Hey Bro

OK. So my Mom had dinner at the resturant Daddy works at. oh boy! So while she was eating, the guys there were talking about a kitty in the alley by the dumpster. It was abandoned there. Well my mommy went out in the alley to see the kitty. And guess what? She brought that kitty home. Smelly, dirty and icky! I feel sorry for him, but eeewww. He is dirty, and he has fleas. He is really tiny, I mean smaller than me. He is kinda striped like me only he seems to be sort of grayish. I hope I don't get fleas. I've never had fleas. I don't want fleas ICK! I hope they find a home for this kitty soon.

Miss you

Went to work with Mom. And guess what? Pigi missed me. snigger.Don't tell anyone... I missed her too. it's pretty cool missing somebody. It feels good and bad at the same time.

Some friends are better left behind

Another friend I made on vacation. His name is Benny. Well..not a good friend.

He ate my chips..didn't say thank you..then hissed at me.

But I try to be tolerant of all kinds.

Sometimes things are a bit one sided. Dad says that's OK. But

after a while you have to re-evaluate and decide if the friend is always going to eat all your chips or are they going to share sometimes?

Then you decide if you can be the only one sharing forever or maybe you just say goodbye and don't leave a forwarding address. I think I'll leave my relationship with Benny in Isla de Mujeres.

Work

Went to work with Mom today. Wow what a day. It was fun to be with Mom all day. She talks to lots of people. Lots and lots of meetings talking about numbers and clothes and stuff. Lots of paper. Lots of people coming in her office all day.I don't think I like her job so much...no banana breaks. Boy, I'm glad I brought my toys. I think it's kinda boring talking about numbers and stuff. I like all the people. We went to lunch and we got to eat in a nice resturant together. Then back to work. It was a really long day with no nap time and no recess for Mom.  I took a nap. Glad I brought my favorite blanket too. I think I like school better than work. Why don't they have nap time and reces? I think those meetings would be better after a nap. It doesn't make sense. It might be kinda fun if they had recess and nap time.

Lift off

Daddy and I got up early today and went up to the roof to watch the space shuttle this morning. Here is a picture of the shuttle taking off. Isn't it pretty. I thought it was cool. I will remember it forever. Most importantly I will remember doing it with my Dad. He is so cool.

Friendship

This is a picture of me and Piganine. She is my one of my very best friends. We have soooo much fun together. We laugh at each others jokes. We like all the same things. We do things for each other. Piggie peels my bananas for me and makes banana smoothies for me. I don't ask her to, she just does. And you know what...I like doing things like that for her too. It makes me feel good. Somehow we have gotten into sort of a groove. We take care of each other. It feels nice to do things for each other. I find myself thinking of all sorts of things to do for her. It's really nice. I like it when things are this way.

Heroes

This is a picture of Barong. Barong is one of my heroes. He is kind, kooky and mischievous. He is the defender of the good. He (I think he is a he) is the physical manifestation of a protective spirit who guards people from evil influences.

He is so powerful he can protect an entire village. That's powerful!

He is light hearted, capricious, and happy but strong. I can relate to a hero like that. If you ever go to Bali you can watch a Barong performance. They are really beautiful. And the Barongs are depicted slightly different in different places on the island. But they most usually look something like a lion or tiger. They usually have a bit of an entourage. Which is kinda cool. I think I would like to have an entourage. Maybe Piganine, bear and dog will be my entourage. I'd like to be as strong as Barong and have gamelon music playing every time I come around. I wonder if Barong eats bananas?

Piganine

Me and my new friend Piganine.

No Comment!

A little dose of reality

OK. I know that everyone is talking about the recent exposures of someone who looks very much like me being somewhat inappropriate. These videos and reports show a very wild and crazy sock monkey stealing a vehicle and taking it for a joy ride. I know there has been a lot of press about it. There is no proof that these photos and/or videos are of me. I do not know any cyclops, not that there is anything wrong with being a cyclops. I am a very well behaved sock monkey and I maintain that I have done nothing to be ashamed of. My Mom and Dad have hired the PR Firm of "Spin' em & Stretchit" to handle the situation. It's truly awful. My Dad has to go everywhere with me. People rush at us and some are very rude and yell "Cyclops Lover" at me.

