Munches From the Mission Jar

I have two of these awesome little crock jars that clasp shut, old school.  They are nice pieces alone, but one of them ended up with an even cooler purpose because it has become so much more than a mere vessel.  It's maximum volume is limitless.  It symbolically holds unlimited potential.  This jar has been dubbed "The Mission Jar" and it can be fun and sometimes challenging.  I love it; constructive and creative play!

I found this site last year that had the idea of the jar, so I didn't make it up or anything, just pounced on it.  There was a page of squares to print out, some with missions on them, others you filled in yourself.  After adding your own personalized missions, you then cut out the squares and place these into some sort of container.  Everyday (or whenever) you pick out a square slip and do what is required of you.  It can be fun!  And it gives you a project to work on that you aren't in complete control of deciding.  Makes you think!  Good for the brain...the spirit....the boredom!! 

"Write a Song About Your Day" proved to be an adventure! "Give Someone a Compliment" wasn't too challenging, but important work nonetheless.  I reckon the transcended vessel could be called the Cup O' Challenge? I'm still working on my "Create an Image with Dots" challenge, which is my latest assignment.  The image here is of my last challenge to "Bake Something, for a Friend or Neighbor".  I made these lovely and festive cup cakes for my friend Leslie, even though Celie and I ended up eating most of them!  Oops! 

So, straight from the Mission Jar, there's something sweet and savory that didn't exist before.  This is a great way to do something creative once in awhile.  You can make all of your slips pertain to something in particular, being a writing prompt or a certain topic, what have you.  Whatever works for you.  The simple act of having random goals and challenges accomplished is good for the spirit and keeps us in a playful and thoughtful state of mind.  Keeping the creative mind active with projects as you age is probably just as important as stimulating the analytical mind with crossword or sudoku puzzles.  "If you don't use it, you lose it!" I guess they say, so flex that creative muscle and keep your mind open!

Christal's Growing Crystals

First off, let me say that Family Dollar is awesome. My tattoo artist friend Christal and I went to town tonight for some errands. We ended up spending the majority of our time and money there. We got some really good stuff though, good finds! Along with some killer pink zebra striped sheer curtains for her shop and some other random treasures she purchased two packs of Growing Crystals from the kids section.  The old school kits you may have seen, they've been making them awhile, I believe.  You just don't come across them that often, I reckon.  They cost like a buck fifty, they must be made for around ten cents in the worst factory and working conditions or something.  What ARE you, Growing Crystals?  Crystal Growing?!!  Explain yourself! 

IN RETROSPECT I don't know why I didn't snag one for myself, as they were only a dollar, I think. I was perhaps too excited about the buy one get one half off mirror and framed art sale, where I snagged some shadow box music art that should look slick in my living room eaves!  (Seriously, Family Dollar is awesome!  We are true Dimestore Diamonds! ...even if one of us needs to be talked down from buying a turban once in awhile.)  Anyway, after getting back to her house and excitedly opening one box and reading the directions she says about using one of her own rocks even with the kit. I wonder what they are made out of. I wonder how long it will take. Will it emit a noxious gas? Are they the color on the box? It says that you will start to see crystals within hours supposedly. Christal agreed to give me her box of green Growing Crystals ONLY IF I would blog about it, and "right away" at that, meaning tonight after the kid and husband were in bed...like now. The only thing is, I need to sleep. I don't have time to wait for growing crystals, so tomorrow morning I will begin the bloggity blogxperiment.

The Growing Crystals kit includes a tray, a pack of chemicals to be mixed with warm water, a stick to stir it, and two typical pebble-like stones. It is made in China, distributed by a company called Creative Kids Far East Ltd. Apparently they are located in Hong Kong. This pack was manufactured in a factory in Taicang, Jiangsu, China in August of 2012.  Instructions included! I'm excited and curious for the blogumentary experiment. I embrace the assignment! Thank you, Christal.  Tomorrow we will "create beautiful crystals and watch them GROW!!" ...and blog about it.  Let's do this!

The 4th of July Tradition

The Osceola-Mills 4^th of July parade has been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember.  Every 4^th my mother would meet up with her sister and brother and their families and cart us kids to the parade.  We’ve pretty much sat in the same general area for all of these years, which I guess you could say has been at least 25 or more, as I can remember being at least 5 or under and attending the parade and carnival.  Both the carnival and parade seem to get smaller and smaller every year.

