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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Be FABULOUS This Halloween!

I needed a maxi dress to contain this much fabulosity!
Hiya, Friends!  I know you've still got lots to do to preparate for Halloween, so I won't keep ya long.

Whatever you choose to dress up as tonight for Halloween, Friends, own it.  Embrace your costume in all its fabulous glory. 

You know I sure will be!

Now, I hafta go do a final map of my Tricker Treat route, empty out Mommy's pilot bag, and make sure my costume has all its pieces and that they're properly steamed and pressed, so I look nice and professional.

I love ya lots, Big People!  And I can't wait to see ya tomorrow, to tell ya all about my wonderful Halloween experience!  Although, I gotta say, I'm pretty fabulous and flamboyant every day of the year.  You try it today, Friends!  It's fun!

I love ya!  Muah!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Halloween Gut Check Time!

This is my CANDY FACE!!!
Hiya, Big People!  Happy Day Before Halloween to You!  This is a B-I-G day!  Big!  There's so much to think about and so much to do!

Do you have your plan all set? 

Do you have your costume pressed or steamed and assembled and ready to put on tomorrow night? 

What about your Tricker Treatin' route?

And speakin' of Tricker Treatin', have you chosen your Tricker Treatin' receptacle?  Some people like to go super old-school and just collect their candy in a pillow case.  That's cool, but you can also carry around a plastic pumpkin to collect your Tricker Treat Treasures.  I like those plastic pumpkins.  I'm especially fond of the biggest size they make.  That shows that you have confidence that you're gonna max out your Tricker Treatin' for the evening. 

Of course, another option is to match your Tricker Treatin' Candy Collectin' Receptacle to your costume.  A witch could carry a cauldron, a race car driver could carry a spare helmet, or a pilot could carry a flight bag.  For instance.  I'm plannin' on dressin' up as a pilot tomorrow night, and I'm really leanin' toward carryin' Mommy's Jeppesen Sandersen flight bag for my Halloween treats.  That thing is HUGE, and if I run out of room in the roomy main compartment, there are all kindsa pockets on the outside.  How about that?

How the heck right about that?!

Halloween's all about preparedness, Big People! 

I love ya lots!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Be Kind to Your Toddler-Brained Friends

Our struggle is real, Grownups!
Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you!

Well you know, as part of my being a Little Kid Ambassador to the Land of the Big People, sometimes I have to make some public service announcements on matters relating to Little Kid-Big People relations.  This time is one of those sometimes.

Friends, sometimes, we Little Kids garner a somewhat unfair reputation for bein' difficult to deal with.  We have the reputation of bein' irrational and argumentative, especially when one of you Big People is disagreeing with us. 

You think our behavior is because we're tired or hungry, or some other reason that doesn't include that we're bein' picked on and pushed around by Big People.  And when we try to tell you that it isn't us, it's you, we get sent to our rooms for naps.  Is that fair?

Here's the thing, Big People, we Little Kids haven't grown in to our complex brain structures.  You have.  When we're flipping out, you Big People need to remember we just don't have the brain structure to deal with all our feelings and emotions and impulses, so if we start screaming and yelling at you, you Big People need to just rise above and roll with it.  That's all there is to it!

That's your public service announcement for today.  I love ya lots, Big People!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Thanks for the Confusion, Disney!

So many things I don't understand about this world!
Well, hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!

You know, I am an avid watcher of The Disney Channel, and I hafta say, sometimes, it's a little confusing.

Take Pluto and Goofy, for instance.  Pluto is a dog who can't talk, and walks on all fours, and doesn't wear clothings, while Goofy is an anthropomorphic dog who walks upright, wears clothings, and speaks something close enough to English to just call it that.  Both dogs.  How do you even unpack that?

And speaking of Goofy, he appears to have a thing with Clarabelle, who's an anthropomorphic cow.  Don't get me wrong- they're sort of good together, but a dog and a cow?  Who thought that up?

Don't even get me started on Donald Duck.  The duck doesn't wear PANTS, but when he goes swimming, he wears swimming trunks.  What?

See, Friends?  I have the answers for a LOT of things, but I just can't explain Disney, sometimes.  I still like it, though.  I like Disney's work and their shows and their merchandising opportunities. 

Anyway, I'll try not to overthink Disney and their work and their character.  Mickey Mouse is supposed to be fun!

I love ya lots, Friends, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Havin' a Bad Day? Ride a Train!

I started this day stormy and ended it smiling!
Well, hiya, Friends! 

You know, even though I'm generally a Happy Kid, I do have my share of bad days, and one thing I've found really helps make a bad day better is going on a train ride. 

