Tuesday, May 29, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Unfinished Costumes

Current Mood: Rollin' *using best Kakashi voice* I'm sorry I'm late. I got lost on the road of life. Needless to say it's been a very long time. As mentioned before I was drowning in work. I am getting close to catching up. I'm working on an interview today then I will be completely caught up. Those of you who keep up with the front page of the site have probably noticed I published a few reviews, an interview with some of the Tsubasa cast (They were a fun group!) and the convention listing for June. I have also added a Convention" blog for theOtaku.com's convention gatherings. Both Adam and I are going to be at AX this summer so if you are going to be attending then stop by the site and let us know. I'll be adding some more stuff to that site after this posting. On a personal front I'm having some trouble with my RA. Pretty much the chemo isn't helping and seems to only accomplish making me sick while thinning my hair. Lucky for me I have an entire collection of cosplay wigs! lol I have to, or I should say, John has to drive me out of town Thursday for an appointment with my Rheumatologist. Hopefully he'll have some new drugs or something I can do to feel better. I haven't had this much trouble with my RA in quite a while. Cookies and Comments Sorry, no comments again this update. I promise to leave some when I am feeling better.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Water Wings!

Current Mood: Drowning in work. 1. Go to Google maps 2. Click on Get Directions 3. From New York, New York 4. To Paris, France 5. Scroll Down and Read #24 Cookies and Comments No comments this update. Again. Things have been crazy for me lately. Let's just say in order for me to be online I have to go outside. Just wanted to let you guys know I'm still mostly alive.

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Saturday, April 14, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Con Pics!

Current Mood: Tired! I'm keeping this very short and sweet...just like me! :P Site Stuff: I've finally posted my Sakura-con 2007 Convention Report along with a photo gallery. Personal Ramblings: All my travels have really worn me out. I'm still trying to recover. Cookies and Comments No comments this update. I'm too tired. Just wanted to update to let you guys know I'm still alive.

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Vacation

Current Mood: Excited! Site Stuff: I am going to be away from the site from today until late Monday night... possibly not until Tuesday morning. This means that emails or PMs will not be answered until I get back. Hopefully everyone will have a trouble free weekend on the site and this is a moot point. Somewhat Site Stuff: SomeGuy is planing a little unofficial theOtaku.com gathering at Sakura-con, so if you are attending please let him know in the April Anime and Gaming Convention Schedule thread's comment box that you'll be there. I'll be there and so should you! Personal Ramblings: Why am I going to be gone? I'll be on vacation!!! As you can see by my use of cousin Dipp above I am all ready to have a good time and party the night away! As soon as I post this I am turning the computer off and hitting the road. I say that but more than likely I'll be back online minutes before getting into the car for the trip to the airport! I'm such an internet junkie I hope this vacation doesn't stress me out without internet. Ugh, internet withdrawals.... LOL It is going to be so nice to get out of this one horse town. I really don't have much to report since I am all giddy about vacation! *jumps around* Well, I guess that is it for now. I'm packing up and heading out. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and I'll have pictures to share when I get home. Laters! Cookies and Comments blackwings: I am definitely going to have fun on vacation and of course I'm going to cosplay. The only problem I am having is deciding what costumes to wear. I have more costumes than days to wear them. I guess I'll just go with the flow. I'll come back with pictures. ^_^ CosmicSailor: OMG, the money some of those people threw around was ridiculous! At least it was for charity, but still. But then again, I guess if I had that much disposable income I would toss it out there for a good cause too. Shireishou: Cosplay! I saw your picture you posted on your site. You look great! I'll have pictures of my cosplays after Sakura-con. ^_^ KitsuneTsuki: I definitely have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me. Vacation then Sakura-con. I'll probably need a vacation from all this vacationing! LOL SunfallE: Have I told you lately that I love you? Well, I do. Thanks for keeping an eye on the site (and Adam) while I'm on vacation. *glomp* Ms. Bakura Istar: I will do my best to have lots of fun! *hugs* Rachmaninoff: Thanks for the compliment on my reviews. I appreciate it! I will definitely come back with pictures! AngelBest Dream: Moving pictures doesn't change anything but the section it is in. So you don't have to worry about the votes or download counts changing. choc-chipcookie: The auction was lots of fun. I just wish I had as much money as some of those who attended! jazzy711: We'll have to plan a weekend where we are both in town together. You've got to check out the massive amount of new houses behind your parent's neighborhood. It's crazy! BankofKev: The auction was furry free. Thank goodness. But there were a bunch of referees. The auction had a March Madness theme so the guys running the auction all wore referee uniforms. SomeGuy: A gathering would be lots of fun! I am all for it. I'll shoot you a PM. ^_^