Curb-side at the 2012 Osceola Parade

The parade usually starts at 11 in the morning, but we are usually late.  We were late this year also, but my mother informed us we only missed 19 fire trucks and one band.  Geez.  We sat at a new location this year, a friend of my mother’s front lawn where there was a wall and a set of stairs going down to the road; a somewhat different layout for picking up thrown candy.  Celie enjoyed the fire trucks, but really paid little attention to the parade.  She pretty much ran around and had to be followed or restrained the whole time.  Madness.  She’s at that in between age, where she’s not a little baby but not a kid big enough to know things are dangerous or to listen to you.  I imagine this stage will go on for the next 16 to 25 years. 

The parade ended with little thrill.  The Jaffa Shriner’s weren’t even there this year?  It seemed so much more exciting when I was a kid, obviously.  But what is happening?  Everything is shrinking.  The carnival is even smaller with fewer attractions.  We made our way down to it after the parade though and had our ritual walk through of the small event.  After having forgotten at least 4 items and returned at least 4 times to the car for them, we also forgot my wallet that had at least 10 bucks in it.  My husband had one dollar on him.  We are with it!  (sarcasm)  Joey gave the dollar to me and I got 5 rings for a chance to win him a pocket knife.  I failed.  My sister, Kate, then paid my way and we played each the game of games, fish pong.

Fish Pong, or the Fish Game, I don’t know what it’s called actually, has always been one of my favorite games at carnivals.  Your prize is alive!  And it will last however long you keep it alive!  My cousin Brian won a fish at the Osceola carnival and it lived for 12 years!  Goldy is a legend in our family! We wanted a legend for Celie, so Aunt Kate decided to give it a try.  After several attempts at the fish game, we both failed.  You would think that all of the beer pong experience would have helped?   I guess red solo cups are a little wider at the top and easier to hit than those little fish bowls?  Plus they are closer together.  This carny was using dirty tricks; there was about a mile between each colored bowl.  Yeah, that was it.

Celie is at that odd age where I’m not sure she would stay in a kiddie ride so I am a little scared for her life, but one cool thing about the carnival was that she got to go on her first ride with her cousin Sofia (up until recently, referred to by Celie as “Ya Ya”).  They road the little cars together; this was one of my favorite rides when I was little.  I liked the motorcycles.  They used to have lights and buttons you could push for horns and things.  They used to have ramps they went up on.  Of course these are probably the same rides that I road when I was a child in the early 80’s.  Pretty soon the fake steering wheels will rust and you won’t even be able to turn them and pretend you’re steering!

Sofia (left) and Celie (right) riding a padiddle buggy.

After our small visit at the carnival we stopped at my husband’s uncle’s house on the way to the car.  They live locally, so we often see them at the parade and after.  It was a nice visit.  They gave us two little tricycles for Celie to take home!  Not to mention it was well into the 90’s, it was a scorcher, and their generous offerings of iced tea were most refreshing and appreciated!

We then drove back to my aunt’s house for the traditional post parade and carnival cook out.  We hung out on the patio and drank some Coors Light while the girls splashed in a kiddy pool.  Good times.  We consumed charred mammal flesh and feasted on side salads.  We didn’t even blow anything up, but it was fun.  We had one old sparkler that my cousin stuck in the fire and we watched.  Not very exciting for the 4th of July, but, it was a beautiful thing, traditionally speaking. Isn't that how it goes with traditions?  It doesn't matter how it goes, the comfort lies in repeating the pattern.


Traditionally Yours,
Missie Sue

Mario vs. PETA: A Zoo Suit Riot

So, apparently, PETA issued a press release stating a complaint they have with Nintendo for their use of fur suits in their Mario video games, more specifically, the new Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS which sees Mario wearing a Tanooki suit.  What the hell is a Tanooki, you ask? 

If you Google the animal PETA is defending with its proper spelling, from one source you will find, “Definition for tanuki:  the raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides; the tanuki regarded as a shapeshifter, also renowned for its enormous scrotum.”

