A short story: Great Leaps for Susan

Suzie leaped across the rooftop, flailing her arms beneath a long green cape and landing precisely on the building opposite, the silky “S” stitched into her leotard glimmering in the sunset. She dared look behind her to stare in the face of her enemy: a plastic headless Barbie doll named Midge.

“Susan, get down here and help set the table for dinner,” mother interrupted from the bottom of the stairway, “It’s almost 6 o’clock already.”

“Mom, it’s Sue,” Susan yelled back. “I’m thirteen years old now!” she huffed, shoving Midge and Suzie Doll behind her dresser in one corner of her bedroom before hurrying down the stairs.

Click here to read the story behind the story.

I'm 88, and I'm Regular

Thanks to my friend Colleen, I discovered clips of the Ellen DeGeneris Show featuring Gladys Hardy (spoiler alert). You have to watch this:

This is Gladys, and I'll call you tomorrow.

Fun with Avatars

Yahoo! Avatars is kinda fun if you're in a distract-me-please kinda mood. The selections are limited but here's what I came up with:

A little Rome-sick, maybe, hehe. Especially with all this cold weather in the States!

Happy 4th Birthday, Numa Numa Dance!

This is a silly entry with a purpose.

1. The Numa Numa dance has its fourth anniversary tonight, actually at this very moment because I am posting the entry exactly 4 years after the original was uploaded on Newgrounds flash community, back when webcams still pixelated your face if you moved too much.



2. The Romanian, "Dragostea Din Tea" song used in this video was recently resampled in Rihanna's song, "Live Your Life," a credit to its ubiquity and legacy.



3. According to many sources, the Numa Numa video has been seen a few HUNDRED MILLION times around the web, making it one of the most popular "viral" videos of all time (according to a few sources, the second most popular). However, according to other statistics, such as the "NewNuma" channel on YouTube where this was found, Gary Brolsma didn't do as well in subsequent attempts at stardom. I think part of "viral" is how organic it all is. Many marketers are now realizing that you can't PLAN viral. Viral is a thing which occurs, not a thing that is. So, enjoy the laugh and the spontaneous entertainment provided here, and "miia hii miia haa" along.

If that's not enough, read Cesar Brea's "Dissecting Numa Numa" for some in-depth analysis and pondering on whether this Brolsma video may have been a bit more than just a happy accident.

Look Up

So many people, while walking, keep their heads facing the sidewalk. Not just girls in high heels trying not to misstep on the concrete. Either there is something incredibly interesting about the sidewalk I haven't yet discovered, or people just don't realize that the view is much better at eye-level.

You get a chance to make a connection with someone, if only for an instant, and you can practically change the course of someone's day with a simple glance and a few muscle movements. It doesn't even have to be a smile. You don't have to show any teeth. You can pull one of those, "I acknowledge your presence" nods that guys like to give. Unless you know the person - then by all means, do more. Dare to say hello! But the opportunity to push a little of your positive energy in someone else's direction is presented so many times throughout the day. (Hermits excepted). And so often it goes unanswered.