Painting for Penny

I decided it was time to paint something for Penny’s room. Her walls have been pretty bare as I haven’t gotten around to putting up any of the shelves or things yet. A shelf isn’t much of a struggle to put on the wall but painting is a lot more fun and reward, plus it’s something she can smile at and keep as she grows.

It shouldn’t surprise you that I decided to paint some cartoons for her. I picked three female cartoons and made some small 8×10 of the tops of their heads. Might sound a bit weird but I think it looks pretty awesome.

Cartoon Trifecta

Can you name the cartoons?

And if you’re not quite up on your cartoons, I painted Penelope Pitstop, Pebbles Flintstone and Blossom from the Powerpuff Girls. Penny and I have watched a few of these cartoons together already and I’m really looking forward to sharing more with her. Finally the collection of classic cartoons I’ve been building for years has a purpose!

Cartoons

Sure is better than a bare wall

Shifting priorities

Five days after my last post I became a dad, so things have changed quite a bit for me recently. I’ve most certainly kissed the days of 9-hours of sleep goodbye. It seems these days I’m lucky to score four hours of solid sleep but I’m told it gets better…but even then, it’s all worth it. If you’re connected with me on Facebook then you can see some photos of our new girl, Penny. If you’re not, then I probably don’t want you seeing pictures of her anyway. Foo on you.

A baby is a convenient excuse for not having time to write but the fact is I am making time to write, just not here. As you may know, I’ve been writing over at TMA Toys sharing stories of video games, toys and movies for a little more than a year now, week after week. Well some things changed there as well, as I am now the editor for the site. The previous editor, the person that recruited me, stepped down to pursue some new ventures and the site owners asked me to take up the helm. I was honored and happily accepted (not to mention it was a boost in pay). I talked about the conflict of my blog here at Morning Toast and that of the TMA Toys web site…what used to be fair game for Toast is now being applied to TMA, leaving this site more of a dumping ground of random thoughts.

I worked (kinda) hard for years to write about games and entertainment here at Morning Toast, trying to make a little name for myself in that area. Those efforts haven’t gone entirely unrewarded but now that I’m editor of a site that covers the same topics (and I’m getting paid), I feel I need to direct all the topics that would otherwise be here over to the other site. This includes thoughts on games, movies, toys and everything else that I dig.

Some features will remain here at Morning Toast because they pre-date my involvement with TMA, like the Counselor’s Corner interviews but given everything that’s happened recently (and is happening currently), I predict Morning Toast will really become everything that a blog was meant to be – personal. I don’t know if that means it becomes a “geek dad” blog or if I end up writing more about the web stuff I study and deal with everyday. Or maybe I’ll write about pro wrestling and soda, or it might end up being neglected entirely…it’s hard to say. To be honest, I’m not really going to worry about it (even though this post might suggest otherwise).

Priorities have shifted in all sorts of ways and some things have to be sacrificed. My obligations lie (rightfully so) first to my family and friends, then to anyone that’s paying me to do something, and lastly to myself and my personal projects. I’ve willingly given up the tons of “me” time I had prior to having a kid so I have to be very selective in what I do with that time. I’m still pushing my Redline Derby Racing web site and it’s growing wonderfully, so that’s the one project I’ve promised myself that won’t get neglected. Other things may come and go but that site, community and game will live on as long as I can muster. The personal brand I’ve built up around Morning Toast might suffer but if I’m honest with myself, it’s far less important than I believe it to be, plus all other things I’ve been doing lately have a much larger impact on myself and other people.

Even though this blog might end up with less and less posts about video games, movies and toys, I hope you follow me over at TMA Toys where you’ll get the same type of articles you’d get here, just with a different color scheme. And if you’re interested in supporting a true passion of mine, stop by Redline Derby Racing and see what we’re doing there. It’s more than just a message board for Hot Wheels collecting nerds, it’s the game that I never expected to make but one people actually love to play.

Other than all that, I’ll be taking my time and enjoying the next big thing…

Penny

Penny

Caine’s Arcade

Someone tossed me a link to Caine’s Arcade probably because they know I like arcades but what I watched instead was one of the most touching stories I’ve seen a long time. It made me cry.

Why did it make me cry? Because it was story about a normal kid in a normal situation. I think everyone that watches it can relate because what kid didn’t try to build his hopes and dreams out of cardboard? You work with what you have and let creativity do the rest. But that made me a little bit sad because I think we grow out of that for some reason. There’s never a good reason to stop being creative.

Watch Caine's Arcade - If you don't feel great after, you're a robot.

However, the best part about the whole thing is that this was a normal kid doing whatever he thought was awesome. We see so many shows today that focus on kids and families in desperate situations, whether that be health, finance or whatever…it gets tiring. I don’t mean to make those problems sound unimportant but those aren’t the only stories that need recognized and need support. I was happy to see the focus put on someone that I can (even if only remotely) relate to. I can’t relate to a kid with cancer or parent without a job or with a dad that lost a limb in battle. I can relate to a kid that has big ideas and a parent that’s working a normal job while giving his kid everything he can to support his creativity. It’s the difference between feeling sorry for someone and feeling hopeful.

I don’t consider myself a person that is easily moved but story but Caine’s Arcade did just that and served as a little reminder that simple solutions can lead to amazing things.

Many weeks, many posts, just not here

Things have slowed here at Morning Toast since the summer. Since I started writing for TMA Toys & Games, most of the video game and toy topics I would talk about here have gone there, but I need to stop being so lazy and find other things to talk about. Pretty soon that shouldn’t be a problem. Continue reading