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Friday, March 23, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Coffee & Anime

Current Mood: Very Tired Site Stuff: The latest set of reviews are on the front page right now so feel free to check them out, leave comments...you know the routine. If you haven't made it a habit of checking out the front page of the site, you really should. There is a wealth of news and information published daily about anime, games and things related to otaku culture. The News Team totally rocks. During a recent update to the site there was some wackiness going on with submissions. Because of this some submissions were shuffled around to incorrect categories. If you've submitted anything to the site please check your portfolio and make sure all the items are in the correct categories. Currently we are working on moving wayward items back to the correct categories as well as moving those items that didn't move when new hubs were added. So if you get a "Notification of Modification" in your PM box, more than likely it's because of us moving items to where they are suppose to be. Sorry about the glitch and we thank everyone for their understanding. Personal Ramblings: I'm feeling okay. I've had a rough few days but nothing to concern anyone about. I'm really looking forward to vacation and then Sakura-con. It's going to be a very eventful vacation for me. Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my haircut then John and I are going to a fundraising auction in the evening. My former boss at the vet clinic invited us to come along. He's such a cool guy. So we get to hob-nob with the elite in my hometown. It's fun and since it's a fundraiser it makes it even better. It's kinda fun to watch the rich people in bidding wars for things like an exclusive golf vacation at some posh resort. I wonder what it's like to have that kind of money... I guess that is about it for now.*hugs* Thanks for all your support everyone. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. It's time to get back to work. I've got a lot of stuff to get finished up before vacation time! Cookies and Comments Cosmic Sailor: Luckly for me they aren't going to put me on that drug. It was just me looking into options. That medication is definitely not going to be at the top of the list! LOL Monkey!: I should bring the drug info to SC so you can check it out. Scary, scary! SunfallE: *hugs* I don't know about you but I had dreams about the "project" we are working on. o_O;; Ms. Bakura Ishtar: I definitely plan on having fun on vacation. It's closing in. Only one more week until I get on a plane and get the heck out of the state! Woo hoo! jazzy711: Go figure, when you are in town, John and I will be in Seattle for Sakura-con. We are just going to have to figure out a time when we can come by and visit you in Cougar country. Last time we did that was for a veterinary conference! That was a while ago! Minako: One entire weekend unplugged from the internet... I think I can do it. If not I'll probably find some overpriced internet service for my "fix". LOL Yensid: Moving stress is the worst! I swear there is a black hole that items fall into. I'm still missing a bath mat. It disappeared when John and I moved from Olympia. I wonder where it went... KitsuneTsuki: I'm so excited about having a real vacation. It's going to be nice. ^_^ BankofKev: I'm still alive, just busy. I'll have to give you a call when I get a free moment. Aaryanna: I was thinking about you lately with all that news about pet food. I hope you aren't feeding your pup any of that canned food. They say the critters died from the food because of RAT POISON! What an awful way for them to die. I hope they catch who ever is responsible for this! Shireishou: Thanks for the support. I'm one of those people who stay clear from anything that might have spoilers if I am determined to not be spoiled...hope that makes sense. Otherwise I am all for them. Let's me know what I am getting into. AngelBest Dream: I am totally ready to do some relaxing. Unfortunately there are things that need to be taken care of so it's back to work for me! Rachmaninoff: Vacation is going to be fun! I'll take pictures and post them when I get home. ^_^ SomeGuy: WOO HOO!! We definitely have to get together at Sakura-con. They have posted a tentative schedule. Now deciding what to do, that is going to be the tough part. I really want to see the Hellsing Ultimate screening and meet all the Japanese guests. ^_^ Mamma Vash: I really have to give you a call!! I really need to get a new phone. I swear, I don't know anyone who has as much phone trouble as me. I just hate going phone shopping. Next to the DMV the lines at the cell phone stores are the longest and slowest! LOL

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Free Time!

