Saint Patrick's Day Planning

Poppets like to do some of the things that Silly Humans do. Of course they like to be responsible about their fun too, so they make sure that they eat something if they are going to be out all night, hanging out singing old Irish Sea Shanty's with the Band.

And they will raise a pint and toast to Spencer Anderson's health, and speedy recovery for he is a fine and quiet man.

And if they have enough pints they will make sure that they have a sober ride home, or take the subway or call a cab.

Poppets never Drink and Drive.

Happy St. Paddy's Day.

For Halloween

Here are the rules:

Don't go into the Basement

Don't split up the party

Don't go into the attic.

I told you not to go into the attic!

You'll wake Him up . . . .

Now Cthulu is going to want another bedtime story .. . . .

The Secret is OUT

I've been working with Lisa, we are collaborating on a House Where Poppets Live.

When this is done we will also be making smaller houses, they will be for sharing. This house is meant to leave and go out into the world too.

I've never built anything that intentionally was going to be outside my house for the Poppets so I'm being very careful to make sure that the materials can withstand being played with by grown ups.

I've wondered why I keep building little Rooms of Their Own. Poppets are observers and visitors and adventurers, it's their very nature to be in new spaces and where Poppets live is probably very different than the spaces I make for them, but then I realized that deep down it's about something very important.

It's about the Poppets and Lisa and me, things we know we might have in common and things that we probably don't know at all.

Lisa's writing about it on her blog.

I'm not sure how much to explain, it's all in there. Nothing in the house is by accident, it's all thought out, including the materials we're using to make things.

I'm not sure what to do about the "behind the scenes of it all." I share a bunch of "how to's" on the Embarrassed Embassy forums for Poppetropolis but I haven't been as methodical with recording the step-by-steps on this - because it's a Very Ambitious Project which we're trying to complete in 40 days.

I'm 26 days in.

So if you have questions I think you can ask me here. I check every day. I'll post any really new techniques or discoveries on the Poppetplanet Embarrassed Embassy Forum, and Lisa linked to the Flickr album we're using to collaborate over the two coasts.

So I'll answer questions where ever you want to ask them.

There's lots of other interesting things and people all over the Poppet Planet Forums, so it's worth checking out if you've got some downtime. Lisa and others share all sorts of information about photography and mulitmedia and inspiration and such.

Not everyone who wanders is lost, but they still might like a comfy chair of their own and a nice cup of hot cocoa.

The Ambassador Interviews Alastair

Prentice and the Embarrassed Ambassador were very pleased that Winter was able to arrange for Alastair Lupin to agree to be interviewed. He had an excellent reputation. The Ambassador however was concerned about other things. He wondered, for instance if he was going native. There were indeed more and more Poppets arriving in Poppetropolis everyday and some chose to settle elsewhere but all of them stopped by to at least check in. And that was unifying, and indeed it was Poppety, but as he expressed to Prentice, he was beginning to wonder if the area around the Embassy was a bit too much like the Silly Humans he was being an Ambassador to and for. Was it really natural for Poppets to have things like houses and cafes that were Poppet sized? Shouldn't Poppets be observers rather than participants?

Prentice did think about it for a bit. After all one couldn't really "Have a Poppet Day" if one were not "keeping it real" as it were, and being true to Poppet Culture. Upon asking the construction folk if they thought that the local Poppets were assimilating, they were reassured that as much as the Poppets might be doing things that Humans do they were still doing things in ways that Humans wouldn't quite do them. Aside from which, the construction workers pointed out, the Embassy is on Sesame Street, there are all sorts of beings here and size is very fluid.

Prentice thanked them but the Ambassador was still not reassured.

Meanwhile across town Alastair prepared for his interview with his children helping. The oldest helped him get his best cravat and the middle child wanted to know why the Poppets were interested in working with him. " I thought they only worked with each other and the Brains?". Alastair patiently explained that an Embassy meant that the people who made one specifically wanted to work with the people who were already where the Embassy was going to be. So that meant that the Poppets wanted to work with muppets, and mice, and brains, and birds, and grouches, and monsters and even with crazy humans who ran the historical society. But to do that sometimes they needed help from locals.

The children agreed that their father was very good at helping so it would be an excellent choice.

Alastair was a bit nervous before the interview. He was a quiet and introverted rabbit and the nature of things had changed greatly even before the Poppets had arrived. He wondered if his brand of traditionalism would fit in with the culture that was growing up around him. Instinctively he knew, there was a way that bunny rabbits and Poppets fit together. The differences would make the combination interesting.