I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.  The day this picture of me was taken, I woke up all Dark and Stormy, and Mommy and Daddy put me in the Jeep and took me over to the Tioga Central Railroad for a train ride, and it just put a big smile on my face!  I got to ride in the open air car and see the world from a different angle than I'm used to. 

And it made my day all kinds of better, Friends!

So if you're havin' a bad day, buy yourself a train ticket, and go on a train ride.  You'll be glad you did!

I love ya lots, and I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Monday, October 26, 2015

My Favorite Halloween Candy!

I love all the candy!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you!

You know, Halloween is coming soon.  Saturday's the Big Day.

That gets me to thinkin' about my favorite Halloween candy.  I mean, I like dressing up in costumes, but Halloween's all about the candy for me. 

Do I have favorites?  Well, I like Smarties a whole lot.  But I also like chocolates.  Reese Cups.  Have you ever heard of those, Friends?  Oh, my goodness, chocolate and peanut butter.  Heaven!

But then, I haven't even mentioned jelly beans or candy corn or gummi candy corns! 

I think that if I had to make a real choice of what's my favorite Halloween candy, it would hafta be all the Halloween candy.  If I collapse all the different candies into one genre of candy, I can pick "all of it," so that's what I have done.

Friends, taking that into consideration, I have to go make my strategy board for how I'm gonna go about amassing as many Halloween candies as possible.  My work is cut out for me, but I'll be seeing you tomorrow.  Because I love ya lots!  Muah!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

You Know What Today Is!

Peace on Earth, Friends!  Peace on Earth!
Hiya, Friends!  Well, it's the Twenty-Fifth of the Month, and the Month happens to be October, so you know what I'm about to remind you of.  Christmas is a mere two months away, which means if you haven't started your shopping or planned out your cookie menu or decorating strategy, it's time to get crackalackin'.

I know what you're gonna say.  Zoe, it isn't even HALLOWEEN yet!  Why are you talkin' about CHRISTMAS?!  What the heck about Thanksgiving?!

To that, I say, I'm talkin' about Christmas because it's a big holiday, and Halloween is in six days.  You've known about Halloween all year long, and if you're prepared like me, you're prepared for Halloween already.  There's no need to talk about it now! 

As for Thanksgiving, seriously, Friends, the only time anybody ever brings up Thanksgiving is either the week before to find out who's bringing what to the feast and which channel they'll be watching the Macy's Parade (which skews heavily toward... CHRISTMAS!!! by the way!)... or when I start talking about Christmas before Halloween. We aren't going to forget about Thanksgiving.  There's just not as much to talk about and obsess over.

Christmas, though, Friends, is on its way, no matter how much you don't want to think about it.  Don't worry.  I'll be reminding you periodically between now and the big day.  My people are VERY enthusiastic about Christmas.

Anyway, Friends, Peace on Earth and all that.  Every day.  I love ya lots and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Disneyworld Is Real

You mean to tell me I can hop right on a plane and see Minnie Mouse in Florida?
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Saturday to you!

Hey, if you know me, you know I just love the Disney Channel.  I love to watch Mickey and Minnie, Doc McStuffins, Sheriff Callie, Star Wars Rebels, PJ Masks, and ALL the Disney Princess Movies, not just "Frozen" now.

I always thought that Disneyworld was a mythical land that lived only in books and imagination, but as I recently found out...

DISNEYWORLD IS REAL!!!

This might not be news to you Big People, but trust me.  To me, this is HUGE!  The thought that I can just hop on a plane and go see Minnie and Elsa and Anna and Cinderella and all my other Disney friends, just completely takes me aback in the best possible way!

DISNEYWORLD IS REAL!!! And I really wanna go.  So I have a presentation to plan, to present to Mommy and Daddy, so they'll take me.  How about that?!  I'll see ya tomorrow. I love ya lots!  Muah!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Puttin' the CUTE in 'Persecute'

At least I can put the "cute" in persecute!
Friends, I've gotta tell ya, even though I usually meet life's challenges with grace and humor and as some would say, aplomb, sometimes it all just conspires against me.

Well, of course it does.  You know, as a Little Kid, there are days when I can't do anything right.  Days when I'm always told what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and if I don't, there are time-outs to be had.  Or naps.  Because the way the Big Person Mind works is if a Little Kid stands up for herself in the face of bein' told to pick up her toys or eat her lunch, it's seen as "belligerence," and of course the answer is go take a nap.  It's all bosh and hog-wash, Big People.  Of course it is.  I mean, sometimes, you guys are actually the jerks, but it's your world for right now, so as a Little Kid, I can't say that without some kinda recourse, but I am thinking it.

Oh, you BET I'm thinking it!

So when I'm bein' persecuted in this manner, I just remember that I have one thing the Big People in my lives do not.  I have a limitless supply of "cute."  Big People can be cute, but not LittleKid-cute.  Not at all.  I can be, because I am.

