Frankly, My Dear . . . : Nippers of New Inklings Press
You would think I would have thought of this before now, but I didn’t. Let’s just get that part out of the way and sweep it under the rug already. Okay? Done? Awesome.
So, y’all know how crazybusy it’s been for me lately but now that NOLA is out of my hands [at least for a week or so], I’ve had some time to take inventory of this and that and HULLO! Nippers brought it to my attention that he doesn’t have his own Instagram account.
I’m like, “Nippers, you don’t need your own account.” And he’s all like, “But I’m the mascot. It’s my company.” And I’m like, “Yeah . . .” And he’s like, “Make me an Instagram account.”
And rather than fight with the frog, I did as he asked.
How many of you are fist-pumpin’ to the beat? C’mon. That song. That go-get-’em, conquering, sports-theme-y, you-got-this song . . . DundundunDUNDUNdunDUN. Yeah. That one.
Yeah, we got this!
Well, anyway, in your head, I want you to imagine the greatest celebratory music you can conjure. Got it? Awesome.
Keep it playing in the background, and read on.
It’s no secret that I have a new website. But I’m not sure all of you know FMD and NIP are undergoing some cosmetic surgery as well. A little NIP, a little tuck. (Ooh. NIP. See what I did there?)
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Nippers and Bruno and Molly Jo Realy
Now, I don’t know how soon y’all can see it, but it’ll be soon. Real soon, I promise.
So here’s the thing. I’m changing the way I do things, too. And one is how I send the email notices whenever there’s a new post. For the foreseeable future, I intend to have posts every day. WHAT?! You ask? Isn’t that a crazy lot of blogging to do? And This Girl would have to agree with you. Here’s the awesome part. I’m bringing on board some really great contributors to help. More about them later.
Right now, I want to make sure you don’t miss a thing. So. First, check back every day. ‘Cause you don’t want to miss this.
Second, if you’ve been a subscriber for any duration, keep an eye on it in the next week or so. I’m changing from an RSS feed to email-only subscription. That doesn’t mean much to you, but what it means to me is I’m transferring my subscription list for easier management. Right now, I’ve got two lists going on and that’s just a little unkempt.
So help This Girl out and if you realize you’re not getting the email feed, resubscribe. If you want to hedge your bets and subscribe now using a different email, just click here: Subscribe to Frankly, My Dear.
I hope you’ll stick around. And, you might want to take a look at some of my very first posts. Those no longer fit with the new scheme, and I’m thinking it’s time to clean out those closets. Translate: Getting rid of the old to make room for the new.
With an air conditioner and delete key,
~Happy reading.
Molly Jo
My friends and I are huge fans of superheroes. Who isn’t, really? We love talking smack about who’s favorite could take on the others favorites. We drool in wait for new comic books to be released. I’m sure that’s a little more than some of you wanted to know about me, and I may have just lost a few cool points. That’s okay. I’ll get over it.
This week’s Five Things Friday is all about Superheroes: Who they are, how to be one. It’s pretty, well, if you’ll pardon the pun, super.
1. This video clip from Grey’s Anatomy is one of my recent favorites. (This is the best version I could find on YouTube)
It sounded so made-up, I had to research it. Turns out, it’s true. There have been studies of the Superhero Pose. So next time you’re in your morning shower, take a stand and lift your head up. See how much better your day is when you are your own Superhero.
2. SuperNip to the rescue!
SuperNips to the rescue!
NIPPERS is one of my favorite Superheros. I mean, this little frog can take me from zero to published in a single button click. Well, almost. As the mascot for New Inklings Press, how could I not adore his capabilities? Especially when he looks so darn cute in a cape.
3. Marvel’s Avengers.
Marvel’s Avengers
Don’t even try to tell me how the DC Comics versions are better heroes. Not true. My favorite is Iron Man, followed by Agent Coulson. Okay, Coulson isn’t quite a superhero, but he’s still pretty awesome. I also enjoy the Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, and well, pretty much all of them. Which leads me to the next point.
4. Comic books. It’s completely okay if you call me a nerd or geek or whatever. Hey, I’ve publicly admitted I play Magic: The Gathering. I think comic books sort of fall into that persona, yes?
