Today was Emma's first day of school this week. How can you not like two snow days in a row, a snowman in front of nearly every house, and a long walk in soft, white silence?
2. International Publication
Three of my flashes have been translated into Arabic. I love the idea of reaching a completely different world of readers. Many thanks to Saleh Razzouk for making this possible!
3. Groovy Customer Service
Emma and Kate each got a super sized Groovy Girl for Christmas. They adore them. They dress them in their own clothes. They make sure the dolls are tucked in at night right next to themselves.
Sunday night, Emma came to me in tears and showed me that the seam on the back of her doll's neck had split open several inches. I knew I'd never be able to fix it without turning her into some kind of Groovy Frankenstein, and even then the seam would probably never hold. So I sent an email to Manhattan Toy, hoping they might be able to repair the doll. The following morning I received an email saying that a brand-new replacement doll was being shipped out that day!
I can't say enough good things about this company, their toys, and the way they treat their customers. If you haven't already, check out their wonderful dolls, baby toys, and other great items.
4. Free Lit Mags
Zyzzyva is one of my all-time favorite lit mags. Maybe it's the magazine's West Coast sensibility or editor Howard Junker's enthusiasm and sense of humor. Or it might simply be the consistently high quality of writing and artwork. In any case, I was excited to discover recently that Zyzzyva now has a blog. I was even more thrilled to find that Mr. Junker is offering free copies of the Winter Issue for the asking (I let my subscription lapse so I could spread my meager funds around to different magazines this year). If you like a good read, check them both out.
5. Fourth Birthdays
Kate turned four today. Her day was sheer joy, from beginning to end. Cake, toys, and a thousand smiles. What more can anyone want?
12 comments:
What are you going to do with the damaged Groovy Girl? Abby could happily struggle along with a Franken-Girl! Or are you obliged to send it back to the company?
How exotic, to have your poetry translated into Arabic. Will it be up on an Arabic website somewhere?
happy birthday to kate - though a little late to the party, and completely groovy-girl-less; unless of course, *i* count. :)
congrats on the translation into arabic! how cool! doesn't it make you wish you understood that language, just to see whether they did a good job? i had poems translated into polish once, and i just wished i could understand even a word! *G*
m
wooheee! that's great about the arabic translations, sharon!
hope the new groovy girl has arrived safe and sound. belated happy to kate!
the hats are adorable and so are your girls. they're growing right before my eyes!
a.
p.s. the fortune cookie teller is a riot!
I love Zyzzyva, too (even though they don't accept submissions from East coast writers.)
Happy fourth birthday to Kate! What a PERFECT age.
Harriet - the company told me to just throw her away, but honestly, I don't think I can do that. I mean, I'd be seeing her sweet little smile in my dreams for years. I'd probably need therapy. I'm looking into options for getting her sewn up well enough to hold together, which was always my main concern. If we can do that, then yes, Emma is happy to give her to Abby.
Michi - Oh, I think you ARE a groovy girl! And yes, I totally wish I could read Arabic to see how the translations came out. I hope my stories are as relevant over there as here.
Arlene - Thanks! The new groovy arrived safely and we were quite surprised to find she's a bit different than the original, with different mouth, hairstyle, and clothes. Emma loves her and I hope to post a picture of the two of them soon. And I should have known you'd get a kick out of the fortune cookie! Looks like she was right on with yours.
Patry - Yes, four is a great age. I want to be four. From now on, I'm dropping the -ty from my age.
Big congrats on the International pub! How exciting!!
Sharon - I'm pretty good with a needle and thread, so don't take the doll "to anyone" - let me have a look! Are they quite densely packed with stuffing, as I am imagining? I finally finished my purple alpaca "Lost in Translation" scarf!
I love the idea that you can dance with the groovy doll.
Heather - Thanks! It IS exciting.
Harriet - I can't wait to see the scarf. Yes, the stuffing is very dense and stiff, which is why it will be so hard to repair her. That and the fact that the only thing keeping the rest of her from unravelling is that small temporary knot I made, which will never hold. I'll show her to you.
Stephanie - Oh yes, it's very cool. She's a bit big for Kate to manage like that right now, but Emma has no problem dancing with her. She also likes to slip her feet in from the back and walk around pretending the Groovy Girl is alive. Fun!
I'm so jealous of your snow, Sharon! They talked up a good game yesterday but not a snow flake fell! *sigh*
- Rachel
Thank you for the advice on the eczema issue. I will try that.
Happy Birthday to Kate. She's a cutie.
Rachel - I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get some snow before winter is done!
Renee - Thanks! I hope you find something that helps. With my girls, it always gets worse in winter because the cold air gets so dry.
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