jamie's wedding.  The theme for the party was Cowboys and Cowgirls.  We started with a pancake breakfast at Wade and Mary's house, where all the cowpokes got to sit on hay bales and eat their chuckwagon breakfast.  Then we headed out to Cherry Creek State Park for pony rides!

The weather was gorgeously sunny, but a bit on the windy side.  We were treated to a grouchy old cow hand who was very stern about the rules!

Waiting for the round up!  Riley looked pretty cool in his cowboy hat and boots!

Time to Cowboy Up!  Safety first, of course.  Riley didn't hesitate to get on the horse.  He was so excited!

We decided that our pony's name was "Grass and Poop," because he kept stopping to eat grass (and what Riley thought was poop) and Wade had to keep pulling his head up!

Another go 'round!
This time, Birthday Girl Elyse was in the lead.  We didn't have a name for our second pony...they all kinda looked alike, so Grass and Poop was the name for all of them.

Riley's the real deal!
It was another fun day!  In case you're wondering why Steve didn't get to lead the ponies...well...like I said, there were some strict rules.  A few of the boys (and I won't say who the ringleader was, but his initials were Steven Marsh), decided to grab a 12-pack of Bud Light to drink while we were all hanging out at the park.  The ol' cowhand took one look at the brewskis and banished them from any contact with the ponies!  So they had the job of photographers!  

Kids Expo

Last Sunday we went to the All About Kids Radio Disney Expo at the Denver Convention Center.  They had all kinds of vendors there that had kid-oriented activities. They had a giant inflatable slide and jumpy castles.  There was a miniature petting zoo and also dancers and singers from Radio Disney.  Riley had a blast and got to try out some new things.

I love this bear.  He's actually bright blue, but it's hard to tell from the picture.  He's peeking into the Convention Center from the outside.  So clever!

A playground equipment company had a booth there with a play system all set up.  This picture is mainly funny because of the little superhero guy.  I like the mask...and the fact that he's eating string cheese while on the tire swing.  It's just so random.  He's STRING CHEESE man!
Riley got a little taste of a Tae Kwon Do lesson.  He learned to bow, punch a little bit, balance, kick, and got to break a board!  Of course, his instructor had to find "just the right board," but still, it was pretty cool!  We'd like to get Riley into martial arts in the next couple of years.  It's so great for kids!

There was a bicycle safety course too!  The trike was a little too big for Ri, but he gave it a good try.  The taught him about hand signals, stop signs, and maneuvering.  Oh yeah, and helmets!

This was, of course, one of Riley's favorite stops, the Putt Putt.  He is looking forward to getting some "real clubs" soon.

This was a little gymnastics studio that had some activities set up for the kids.  He did a somersault over a round barrel, a flip over the bar, and a bear crawl into a somersault on parallel inclined bars and a wedge mat.

It was definitely a fun way to spend the day!

Go Buffs!

Last weekend we went up to Boulder for Riley's first CU Basketball game.  Normally we don't pay much attention, but the Buffs were playing the Sooners, so we had double the reason to go! I happened upon some tickets from another teacher, so away we went.  

First stop was a place called Harpo's for lunch.  It used to be the Barrel House, which was a pretty big deal in Boulder back in the day, but apparently it's changed.  It was still a pretty neat place, though.

Ain't no thing but a chicken wing!

Buff alum and future Buff!

Poor guy was so confused.  He wore a CU jersey, but a Sooners hoodie over top.  He wore the Sooners hoodie for about the first quarter.  I don't know if it's because CU was winning or if he got hot, but eventually we went all Buffs, baby!

Blue cotton candy rules!!

The Buffs won, which was great.  Now I can say that CU swept OU...Football and Basketball! :)

That's my boy!

Back in December our friends Nate and Jamie got married.  It was a beautiful evening and we really enjoyed witnessing the two families come together.  We're so happy for them!

When the dancing portion of the evening started, while all of the traditional wedding dances were going on, Riley and Elyse joined in the romance!  Elyse is the daughter of our friends Mary and Wade.  How cute are they!?

