Pleasure Notes

Everyone has at least one resolution at the beginning of a new year, even if it is simply not to have any resolutions. My non-resolution is to be more whimsical.

whimsical (adj.): given to fanciful or unpredictable notions or actions.

Now, I am not licensed in any way, except to drive, and even then the DMV won’t let me maneuver motorcycles or 18-wheelers. I leave hangover remedies to those more qualified. And there are already enough sources out there for those wishing to be introspective. Instead, I offer the following celebration of GUMMI BEARS so you may start out 2009 with a smile on your face.

Gummy Bear Anatomy by Jason Freeny

There is something about Gummi Bears, or Gummy Bears, that brings out the child in everyone. Sometimes that child is homicidal, but this is what happens when you feed children candy.

Gummy Bear Homicide by ELogan Photography

This may explain why some people are actually scared of Gummi Bears, and announce this fact to the world.

Gummy Bears Scare Me

Now, I completely empathize with those folks who shake in terror upon seeing a clown, but Gummi Bears? They’re so cute and squishy! And they expand in water!

Sadly, sometimes only a 13-year-old girl just discarding her Barbies can truly appreciate the full appeal of Gummi Bears.

Bracelet from Luster Studio

Well, 13-year-olds and comic book geeks. In fact, Hans Traxler from Germany dedicated an entire comic to “The Life and Times of Gummy Bears.”

Ivan the Terrible vexed by Gummy Bear

Well, 13-year-olds, comic book geeks and hipsters. Yes, all those folks who collect metal lunch boxes and attend Viggo Mortensen’s art openings are sure to just cream over Gummi Bear lamps and such.

Gummy Lamps by Jellio

Aw, hell, they really are funky-cute, don’t you think? Check out Jellio’s cupcake furniture too! Never too early to start a wish list for next Christmas, right?

And never fear, there is Gummi Bear furniture to be found as well.

Gummy Bear Rug by Yaya Chou

No one is immune to these little gelatinous guys. Clearly an international movement – I dare say, a revolution – is under way. The radicals involved are not content with the odd lamp, earring, or YouTube video. No. They mean to take over the world. And their leader is obviously Yaya Chou. It is just a matter of time before Yaya and Frank Gehry get together to create the next architectural wonder.

Gummy Bear chandelier by Yaya Chou

What is it, exactly, that makes people so passionate about Gummi Bears? You tell me.

Engrossing novels, long walks along pine needle-cushioned paths, friendly philosophical debates while caught in doorways – these things bring me pleasure. Widgets, RSS feeds, CSS sheets, HTML, and all other computer-based acronyms – these things make me want to pull my hair out, one deep-rooted follicle at a time. I adopt each new technological advance only after it is tried, true, and passé. As an example, I acquired a digital camera only after the hard-working folks at CVS gave me a blank stare when asked where the Kodak envelopes were in which I could drop my film for developing. It is with deep shock, therefore, that I find myself embracing the blogosphere, tweet world, and “social media” prior to the creation of whatever comes after the web.

Luddite laptop created by Big Time Attic

How did this happen? Ignorance, I tell you. I had no idea that my spontaneous decision mere weeks ago to documenting things that bring me pleasure would thrust me so deeply into the alternate universe of technology. I have spent the waning days of 2008 learning more about FeedBurner, favicons, and FTPs than I ever thought I’d need to know. Ever. The journey has tested me, perhaps made me stronger, and certainly made it easier to subscribe to my blog. And it is not over. As I reflect on what 2009 may bring, I know I have much to learn, and not just about web 2.0. I couldn’t be more excited!

Magic Pill

I’ve always been a magic pill kind of person. I just want to flip a switch or press a button and have what I want, EXACTLY what I want, appear in working fashion before me. Patience is a virtue I misplaced in the process of exiting the womb – except I was delivered by C-section, but you get the picture.

Recently, however, I’ve found myself noticing signposts leading away from the magic pill approach to life. I’m not saying that I plan on diving into any wombs to retrieve an errant virtue. Or anything else, for that matter. I am saying that my intention in the coming months is to rewrite my story, the one about who I am and what I can and cannot do in this amazing life. Perhaps I am not such a Luddite after all. And if that is the case, what else may or may not be true about myself?

So here’s to discarding expectations, and joyfully embracing the unknown in 2009. Let’s be pleasurably surprised by what we reveal of ourselves and what we let ourselves achieve. Happy New Year!