Superlative Tuesday - Christine Kane

The Most Fun New Book About Creativity

The Creative License by Danny Gregory. Why do I love it? It makes creativity fun and practical and do-able. So many books on creativity (especially the ones you find on business blogs) are so inaccessible and so mental and so un-fun. This book is fun. If you are a seven on the enneagram, you’ll especially love it. (Ruth, this means you.)

The Best Christmas Gift

My nieces think I’m a big famous rock n’ roller. And I so love seeing my poster on their wall next to Hillary Duff that I just can’t find it in me to let them know that there’s a slight difference in our record sales numbers.

Anyway, I gave my niece Virginia a stuffed bear two years ago. She named it Clarence and it became her main bear. THE bear. And so last Christmas all she wanted was clothing for Clarence. (Apparently, stuffed bears aren’t comfortable in the buff in this new millennium.) I went all over the place trying to find clothing for a bear. I went to many craft places and got a whoppin’ headache from the Christmas-flavored-everything filling the air. I then wandered through TJ Maxx, stopping briefly to pick up a Buddha figurine and wondering how tacky it would be if I actually bought a Buddha at TJ Maxx.

But then Lo, the angel of the Lord appeared before me and told me about,

(Insert theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” here.)

WWW.BUILDABEAR.COM.

And at Build-A-Bear, I actually spent seventy dollars on clothing for a stuffed bear. I do not lie. First, I got Clarence the Pink Sherpa-Look Coat with Faux Fur and the matching Pink Sherpa-Look Boots. (My husband wanted me to get the army fatigues, but I didn’t. I figured any bear named Clarence who’s wearing a pink sherpa-look coat and matching pink boots, is probably not getting into the army any time soon, at least not with the current administration at the helm.) I also got Clarence some killer overalls for when he’s not out pimping in his pink coat. And boxer shorts. And summer pants. And a “Virginia is for Lovers” t-shirt.

It all came in a cardboard wardrobe with little cardboard hangers. And Virginia has spent many mornings this year getting Clarence dressed before school. Apparently, there is much dialogue involved in this process. My brother says it’s very cute. I am a proud aunt.

The Funniest Picture of my Dog

My dog sits in the front seat of my car and waits for me when I get groceries. When I get back to the car and put them in the back seat, this is how she watches me. I took this picture with my phone, and it never fails to crack me up.

The Coolest News Item in Years

I’ve never been on any kind of archaeological dig. And I’ve never done any kind of deep sea diving. The closest thing to diving I’ve ever experienced was when I was a kid. My doctor had this fish tank in his office with the shipwreck treasure chest in it. I was mesmerized by that treasure chest and spent many long daydreams in that tank pulling up that treasure chest. So, this little tidbit in the news has had me completely enraptured.

The Most Beautiful Christmas CD

Harry Belafonte’s To Wish You a Merry Christmas. Harry Belafonte’s voice is my favorite voice on the planet besides Don Williams. I love Harry Belafonte, and this album is just gorgeous.

The Most Surprising Discovery

I got a spam email today from God. And what I didn’t know before today is that God has a last name. Apparently, it’s “Washington.” The email was from God Washington. I had no idea what God’s last name was. I thought God was kind of like “Madonna” or “Sting.” I wonder if he was related to George.

The Hippest Independent Movie

My new agent mailed me a copy of a DVD called Independent America. What a great little documentary. I highly recommend it for all of you non-corporate folks. I am all for supporting local businesses. I don’t necessarily believe that a business should be supported strictly by virtue of the fact that it’s local. Service, value and vision must be high priorities. I’m lucky to live in a town that has so much of this local goodness to offer.

The Best Thing About Facilitating Retreats

The group of women from my October retreat have stayed together in a Yahoo Group. Everyday since the retreat, I get to read of money made, progress made, new job offers, support for health issues, getting rid of clutter, eliminating energy drains, and deep gratitude for their community. I am so honored to be a part of this and to have facilitated this group. And this isn’t an ego thing at all because they’re the ones who have taken what I taught and run hard with it! I’m inspired to see what changes each of us can bring about by taking small steps and facing fears. (The next retreat is for late February. I’ll be updating you on that soon!)

19 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • NancyCz

    Oh, oh… you are too much. The build-a-bear adventure and the email from God… my sides hurt. Thank you for the before bedtime smile!

  • mary katherine

    I heard about a dog who brought home a frozen turkery – still in the wrapper from the market!

  • Susie

    Well, it’s still a cute doggie…thanks for sharing the picture! I’m very excited right now because in 12 days I get to go home (Missouri) to see my doggie, Maggie! Maggie is a great dog and I can’t wait to roam through the woods with her, even though she’s come home with some interesting items of her own…like our neighbor’s doorknob and a jar of peanut butter with a spoon still in it…whoops!

  • christine

    Hey anne… i like the idea of GOD years… it may inspire another bumpersticker here! (My friend Suzi is the one who came up with the Dog Is Love bumperstickers that you see all over asheville now..)

    barb… thanks for the suggestions and poetic thoughts!

