Counting Blessings

According to the time, it's now tomorrow, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so...

My friend signed in tonight/last night/this morning (?) having just returned from seeing Toy Story 3, which we've been ogling and drooling over and anxiously awaiting for months now. What should have been a rave fest of how incredible the movie is quickly turned into me throwing myself a pity party. I have no money and no job, and don't dare ask my parents for ANYTHING because I know they will answer with a question about my job search, so the chances of me seeing this incredible movie I've been looking forward to all school year are pretty much non-existent... Oh, and it might be more than a small challenge for me to be able to feed myself this coming school year. I know my parents won't let me starve, but I'm sure they'd rather not have to help me, and I'd certainly rather not need their help.

So I could very easily wallow in my misery... Or, I could watch some Muppets, eat some comfort food, and count my blessings so that I'm at least in a good enough mood to potentially sleep tonight.

Today has been a good day. I took the dog for a nice, long walk--granted, a very HOT walk, but a nice long one. I exchanged the yarn Mom didn't want for the yarn she did want, which I wasn't expecting the store to have in stock, since they didn't have it when I went two days ago.

I've finished two blankets for Project Linus, both made from fleece from donated blankets that were too poorly-made to be given to kids as they were. I've never done that before. It felt good to finally feel like I did something for this organization I've helped in smaller ways before, to give something comforting to a child somewhere who needs it, and to take some good intentions that didn't quite work out and turn them into something successful. I've always wanted to actually make a blanket for Project Linus, and I guess now I finally have.

I even got to flex my writing muscles today, not just with the earlier blog post but by helping my mom with her annual "beg letter" for the Ride for Kids fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. She had one letter written, but wasn't satisfied with it because it didn't tug at the heartstrings. She was all set to start from scratch, but it just so happens that I specialize in tugging heartstrings, so I stepped up to the computer and edited the heart-wrench in. I usually feel evil (and enjoy feeling evil) for making my readers cry, but this was for a good cause.

I don't think I've quite absorbed that my writing can work towards a greater good, that I could potentially inspire people to get out there and start doing little things to change the world. It won't be one big thing to change the world, you know. It will be millions and millions of tiny things that you wouldn't think count, like smiling and holding doors and picking up litter. A lot of major religions are waiting and praying for the Messiah, for one person to come and set everything right, but one incredible person can't do any good at all if the world isn't full of millions of alright people.

One of the most-quoted Jim Henson quotations is probably this: "When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. It's a wonderful life and I love it."

I've always liked that. From the first time I read it, I've had that same hope--to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. And I guess the things I did today--the letter-writing and blanket-making--I guess they sort of help with that, don't they?

That isn't so bad. No, that's not a bad thing at all.

My New Series on Mindset

Good news, Imaginary Reader! I have conquered The British Correspondent (again) and returned The Muppet Mindset to the rightful hands of--well, me, for now. Ryan should be back tomorrow.

Until then, I the Intern have started a new series for The Mindset: The Epic CD-ROM Family Adventure. I'll be leading the Mindset readers on a guided tour of the Muppet Treasure Island computer game.

It was originally going to be one article of me reminiscing about the game, but then I installed it on my mom's computer and once again have full access to all its glory. Since so few Muppet fans have access to that glory (or even know about it), I feel it is my privilege and duty to share it with them. Really, the game is fantastically Muppety. It would be a shame for the fans to have no idea how great it is. And let's face it--there is just too much greatness for it to fit in one little post.

With the post I have, I haven't even gotten into game play yet. The Game is so packed with Muppety goodness that I couldn't get that far. In fact, when I start the next post, I still won't be at the point of game play. I will finally be at the start of the story, though. All I've gotten through at this point is what I'm calling the First Room. That's where you meet Stevenson the Parrot and figure out how you're going to start playing. You can start a new game, load a saved game, or just automatically start playing from Bristol, the Hispaniola, or Treasure Island. (You can start playing from the Benbow Inn, too, but that's the same as starting a new game, so I'm not sure I get the point of that, but it keeps everything symmetrical.)

Anyway, I'll let you know when I post each part of the series so you can follow along, Imaginary Reader. It should be good.

Muppets Cover "American Woman" ...Sort of.

Let me just say that I have been waiting for this video for months.

Is it shorter than I might've hoped for? Yes.

Would I have loved for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem to take over after Sam gave up? Totally.

Am I going to watch it ten times a day for at least a week anyway?

Heck. Yeah.