A children's story I wrote...

Norman

Once upon a time there was a goat. This was no ordinary goat. This goat was special. He had magic horns that grew atop his head. The horns were not like the usual goat horns you would see, these were more like horns you would see on a giraffe; You know the type, short and slightly furry. The goat was not always fitted with such horns. This is the story of that goat, and his name, is Norman.

You see Norman thought he lived a normal enough life, I mean, he was a goat after all, but one morning when he woke, he felt a strange tingle coming from his brow. He waddled over in his usual goat way over to the pond to get his morning drink of water and when he saw his reflection in the water, he saw something rather strange. His head had sprouted two soft little bumps. He thought maybe it was from when he slipped and knocked his head on that rock, but that was months ago and the bumps weren't there before. Norman ran over to his friends and asked if they saw the bumps too and they all agreed that they looked bizarre and had not been there before. He needed to know what they were so he ran to the doctor to find out what they were.

The doctor told Norman that the bumps were just his horns that were growing in, but they were very strange. He told him that the horns were very unique and that he would soon start to see their uniqueness show through.

Norman ran home and was so nervous and excited that he fell asleep. When he woke the next day, the horns were fully grown in. He felt stronger and faster and smarter. He strolled very proudly out to the field with his new horns. When he got there, he saw that all of the good grass had been eaten already since he slept so late. He thought to himself how great it would be to have more of the freshest grass under his hoofs so he could chow on the best like everyone else, and just as fast as he thought it, there was more grass there. He could not believe it. Did he make the grass grow? Where did it come from?

After his meal, Norman decided to go rest for a bit. The sun was so hot and all he wanted to do was rest in the shade and all of a sudden, it was dark. First the grass, and now the dark. It's like Norman was thinking things and then they happened. He had to test this out. Tin cans. Rubber balls. T-shirts. Cardboard boxes. All of Norman's favorite chewables appeared before him. Soon he had a stack taller than he was.

For the next couple of days Norman just stayed at home. He didn't have any need to go anywhere since whatever he needed just appeared for him. His friends would come over and knock and knock on his door, but Norman just stayed there.

After a couple more days, Norman's house was getting very full and crowded but Norman didn't even notice. He was loving all his new toys and food. His friends didn't even bother knocking on his door anymore since they knew he wouldn't come out. He was completely happy with all of his stuff, he didn't need anyone else around.

Eventually, Norman's house couldn't take anymore. He thought about so many things that he wanted, he could barely move around. He had trapped himself in behind all of his prizes. He called for help, but the amount of stuff inside just muffled the sound and no one could hear him. Norman had a great idea to just think of someone to come and help him. He thought about it very hard, but no one came. But how could that be? Norman got whatever he thought about, why was no one coming to help?

Norman squirmed and squirmed but still could not budge. He tried thinking of less things, but the mountain of stuff stayed there as well. Why were his horns not helping him? Norman got scared and started to sob softly. He realized that he ignored his friends too many times and now there was no one there to help him. He thought about the fun he used to have with them and that thought was much better than all this junk.

Just then, Norman was standing in the middle of the field with all the other goats. They were all laughing an playing. Norman's friends came over and he apologized for ignoring them. They hugged him and forgave him right there and they all started to play tag.

Norman made a promise to himself that he wouldn't let his magic horns get the best of him ever again. He only thought about things that would help everyone around him have a better time. He would think of large feasts to share and toys for everyone to play with.

Of course, he did allow himself his own personal tin can to munch on every once in a while too.

The End


© Jarrod Weintraub 1/2011

Happy Holidays and Merry New Year...Etc...