It gives me great comfort to know that I can put the "cute" in "persecute," when I'm on the receiving end of such treatment. 

Hey.  I'll see ya later, Friends!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Still Waiting for Solar Shades

So far, no Solar Shades.
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Thursday to you! 

Well, Back to the Future Day has come and gone, and here I am, surrounded by the complete lack of Back to the Future Part II promotional Solar Shades from Pizza Hut in 1989. 

I'd be lying if I said this doesn't disappoint me deeply.  I had really high hopes for seeing Marty and Doc drop from the sky in the flying DeLorean time machine to bring my actual 1989 Solar Shades.

I have found a source for reproductions of the promotional Solar Shades, Friends, but that isn't the same.  First of all, they don't come from Pizza Hut.  They come from a website.  They're $9.99 instead of $1.99 per pair.  And I wouldn't get any pizza or the Pizza Hut aroma as my solar shades are brought to me in the restaurant.

I think that's what hurts me the most, Friends.  The lack of Pizza Hut in this equation.

Face it.  You guys that were kids in 1989 lived in a magical, mythical time.  I might have more technologically impressive times, but you had $1.99 promotional Solar Shades from Pizza Hut.

Hey.  I'll see ya tomorrow.  I love ya lots, Friends!  Muah!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Happy Back to the Future Day!

I'm still waiting for my Solar Shades from Pizza Hut.
Friends, this is the day I've been waiting for, ever since I watched Back to the Future Part II on Monday night: It's Wednesday, October 21, 2015.

I have to admit that I'm kinda hoping that Marty and Doc get a little mixed up and insteadda going to Hill Valley, California, they travel instead to Harrison Valley, Pennsylvania.  Then I could hop in my pedal-car and go visit 'em!

And also ask 'em if they could get me a pair of those Solar Shades from Pizza Hut in 1989, since it's on their way home.  I have it all planned out: they could do what they need to do in 2015, and then stop in 1989 at a Pizza Hut for some pizza and to buy me my Solar Shades (I want a pair of each- I've talked myself right into it and cannot choose a winner, because they're all winners!)  Then they could package up my Solar Shades, back in 1985, address the package to me, and leave instructions for the Dead Letter Office to deliver me those Solar Shades tomorrow, in 2015.

Well, I'm not heartless, making them send me the solar shades the very day they get back from visiting 2015.  That's a long and arduous trip, and it's also why I'm giving them a day to get 'em to the Dead Letter Office! How about that?!

Friends, I love ya lots!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Tomorrow's "Back to the Future Day!"

Wish I'd been around for those movie-merchandising promotions!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Hey.  Didja know that tomorrow is the day on which Marty McFly and Doc travel to from 1985?  It's true.  They visit October 21, 2015, and I've gotta tell ya, unless a whole buncha things get Futuristic in the next twenty-four hours, we're gonna fall short of the expectations set forth in a twenty-six-year-old movie.

I understand that when Back to the Future 2 came out, there were all kinds of promotions out to promote it, as it was very much anticipated. 

I've been readin' up on this promotional partnership between Pizza Hut and Back to the Future II, and what interests me most about the whole thing are the Solar Shades you had the opportunity to purchase at Pizza Hut in 1989 for $1.99.  When I asked my mother if she did, indeed, take advantage of this promotion, she claims that she wanted to, but was foiled because Gramma wouldn't let her buy the Solar Shades. 

I find this very hard to believe.  Why, if Gramma and I were sitting in the dang ol' Pizza Hut, and I expressed interest in a pair of blue and yellow solar shades with duck-bills over the round frames, or my choice of pink or black audaciously triangular solar shades, or a pair of half-red, half-yellow funky quadrilateral solar shades, I'd have me a pair of them in a minute, courtesy of Gramma herself, so I hardly believe that Gramma wouldn't let Mommy buy a pair of Solar Shades form Pizza Hut for $1.99 back in 1989.

I just think Mommy was a square.

Anyways, Friends, now that I've seen Back to the Future Part Two, I can't help but be struck by the fact that the 2015 Marty and Doc travel to looks an awful lot like 1985 on steroids.  Isn't that crazy? 

Wish I had those solar shades, though, Friends!

Hey.  I'll see ya tomorrow, for actual Back to the Future Day, to see how you're celebrating it!

I love ya lots!  Muah!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Thinking of Zinnia Days!

When it snows, I like to think of my Zinnia Days!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you!

Well, it happened over the weekend.  The thing we were kind of dreading all Fall happened over the weekend, and it snowed.

It's kind of a bummer, I know.  I like snow after Thanksgiving, but right here in October, I just feel like Winter's trying to encroach on Fall's time with us, you know? 