Current Mood: Mostly Happy I am fairly happy today. I finally caught up on the backlog of screeners after the news embargo! Woo Hoo! The latest set of reviews are on the front page right now. Now I get to take a break from writing for a little while which will be nice. Some people have been complaining about spoilers in the last Trinity Blood review. I did my best to keep major spoilers out but as you get to the end of a series it becomes increasing difficult to give summaries without spoiling something. The series has already completed on Adult Swim. Plus, why are people who don't want spoilers reading the overview portion of something they haven't watched anyway? Oh well. I added a "spoiler" note for those people. First time I've ever had any comments about spoilers. I guess that's pretty good right? Meh. Health wise I am feeling pretty good. I have to tell you guys about this new RA treatment I got information about. It's suppose to be really great and I'd only have to get infusions every 6 months (Takes 3+ hours). The very first line in the information completely took me by surprise. You know most drug information tells you the side effects. This one stated that "Death could occur within the first 24 hours of infusion"! Apparently there have been instances of death after getting this drug for the first time. But if you don't have any problems after the first treatment then later treatments should be okay. o_O;; Yeah, so needless to say I was a bit put off of continuing to learn more about how wonderful this drug is... So anywho, it was interesting to read about all the last trips/holidays you guys went on. It's been years since John and I went on a trip that wasn't related to animation or family functions in some way. At the end of the month we are actually going to have a true vacation. It's just a weekend but it'll be nice. I don't think I'll even take my laptop with me. I am going to completely unplug from the internet, email and this site for an entire weekend. The following weekend will be Sakura-con so it's back to work. LOL I guess that is about it right now. Hopefully I'll have something interesting to write about for an update soon. Take care! Cookies and Comments marz, Minako, KitsuneTsuki, choc-chipcookie, AngelBest Dream, Envy's angel, indifference: *hugs* Thanks for the well wishes. I appreciate it. I'm feeling much better now. Let's just keep thinking happy thoughts for continued good health. ^_^ Solo: *hugs* I'm glad we got to hang at AX. Now I just need to get myself over to your corner of the world for a visit. That would be so much fun! SunfallE: You know you can still poke Adam with a spork. LOL CosmicSailor: I've got my peeps working on that favor for ya. Hopefully I will have some word on how things are going by tomorrow evening. *crosses fingers* jazzy711: I'm glad you got a chance to visit with John in SL. Oh and congrats on your "family"! ^_^ BankofKev: Banana Suit!!! LOL

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Wednesday, March 7, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Adam

Current Mood: Meh! Adam!! *panda points to above image* All I have to say to you is "Comic Con" and "FUNimation booth". You get my drift. Things have been pretty hectic for me since the last update. I've been sick. I'm back on the chemotherapy injections and at a dosage twice as high as what I was one previously. I hope I don't loose more hair or I'll end up wearing my cosplay wigs all the time! LOL I just feel really hazy, sickly and sore which has been making me feel a bit blah. Meh. I hate being sick! I've still writing anime reviews to catch up. Please leave a comment or two on my reviews. It makes me sad when no one comments. I'm almost caught up on the backlog after the news embargo. I'll be happy when I can get back to one or two a week. On a bittersweet note I did get a chance to help out last weekend at the vet clinic I use to work at before I started on the chemo again. I got to help with an emergency. It was nice to help but it made me sad since I can't do that work full-time anymore. ;_; On a fun note John go to "appear" on the Today Show. You can check out the video clip if you want to see his avatar. He is the one that looks like a dog holding a sign that says: "Hi Mom, I'm on the Today Show". It was really weird to see his co-workers on the show. It's funny, John's on the show but not since it was only his avatar. He really isn't doing much since he was really tired. In order for him to be on the show he had to be up at 3:30am. Being several time zones away made it tough. I guess that is about it for this update. I have to get back to work before I start feeling all icky. I wish I had my energy back. Perhaps some coffee... (Fine Print) For those who can't tell, I am just joking around with Adam. I just wanted to razz him a bit. In other words, I am joking...or am I? lol Cookies and Comments Everyone: Since I'm not feeling so hot I'm just going to leave you with a question: Where was the last place you went for a vacation/holiday/getaway?