Prentice greeted him at the door. They were very pleased to see him. Alastair complemented the furniture and the dedication to keeping the local architecture.
The Ambassador was working on the renovations needed to make the space bigger on the inside than the out, and once that was done, they would have more time to personalize things. It took a great deal of energy to accomplish that and a large team of people, poppets and brains.

As a Matter of Fact, Prentice pointed out, that was one of the reasons they were hoping he would come work with them. There was a great deal of entertaining, and interviewing and paperwork to be done and it was more than one Poppet or even two could do alone.

Upstairs in the office, the Ambassador was reviewing the plans from the Bilaterians for the expandable park.

And getting reports about new residents.

And trying to figure out if he should sponsor a party.

And seeing about getting permits for the Skeleton to get a Flower Shop.

And looking into the catering contracts for the Poppet Cafe.

And being asked if he would like to go Syracuse to speak about "How to rip up a city block and make lots of glorious noise while altering time and space." and also be a guest on a panel about "How to fit a three ring circus and elephant parade into a single dumpster." by one O.T.G. for an annual convention.

And seeing if there was a problem with the Poufle Pub's liquor license and inspection.

And scheduling in the theater season.

And reviewing the Petition from the Associated Organization of Perfectly Content Scientists.

And many, many, many other bits and pieces of things. And this didn't even count the bits and pieces of things that he had already handed off to his Cousin Prentice.

So the Ambassador could be forgiven for looking a bit worried when Alastair was introduced.

They got along very well for they both liked books, and they both believed in education, and they both thought that using the proper silverware should not be that much of a mystery as long as the host wasn't being mean. It should, of course, always be working from the outside in with dessert on top of the plate.

Alastair for his part was able to help fill in the Ambassador and Prentice on the local traditions such as impromptu musical numbers and sudden story telling. Things changed size depending on the angles, and settings had been known to go from urban to suddenly pastoral or magical for a three block radius. It was a bit like building on a fault line populated by the faerie.

It did explain some of the unforeseen plumbing problems they were having with the building.

Alastair was offered the position of Embarrassed Attache and taught the official motto "We Apologize for the Inconvenience." Upon acceptance the Ambassador sat him right down at the desk and gave him access to all of the required files.

"If you wouldn't mind sorting this all out into some kind of schedule? I'm terribly afraid I'm already late for some meetings and a prophesy or two."

Prentice offered to stay and help. The Ambassador hurried downstairs, after telling his new attache how pleased he was to have one, especially one with such a lovely cravat, and promising to bring him back a coffee and danish from the Cafe.

However upon opening the door to make it to his next place to be, he very nearly tripped over something he had never encountered before.

"We are here." they announced.

Why yes. Yes, they were indeed here.

"We are small."

Quite.

"We shall look at things!"

Well of course, that's only natural.

"That is all."

Then they brushed past him into the Embassy and began looking quite energetically.

"Alastair!"

"Yes Sir, I'll be right on it Sir, Mini Poppets at teatime, I've already got it in the schedule. You should be on your way Sir."

"How . . . . .? Oh Dear. I'm really rather late. "

Alastair came down the stairs with a selection of mini sandwiches and a small pot of tea putting it down infront of the fireplace for the new arrivals and shooed the Ambassador out the door. "Here Sir, take my grandfather's pocket watch with you. It should protect you against randomly punctual royalty."

And the Ambassador found himself walking down the street suddenly feeling much better about things. Perhaps this was what Attaches were for, when reality suddenly changed radically right underneath you? It really did make it better to have one. He did wonder where the Mini Poppets came from though. He hoped they would like it here. Despite the risks of assimilation he most certainly did.

The Ambassador Celebrates the Fourth with Me

Yesterday I was happy. It was a very good day and it was uncomplicated.  Light and water and music and fire danced together at the end of it. Conversation was pleasant, food was sublime, pace was unhurried, the world was Outside. My Very Dearest Friend said that was a side effect of spending the afternoon walking around enjoying Pierre Dupont's back yard.  He is an eminently wise man.

We had planned to spend the day at Longwood Gardens which has a wonderful music program and world renown lighted fountains that have fireworks during the summer synched with their musical program. It is a perfect solution - there are only three thousand people permitted on the grounds, you get to spend the full day in the gardens and conservatory and there is excellent food on the premises with many of the ingredients grown on the grounds. This was our second trip for the event and for the gardens and like all things seconded, you learn from the firsts. 