Comics on the Kindle
Did you know that when you purchase certain comic books, they come with codes for free digital downloads? I didn’t, until a friend told me. Now we have an arrangement: When he buys a comic book, he gives me the download code. Of course, I still have to have my own hard copy of anything Iron Man or Avengers. The rest is just pie on the plate!
5. Flawless. Isn’t that what we think superheroes should be? Yet we’re forgiving, and even a bit more drawn to them, if they have flaws. Don’t believe me? Where do you stand on the Batman vs. Superman argument?
This video is MercyMe’s Flawless. I love the visual dynamics.
But what first grabbed my attention was a line from the chorus. And like a hero who takes the stage / When we’re on the edge of our seats saying / “It’s too late!” / Well let me introduce you to Grace.
I visualized all of us sitting in our own darkness, watching scenes unfold, biting our nails. Then from up above and to the side comes our hero shouting “Here I come to save the day!” And in one fell swoop, he conquers or enemies. Blasts them off the playing field and secures our safety.
It’s pretty amazing to have a Hero like that. And I bet at times, we can be that for someone else.
So pay attention to the world around you. There are more ordinary heroes than you might think. You’re one of them.
SuperMoJo to the Rescue
And now it’s your turn.
Who’s your favorite Superhero?
How can you be a hero in your ordinary environment?
Has anyone been your ordinary Superhero in a tough situation?
Okay. Not really. But it should have been. For me it was. Maybe I’ll start a trend. Yup. It’s already on my iPhone calendar. Every First Friday in May shall be “Bring Your Frog to Work Day”.
I had intended to spend my lunch hour at the Park behind my office, taking photos of flying hawks and scurrying ground squirrels. Instead, it evolved into me taking photos of Nippers every chance I got.
It started with him accepting his role. That is, being the Frog that I took to work today.
Bring Your Frog to Work Day
When I won the monthly office contest, he helped me celebrate.
Red Robin…. yumm!
Then he joined me for lunch.
Tacos and Frogs. Do they really go together?
Later in the afternoon, we did the daily bank- and mail-run for the office. He wanted to check our P.O. Box. Sadly, other than himself, it was empty.
Postage Due?
Shortly after, it was time to wind up the work week and head home. But not for long – I won tickets to the local minor league baseball game for tonight. Nippers and I took Dot, my Second Daughter, and my Second-Second Daughter to see the High Desert Mavericks wallop the Lancaster Jethawks. It was quite the game! Back and forth, strike outs, errors, runs, outs… it was intense! And oh, so fun.
Nippers at Stater Bros. Stadium. My little photo-bombing frog.
Mavericks Warming Up
After a while, the girls and I got hungry. Every Friday home game is Family Feast Night: hot dogs and sodas for just a dollar each! Nippers certainly likes his foods…
Ballpark Food. Yummm!
In keeping with my Luck lately, halfway through the second inning, a Mavericks staffer walked by and handed everyone a card. Okay, sure. Everyone got one. But if I hadn’t won the game tickets, I wouldn’t have been present to get this ticket. Am I right?!
Bowling, anyone?
And then of course it was time to document the humans. My Second Daughter Elisa Jo took this wonderful photo of all of us.
A new kind of Family Game Night.
We sang the Seventh Inning Stretch. We sang “Sweet Caroline”. We ate dollar hot dogs and drank ballpark beer (well, two of us did!). We freaked out, multiple times, when a moth the size of Calcutta decided it really loved Dot and Elisa Jo. And we were laughed at, often, by those around us who experienced our girlish screams.
Would we do it again? Quicker than you can say, “Yes!”
The Mavericks won. It was a wonderful game. Not slow and draggy as some baseball games are. At first it seems the Mavs had no kick and were gonna go down without a fight. But by the third inning they snapped to and gave the Lancaster Jethawks a run for their money! In the end, the Mavs won 7-9.
Friday’s over. “Bring Your Frog to Work” Day is done. But the memories of this nearly perfect day will remain. Can a frog bring you luck? I’m pretty sure mine can. Does. Has.