Wow!  Now, this is just from wiktionary.org and can not possibly be accurate, but if the animal is really renowned for qualities such as those, how could Nintendo NOT use it as a special suit?  Those powers seem all too perfect for Mario to utilize.  I haven’t played the game, but I imagine him in his little suit, shape shifting at will and gliding through the air, soaring high on the wind, lifted by his flapping scrotum.  I mean, if they went that route.  (Is it like a flying squirrel only nuttier?)

Anyway, I digress, if I even had a point at all, but the absurd thing is that PETA, claiming that this encourages the abuse of animals, has actually commissioned a parody of the game to be made called “Super Tanooki Skin 2D”.  WTF?  Apparently PETA also attacked the game Cooking Mama for not being vegetarian.  Really?  Kids can’t even pretend they’re making meals anymore unless they’re vegan?  No more plastic eggs or strips of bacon in kiddie kitchens.  Should the fake food all be replaced with fake tofu food?? (Is that redundant?)  I’m not making any cuts at vegetarians; people should be free to live the lifestyle they choose.  But when the majority of the world isn’t vegan, you might end up with a video game about cooking that uses dishes including meat, that’s all I’m saying.  What’s the real harm of this?

Well, I suppose that boys and girls could possibly grow up to wear fur, for one, and heaven forbid eat meat!  They are going to beg for Tanooki suits from their parents after the new Mario comes out!  You watch!  The world will eventually only be made up of meat eating Tanooki-wearing destroyers of furry animal life.  I get where you are going with this PETA, and we do need you to protest things, just to remind people to be compassionate toward the animals of the world, but you need to watch what you attack or you’re just going to look like a foolish entity! 

Contrary to popular belief in today’s age, video games are not real!  (Sorry if I spoiled anything for anyone.)  If PETA hadn’t pointed it out, especially because of the change in spelling, you might not even be aware that a tanuki is a real animal!  Hell, they are “Asian raccoon dogs”.  Can’t say that I’ve ever seen one!  But I bet the makers of Nintendo have!    I mean, the other ones were based on frogs and raccoons and penguins, it makes sense to base it on something real-ish.  But if you look up “tanuki” it is also used to refer to the skin of the animal itself.  Uh oh.  That raises an interesting point, at the very least.  Get ‘em PETA!  Maybe that is why they chose to change the spelling of the suit creature anyway?  And what do they have to say for themselves? 

"Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games.  These have included a frog, a penguin, a balloon and even a metallic version of himself. These lighthearted and whimsical transformations give Mario different abilities and make his games fun to play. The different forms that Mario takes make no statement beyond the games themselves." - Nintendo

DUH, PETA!  It’s lighthearted!  It’s MARIO!  He lives in a world full of mushrooms and clouds, even if he does have adventures to rescue kidnapped princesses.  He's more than that, PETA!  You just don't know!  But he's also Not.Real.  You need to learn to pick your battles, because if you aren’t careful, you’re going to end up looking quite ridiculous like the Westboro Baptist Church or something.  I get what you are doing, but really?  I doubt that the new Mario is going to make the sales of tanuki fur coats rise in the world.  Now, when Nintendo starts promoting sales of its game by selling kiddies real tanuki fur Mario suits, then I would release some statements and do some protesting.  Or when this new stylish suit Mario is sporting catches on with posh designers and it becomes world couture…then the world will definitely need your services to protect animal kind.  Until then, let it alone.   

Use your money to support the Nyctereutes procyonoides in a positive way or something instead of attacking Nintendo.  Spread awareness, not complaints.  Find a way to give a raccoon dog back his pelt for real, instead of making a video game about it.  I guess you’re still raising funds from your video probably, I would imagine, but still.  Regardless of what the animal suit use in the games may or may not suggest, Mario also helps us to enjoy the different qualities of all of the animals depicted too, I assure you!  You enjoy being the animals, but if you have been correctly taught that video games are not real, you don't really want to wear an animal skin.  I'm not aware of a story where a child has skinned a raccoon or other animal, and worn its skin around their neighborhood.  (If I am wrong and you know of one, PLEASE point one out to me!)  I mean, after all, I’ve played Mario all of my life.  I love all of the critter suits, but I never wanted to run out and try to buy a frog suit or coat to wear or some frog skin boots…but I was a kid and I did think they were really awesome.  Hmm…good call, PETA.  Maybe you need to be absurd in order to get your point across. 

[SOURCES:  http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/peta-slams-mario-over-fur-suit-211025773.html]