Of course when you do things the second time you get new firsts too. Like fresh blueberry lemonade. It's a wonderful first. 

-  

We decided to start our day there at noon more or less and asked which Poppets would like to join us. The Most Adventerous Red of course was all for it but the Ambassodor felt he didn't really understand the holiday enough to know what to do at the Embassy so he'd really rather be a guest if we didn't mind. Of course we did not. Winter thought it would be lovely to look at all the flowers, maybe there would be something they could use in Poppetropolis or the garden for the House. When we got to the grounds we stopped at the cafeteria which amazed us with the food and sat down at the outdoor cafe with the map to plot our course and stake out the best spots as soon as we were allowed to put down our blankets for the fireworks.

The Most Adventurous Red was slightly distracted by the fresh berry parfait and the most amazing creme fraise I've ever had including in Paris.

-

The Poppets were thrilled with the idea that there was an Idea Garden, so My Very Dearest Friend, my Perfectly Normal Husband and I all set off with the Poppets to see what the Idea Garden meant. 

-

The Idea Garden was actually 14 kinds of wonderful, it was put together by the professionals at Longwood but was meant to be able to give you usable ideas for your gardens at home.  Some of the ideas were fun, like interactive water features in your backyard. You can make them yourself with some effort and some help. 

-

Some of the ideas were BIG! Like sculpture and intricate hedge grooming but with minimal elements to keep it reasonable to maintain.

-

Some of the ideas were small. Like potted gardens for places with concrete, balconies and patios.

-

Then we wandered past ground covers and perennials, annuals and sustainment gardens. We discussed in depth the issues of entropy and irises and appreciated the immensity of the Idea Garden while moving on to the the Chime Tower, the Topiary Garden, the Flowered Walks. We stumbled on a Garden full of angles and built around Time. 

-

We climbed cathedral treehouses overlooked meadows, studied trees as per our invitation to do so. We turned a corner thinking we knew what type of thing we were going to see and saw this instead:

-

We decided that there are somethings that wouldn't make being ridiculously rich seem like such a bad thing. The Italian Water Garden at Longwood it one of them. Lest you think that it is a rich man paying for copies of things he aspires to you should know that Mr. Dupont was a chemical engineer and graduate of MIT and he designed and engineered all of the waterworks himself. When you go there you are participating in his version of kinetic art. He most likely inspired Disney since his waterworks predate the parks. 

We dined at the Terrace Gardens and fell in love with the Mushroom and Leek soup. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in a tasting menu with wine pairings after several hours of perusing the achievement of years of passion, planning and effort, I strongly recommend you put yourself in the chef's hands and say "yes".

It's odd, how last week I got a tiny bit of myself back in the city, surrounded with the peices of myself that get softened for people outside the city, and this week it was the gardens, not really nature but the collaboration between man and nature that Longwood represents. I wished for it to be slightly less populated so the garden could be walked through peacefully, but I loved all the languages and accents and clothing passing us in the gardens, women in saris and the new maxi dresses looked so lovely and real.

I am terribly patriotic, although I know how unfashionable it is to express it through joy instead of anger. I loved that people from all over the areas my son had studied were in these gardens in Pennsylvania waiting for sound and light and celebration for this country where me and my children are welcome, when there are many other places where we are not. Even now.

For hours the numb didn't even threaten, the peaceful joy you don't have to stretch for was there. Even the battery of the camera running out did not deter the Poppets from having their adventures. They have them even when no one records it, they find them in the least expected places living only in the memories and stories of those of us who travel with them. They found this in the conservatory . . . . 

,

And then with the realization of the absence of pain, we joined our 3000 fellow celebrants. One of whom sitting near us recorded the performance of explosions and ingenuity. The music was beautiful, the sentiment was unifying and I had a day I can hold on to when the grey threatens again. 

The video is a bit long and the camera shows the smoke a bit more than we saw it live but you will get the idea of the piece, so Thank You to our neighbor on the benches.

I smiled like a 10 year old through the whole program. I felt connected, having met one of the Fireworks designers earlier in the day when we bonded over mushroom soup.