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Brick-a-Brack

Current Mood: Happy Ah, many of you have probably noticed that the news embargo has been lifted. Now I have some major catch up to do with screeners. *eyes SomeGuy* Yes, someone is playing catch up. :P As always, if you get a chance check them out and leave your thoughts. The anime companies do read the comments and appreciate the feedback. So, needless to say you know where you can find me. I'll be watching anime and writing. I've also just published the latest list of anime conventions coming up next month. I wish I had the money to go to Anime Oasis. One of these years I'll make it to Boise, it's only about a 10 hour drive! @_@;; In addition to the anime DVD's I've received a disk from my father-in-law. It contained hundreds of pictures. Some were pictures of John as a baby in Africa (awww, so cute!) while others were a bit more recent. One of these pictures made me chuckle. I had to post this for BankofKev since I know he'll get a kick out of it. Check out my curly tail! I'm turning into a furry! I guess one of John's parents snapped this picture of us outside our house on one of their visits. Apparently my dog Brynner had walked behind us at the time making it look like I have a fluffy tail! Now I have no idea where John is looking but I sure look happy for the camera! I'm such a ham. Speaking of camera... I wonder if Adam will be taking pictures at the New York Comic Con this weekend. I hope so I want to see pictures! At least he got some super swanky new business cards. Of course he didn't get me any swanky new business cards. *pout* Oh well... I guess I'll just use the plain, ol' boring ones I've been using for the past few years... *sigh* LOL Oh happy day, the 25th is my daddy's birthday! I should give him something made out of macaroni glued to construction paper covered with gold spray paint and glitter. He could then hang it proudly on the fridge. Ah, it would be spectacular! Parents really like those sort of things. ^_^ I'm joking! I wouldn't do something like that! Of course, it would be pretty darn funny... *feels tempted* I suppose that is about it for now. I better get back to writing some reviews! Hope everyone is happy, healthy and life is treating you all kindly. Love you all! *hugs* Cookies and Comments Everyone: The scam stuff really sucked. We hopefully have spread the word so these people won't be able to scam others no matter what community they are a part of. The already hit the gamers in WoW, eBay and now the anime community. Who knows where else they've run scams. Hopefully now anyone who has a run in with them will recognize the names an/or find all of our coverage on the convention so they can avoid any financial losses. It's great to see that there is some good coming out of this nightmare. The anime community totally rocks! Shireishou: Speaking of late visits... I think I am the worst about making it to everyones sites. I end up doing some work on the site, wander over to the OB then realize somewhere along the way the day has flown by without me visiting sites or updating myO! Pretty soon I will wake up in the morning only to find out it's time to go straight back to bed! LOL CosmicSailor: You know what's crazy. I've never been to Japan. Even though I have family there and my father works for Japan Airlines. You'd think I would have made it there by now! The rest of my family travels there all the time. It seems like whenever plans were made something would come up preventing me from going! One of these days I'll make it to Japan! jazzy711: LOL I completely zoned that out! You didn't stand out at all with your red hair in that sea of Japanese women! BankofKev: It seems to me that lately all I do is post pictures for you! LOL Hope NY was fun! SomeGuy: I know what would totally make you smile. I know you like the wall o' pandas but put this visual in your head. I was vacuuming when I backed up into the bookcase filled with pandas causing them to rain down upon me. It was like a tsunami of black and white bears washed over me! If only it were caught on film... Weaver: Wow! Long time no see! A good basic animation program to start out with would be Flash. There are tons of 3D programs like Maya, Lightwave and 3D Studio Max but they are not cheap. It all depends on what you want to do. blackwings: Oh I have many, many more pandas. A bit out of the picture, just above where Charlie is standing is a shelf filled with pandas and another bookcase to the left filled also. Not to mention all the random pandas spread throughout the house. There is no room in my home without pandas in it. Seriously. SunfallE: I know I should update more often. I just don't have much to report. I feel like all I tell you guys is how I am going to or coming back from the doctor's office. That's boring! I'll have more stuff to post about soon. Convention season is starting up! Woo Hoo! KitsuneTsuki: Don't you just hate it when the train of thought leaves you at the station! I unfortunately feel like my train of thought derails frequently. :P Mimmi: You, my dear, are too sweet! *glomp* Aaryanna: Thanks for the hug! It is very true that you can never get too many of them. *huggles* Yensid: I could really go for some cake right now. I am trying to be a good girl and stay away from all those delicious, tasty, sugary......*dreams of chocolate*...desserts. Pandas are chubby but not THIS chubby! *points to tummy* LOL Monkey!: The guest list for Sakura-con is amazing. I want to get autographs from all the Japanese guests! *tries to hide fangirl excitement* Chatting with some of the staffers it sounds like this year is going to be the best one yet! I can't wait!! Rachmaninoff: Things are going quite well for me. Now if the snow would stop falling it would be even better! I am so totally ready for warm spring days with all the flowers in bloom. It'll be so nice.