I maintain that the press is simply looking for a new story since Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton have been keeping such a low profile.

Zoom Zoom

The blue angels are in town this weekend and we have been watching them. It's been really amazing. We went up on the roof our building and watched them swoop by. It was really loud, really cool and kinda scary. They were so close we could see the pilots faces. My Dad says they come to town to draw our attention to the Navy and the Marines. To keep us thinking about their role in our society and what they do for us. I know I think they are really cool. I wish I could go for a ride in one of those jets. I can't believe some of the things they can do! They did twistys, they flew really close to the water and they swooshed inbetween the buildings! It was soooo amazing! I think they inspire kids like me to become pilots.

Boo!

Halloween is almost here! I love Halloween. Scary movies on TV. Looking at costumes. Trying to decide what to be for Halloween. I bet I will try on at least 6 outfits. Me and Dog and Bunny will make lots of plans. Party or Trick or Treating? So many decisions to make. I can't wait to watch to watch Dracula..and I recorded The Blob too. This is going to be so fun. I can't wait. I don't like candy as much as I like bananas...but Mom will trade candy for bananas. Dog wants to go as Wolverine. Snigger. I think Dog thinks he is soooo handsome. I think I'll go as the headless horseman. Or maybe Zorro. Bunny is going as Eeyore. We will get to carve pumpkins and make popcorn balls. Mom will make chocolate covered frozen bananas. We will decorate the house with all kind of fun things. Like I said I just can't wait.

Bully for you

Some kids at school were really mean to me. My feelings are really hurt. Bear is one of the kids I know at school. He's really cool and everyone thinks he is really neato. He is really funny and makes everyone laugh. But sometimes...sometimes he makes other people feel bad while he makes people laugh. When that happens it doesn't feel so good. He is one of those people who you don't want to have mad at you. He likes to control how everybody gets along. If he's mad at you he talks bad and kinda shuns or ignores you. Dad says to ignore people like that. But it can be really hard. People tend to do what Bear wants them to do. So if he makes fun of you and treats you bad, other people follow. They don't want to be on the bad side of Bear. Anyway after vacation, Bear wasn't so nice to me. I didn't respond to that very well. I cried at school. Now everyday Bear calls me a cry baby. And I don't like it!!!! I thought about flipping boogies on his lunch. Dad says no. "Don't do that. NO FLIPPING BOOGIES EVER!" I think it might make me feel better. It made me feel better about the air conditioning man. Dad says I need to learn how to deal with my feelings, because people like Bear never go away. He says he sees people like that all the time. They are just bullies. I'm not sure how this will turn out. But I don't like it right now. I don't want to go to school.

Ireland

So we all just went on vacation.

It was really cool to experience lots of new and different things. New and different ways of doing things. It was so exciting! We went to Ireland. They do things lots different than we do. Or maybe as Daddy says, " we do things differently than they do". They drive on the other side of the road. The stick shift is on the left instead of the right. They eat enormous breakfasts and they drink instant coffee. The money is different and the taxes are REALLY high. They don't tip and all the electrical outlets have on/off switches. There aren't a lot of sock monkeys around. I got lots of stares and lots of people giving me bananas and asking if they could pet me. Everyone was really nice. All the people there made us feel really welcome and right at home. We traveled all over the country and stayed in a different town every night. We went to the Guinness storehouse..Mom even let me have a little pull of her pint. tee hee. It was really funny tasting. I think I like my Banana juice better. I really liked seeing how things were so different. How different cultures do things. It's really nice to be home with Dog and Bear and in my own bed again..but I really like Ireland and hope to go back again.