And then it was time to return home. However Winter and the Ambassador had found the very thing that had been plaguing us at Poppetroplis. We have finally found the perfect conservatory for the Skeleton for his flower shop. An epic effort was made to reclaim it from the gift shop with the press of 3000 people all trying to exit through the same area the shop was in. Our six month quest now over, it has met with Skeletal approval and is being examined for modification. He is almost as happy as the Tiny Alien was with his exosuit. It's Independence Day for him!

-

I have no faith in my ability to hold one wonderful day, so I fought all my practical instincts down and composted them.  Plants need a mix of things in their soil to thrive - my PH balance may come from cities, but some of my roots need beauty and sunshine as well. I joined the Gardens, they are an hour away, but they will be worth it for more days like yesterday. 

Sometimes I really do love civilization, for all it's faults it has great good as well. And Mushroom Soup too. And Poppets on the 4th of July.

Life's not bad at all.

The Ambassador's Cousin Arrives

Things have been going well at the Embassy. Perhaps they have been going a bit too well. Immigration ( completely legal of course) to the area had increased the Poppet based population of the city approximately 600% in a mere six months. The Ambassador had expected that he would be needed very rarely since there had been such a small population  and was looking forward to mixing with the locals. He had indeed purchased the neighboring blocks in order to fund redevelopment in the area. 

The Bilaterian Design Group was working with him to make the place a bit more like home and they had managed to make several areas bigger on the inside than the out, but it was slow and there was a great deal of math involved. Then of course there was the actual construction. Although there were many other beings from back home, he was really quite pleased when his cousin Prentice arrived.  Prentice was more of a Traveling Poppet and quite skilled in protocol and marketing. He has agreed to help the Ambassador with all of the inconvenient "putting yourself out there" decisions, and it didn't take him long to set his cousin straight.

He and the Ambassador walked around the neighborhood and took in the areas that were already in the beginning stages of being slightly more positive already. It was Poppet Friendly but still a way aways from being like Poppet Planet. Of course nothing could ever be quite like home, and one should appreciate the beauty of where one is as well. The Ambassador had said as much himself. 

Prentice delicately brought up the idea of bringing in a local to help take care of some of the Embassy's work and share in some of the hosting duties. He also suggested that maybe an Official Embassy and a different Ambassadorial residence wasn't really a showy thing to be embarrassed about but an excellent thing to help bring beings together. It would also allow the Ambassador to have a private place as well as a public one. 

The Ambassador was still not convinced on the second item but was very happy about the first. How does one go about finding an Attache locally?

Prentice however knew exactly who to ask and excused himself since he saw that very lady across the street in the park that was undergoing some temporal displacement work. 

The Ambassador went ahead to the Cafe which was also very much "in between" but had excellent sandwiches.

A quick consultation with Winter and a compliment to her dapper hat and Prentice returned to his cousin with a recommendation and a very specific name. "Alastair Lupin."

Well liked and respected in the area it seemed. The folk at the cafe shared their observations quietly with each other but the low murmmer was very positive. Mr. Lupin had a mysterious past, was a single father and spent a great deal of his free time with Spike discussing foreign policy and playing chess. 

Perhaps he had professional background as well? The Ambassador decided he would invite Mr. Lupin for a meeting to see if he was interested in the position. 

Of course he'd have to call the Stripes first. It was indeed a good thing his cousin was here. 

And also the Coffee at the Poppet Cafe was excellent. 

It was such good coffee that it almost made him more comfortable with the idea of having a staff. It wouldn't be ostentatious to have a staff if you could take your staff to the cafe. 

He did hope a staff of two would be sufficient.

Tales of the Tiny Alien Episode 11 - Finally

When we last left our Tiny Alien, he was being invited to open the Door to the Sleek Dangerous Thing, having been introduced to Hizzoner and the Fixer by the Lead Singer of the Band.  He had knocked on many Doors, he had asked many questions, he knew now that he was looking for something that for him would be the Ultimate Treat and that he would never be asked to go Home again. Is this then the answer to the heartfelt question "Trick or Treat?" Will the Tiny Alien find  way to live in a Land of Tiny Doors where it's only Halloween sometimes, we'll find out  . . . . 

The Tiny Alien followed the pointing wrench of the Fixer and the approving flashes of Hizzoner and made his way through the door at the back of the Sleek Dangerous Thing. Climbing inside, there was a seat at the fron and a seat at the back.  He settled in to the seat at the fron and then the Sleek dangerous thing reared up to twice the height it was before!