In times like these, when the snow falls prematurely, I like to think of my garden outside, and how fun it was to watch each Zinnia and Marigold explode from just green to COLOR!  Like fireworks, really. 

Try it, Friends!  If the snow starts to gettin' ya down, think about all the flowers in the garden in the summer.  Get out your pictures of your flowers in the garden in the summer.  It'll make ya feel better.  It'll make ya feel like you've saved a little bit of the summer.

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A NonSurgical Spirit Lift for Me!

Sometimes even the Spirit Lift Doctor needs someone to lift her spirits!
Hiya Friends!

Like I told you yesterday, I've been going through some turbulent times lately.  I've been feelin' down.  Been thinking about consulting a colleague to do a Spirit Lift for me, on my spirit.

As it turns out though, now that Cheer Bear's come down the rainbow to me from Care-A-Lot, I don't need the spirit lift.  Cheer Bear has helped me lift out of the dumps. 

This is great news, because now I better understand how my patients are feeling, having experienced the down-in-the-dumps for myself, but I can also serve my patients better, because my spirits aren't down in the dumps.  Can't pull someone out of the dumps if you're there, yourself!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow! Muah!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Make New Friends

Hey there...strange...pink teddy bear!
Hiya, Friends!  You know, sometimes, when ya meet somebody new, it's hard to just start talkin' to 'em. 

I recently had that experience.  I was feelin' kinda down as I sat waiting for the North Bingham Underground to pick me up, and this strange pink teddy bear sat next to me on the waiting bench. 

I was reluctant to say anything to the strange pink teddy bear at first, because my first impulse was to yell, "HEY!  YOU'RE A PINK TEDDY BEAR!" 

I kind of think if you were a pink teddy bear, you'd know it.  No point in re-hashing the obvious.

But you know what?  The pink teddy bear started talking to ME!  The name is Cheer Bear, and as it turns out, Cheer Bear was there specifically to see me! 

Cheer Bear heard I was having a bad day and slipped down on a rainbow from Care-A-Lot.  Said we were going to be friends, and proceeded to make my day better, just by being a friend! How about that?!

I still don't know whether Cheer Bear is a boy bear or a girl bear, but I love Cheer Bear to pieces!  It just seems awkward to ask, at this point, you know?

Anyways, Friends, if you need a friend, be a friend.  I love ya lots!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  Muah!

Friday, October 16, 2015

It's Friday...

...I'll go nuts and enjoy the trip!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Friday!

Well, ya know, there's an oldie song by The Cure that is "Friday I'm In Love."  It's a catchy tune, and recently, I heard a parody version called "Friday I Go Nuts." 

I gotta admit, I like the latter version better, because I can really relate to that.  Have you ever gotten to the end of a week and just flipped out in the best possible way, just because you made it to Friday?  That's where I am, right now.

I love Fridays.  I know you do, too, Friends.  So in light of me going nuts on this Friday and all, I'm gonna go ahead and not keep ya one minute longer.  I'll be back tomorrow to delight and entertain you, but right now, I think we should all observe and enjoy this glorious Friday.

I love ya lots, Friends!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

This Weekend's Weather!

Guess I'll be hauling out my three-and-a-half season woolies tonight!
Well hello, there, Friends!  How the heck are you on this fine fall day?

You know, despite the occasional rain, we've had a Pretty Fantastic Fall so far.  September was absolutely gorgeous.  October's been sufficiently fall-y, but not overmuch so. 

But I heard something about this weekend's weather that chilled me to my very bones.  You see, I overheard Mommy talking with her digital assistant Siri on her dang ol' iPhone about the weekend's weather, and Siri told Mommy that bad weather's on its way.  Cold temperatures and possible SNOW!!!

Well, ya know, where I come from, we don't necessarily preamble this sort of weather as "bad."  We just call it "weather."  It seems a little early to be talkin' about snow, but it is mid-October, and I hear this is not unprecedented for this part of the country this time of year.

Siri, you see, is from California, so I can understand why she'd get a little nervous about cold temperatures and fluffy white precipitation.  But me?  Heck, I've lived here my whole entire life.  All's that's going to change for me is I'll start layerin' up my fabulous fashions.  Pullin' on my BabyLegs that fit me like legwarmers now instead of leggings.  They make life a lot warmer!

I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends!  I love ya lots!  Stay warm!  Muah!

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

On Wednesdays, We Breathe

It's all better now!
Hiya, Friends!  See, it's all better.  It's Wednesday the Fourteenth, and all those things are better than Tuesday the Thirteenth.  Sorry I got a little bug-eyed atchya yesterday.

Tuesday the Thirteenth gets up in my head sometimes.  Strange things happen on Tuesday the Thirteenth.  So sometimes, I lose my mind a little bit. 