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Thursday, February 15, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Friends

Current Mood: Loved Hope the day was good for everyone. John and I didn't do much for Valentine's Day. We don't do anything special on Valentine's Day since we don't feel that we need to have a special day to tell each other how much we love each other. Of course this is not to say we didn't do anything fun. John told me we had to go run some errands. Since we are both working from home any reason to get out of the house is an excuse to leave, so I tagged along. He ended up taking me over to this cute little coffee shop in the small town 30 minutes away from our hometown. I had a wonderful dessert and some coffee. Who needs flowers when you can have coffee?! I also recently had some more confirmation that I have a wonderful network of friends who really, honestly care about me. It's is very nice knowing that there are people who are there for you when you need them. Thanks. ^_^ Ramblings and Thoughts concerning the con... Victims of scams generally don't report they are victims. Per the National White Collar Crime Center only 7% report it (NWC3, 2002). Why? Because of the guilt they feel for being taken advantage because of the additional guilt dumped upon them from their family and friends. Nobody likes to be told they got played. "You should have known better...I wouldn't have done that....You should have done this...." Hindsight is 20/20. Don't you think the one taken advantage of already feels bad enough? Do they need more judging? No they don't. Those taken advantage of are not weak, many are used for their strengths. In other words: what can the victim do for the scammer? Anime Vegas got used because they are an established convention that people trust. Their staffers and volunteers are familiar faces in the anime community in Vegas. There is no reason to doubt their legitimacy since they are the same people who run an established convention. The vendors who traveled to the con to do business. They are all vendors that many of us have seen at other cons. Let's not forget the voice actors and DJ who were used for their names to bring fans into the con. Not to mention the fans, the attendees who got the short end of the stick since very few of the convention events that were advertised were actually run. When I think about how theOtaku.com was used I see they used us for our strengths as well. We have a strong sense of community. Not just our members but for the community at large (Heck yeah we want to help find a cure for Breast Cancer! Who wouldn't want to find a cure?!). We have millions of hits on our site every month, that is great advertising if you want to get the word out there for your cause. They used us for our connection with the anime industry. They wanted to use all of our dedication to our community to fulfill their own dubious ambitions. There are those who say things like "Well, we are only hearing one side of the story...All this only allegedly happened..." Well, if you haven't noticed yet, as soon as the con ended they locked their message boards so no one could post in the forums. They then took their website completely off the internet. You can't email them anymore since all of their emails will bounce back as undeliverable. It really appears like they are trying to cover their tracks and hide from everyone. There is no reason for us, all the attendees of the con, the volunteers, Anime Vegas, Susan B. Komen Foundation and the vendors to make this stuff up and put our reputations on the line. In a perfect world the individuals who "ran" this con would apologize, make retribution for financial losses incurred by those involved and make that donation to help Breast Cancer research. And I know what I would do if they compensated me for my travel time, gas and 2 paid parking passes for the airport. I would accept their money and promptly donate it to help Breast Cancer research. I know first hand what chemo does to a person. I have been on it for treatment for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've been sick from the injections and pills. I wasn't even on major doses compared to cancer patients. No one should ever have to go through that. I've also watched several family members suffer through cancer treatments. Several of them lost their battle. That donation of money from the con could have gone to help find better treatments or the cure. I want the con to come clean about what happened. I want them to apologize to all those