here's a nice lil' mistranslation I found while searching for ouija boards info (already planning for halloween!)
http://www.next-mill.com/Spirit%20Board%20MM%202.jpg
L'oeil qui vois tous: they probably wanted it to mean: the all-seeing eye, but it means: the eye that sees everyone (pretty voyeur, heh?)
Jeux des Spiritueux: they are right, it means games of the spirits, but not the kind of spirits you would think about: it's more about the booze than ghosts. a proper translation for games of the spirits would have been jeux des esprits.
vendredi 21 mars 2008
mercredi 12 mars 2008
dimanche 9 mars 2008
I hate clowns
Not really, actually. But I thought I'd share a link with you:
http://ihateclowns.com
this website is for coulrophobics and people who just simply dislike clowns.
I'm a member, not because of the reasons above, but because I want to learn more about coulrophobia (fear of clowns) and how to seem less harmfull to people who suffer from the said phobia. you should go take a look if it interests you!
http://ihateclowns.com
this website is for coulrophobics and people who just simply dislike clowns.
I'm a member, not because of the reasons above, but because I want to learn more about coulrophobia (fear of clowns) and how to seem less harmfull to people who suffer from the said phobia. you should go take a look if it interests you!
Another future coulrophobe, dammit!
So today was my final work day at a 10 day long winter festival. This means I will work at easter and then will be on hold probably until summer.
These last 10 days, though, were really busy. And I met my fair share of strange kids & parents. By the way, it seems there are more and more cross-eyed kids these days... shall we blame the teletubbies?
Anyways, today, I served a client who probably traumatized his son to the point where he won't be able to look a clown in the eyes anymore. The 2 yo (aprox.) kid, when he saw us, clowns, started crying. His dad followed the stereotype of most parents when they have a coulrophobic kid: he tried to turn the boy's head by force, saying "LOOK! clowns! they are nice clowns!" etc.
When he realized his son didn't give a shit about if we were nice or not, he started calling him a big wussy. But he didn't stop there, oh no: he wouldn't leave before his kid had some face painting done.
He sat his child on a chair in front of one of our poor face painters, squeezed the kid's head in his hands, forcing him to show his cheek to the face painter, while the poor boy was screaming hysterically. It didn't occure to him that he was torturing his kid. He just continued calling him a big wussy.
jerk.
These last 10 days, though, were really busy. And I met my fair share of strange kids & parents. By the way, it seems there are more and more cross-eyed kids these days... shall we blame the teletubbies?
Anyways, today, I served a client who probably traumatized his son to the point where he won't be able to look a clown in the eyes anymore. The 2 yo (aprox.) kid, when he saw us, clowns, started crying. His dad followed the stereotype of most parents when they have a coulrophobic kid: he tried to turn the boy's head by force, saying "LOOK! clowns! they are nice clowns!" etc.
When he realized his son didn't give a shit about if we were nice or not, he started calling him a big wussy. But he didn't stop there, oh no: he wouldn't leave before his kid had some face painting done.
He sat his child on a chair in front of one of our poor face painters, squeezed the kid's head in his hands, forcing him to show his cheek to the face painter, while the poor boy was screaming hysterically. It didn't occure to him that he was torturing his kid. He just continued calling him a big wussy.
jerk.
samedi 8 mars 2008
Of coulrophobics and stilt walking
Now, next thing in line: when you come towards me with your toddler, and the kid turns around, buries his face in your coat and start screaming hysterically, forcing him to turn his head with your bare hands to look at me, holding his face in an iron grip, and saying: "look at the nice clown! look!" won't make him stop screaming bloody murder. The kid already saw me. That's why he's throwing a tantrum. He's born coulrophobic, don't make it worst.
Oh, and while we're at it, clowns aren't santa claus or the easter bunny. I don't know since when parents are doing this, but there's always a kid, generally on the edge of being old enough to stop believing in santa claus, who will shout at you: "YOU'RE NOT A REAL CLOWN 'CAUSE REAL CLOWNS DON'T WEAR MAKEUP LIKE YOU DO, REAL CLOWNS LOOK LIKE THAT FOR REAL!" and they sometimes add a few things like "REAL CLOWNS DO MAGIC TRICKS AND BREATHE FIRE!"
I can do both, but I'm paid for juggling, stilt walking and balloon sculpting. Magic tricks just aren't in my act and breathing fire wearing oil based makeup, inside a trailer or a mall, and wearing a full 3 piece costume doesn't seem like a great idea to me.
Making children believe that clowns have magic powers and always look as they do may seem like a nice fairy tale for you, but believe me, it's not that great. When a kid "unmasks" me, it ruins the fun of most other kids and makes me lose all credibility as a performer. Clowns aren't magical beings, they are entertainers and artists. Don't go beyond this, please!