So on Wednesdays, I breathe.  I take a breath and am happy to have made it through Tuesday.  You can, too, Friends. 

Tuesdays can be crazy.  Especially Tuesdays the Thirteenth.  But it's Wednesday the Fourteenth now, and on Wednesdays, we breathe.  I love ya lots, Big People!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Tuesday the Thirteenth

Oh, no!  It's Tuesday the Thirteenth!
Friends, today is Tuesday the Thirteenth.  In my opinion, Tuesday the Thirteenth is so much worse than Friday the Thirteenth. 

Well, because who actually really likes Tuesdays, anyways?  They're already worse than Fridays.  Then add in all the stuff that goes on when it's the Thirteenth of anything, and also I swear that something is in retrograde... I don't think it's just a planet in retrograde.  I think it's a whole galaxy in retrograde, Friends.  Holy smokes. 

And today's Tuesday the Thirteenth. 

Forget all that stuff about don't step on sidewalk cracks and avoid walking under ladders.  I say just curl up and stay inside with a good book on Tuesday the Thirteenth. People get kinda mean.  That's the thing ya hafta worry about.  Gettin' all snapped at.  If you're at home, readin' a good book, not only are ya happier, but you're not out and about gettin' snapped at, and you're also not part of the problem, doin' the snappin.

Tuesday the Thirteenth, Friends- just lay low.  Soon enough it'll be Tomorrow, and a New Day!

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Darn Monday, Anyway!

Sometimes, Monday really bugs me!
Friends!  Is it already dang ol' Monday already?  Where the heck did the weekend go?

You know, sometimes I take this Monday thing a lot better than other days.  Sometimes I can be even downright chipper about Monday.

Not today. 

Today, the me that is all chipper about Monday annoys the me that is made angry by Monday.  So I'm just a little ball of fun right here, Friends.

I suppose Mommy's gonna try to make me take a stupid nap to turn my disposition around.  That's only gonna make the Monday worse.  Add insult to injury.  And you know what?  She can put me up in my room, but she CAN'T make me sleep.  She can't keep me from dancin' and takin' all the socks outta my sock drawer, and strewin' my stuffies all over the floor, and unfolding all the legwarmers and unpairin' 'em.  You see, Mommy might think she's takin' care of my bad disposition on this Monday by puttin' me up in sleepy jail, but in reality, she's only makin' things a whole lot worse for herself.

Stupid Monday, anyways!

I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Ten-Eleven!

On Counting Days, I like to sing songs about numbers!
Hiya, Friends!  Didja know that today's Ten-Eleven?  That's almost a Counting Day!  I mean, it would be a Counting Day if it were Ten-Eleven-Twelve.  But it's Ten-Eleven-Fifteen, so I dropped the Fifteen.

It's still enough of a Counting Day for me! 

Counting Days on the calendar are really fun, because it gets me thinking about numbers and how numbers work together to make math.  It's really fascinating if you approach it in such a manner! 

It also makes me think of one of my favorite jokes of all time.  Do you wanna hear it?  Sure!

Okay.  Why is Six afraid of Seven?  Do you know?  Because SEVEN EIGHT NINE!  Oh my goodness!  The humanity!  Or the numerosity!  How ever you're lookin' at it!

Friends, there's room for silliness, even in numbers and numbery things.  Remember that on this Close Enough to a Counting Day, mmmkay?  I love ya lots!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  Muah!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Dance, Dance: Revolution!

I am my own Tiny Dancer!
Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

Well, ya know, I've loved to dance my whole entire life.  I love the way it makes me feel.  I love to move myself through the air and across the floor!  I love wearin' flouncy tutu-skirts and twirly dresses!

I don't like bein' told what to do. 

Hear me out. 

It isn't that I CAN'T follow directions.  I sure can, when I want or need to.  That isn't what this is about.  I don't have a problem with authority or with followin' authority's directions.  

I love dancin' for the fun of dancin'.  I love dancin' for the joy of it, and for me, dancin' is pure joy.  I've thought about enrolling myself in a dance class, and I know a lotta little girls my age go to dance classes, but I just don't think that's me. 

Well, I just feel like when I dance, I set my soul free, and if I were in a class where a dance instructor was yellin' at me or tellin' me my feet weren't in the right position, I'd be puttin' my soul in a cage while I was tryin' to set my soul free.  It isn't as though I lack discipline, but I DO lack the desire to be a dancer professionally.  I just like to dance because it's fun.  I like to move to the music, and sometimes the music I'm moving to is music only I can hear. That's okay. 

I know a lot of Little Girls like me love their dance classes, and they love bein' part of a routine in a group, and I love that they love that.  I love watchin' those kinds of dancers.  I really do.

