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The Home for Humor & Laughter ProfessionalsSave The Date!July 2017This complimentary Humor Connection newsletter is one of the many ways thatAATH fulfills our mission to study, practice and promote healthy humor. Youcan join our efforts by joining AATH at www.aath.orgFrom the AATH President Nila NielsenJuly A Month to Celebrate MembershipAATH Annual HumorConference & Humor AcademyApril 12 15, 2018San Diego, CaliforniaIncredibly Clean & FunnyJokes, found on Facebook fromour own Melissa Mork.Click on Image and enjoy!During July, AATH celebrates our membership. A delightful mixture of joyouslyjolly members can be found in our Association. We have parents,grandparents, laborers, professionals, students, comedians, speakers,teachers, doctors, humorists, lawyers, care givers, clowns, writers, technologyspecialists, performers, artists, limo drivers, candy makers, tour guides,researchers, authors, comedians and many, many others. Our members arediverse, but seamlessly unified by their love of humor. They are individuallyunique, yet when they join together they share the common bond of laughter.If I could hold up a circle with each of our members names listed inside, therewould be a big empty spot in the middle. That spot is reserved for YOU thereader of our monthly Humor Connection who has not yet joined AATH. Youare undoubtedly someone who loves humor and perhaps just hasn't beenasked to join. I'm asking you. Come join us this month. You can join as a newmember through August 31 for only 99. Click here.July is the time to pay it forward. Take time to share a laugh with a friend andtell them about AATH.Celebrating YOU in July,Nila Nielsen, AATH Presidentninielsen@me.comSurf's Up San Diego:2018 Conference UpdateBook ReviewThe Misery Manifesto:A Self Help Parody for theSelf Absorbed2017 Conference RepriseThe 2018 Conference Committee isshaking things up here in San Diegoas we prepare for our 2018 event!With almost 100 fabulous speakersubmissions we've had our work cutout for us. Last month, the So CalChapter of AATH did a site visit ofthe Holiday Inn Bayside and wewere delighted with the open air feelof the venue, just off the water in

Debbie Derflinger andKyle EdgellPoint Loma. The location is astumble from the airport, with freeshuttle service provided for thosewho don't want to walk.In addition to our incredible speakerline up, your planning crew has a lotof fun new surprises in storeincluding a welcoming Beach Partyreception, a Friday night Fun raiserevent to help us raise money alongwith humor awareness andappreciation, and a Sunday morningactivity you won't want to miss (hint:you may want to bring a costume orsilly wear, which I know most of youwere already planning to doanyway!)Jessica Bytautas andJoan CharneyStarting next month, our confirmedKeynoters will be doing interviewsfor LaughBox and our YouTubechannel to preview their sessionsand help us to build momentumthrough our various PR, media andmarketing efforts. If you'd like toassist us with promotion, pleaseemail Kathy at kathy@aath.org andlet her know you're interested so wecan send you the marketing timelineand tools once they're ready.Join us for an amazing and amusingevent guaranteed to help yourecharge your energy while youlearn and apply the practice ofapplied and therapeutic humor inAmerica's Finest City. See you inSan Diego!Heidi Hanna, PhD, CHP Conference Chair, Monkey MindKaryn Buxman, RN, CSP, CPAE Conference Co CoA CHALLENGE to You!Cheryl Fell has made it her personalmission to reduce the individual costto earn a CEU or CME at ourconferences to 50 or (ideally) 0!.She is challenging every AATHmember to help support the cost ofthis accreditation process and isbacking it with her own money.Cheryl is matching every donationmade to this fund up to 1,000. So, ifyou give 5, it automaticallybecomes 10. A 50 donationbecomes 100! What a deal!Thanks Cheryl! And thanks to everyAATH member who rises to thischallenge!by Barb Best(Reviewed by Florence Ditlow, RN)Barb Best penned a parody asthough she were a woebegone doctorof misinformation, such as "exercisewill drain you like a phone call fromyour aging mother."She pokes fun at diet food, air travel,Buddha and positive thinking. Shehad the smarts to make cookie doughbecause who needs the extra step ofstressful baking it's just fine to eatcookie dough; that way there's moreenergy for eggnog intake at theholidays. Unique holiday hintsabound like using Moose Munch asammo in a food fight.In order to properly relate to hercynicism, I waited for some misery toshow up in the form of bodily achescombined with loss of a credit card.Now, for a distraction and for giddyintensity, I read at the beach where acup of coffee blew onto her book.Then I gave Barb's directions a whirl.She punctuates the parody withquotes from authorities like SamuelJohnson who warns against themisery fuel of small vexations and thecreative Martha Graham who actuallysaid "Misery is a communicabledisease!"Then there are great cartoons by RozChast, Liza Donnelly and AndrewGenn. You'll relate to these only if yougo to doctors, have a family or useprescription drugs.I inadvertently gleaned somesurprisingly effective mood medicineas I dried the pages of cold caffeine: Ipoop out at parties and that's OK! It'spossible to lease happiness.Massage and personal trainers areover rated. Barb isn't into meditation;otherwise she would be free toembrace foolishness and burst outlaughing when her mind goes intopretty lyrics from "West Side Story."Where I really honestly hit pay dirtwas with her astute direction to makea shrine to Mr. Peanut. I took onelarge legume in the shell, added wirelegs, a face and a rubber sweat bandreading "Keith." Put him finally in a tshirt from Don Baird reading "Nut tobe a saulted!" Mr. Keith Peanut isdeserving of a shrine, Barb; youprobably know his wife Hazel left him she ran off with the trail mix. So now Ican count on laughing at my deskshrine.