The Sleek Dangerous Thing climbed inside his mind a teensy bit and introduced itself, welcoming him on board and asking if he'd like some In Flight Peanuts. The Tiny Alien, never one to refuse a Treat of course said yes, and CLINK! the upper windows shut down and sealing noises squished sealingly and In Flight Peanuts popped up next to him at the same time In Flight Harnesses pulled him back to the seat and the Sleek Dangerous thing warned him that there would be stronger g-forces shortly as they were heading into space, so perhaps he might want to wait to open the peanuts. 

There was stowage for his bag and his raygun and the Sleek Dangerous Thing lived up to its nomenclature by taking the Tiny Alien out for a game of Asteroids with actual Asteroids. 

The Tiny Alien was very impressed and eventually learned enough to use the manual controls to shoot the Asteroids himself. They took a quick tour of the local solar system, since the Tiny Alien hadn't had a chance to sight see on the way in, and buzzed the Empire State Building for Irony's sake, and returned to Hizzoner and the Fixer, although the Tiny Alien was watching the helm readout he still wasn't able to tell how they navigated back or how they were attached to anything on the planet but still it was a good and exhilarating trip. It was so exciting the the Tiny Alien had quite forgotten to open the peanuts at all.

The top cage open and the Tiny Alien popped out raygun in hand bristling with happiness and joy. "That was GREAT!" But the Fixer's head was shaking 

very gently from side to side.

"Are you where you need to be?" asked the Fixer

"I'm not sure what you mean?" responded the Tiny Alien.

"Well then it wasn't the right fit."

"Oh, I think I see. Well you're right, it was an adventure truly and surely and a great game, but it was a little narrow, and the Sleek Dangerous Thing seems like a great playmate, but I wouldn't want it as a roommate, it would probably eat all the leftover roast beast and drink all the water that the Alex supplied without asking first."

Hizzoner indicated, that indeed, the Sleek Dangerous Thing was forever doing things like that.

The Fixer was bustling down a hallway motioning for the Tiny Alien to follow. They stopped in a darkened workshop. There didn't seem to be Anything To See Here.

"You know," said the Fixer, "That the definition of Alien is in effect outsider, and that you enjoy that definition immensely. It is good to be true to yourself."

"Well, it's much better to be a Tiny Alien when everyone else around you is not. Then you don't seem so redundant" The Tiny Alien had reflected on this himself more than once.

"Do you remember what the first inhabitant you met told you?" 

""Please don't spill the Cocoa, it's very hot?'" 

"A little bit later than than that." 

"That 'Everyone here is from someplace else, but it's still nice to have a place to put one's paperwork.'"

"Yes, that's it. Although paperwork shouldn't really take up so much space if you did things electronically or mentally like you should. Please drink this cup of cocoa and then see if you see anything?"

The Tiny Alien wondered where the cup of cocoa had come from because it was just himself and the Fixer, but he took it and was pleased that it had marshallows in it. As he sipped it he felt himself to be back on the stoop with the Inhabitant that had supplied him the Else, his alien equivalent of skin prickeled and chills ran little races up and down his approximation of a spinal column. He was overwhelmed with the same feeling he had felt back in Episode 2. It was an immense Feeling,  something a bit like the opposite of homesickness and not quite the same as wanderlust.  It was so big, that the intensity of it filled the Tiny Alien and went right out of him expanding throughout the entire workshop, filling the available space with it's out-of-sortedness. 

The Tiny Alien watched the Something expand and saw It, and seeing It opened the door himself and went right in. 

It was perfect.

He was happy.

And it didn't talk to him at all.

The Fixer looked up and studied the Tiny Alien in his Exosuit and nodded.

Handing the Tiny Alien a care and feeding manual, the Fixer stated declaratively,"Good Fit."

In all of the worlds, in all of the realities, in the Dreamtime and the Meatworld there is NO Tiny Alien that is as happy as our Tiny Alien is, sitting exactly Where He Belongs. 

And Where He Belongs moves with him.

Just the way it should.

The End 

(Mostly)

Tales of the Tiny Alien Episode 2

When last we left our Tiny Alien, he had travelled through much in order to Dominate Trick or Treating in a Land of Tiny Doors. After calling out the hallowed phrase "Trick or Treat or Else!" a flustered inhabitant offered to find him some "Else". Our story continues . . . .