But I'm Zoe Elizabeth Blake.  I am a twirling tetradecagon peg that just isn't gonna fit in a triangular or square or round hole.  And that's okay by me.

I love ya lots, Big People!  And I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Ten-Thousand Pageviews!

Ten-thousand views?!  That's a lotta thousands of views!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Friday, of course!

This is something that isn't readily apparent to you, my dear Friends who stop by to check on me, but it's something I see, every time I log in to write to you, and I'm all excited about it:

I have ten-thousand pageviews!  Isn't that something?

That means that since I started TDZBlog in 2012, people have had their eyes on my page ten thousand times!  Do you have any idea how much of a Big Cheese something like this makes this Little Kid feel like?

My friends and family have stopped in to look in on me ten thousand times! I'll betchya there's been some hackers from places like China and North Korea and Russia stopping by, too.  That's just Something.  Hiya, Hackers!  Nothing to see here!  Just the musings of a Little Kid livin' the dang ol' Dream! here!  Go ahead and movealong!

I'm gonna go celebrate this ten-thousand views milestone with some of my friends today.  But I'll be back tomorrow. I love ya lots, Big People!  Thanks for stickin' with me all this time!  Muah!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Back On This Pumpkin Spice Thing Again

I wasn't joking. Pumpkin Spice can be kinda basic.
Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you! 

Well, ya know, not everybody appreciated what I had to say about Pumpkin Spice being the Spice Girl that 2015 Deserves the other day.  Boy, howdy, was it not appreciated by everybody.

If I were a celebrity, I'd explain this away by saying that my words were taken out of context and that I was just joking when I inferred that Pumpkin Spice Everything, Yoga Pants, Ugg Boots, Infinity Scarves, and Long-sleeved White Fitted Tunic-Tops are basic.  I could say I was just joking and that everything was taken out of context, but I wasn't.  Heck, I didn't even infer that those things are basic.  I'm pretty sure I came right out and said it out loud.

Apparently, I struck a nerve with some people who are devoted to all those things, which makes me really glad I didn't add in NorthFace vests to my list of basic things that Pumpkin Spice: The Spice Girl 2015 Deserves would accessorize herself with, because in addition to the Pumpkin Spice Everything people and the yoga pant people and the people who looooooove Ugg boots, and the people who aren't seen without an infinity scarf, EVER, and the people who would buy stock in long-sleeved white fitted tunic tops if they were stock-buying people are rabid enough without getting NorthFace all up in my face, too.

Dear me, Friends.  You know, I was going for a laugh, and I was using my humor to hold a mirror up to Us in 2015.  If the reflection seemed a little basic, I was only letting the mirror give back what we've given it.  Sometimes, real mirrors tell us stuff we don't wanna know, like that we really did have spinach between our front teeth the whole time we were talking to that person we try so hard to impress. 

Here's the thing, Friends, for the record, I have nothing against the things I said were basic.  I think there's a time and place for yoga pants.  I've heard tell that UGG boots are really warm.  I'm a giant fan of the tunic.  I enjoy pumpkin spice in things... not in everything, but in some things.  I own some infinity scarves myself, and I wouldn't be without 'em in the bone-chilling dead of winter.  NorthFace, I haven't gotten into yet, but I have a nicey warm Carter's coat I'll be wearin' for my third winter in a row, so maybe someday, I'll invest in a NorthFace coat.  I don't know. 

I think the thing that makes me make fun of those things is their ubiquity.  And a lot of times, they're ubiquitously together.  If you don't think that makes 'em a little basic, you're fooling yourself.  And it's okay that they're basic.  It's also okay to swap out some of those things for something else, once in a while.  Why would you want yourself to announce that you're #basicSquadGoals every day of your life?  There's only one you!  It's okay to be individual!

And for the Authentic hashtag lobby that I apparently alienated, I'm sorry, but #Authentic is overused so much that if I took a swigga my Pumpkin Spice Bambinoccino EVERY TIME someone mentions #Authentic, or is living #Authentic, or is authentically #Authentic, I'd be #authentically floating right the heck off my #authentic high-horse, Friends.

It's okay to laugh at ourselves, People.  We're a ridiculous bunch, when ya get right down to it.  I just want us all to take our ridiculosity just a little less seriously.  That's all I'm out to accomplish with my Pumpkin Spice: The Spice Girl 2015 Deserves project.  That's all!

I love ya just the same, Friends!  I'll be back tomorrow!  Muah!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Nightmares Can Be Hilarious!

Bad dreams can be SO FUNNY after you've woken up!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Wednesday!

This is gonna seem like a really weird post at first, but bear with me, mmmkay, Big People?!