They were very proper.
This has to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

Girls Weekend in Estes

The first weekend in February, Charline and I headed up to Estes for a little girls' weekend.  This was the first time Steve and Riley have ever bached it just the two of them, and they had a blast!

We had a great time too!  Estes is such a cute little town, and very close, just an hour or so away.

We stayed at the Silver Moon Inn, which is at the west end of town, just before the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

We got up there Friday night and had a little dinner, then just relaxed at the hotel.  The check in guy must have thought we were crazy.  After he told us that there was no smoking and no pets allowed, Charline retorted, "Well what the hell am I supposed to do with my cigar smoking dog???"  He didn't find it as amusing as we did...  The next morning we headed out for breakfast and found a cute little coffee shop.  Very quaint.

They had delicious breakfast bagels and killer apple crisp!  They also had all kinds of knick knacks for sale and as decoration.  One of them was the little car below.  Our friend, Cory, was fascinated with the idea of a girls' weekend, but although he IS slightly "metrosexual," he was NOT invited.  So instead we took a picture of him with us so that he could visit Estes vicariously.  Below, he's just recklessly looking the wrong way, sitting in the wrong side of the car while driving.  SO irresponsible!
We walked along Main Street and looked in all the little shops.  We found this really cool one with all kinds of stationery and art supplies.  We spent a good hour in there just browsing.  I found these really cool journals, and could not decide which one to get for my school meetings.  I know, it's weird, but I figure if I have to go to meetings, I may as well have something pretty to take notes in.  Charline helped me decide.

Can you believe that Dubs has his own postcard!?  Craziness!  I think he's getting a little up close and personal with Demi, though. That's ok, because Nelson Mandela is keeping a stern eye on him.

They say that if you get attacked by a mountain lion, you're supposed to make lots of noise and make yourself seem as big as possible to intimidate it.  HA! Easier said than done!

Our favorite place of all was the Estes Park Glassworks studio!  We got to watch one of the artists make this beautiful wavy cobalt blue bowl.  Then we went crazy for these gorgeous cane glass beads.  They're made by wrapping molten glass with the frit embedded in it around these tweezer-like tongs which create the holes in the beads.  Amazing!

The BFFs!  We had a great time!  It's so nice to get to get away every once in a while.  I missed my boys, but I enjoyed spending time with my buddy!

In Remembrance

A year ago today, we lost one of the most amazing women I've ever met. Janice Carrender was my teaching partner and next-classroom neighbor. It was her first year of teaching, and she was so incredibly devoted to her students. Her infectious laugh, hysterical sense of humor, and constant, thoughtful planning were just some of her best attributes. She was taken from us much too soon and unexpectedly on Valentine's morning of 2007. Today we remembered her beautiful spirit.

A tree was planted last spring in her memory.

This poem reminds me of who she was and what she stood for:

Think Like a Tree

by Karen I Shragg

Soak up the sun

Affirm life's magic

Be graceful in the wind

Stand tall after a storm

Feel refreshed after it rains

Grow strong without notice

Be prepared for each season

Provide shelter to strangers

Hang tough through a cold spell

Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring

Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky

Be still long enough to hear your own leaves rustling.

Janice, you will forever be in our hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day CK!

My best buddy, CK needed a big pick-me-up this week! She's been through a lot, and has always maintained her amazing sense of humor and profound faith. She's such an inspiration to me. But it's been a rough road...so I enlisted the help of some great friends, and we declared today "We Heart CK" day! In a stealth-like maneuver, we decorated her room with Valentine Splendor with streamers, balloons, holographic hearts, chocolate (of course) and all the trimmings to kick the day off right. Then Candie and I hid in her room for her arrival...

After much fumbling, Charline finally got her door open...

And made Maisie-like "ooh-ooh-ing" noises at all the great stuff!

We love ya, King!

Yummies! Butterflies, flowers, and a Dubs original poem...

What a fun way to start the day!