So the holidays are over. I had a very merry Christmas and a very happy (yet interesting) new year. I am excited for this new year and a new start and all that jazz. It seems like every new year I say the same thing about being excited and blah blah blah. I intend to make the best of this year and already have got some things lined up to help me ensure that it rocks. I am cast in a two-person show coming up in the first week of April, so that is gonna be fun to get back on stage and act the hell out of something. I am planning a trip to Chicago for the week after the show closes to see a Padres game at the famous Wrigley field, so that is gonna kick ass...I just hope hope hope I can make it happen. I have made the standard "resolutions" that most people make. Eat better, work out more, etc, etc. I just hope to actually make those happen as well...

I just noticed that I have said, "I hope I can make ______ happen this year." I think that is my problem. I need to stop "hoping" and take action and make this shit go down! So intead of my previously stated "standard resolutions," I'm making a solid one which is as follows:
If I make a plan to do something, I will follow through with it instead of just hoping that it will happen.

I like the way that sounds a lot better. So, plan the first, kick ass in my show. Plan the second, Get my butt out to Wrigley field in April. More plans to come later...I don't want to get ahead of myself...haha! Merry 2011 to all, and to all a Happy fun-filled year!

Moving out...

I think that I've decided to try and move out to my own place again. I have been getting on track for a while now and I am finally starting to balance everything out. The only hinderance is finding the funds for a deposit with the first months rent and all that. For a decent 1 bedroom, the rent is usually $750-$800 with a deposit of around the same amount, so in order to even consider it, I have to have that $1600 on reserve. I'm thinking with my taxes this year, I should be able to hopefully get things moving. So, in short, the goal is to get things rolling now so hopefully soon enough, I shall have my own apartment again...Here's hoping!

Tangled...a review...

I went out last night for dinner and a movie and saw Tangled, the new Disney film about Rapunzel. It was done very well and the 3D was pretty nifty. Rapunzel was absolutely adorable and shall soon become a favorite princess among tons of little girls upon their viewing of the film. All the supporting characters were quite entertaining as well. The Horse, Max, is very funny. A horse that acts like a dog, how can you beat that? You can't really. And the chameleon, Pascal, is also rather endearing. The Hero, Flynn, is voiced perfectly by Zach Levi. The animators got so much emotion out of both him and Rapunzel's faces and body language. This is definitely going to be a "Disney Classic." I give it 4 out of 4 stars., two thumbs up and all that jazz. Basically, you should go see it. That is all.

Much delayed...

So, sorry that this post is so delayed from my previous post. My blog got put on hold during this semester, but due to some inspirations last night, I felt it was a good time for an update. Since thanksgiving just past, I thought a quick list of what I'm thankful for was in order. So here's my short list...in no particular order:

The semester is almost over and I am doing well in all my classes.
I was able to buy a motorcycle (2009 Honda Shadow Aero).
I get to see my family on a regular basis. And they are always supportive and helpful
I was able to register for a full load of classes next semester. They are all night classes, so I can have the weekends off again!
I am in a good place emotionally and have a positive outlook on things.
I have a good group of friends around me to help me out when needed.
Chase McGuff is as lovable as ever.

Things are good. And for that, I'm thankful...I'm also thankful that I have a date tonight (more on this later).

So, this was just a quick update to let y'all know that I'm still out here and that I'm super, mega busy since I'm at the end of the semester, but thanks for reading, and I'll catch up with ya later!
:^]

DSC...

The Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw show came back on the air this morning for the first time since they were fired on Jan 4, 2010. When the show went away, I lost my morning entertainment and stopped laughing first thing in the morning. All these months have gone by and I didn't realize how much my morning show affected me, but this morning, I realized just how much it meant to me. I arrived at work with a smile on my face and in a great mood cause I got to hear my morning family again. The show is just as good as ever (even though "S" is not around right now). I am very glad that my mornings will now again start to the wonderful sounds of the DSC making me laugh. Be sure to tune in to Jack, 100.7FM at 6:00am to start the morning right! Thanks DSC! LYS!

Library...