Have bananas

So I am still stuck on this whole, "you get what you think about" thing. Part of me really believes it. After all I think about bananas almost constantly. And you know what I am almost always surrounded by bananas. (no, this is not a commentary regarding the mental health of my parents). But we always have bananas on hand. I'm not old enough to go to the store alone..so despite the fact that I am dependent on others for them..I always have them. I never imagine or worry that there will be none..and I never experience the " noneness" I only experience the "having" or the plenty. Mom says this works for everything. The trick is to only imagine the good and to keep the focus off of the not having or the lack of. Mom says that the universe (or God if you prefer) will always produce what ever you are focused on. So the focus of not having produces not having. I think it makes sense. But I am not about to try thinking about the not having of bananas. It is far to scary a thought to even try. I'll stay where I am and only concentrate on the having.

You get what you think about.

That's me and Dad. We are sharing breakfast at the Butler's Arms Hotel in Waterville, Ireland. Note: I am eating a grapefruit. Dad just had a full Irish Breakfast. That's why he doesn't have the energy to scamper up the walls and swing from the chandeliers. But you can tell we were having a great talk about the quality of Irish coffee and bananas.

Dad has what he calls the "Luck of the Irish". We were tired, Mom was cranky and I was hungry. We had been driving all day. We visited a sheep farm (more on this later) and some big old estates and a couple of tumbly castles. Any way....we walked in to this hotel and Daddy talked to the lady and we ended up with the most amazing room. Dad just always expects good things to happen. And you know what? They do! You really do get what think about! Plus we met some really neato people after dinner. It pays to have a sunny outlook.

Sad News

We've been going to a lot of funerals lately. We get dressed up and go to services. Lots of different kinds of services. Dad gets real quiet. Mom cries and gets sad. Seems like a lot of people are leaving us. Plus all the people in the news. People aren't like sock monkeys. You can't just sew them up and expect them to be just like new again. Mom says that when they are done being here with us, they go on to be something else, somewhere else. Dad just shakes his head. I want to know how do I keep them from being done here? So they won't go to another place? Do they need more to do? What makes them done? Does a timer go off somewhere. Do they decide somewhere in their spirit or heart to be done? All I know is I don't want anyone else to leave me.

Dr.

Apparently there is something we do called going to the doctor. Hmph. I had to put my toys away and we got dressed and went to see Dr. Good. He works in an office. We walked in and Mom talked to a woman who said we should sit down and wait. After a little while another lady opened a door and called us to follow her. We followed her to another room. Mom helped me to sit on a big high chair covered in white paper. Another, yes another lady came in and took my temperature. Put a funny thing on my finger and put stuff in her computer. After a while Dr. Good came in. He always talks nice to me. And he shakes my hand. Just like I'm a grown up. He looked me over for a while and then he rubbed my arm with a wet cotton ball and then....

It happened!

A shot!

I screamed!

then...I cried.

Mom held me tight and patted my head. Dr. Good patted me and said it would stop hurting

in a minute. Mom said we'd go get banana ice cream when I was done crying.

I realized it didn't hurt anymore and that I wanted the ice cream.

so...we left to go feel better. Hmmm kinda funny we left the Dr to feel better.??!!

In Hospital

Well, Benzie is finally in Hospital. He was hurt a long time ago. Apparently things like insurance take a really long time. Allstate. I think they call themselves the "Good Hands People". Mom calls them the "Slow Hands People". It's been over 2 months. Mom and Dad had to keep calling and I think Dad got kinda cranky with them. Somehow it seems really backwards. Some guy hits our Benzie, but my Mom has to take time away from work to arrange Benzie being fixed. My Mom has take time away from work to talk to all these insurance people. My Mom has to take time away from work to get a rental car. Really this is silly. My Mom didn't hit anybody. Benzie was parked in a safe place. But because someone wasn't watching what they were doing our whole family is disrupted. And Mom's work is disrupted. It's kinda like we get punished because we got hit. And all this time Benzie is hurt and not feeling good. Hurumph! I'm not sure about all this insurance stuff. If I ever see this guy who hit Benzie, I'm gonna flip boogies on him.

Say I love you....

This picture was taken about a month ago. It was taken by one of mommy's co-workers while they were at work. It reminds me everyday that you don't know what will happen in some one's life that day..or in the time in-between seeing them.

Just be sure to tell them that you love them before they go.