Also, it's completely unrelated, but why, whenever I'm on my stilts, does old men feel the need to pull their pants up to their armpits and look at me saying: "yup.. you surely are tall!"
what do you say to those guys? "thank you"? "and you're short"? please, give me advice!
Oh, and while we're at it, clowns aren't santa claus or the easter bunny. I don't know since when parents are doing this, but there's always a kid, generally on the edge of being old enough to stop believing in santa claus, who will shout at you: "YOU'RE NOT A REAL CLOWN 'CAUSE REAL CLOWNS DON'T WEAR MAKEUP LIKE YOU DO, REAL CLOWNS LOOK LIKE THAT FOR REAL!" and they sometimes add a few things like "REAL CLOWNS DO MAGIC TRICKS AND BREATHE FIRE!"
I can do both, but I'm paid for juggling, stilt walking and balloon sculpting. Magic tricks just aren't in my act and breathing fire wearing oil based makeup, inside a trailer or a mall, and wearing a full 3 piece costume doesn't seem like a great idea to me.
Making children believe that clowns have magic powers and always look as they do may seem like a nice fairy tale for you, but believe me, it's not that great. When a kid "unmasks" me, it ruins the fun of most other kids and makes me lose all credibility as a performer. Clowns aren't magical beings, they are entertainers and artists. Don't go beyond this, please!
Also, it's completely unrelated, but why, whenever I'm on my stilts, does old men feel the need to pull their pants up to their armpits and look at me saying: "yup.. you surely are tall!"
what do you say to those guys? "thank you"? "and you're short"? please, give me advice!
A little originality, please!
Now, here's a thing that won't stop happening, that may seem benign, but when you hear it as many times a day as I do, it can soon become quite irritating.
Parents, I don't know if when you were young, clowns were only able to do balloon dogs, but I'm far from a master of the art of balloon sculpting and I can do most animals, flowers, swords, motorcycles, guns, etc.
Why, oh why, won't you open up to other things than the dog? I'm tired of the parents who bend down beside there kids who is too shy or too young to talk and say: "(to the child:)do you want a nice balloon dog? hm? do you want a dog? a dog? hmm? (to the clown:) I think he/she would like a dog!(to the child:) wouldn't you? a nice balloon dog? the clown will make you a dog!(to the clown:) make him a dog!"
I swear to god this happens with more than 50% of the families who come see me. Sometimes, they'll include a cat as a bonus choice, if I'm lucky. There will sometimes be a smart ass dad who think he's funny and will ask me a bike, but DAMN do I love those dads. There point isn't to make me happy, nor to give me a challenge, but to make a little fun of me, and strangely enough, every dad who does this seems to think he's the first. But, at least, I can make one, have fun doing it, it will make a change from these hundreds of dogs, and it'll make the smart-assed dad shut up.
Also, children, it's not because the kid in front of you had a mouse or a flower that you must ABSOLUTELY have a fuckin' mouse or flower. Be original, please!
Parents, I don't know if when you were young, clowns were only able to do balloon dogs, but I'm far from a master of the art of balloon sculpting and I can do most animals, flowers, swords, motorcycles, guns, etc.
Why, oh why, won't you open up to other things than the dog? I'm tired of the parents who bend down beside there kids who is too shy or too young to talk and say: "(to the child:)do you want a nice balloon dog? hm? do you want a dog? a dog? hmm? (to the clown:) I think he/she would like a dog!(to the child:) wouldn't you? a nice balloon dog? the clown will make you a dog!(to the clown:) make him a dog!"
I swear to god this happens with more than 50% of the families who come see me. Sometimes, they'll include a cat as a bonus choice, if I'm lucky. There will sometimes be a smart ass dad who think he's funny and will ask me a bike, but DAMN do I love those dads. There point isn't to make me happy, nor to give me a challenge, but to make a little fun of me, and strangely enough, every dad who does this seems to think he's the first. But, at least, I can make one, have fun doing it, it will make a change from these hundreds of dogs, and it'll make the smart-assed dad shut up.
Also, children, it's not because the kid in front of you had a mouse or a flower that you must ABSOLUTELY have a fuckin' mouse or flower. Be original, please!
Introduction
Hello, boys and girls. I'm Bongo. I'm a 17 yo clown working in Quebec, Canada, for an important entertainement agency.
While reading my blog you might get the impression that i'm a grumpy bastard who should quit being a clown. I want to reassure you: what I post here is only one side of my job. In reality, I love this job and I wouldn't quit it for any other one in the world. I like children, and nothing makes me smile more than a chubby little toddler grinning while I twist a balloon for him. Every time I go to work, it's not because I have to but because I want to.
But I can speak about all those nice things with most people; what I can't usually do is let out the dark side of my job. The things that crawl under my skin and rubs on my nerves like a cheese grater. Of course, I'll also talk about the lighter side, but that's not my main point ;)
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