I love the library. Whether it is at school or the public library, I tend to find myself there a lot. It is a peaceful place where one can gather their thoughts, read a gossip magazine, peruse the internet, get lost in a book, listen to some music, watch a movie, or just relax in the air conditioning. I never used to use the library for anything, now I find it to be one of my favorite places to hang out. Do I feel like a nerd for saying this? The truthful answer is no. I AM a nerd, don't get me wrong, but not in the book smart/school kind of way. I am nerd in the fact that I like Star Trek and Harry Potter and things of the like. But the library is a really great place for me to just go and unwind after a long stressful day. I can read in peace and quiet, but there are still people around. As someone who thrives on human contact, I quite enjoy this. If I get distracted from the text, I can glance up and just watch or interact with the people there. This comes quite easy as there are always so many people in the library. I never knew how popular they were until I became a "regular." Since my new love for the library, I have spent time in the Alpine, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, North Park, La Jolla and North University (UTC) branches. All of which have their own style. The El Cajon library is the largest on the previously mentioned list. La Jolla isn't far behind. I really need to go and spend some time in the central library downtown. I think I would enjoy it greatly, but it is so far. Maybe one day I'll make a day of it and take the trolley down there and afterwards, get a "beach" ticket to a Padre game. That sounds like a lovely day, doesn't it? Well, anywho, time to wrap this up. Next time you are bored and need/want to get out of the house, swing by your local library...you pay for them, so you might as well enjoy them like I do!

Tropic Thunder...

The weather, not the movie. Just a short post about our crazy weather we had today in SD. It was about 95 degrees...very humid...a fire in mission valley...then it rained...then came the lightning and thunder...all in all, it was crazy.

Dream...

I had a dream last night!! I am fairly excited as I normally don't visualize any dreams as I am normally only sleep for 3-5 hours and don't get into the REM cycle when dreams form. But last night I had a dream. I was riding a Harley to my softball game. I think it is a sign that I have Harley on the brain. I never got to my game, I was just riding and riding and making random stops along the way. I am looking forward to getting a bike soon and now after having that sensation of being on my own bike, it makes me want it more. Hopefully in August I will have my own HD...and it will look something like this...

Baseball Cards...

Baseball cards are a funny thing to me. I used to spend ALL my money on them when I was kid, with the exception of an occasional action figure of course. And then one day, that I cannot even recall really, I stopped caring about them. Something that used to be so exciting and pretty much a necessary item in my everyday life just faded away into the past. I understand that priorities change when you get older and start to grow up. I stopped buying action figures too and moved onto buying CD's, or rather cassettes, and movies, etc, ya know, grown up things. Looking back now, I wonder why I stopped buying the cards. They are timeless and never changing. You can outgrow an Egon Spengler figure with proton pack as the Ghostbusters ended (until now that they are making a third) but you never outgrow baseball, at least I never did. I am still very much a baseball fan, probably more so now that I have a deeper understanding of the game. Well, the other day, I had had a rough day at work and was in a blue kind of mood. I made a trip to the store to pick up some cat food and cat litter. While waiting in what seemed like an endless line of customers, I got sucked into the "last minute" eye catching deals located conveniently by the registers. My eye was drawn by a small box on the top shelf that had a word I had not noticed in a long time..."Tops." I was intrigued and thought, "it's only $2, why not?" I grabbed two shiny packages from the box and placed them in the cart with my cat's groceries. After I got home and fed the cat and gave him a clean toilet, I sat on the edge of my bed and held the two packets in my hands. I can't explain the joy and excitement I felt as I opened the first package. The anticipation of finding a players card that had a name on it that I knew or a team that I liked. It brought back the feeling of excitement I had when I was a 6 year old kid scraping change together to get the pack with the gum in it. I went through both of the packs and my bad day that happened just a few hours earlier had completely faded from my memory and all that remained was thought of the past and my now adult appreciation of the sport that I love. I started thinking about it and I think I may start collecting cards again. I'm not going to be a die hard, but I do believe that little bit of joy I had the other night, could be replicated by spending an occasional $2 to feel like a kid again.