This parody, rated by God as "Funnyas Hell" has one personally sombertruth: nail fungus will drive youinsane.Members who would like their book tobe considered for an upcomingHumor Connection book review,should contact info@aath.org. Pleaseuse Book Review Submission in thesubject line.Member NewsCheryl Fell, Nurse FUNshineLevel I HumorAcademy Reflectionson the 2017Conference"As a first timer to the AATHConference, I was more thanpleasantly surprised. I got excited.So much information sharing andresearch on humor and laughter. Ihave followed Dr. Lee Berk'sresearch over the past several yearsand was very awed to hear himspeak. I wish I had joined AATHearlier. Now I am very excited aboutstarting the journey of the HumorAcademy, Level 1. So much to learnand look forward to. I considermyself an eternal optimist, so I feltright at home with so much optimismflowing from all the members. Iabsolutely loved every minute. Can'twait till San Diego!" Angie Robinson, Georgia"I was floored by how much I learnedin just one jammed weekend of fun,but also I left the conference with somany take aways (that I havealready stolen and used in myclassroom back in central Illinois).I taught about Paul's connection withplay and dogs, and in fact, used thatas an ice breaker in the airport onthe way home you are strangersuntil you ask someone if they have apet they instantly light up and scrolltheir phones for pictures. My 6yoloved asking people that on our wayhome. I taught using the CleverCatch ball I found on Amazon duringthe presentation and reminded myteenagers that although they are theSend us YOUR news for our nextissue by using this online form:Member News FormThe AATH past presidents, underthe guidance of Ed Dunkelblau, areinitiating a Past PresidentsRoundtalbe with the purpose ofsupporitng the mission of AATH. Doyou know who has faithfully guidedour organization over the years?Check out the amazing group of pastpresidents, found here.Allen Klein was featured in the June20th edition of ReadersDigest.com!Check out the article, "10 ProvenWays to Make Better Dicisions."Kathy Keaton, a.k.a. Piccolo theClown, was featured in Tonic, a ViceMedia blog. In the article on healthcare clowing, Piccolo er, Kathy explains how medical clowns learn towatch body language and use eyecontact as indicators of when it is oris not appropriate to engage patients.Read the article here.The Healing Headbands program,founded by Barbara Grapstein, CHPas her Humor Academy project,received a most prestigious award!This past school year (2016 2017),the North Shore public school districtKiwanis Key club selected HealingHeadbands as their service project.Under the guidance of Barbara andJoanie Accolla, this AATH HumorAcademy project won first prize atboth the New York State andinternational levels for exemplaryservice! Over 120 Kiwanis serviceprojects are represented globally, so

most connected generation, they arealso the most isolated, and webrainstormed ideas about how to tryto connect more.their achievement is no mean feat.I stole Beth's ideas of preferenceversus ability and blew the kids'minds with how we fold our hands.But the biggest lesson for me is thatI need to play more, the kids need toplay more, and so in the middle ofRomeo and Juliet, we went outsideand played FREEZETAG review.They loved it and I bet their testscores reflect some learning too!" Jennifer KeithInvitation to the MIDWESTREGIONAL MEETINGChip Lutz is the featured speaker atour first AATH MIDWEST REGIONMeeting on August 5th, from 1:00 3:00 p.m. at the Northeast branch ofthe Rockford area YMCA. This eventis free and open to the public.Chip will be presenting the topic: It'sin the Bag! 7 Easy Ways to Be MoreResilientGot stress? Join the club. Stress itcan come from other people, fromlife struggles or a myriad ofdirections, but we all have to face itand deal with it. When it hits hard,that's when we start feeling likewe're diagonally parked in a paralleluniverse. What we want what weneed are ways to get back up whenlife is trying to knock us down!Certified HumorProfessional (CHP)RecognitionDeveloping and Teaching a PhDSeminar Class in Humor andLaughet TherapyCongratulations to Barbara andJoanie for their incredible work!Danny Donuts was named the June2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month!The honor, bestowed upon Danny bythe blog Escape Adulthood,recognizes individuals who are"dazzling" exemplars of "what weshould strive for in the epic battleagainst the formidable enemy" that isAdultitis. (Special shout out to BarbDonuts, too!) Read the interviewhere!Mr. and Mrs. Donuts rebelling againstthe Man, man.Our very own Julie Ostrow and MaiaAziz performed at the Positive Humorand Comedy event at Les 3Brasseurs in Montréal on July 14th.Sponsored by the Canadian PositivePsychology Association, the eventfeatured the "Positive" stand upcomedy of these very funnycomediennes."Jack of all jokes" and AATH HumorAcademy student, Paul Osincup,spoke recently at the FunnyBizzConference in San Francisco. Paul'stalk, "Leading with Laughter",highlights the range of issues facedby companies and educationalinstitutions, from diversity and