The other night, I had a nightmare.  A bad dream.  I dreamed that I was downstairs in my house, and it started getting old and brown.  The floor was old and bumpy, the stairs were old and bumpy, none of the lights worked, and when I went up to my bedroom, it was also old and bumpy.  My sound machine and air conditioner were making weird noises, and I couldn't turn 'em off, because they already were off, and I couldn't turn 'em on, either!

This dream really had me SCARED!, Friends!  It's all I could talk about the next day.  Everybody I saw that day, I told 'em about my nightmare.  I told 'em about how everything was gettin' old and bumpy right before my very eyes, and how it scared me!

And then a funny thing happened: the more I talked about my nightmare, the more I realized that it was really, really funny, actually.  Hilarious.  Isn't that something?

I think the thing of it is that dreams can be surreal and ridiculous.  When you're in 'em, you don't recognize or appreciate that, but when you're awake, and the logical part of your brain is up and working, it's easy for it to point out how funny those bad dreams really are.  Sometimes.  I'm glad that's the case for me and my bumpy old nightmare.

Friends, I love ya lots, and I hope you never feel like you're stuck in a waking nightmare when you come see me at my home on the Web!  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  Muah!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Pumpkin Spice: The Spice Girl 2015 Deserves!

Spice Basics with Pumpkin Spice!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Tuesday.

Say, I think you know by now that I really like the Spice Girls and two of their songs.  That's why I wanna stage a Spice Girls Revival, but not with the Nineties Spice Girls Lineup, or even the Nineties Spice Girls names.

Actually, what I'm angling for is to present myself as the missing Spice Girl, a musical woman warrior who reflects today's world, the way we are in Twenty-Fifteen.  Therefore, I'm gonna brand myself in my Spice Girls Revival persona as Pumpkin Spice, because that's all you hear about these days. 

My costume will be Lululemon yoga pants, a long, fitted long-sleeve white T-shirt, an infinity scarf, a high, messy top-knot in my hair, Ugg boots, a yoga mat in a yoga bag hand woven from recycled pop bottles, and of course, a Pumpkin Spice Bambinoccino... because I'm not old enough for a ubiquitous Pumpkin Spice Latte.

If you think Pumpkin Spice of the Spice Girls Revival sounds a little basic, that's intentional.  The original Spice Girls were manufactured to fit into a record executive's idea of what was cool, and Pumpkin Spice has been manufactured to reflect her own manufacturedness.  Kind of like a self-aware Barbie doll, except with normal proportions.  That's Pumpkin Spice for ya!

As for my music, I'm not going to play any music.  The real Spice Girls actually didn't.  They had Auto-Tune.  What I'll do at my concerts instead is talk about how authentic the experience is and how I was authentic before authentic was authentic.

In other words, Friends, in Pumpkin Spice, I'm giving the world the Spice Girl 2015 deserves!

#authentic  #PumpkinSpice  #AuthenticallySpicyPumpkinSpice #OhMiGodILoveYogaPants  #ToInfinityScarfAndBeyond #PleaseRecycle  #LiveAuthentic


Monday, October 5, 2015

Curious George Is My Spirit Animal

I'm curious, cute, and precocious, too!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you!

You know, I believe that we all have a Spirit Animal.  One person's Spirit Animal could be a wolf, someone else's may be a mouse or a bird or a giraffe or a snake or a dolphin.  Or an otter.  An otter Spirit Animal would be really rad!

MY Spirit Animal, Friends, is a monkey.  A very specific monkey named Curious George. 

Curious and I have a LOT of things in common.  First of all, Curious and I are both little.  Some would say we're both cute, and I'd wholeheartedly agree.  Perhaps Curious and I are a little precocious, too.

Both Curious George and I know enough to be a little dangerous with our curiosity, harmless, but we can get ourselves into a little trouble.  We can make messes with our curiosity.  We don't mean to, but sometimes it just happens like that.

I wouldn't want any other Spirit Animal for myself, though, other than Curious George.  I learn a lot from Curious.  I can relate to Curious George a lot.

I wonder what YOUR Spirit Animal is, Friend!  Maybe yours is Curious George, too!

I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Ten-Four, Good Buddy!

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate 10-4, Good Buddy Day than with a tiara and twirly dress!
Well, Friends, it's October Fourth again.  The day I like to call "Ten-Four, Good Buddy Day!" 

There isn't really a specific way I celebrate 10-4, Good Buddy Day.  I mean, it's pretty open-ended, this Day. 

I'm preferring to celebrate this 10-4, Good Buddy Day by wearing a tiara and a twirly dress and dancing.  You can celebrate it the same way or your way.  Perhaps you'd like to end every conversation with 10-4, Good Buddy.  That sounds like fun!

That's what it's all about, Friends!  Fun!  It's so important to have fun while you're ridin' this crazy blue marble around the sun, you know?