    Hello Kammie K, and welcome to comment-land! Okay… so what you need to do is create a FANTASTIC story to tell so that when people come over and ask about the Buddha, you go on and on about Tibet and this monk that met you and gave you the Buddha because he saw you as “more enlightened than other humans,” and how this particular Buddha is more than a thousand years old… maybe you can even say it was found underwater in that deep sea diving expedition I wrote about up there!

  • Kammie K.

    Christine,

    I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, and see your name on several of my bloggy friends sites, but haven’t commented till now.

    Wanna know what made me finally stop and type one out?

    You’re gonna laugh (like I did when I read your post)….

    I’ve purchased a buddha from TJ MAxx!!!

    Funny thing is, I thought the same thing to myslef…like OMG, am I really gonna buy this here? BTW…Target has some cool ones too!!

    Guess I’m not as Zen’d out as I thought…anyway, thanks for making me laugh out loud!!

    Have a great holiday,
    Kammie K.

  • barb

    I have avoided christms carols up until now. having resumed my art, I thought well maybe it’s time to get out my favs and I wanted to share them with y’all. Eric tingstad and Nancy rumbel: the gift and star of wonder. NO words, mostly simple renditions of favorites and some I didn’t know to the music of guitar, oboe, english thanks for posting about BElafonte, I grew up with that and I wnat to get the christmas one for my folks. great dog picture. bull looks at me that way when I am not on the couch sitting next to him. gratitude of the day for me: walking the dogs at 6 am and walking by moonlight and seeing the light of the moon sparkle off the frosted plants. little tiny mirrors. bb

  • anne

    Hard to say with the noodles – could have been the thai-kind.
    And I think it makes perfect sense that God is 56 – if DOG years go faster than human years, then the reverse – GOD years – must go slower. It’s a reasonable explanation at least.
    I understand intending good things for your children, but I would have thought that naming your child ‘God’ is a wee bit of a stretch for most kids’ career goals…

    That picture of your dog is sooo sweet Christine. I keep checking back into this post just to see the photo again. Makes me smile.

  • Mags

    Hey, never thought of procrastination quite like that! And sometimes those other things are serendipitous 🙂
    And Anne – thanks for another cool picture for my brain! Happy dancing!

  • christine

    Anne… were those noodles angel hair or linguini? (Jesus Washington?)

    Zach… Well, thanks for the kind words. And yea, i would’ve thought God was older than 56 too. I mean, at LEAST as old as Yoda!

    MK… Well, hopefully soon I’ll have a poster with a photo that actually looks like me. It sounds like you have quite the cool job!

  • mary katherine

    I forgot to tell you that your 8 1/2″ x 11″ poster thingie is hanging on my office door. (I think you’re a rock star too!!!) I’m spreading the word in the UNCG School of Music.

    I spent tonight’s dinner break at my first holiday party – listening to Christmasey jazz at the local indie coffee house. The drummer works with me in the library. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by all these amazing musicians everyday. What fun!

  • Zach

    Y’know, this is one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed reading your blog type thing. It’s interesting, insightful, all that jazz, but it also makes me laugh. I got mad respect for things that can make me laugh.

    I’d also just like to comment that I found god once, too. I looked him up on the internets. Turns out he lives in florida, and he’s 56 years old. That last part kind of surprised me.

  • anne

    Thanks! I was predictably engaged by the lunar machine thingy… 😀
    And, any noodles that still appear to be edible but were made when Jesus was still just a twinkle in God Washington’s eyes…..I guarantee that would excite any 5 too! Or just anyone who likes noodles.

  • christine

    Anne, I put that news item up there just to excite my readers who are fives!

    And yes, that old couple is probably at J&S Cafeteria now telling their friends all about you!

  • anne

    Superlative Tuesday – love it.
    As well as the cool discovery of the lunar calculating machine, I was interested to see the story underneath about neolithic noodles – 4,000 years old mind you – 4,000 years old! Fascinating.

    Funniest moment of my day was on my way to work this morning. I was singing loudly in my car, while doing a little chair-dancing, stopped a red light. When I glanced over there was an older ‘Appalachian’ couple in a large, old white pick-up truck just staring at me – completely expressionless – no amusement, no confusion, no annoyance – completely expressionless, the woman was leaned forward a little in her seat to see around her husband. I laughed very hard – I have no idea what they were thinking, but I bet I’ve crossed their minds once or twice today.

    Go Mags!

  • christine

    that’d be the one!

  • Susie

    Now that super-cute dog couldn’t be the same dog that created a little park in your back seat with a bag of trash?

  • christine

    Hello MK! Oh good. Laughing is nice, especially if it’s because of my sweet and funny dog!

    Hi Mags, Thanks for the note! (It’s okay to procrastinate… lots of times that’s how I get OTHER things done!)

  • Mags

    Thanks, Christine! Checked your blog just before heading off to my home office to get stuck into filing for the rest of the afternoon (Procrastinating? Me? Never! Reading good blogs is fun, entertaining, learning…!). Anyway, having that picture of your dog in my head will carry me through my filing task. Excellent!

  • mary katherine

    This post made me laugh out loud several times (and it’s not because it’s one thirty in the morning and I am heading to bed.) I especially like the pooch picture. Wahoo – late February, that’s about the same time as my birthday!