hurt by their actions. I want them to make that donation to the Breast Cancer Foundation. I'm not holding my breath for them to make things right. I do take some comfort knowing they are going to have to deal with all of this bad karma they have created for themselves. If anything we've made an environment for scammers to not want to mess with the anime community ever again. We can't let them take advantage of us. Cookies and Comments Fallen Angel: In the end I am lucky I didn't go to the con after all the nightmares everyone else had to deal with. I need to count my lucky stars I didn't loose anymore money than I did! I was looking forward to cosplay though...bummer. Mimmi: Oooooh! A backrub AND margarita from Mimmi. I am one lucky bear! If any good comes out of all of this I hope these people can never take advantage of anyone anymore. They've got bad, bad, bad karma. blackwings: Ah the whole confirmation thing. I only found out after the fact from a friend that there is a way to get all your flight information, all the way down to seat number, without actually getting a ticket. Adam's flight that morning was fine, why wouldn't ours be? Well, I think we all know the answer to that now. Duzell: True, true. It's a bummer I didn't get to go but I did get to chat with Adam on the phone. To quote a line from the Cromartie High School anime: "His voice, it's so soothing..." LOL CosmicSailor: No worries. Water under the bridge. As for airports and snow. When we finally left the airport the de-icing crew was out on the tarmac spraying the wings on the planes with de-icing solution. Monkey Orange: With all this terrible con stuff it's going to be nice to be going to a real convention in Seattle. We are so going to have a good time. Sakura-con this year has a great line up of guests, it's going to be amazing! I can't wait to see you (and your crew) at Sakura-con! KitsuneTsuki: Looking at the picture I posted last compared to what the east coast is getting slammed with is like night and day! Thank goodness I'm not in that snowy mess they are all in. I hope everyone on the east is staying warm!! BankofKev: Unfortunately I did have to move him since the angle to take a picture of him up on the shelf was not very good. So he is below the shelf-o-pandas but you get the idea. Mariskah: Of course Charlie looks cute in a sea of pandas! *points above* How can anyone/anything NOT look cute in a sea of pandas! ^_^ Hope the weather is being kind to you! *hugs* Wensdayskitten: I hear you. I use to always wonder if the other stuffed animals were jealous of him. I wonder if the pandas are wondering why he's on their shelf... Mew Wem: I will tell you the only down side to having your childhood pictures and toys at a wedding is dealing with weepy moms. As if moms aren't emotional enough at weddings you add those cherished memories and that just starts the "my baby is all grown up" tears and hugs. SunfallE: To continue our weather reports, the weather currently here is: 41 degrees! Heat wave!! LOL jazzy711: Hey you gotta admit I was much better than those psycho girls you see on Bridezilla! o_O;; indifference: You are so sweet! *glomps*

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Wednesday, February 7, 2007

   Stuck To My Katamari: Fear and Loathing.

Current Mood: Battle Ready Well, I'm sure you guys have seen the latest news on the front page of the site. I hope this answers why I haven't posted any pictures or con report for Vegas. It's because I didn't go! I pretty much spent the weekend on the cell phone with Adam, the voice actors and AnimeFF. Well, here is my one picture I have from my weekend at the airport. Ah, the airport in Spokane, Washington is so...airporty! So, yeah. There ya go. My photo gallery from the convention weekend. Enjoy! Cookies and Comments I realized I didn't answer my own question from my last update. I have a little stuffed horse named Charlie who has been with me since August 29, 1979. He always got to sleep on the bed with me which I am sure made all my other stuffed animals jealous. He was also the one who got to go on all of our family vacations. He is a well traveled horse. Charlie even had a special spot at my wedding on a table with our childhood pictures (jazzy711, you probably remember that! Unless I had you running around too much to even notice! LOL). If you are wondering, John's stuffed animal of choice was a sock monkey. Yeah, so Charlie was my main man, er, horse for many years. He now sits in a pile of pandas.

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