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!

10-4, Good Buddies!  Muah!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Rock You Like a Hurricane!

Life's about dancin' in the house in the rain, Friends!
Oh my GOODNESS, I've been waitin' all YEAR to use that as a title, and today, it's comin' TRUE!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!

As you may have heard, there was a hurricane a-comin'!  Hurricane Joaquin!  He sounds sophisticated, suave, and sophisticated!  Thing of it is, he kind of took a different turn, and there was much ado about nothing, as it turns out.  Oh, well.  I'm not gonna let this development change my subject!

Where I live, hurricanes pretty much just bring us heavy rain.  Sometimes we get some good thunder and lightning and a little of the bad kind of excitement (if that's how ya look at it!), but most of the time, it's just like a Really Big Rainstorm. 

I do not intend to make light of hurricanes for people who live in hurricane zones or anything like that.  I know that in certain places, hurricanes are very dangerous weather events.

Where I live, they just aren't.  So if you're in a Hurricane Danger Zone, make sure you have your strawberry Pop-Tarts and beverage of choice by the case and get ready for a wild and safe ride.  Evacuate when they tell you to, if not before.  Don't play silly with your safety!

I'm told where I live is just gonna get a really big drinka rainwater, so here's my Hurricane Readiness Plan: I'm gonna put on my folks' Scorpions CD and dance in the house in the rain.  Because in addition to rainy weather, it's taken a turn toward Autumn in my neighborhood, and I have a cold, so dancing in the actual rain would prove to be less comfortable than I usually like my acts of defiance and resilience to be.

And then, when I'm done dancin' in the house in the rain, what I'm gonna do is wrap up in a soft blanket and watch some of my favorite programs on the dang ol' DVR.  How about that, Friends?

I hope you have a Readiness Plan that suits your needs, too!  I love ya lots!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Lookin' for a Few Good Movies

Cold nights are great for watchin' movies!
Well, hiya, Big People!  How are you?  It's Friday, so I couldn't complain today, even if I wanted to, but as it turns out, I don't want to complain, so it's all happy and swell, isn't it?

Hey.  The recent spate of cool, rainy weather has got me to thinkin' about Movie Night.  Don't get me wrong.  Any night is a great night for Movie Night.  But these cool, rainy ones are particularly great, don't you think?

That's why I'm lookin' for a few good movies.  I have quite a movie collection myself, but thing of it is, I've seen all my movies I have, lotsa times, and I'm lookin' for something new.  It isn't that I'm spoiled or anything, always needin' to have new, new, new; in fact, quite often I CHOOSE to watch the same movie a couple-three times in a row, sometimes even on the very same day.  I'm just tryin' to shake up my life a little bit, is all!

I don't wanna bore you with a long list of the movies I own.  In fact, what I'm really interested in knowing is what movies are your favorite Movie Night movies?  Maybe you and I have the same movies we love to watch, and knowing what you like to watch in a movie will help me see that movie from a different perspective, or will give me something to talk about with you the next time I see you.  Or, you might just help me discover new favorites.

I don't like scary movies, but I DO like movies outside the Little Kid aisle sometimes.  The Back to the Future movies, for instance.  The Harry Potter films... Why, I watched "Chamber of Secrets" in my hotel room in Cleveland, even that part where Harry stabs the giant snake and Young Voldemort's face melts right the heck off, just like that, and then I went right to sleep afterwards.  So I'm a Little Kid with a strong constitution.

All righty, Friends: lemme know what your favorite Movie Night movies are, or movies you think I'd like!  I love ya lots, and I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Spirit of the Summer!

Hey you! Keep a little of the Spirit of the Summer with you in the Brrrrr Months!
Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you!  Well, it looks like we've made it to a new month.  October: the second of the 'brrrrrrr months' and the first of the double-digit months.

When I really think about it, it's a big day, this October the First!

The thing that's most important to remember as we get deeper and deeper into the Brrrrrr Months is to keep a little bit of the Spirit of the Summer with you, always.  How, exactly, do you keep the Spirit of the Summer with you? 

Why, it's simple.  Keep a little sunshine in your smile and some warmth in your heart.  If you're dressed cozily enough, you can imagine you're wrapped up in a beach towel, being warmed by the sun.  If you're usin' a space heater under your desk to stay warm, you can just imagine you're standing in the path of a warm breeze.  For a visual aid, you can always keep a picture of the beach or a palm tree on your computer, so you can visit the warm whenever you want. 

I know it's a challenge keepin' a little of Summer with you as it gets colder and colder, but Friends, believe you me, it isn't impossible!  Not in the least!

Hey.  I love ya lots, and I'll be seein' ya tomorrow.  Stay toasty!  Muah!