42 Days of Gratitude: Days 23-32

The last 10 days have been about daily celebrations and it is something that I really want to get use to doing every day. On December 20 I was grateful that tom was coming upstate and would be on hiatus from the TV show for 16 days. This was reason enough to celebrate.

On December 21, it was the Winter Solstice and the beginning of Yuletide. I made Wassail; the taste of tradition!

I am so grateful for this time to explore the meaning of and place for celebrations.

Saturnalia starts on December 17 and continues through the 23rd. Yule starts on the Winter Solstice, around December 21 and continues for some weeks. The first day of Christmas is December 25th and Twelfth Night was used as a setting by Shakespeare. Christmas Eve has always been special to me and Little Christmas, Jan. 6th is also delightful.

I am grateful that since Thanksgiving when I started the Gratitude project I have had a chance to continuously celebrate. Life truly is an occasion and I plan to celebrate each day from now on!

I’m the Angel
on the Christmas Tree

On December 28, 2009 Tom and I did all the shooting and recording for our 2010 Christmas video. Thios is a project that has been in pre-production for a few years. We shot the background (the tree) In January 2009, wrote the script just last week, after I finally decided what the musical theme was going to be (O Tannenbaum). We created the music and started to build the suspension rigging back in 2008 but production was thwarted when my back went out!

This year I am in “ornament” condition. I spent all of the last 12 months preparing for this shoot physically and although it turned out that I couldn’t do very much in the harness we used, It was quite the workout. And I really had the best of times.

Work can be a real gas!

Getting the padding for the harness just right took some doing. After all I was going to be hanging for 30-60 minutes. We didn’t use a Peter Pan rig since that takes at least two operators and Tom wanted to try to see what he could do alone. Once I was in costume, I could no longer help. Tom was a one-man movie making band!

I love the life I live and live the life I love!

And after hours of work: harness, padding, make-up, wig, costume, accessories, viola:

photos by Thomas Hudson Reeve © 2009

I think I really like being an angel!

Kat Caverly as the Christmas Tree Angel

photos © Thomas Hudson Reeve for Greetums.com

42 Days of Gratitude: Days 20, 21, and 22

I have had another huge breakthrough this week; a revelation about being judgmental. I have worked on this character trait (read: flaw) directly for over 30 years. I made a wee bit of progress but it seemed to be part of my personality (according to the Myers-Briggs tests). I was off the charts with J (=judgment).

And in the midst of a diametrically opposed situation I found myself unable to pass judgment. For 54 years I couldn’t help BUT pass judgments; quick and fast. But now my mind was so open my brains fell out! And that felt delicious. Now after five days I still cannot bring myself to take sides, nor condemn anyone (except for perhaps the media whom I hold more than just a little contempt).

So my attitude of gratitude seems to be running in a 3 day cycle. I am not doing an empty daily exercise. I find myself being truly grateful in new ways. I am grateful for this transformation.

Zos Hanukkah 2009: the Last Day of Hanukkah

At nightfall today. December 19, 2009 Hanukkah ends and the eighth day of Hanukkah has special significance:

First a Rabbinical lecture:
Zos Hanukkah: the significance of the number Eight

According to Chabad.org, “The eighth day of Chanukah is also known as Zot Chanukah (literally, “this is Chanukah”), after a key phrase in the special Chanukah Torah reading for this day (Numbers 7:54-8:4).

And finally a Hanukkah chuckle:
The Chipmunk Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2009:
the beginning of Day 8

Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel

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a beautiful guitar solo by Chris Leap, NoEvil Productions
produced by Kat Caverly

Interactive Dreidel game on Greetums.com

In observance of Shabbat this live Dreidel Cam will resume at 5:30pm EST Saturday, Decemer 19, 2009

Hanukkah 2009: Day 7

Yemey Hanukkah

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original recording by Chris Leap, NoEvil Productions
produced by Kat Caverly

Family, food, fun; this is what Hanukkah has come to mean to me. I was told by my oldest Jewish friend who was raised in a Kosher household, that Hanukkah is not a very big holiday in Israel. It is not a high holy day or even days that you cannot work (chag). So we say simply “Hanukkah Sameach”. Happy Hanukkah.

Read Is Chanukah a Minor Holiday? on “Ask a Rabbi” on Chabad.org “A good heart always celebrates.” quoting King Solomon.

What if you lit a Human menorah…
each day for 8 days you LIT up someone’s life?

The Sound of Ridiculous Music

Kat Caverly as Goatherd and Little Girl

I love playing characters. I think of my spoofs as sort of clown characters; over the top. First I recorded the voices, separately. Then created the look of the two characters.

Performing them one at a time, I mugged to the lip-synch thinking in terms of animation where you hit the vowels with exaggeration for comic effect. We shot green screen so we could drop an alpine Spring scene into the background.

Well, let mne know what you think in the comments below!

42 Days of Gratitude: Days 17, 18, 19

I am grateful for change. I can always rest assured that “this too shall pass” no matter what is is; weather, human nature, my own moods.

I am grateful for the health of my family and that we heal fast. I am really grateful.

I am grateful for the attitude of gratitude that is beginning to develop in my life.

Hanukkah 2009: Day 6

Hebrew Rock of Ages

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original recording composed by Chris Leap, NoEvil Productions
produced by Kat Caverly

Share the Light
by Chabad.org

Hanukkah 2009: Day 5

Sevivon

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an original recording/composition by Chris Leap, NoEvil Productions
produced by Kat Caverly for Greetums.com

On this fifth day of Hanukkah we celebrate with family once again. There are fried food since the oil is a symbol of the miracle. There are gifts and games, and wonderful music. And as always the Hanukiah is mesmerizing.

You can watch Live Chanukah Celebrations on Chabad.org

Chabad.org’s video “Yes we Can!” from 2008

I understand now that celebrating Hanukkah is the celebration of religious freedom! YES we Can!