Oh, this just HAS to go to the top of the Easter activities list!  Fun!!!

I love playing with the dog.  I love watching the dog play with his toys.  What I can’t believe is that his favorite TOY is a $1.50 microfiber hand-shaped cleaning mitt from the Dollar General Store.

 

Well, maybe not “define,” but I do think our favorite childhood books influence us throughout life.  Apparently, FlavorWire does, too.  Read the article, here.

Of course, FlavorWire’s is not a comprehensive list.  (That could be a book by itself.)  I did find a couple of things interesting, though.

1.  My Favorite on the List.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander – According to FlavorWire, “Sure, your job sucks now, but you’re not about to sweat it. As soon as you pay your dues, you’re going to shoot right to the top of the company.”

THAT is hysterical!  …kind of eerie, too, but hysterical!

2.  FlavorWire’s List Mostly Teen/Tween Books
I personally found it a little odd that the list was mostly of teen/tween/ juvenile fiction books…not what I’d call “childhood” favorites. 

I probably shouldn’t find this too odd.  I started to enjoy reading in late elementary school, but I didn’t really start to LOVE it until I was a ‘tween, hence, The Book of Three. 

Shortly thereafter, my dad introduced me to the works of David Eddings, Christopher Stasheff, and Robert Asprin. Oh, it was ON, then.  Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain books were probably the last juvenile fiction I read from that point on (until Harry Potter).  Sci-Fi/Fantasy was the bomb!  (Yes, it was the 80’s.)

When I think about CHILDHOOD books and stories, though, I remember the hundreds of stories I loved (and I KNOW influenced me) from the pre-reading days.  Either my mom read the stories to me, or I used these wonderful Read-along-books (the one’s with the 45s).  I shudder to imagine what FlavorWire might surmise from those actual “childhood” influences.

Let’s see…

* I think much of life can be celebrated in verse (Nursery Rhymes).

* Pretty much ANYTHING can happen (Mother Goose and Arabian Nights).

* Not all stories have happy endings (The Brothers, Grimm), but much of life is beautiful (Hans Christian Andersen).

* We should learn from stories (Aesop’s Fables).

* There’s just not much better than being a southerner (Uncle Remus).

* I LOVE it when someone reads to me or tells me a story  (explains my addiction to audiobooks/audible.com).

What about the rest of you on the porch?  What were your favorite childhood and young adult stories/books?  How have they influenced you?  …you can admit it.  You know they have.  🙂

Will my next computer be a really, REALLY, old one?  …sort of?

Honestly, I thought the NYTimes was pulling my leg on this one, but Commodore USA REALLY is marketing a new Commodore 64.  They’re going with the very early AND latest trend of all-in-one desk-saving boxes with the retro look of the original Commodore 64 with all the latest specs. 

“It comes with a 1.8 gigahertz dual-core processor, an optional Blu-ray player and built-in ethernet and HDMI ports. It runs the Linux operating system but the company says you can install Windows if you like. The new Commodore is priced between $250 to $900.” — Read the full article here.


I couldn’t resist, so I actually checked out Commodore USA’s web site.  Now, truly, I just don’t see a huge appeal for this box beyond our nostalgic band of hoarders.  (You know who you are.  You still have one of these in storage somewhere, too!)  But I’ll be darned if they might not be on to something here.


I saw the images of the OTHER nostalgic-ish products they have lined up.  The Commodore Vic-Slim and Amiga 1000 actually look pretty tempting.  They really are desk-space savers, and they really DO look cool.  (Click the links for each to view the image galleries.)

Who’d a thunk?  …and yes, I’ve already seen folks commenting…wanting a throw-back Atari 2600 with all the original games built in.  I have to admit…I’d probably buy that. 

No Shutdown images are flying all over Facebook, but this one is my absolute favorite.

I’ve always loved this video/commercial, but the only verbal line in the whole thing (at the end) really strikes me as appropriate lately.  🙂

“Isn’t it nice when things just work?”

Okay.  This is one for the “Really? Seriously?” category.  There is a giant flood light/search light flashing back and forth across the night sky near Belly Acres.  To say the least, this is NOT a common occurrence.  When one of those obnoxious attention-getting distractors DOES appear, it’s usually to promote/draw attention to a car show…a car sale…a travelling faire…a big race…some other huge sporting event…or even a monstrous screening of Star Wars.  (Well, it does look like a giant light sabre.)

Tonight’s spectacle?  McDonald’s.  Seriously.  It’s waving over McDonald’s.  …a new McDonald’s that opened today, but not even REALLY a new McDonalds’.  It’s a new McDonald’s building that was constructed over the old McDonald’s…in the exact same spot…where the old McDonald’s was demolished a couple of months ago.  

Seriously?  After weeks of watching the demolition and reconstruction on the daily drive, McDonald’s really thinks we need a giant flood light/search light to bring attention to the fact that it’s open once again?  A simple yard-stake sign or even a banner proclaiming “Now Open” would have more than sufficed. 

What do y’all think?  Grand opening/reopening overkill, or is it a legitimate promotional tactic?  McDonald’s?  A Talladega Race, it ain’t.   

I first saw this story on Facebook, shared by a friend who encouraged watching the video with “I would like for every softball / baseball player and coaches to watch this.” 

Since it is ball season, and goodness knows, we could all use some inspiration these days, I followed the link, Injury Turns into Inspiration for Softball Players.  When I saw it was on Godvine.com, I was pretty sure I wanted to watch that video, but when the description mentioned a torn ACL, I almost didn’t watch.  (Once you’ve experienced it, even the mention of a knee injury can trigger nauseating sympathy pain.  I was horrified that the video might actually show the injury.)  

Thankfully, the camera did NOT capture the actual injury, but it did capture one of the most impressive moments in sports history. 

I also found a follow-up story interviewing the girls (homerun hitter and compassionate players from the other team).

Think about it.  Have you ever tried explaining “records” to a modern teen or tween?  How about 8 tracks?  It gets even more fun when you start talking about dot matrix printers, mimeographs, or through the way-back machine: the printing press.  (I still insist that those mimeograph copies smelled “purple.”  It’s the only description that fits.)