(This article contains affiliate links. If you order something using these links, it doesn’t cost you more, and I get a small advertising fee.) In 1937, Walt Disney released “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The first animated feature was often known as Disney’s Folly. People said no one would sit through such a long cartoon. Some said people’s eyes would bleed if they watched that much animated film in one sitting. When it premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater, it was an instant hit. Celebrities cried. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” became the highest grossing movie of all-time until “Gone with the Wind” knocked it off the top spot in 1939.
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The Daredevil Penguin: Who Is the Great Penguini?
In the southern hemisphere, there is a legend of a daredevil penguin who would perform great feats of daring. Some people claim to have seen him in action. Others say he stole their equipment. But none of them know the truth. First, those that claimed the penguin was a “he” never did a blood test, so the penguin’s sex remained unknown. Second, most of the feats of the Great Penguini are not the actions of a single penguin, but the actions of several penguins who learned from an early teacher and built on his/her legacy. This is the first feat accomplished by the Great Penguini.
Continue readingDead to Me Season 2 through Episode 4: If The ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ and 2020 Had a Baby
When ‘Dead to Me’ season 2 started filming in Sep. 2019, coronavirus didn’t exist, and 2020 was still in the future. So, how the writers came up with a show that is a simile for the entire year and what we’re all going through is a mystery. Think of Steve as the coronavirus, which leads to a discussion of how long they would have to stay in the house together. The writers have created a simile for everything that has happened and combined it with Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” (affiliate link) creating something new and amazing. ‘Dead to Me’ season 2 continues to provide surprises, even if one of them is straight from a soap opera. It also provides disaster upon disaster.
Continue readingTruth, Justice, and the Lost American Way
Growing up, mom taught me that honesty was the most important quality a person could have. We may not be able to have a lot of things, those things could be taken away, but no one could take away our integrity or ability to be honest. I had to learn degrees of honesty. It wasn’t culturally acceptable to tell a neighbor that he or she looked fat today. Santa Claus is real, even if he’s more of a concept than a person, and the truth doesn’t always beat being kind. Overall, it was important to be truthful, and mom wasn’t the only one delivering that message.
Continue readingCould a Clever Cup of Tea Fix the World? How about 40 of Them?
Tea is huge in Russia. It’s a whole cultural thing. People drink tea at least three times a day – once between breakfast and lunch, again between lunch and dinner, and after dinner with a dessert. It’s not just tea, there’s always something, usually sweet, to eat with it. It might be a cake, cookies, a chocolate bar, or just jam or honey — bring your own spoon and dig in. The problem is I don’t really like tea.
Continue readingHow to Make Tomorrow Better with Limited Resources
Improving your future is hard, especially when you consider everything you’ve got going on. Even if you’re someone who is staying home because of the pandemic, you don’t have as much time or as many resources as you might like. You could have a limited budget, limited means to contact people, and not enough emotional energy to carry you through to the evening. But there is something you can do to plant seeds for a better tomorrow.
Continue readingCinco de Mayo in Far East Russia 2020
As far as I can tell, no one celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Russia where I live, which makes sense considering it’s between May Day and Victory Day. I have seen three “Mexican” restaurants in town. The drive-up never appears to be open. The one on a side road closed down and became something else, and the one at the mall actually serves pretty good Tex-Mex style food. The tortillas are all flour and more like wraps, but the salsa is often a fresh Pico de Gallo. If it weren’t for COVID-19 and the flood near the mall, we might’ve gone there today.
Continue readingFairy Penguin Paper Doll Now with Easter 2020 Collection
When I released the Easter 2020 Penguin paper doll, I made a coupon code to give it away for free. If people wanted to, they could pay a dollar to get them or join our Patreon, which comes with other great benefits. While the paper doll is still available to our Patreon sponsors, the code has expired. Not a single person downloaded the Easter Penguin paper doll from my website. That’s fine. I’m sure it will happen again, but here’s what’s strange:
Continue readingOur Store Plans for C.A.P.E. before COVID-19
A long time ago before the world changed, about the second week of March 2020, my wife and I were going to move to the coast – probably in Oregon. We were going to open a shop. The details about how, where, and with what money we were going to do this were a little sketchy. I just assumed we would figure it out when we got there. All we needed to do was get our cat micro-chipped and wait for the arrival of Jenya’s passport and Green Card visa.
Continue readingMarch of the Immortal Army: Russian Victory Day, May 9
On May 9 every year, Russia celebrates its victory against the Nazis and Germany in World War II. The army parades down main streets in ever city. There are marching bands, tanks, and patriotism on display. People line-up on the curbs and cheering as the different groups march by. It’s a lot like America’s Fourth of July celebrations. However, there is one difference. After the parade is over, another parade starts: The March of the Immortal Army.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 