"Else" apparently ended up being Hot Cocoa, a strange brown drink that did not seem much like a trick and wasn't practical to put in a bag so it most likely wouldn't count as a treat. The Tiny Alien agreed with the inhabitant that this qualified as "Else" and lowered his ray gun to ask what he should do with it. The inhabitant suggested they indulge in the local custom of "hanging out on the stoop". This apparently involved sitting on the steps watching locals go by and discussing life. The inhabitant admitted that drinking Cocoa while doing this was a personal twist of his own.

The first cup of Cocoa was sipped in silence. Apparently the inhabitant had servants or tribesmen behind the door because someone came out who took the empty cups and replaced them with new full cups. These cups had marshmallows floating in them which made the Tiny Alien feel better since it is well known that marshmallows were involved in Treats. As the first cup was slowly sipped the Tiny Alien watched the locals go by. They were green, purple, pinky beige, blue, the same color as the cocoa, jet black and shiny, fuzzy, fluffy, smooth and bumpy, frankly he'd seen cantina's with less variety. It was also very busy, but no one was Trick or Treating.

"What are they all doing?" The Tiny Alien muttered to no one in particular.

"Well, mostly they are going to and from their homes." The inhabitant rearranged his robes, so that there was a little extra padding to sit on. The Tiny Alien stared intently at the inhabitant.

The Tiny Alien took terrible offense. "I have no intention of going anywhere called Home!" started brandishing his ray gun in order to underscore the point. He was very careful not to spill the Cocoa though, because it would be a terrible waste of marshmallows.

"I'm terribly sorry." The inhabitant moved his Cocoa out of the way of the ray gun placing it on the long flat bannisterish part of the stoop.

"OK then," grumped the Tiny Alien, settling back on the steps. He explained that as tiny, Tiny Alien, he was constantly being told how wonderful it was to find one's place in the universe and settle down and become a productive member of society. He then went on to explain how such speeches gave him a great deal of indigestion since they always seemed to be to the benefit of beings who stayed in one place and didn't have much to offer for beings who wanted to See New Things.

The inhabitant admitted that his job had him frequently Seeing New Things and Meeting Interesting People, but it was nice to be able to have a place to keep one's paperwork. This was how the Tiny Alien discovered that almost everyone he was seeing was from Someplace Else. And very quietly inside the Tiny Alien something clicked into place. The something was a bit like the opposite of homesickness and not quite the same as wanderlust. The inhabitant, while obviously not a native, had found a sort of portable Home Base. That was not what the Tiny Alien wanted but he knew he wanted something . He also knew that whatever it was that he wanted it was certainly NOT to go Home. He pressed his host for more Trick or Treating information.

The inhabitant explained that they were in the middle of a holiday where people give gifts and he could try knocking on doors to see if that worked. After all it had scored him his third cup of Cocoa and more marshmallows, so the strategy while not perfect, was proven. A little more conversation proved out that Trick or Treating did indeed happen in the neighborhood but it was next scheduled for ten months. The Tiny Alien became very cranky indeed and grabbed his bag tightly and watched the blinking lights on his ray gun with great intensity.

The inhabitant mentioned that a gentleman who had experienced a great deal of spiritual growth was the expert to consult about local holidays. He provided the Tiny Alien with a slip of paper he called an "Address" and showed him the direction of an alley full of perfectly proper doors where this "Address" was before disappearing behind his own door. Unfortunately, the Tiny Alien never learned the numeric system for the local language and had to knock on numerous doors asking "Is the green gentleman with the dog home?" instead of "Trick or Treat". On the bright side all of the doors had beings behind them. On the dark side, he had forgotten the green gentleman's name. He kept getting distracted by the possible Trick or Treating potential. Thus, when tapped on the shoulder he was unprepared and startled.

He whipped his ray gun around and growled a bit, turning to face a being of the bipedal, green and fuzzy variety, grinning from ear to tiny ear. "Excuse me," the being scoffed, "I believe that you are looking for me, and I assure you, that I am equally agressive when startled, but these are kindler gentler times my friend, and I would like to invite you to join me while I carve some roast beast . . ." The fuzzy green being wiggled predatory eyebrows at the Tiny Alien, grinning a slightly twisted grin. "Surely you trust me . . . ."

Does the Tiny Alien trust him? Does carved roast beast count as a Treat? What is the something that clicked and is it dangerous? The answer to these and other questions may show up in out next Episode of Tales of the Tiny Alien . . . .

Tales of the Tiny Alien Episode 1

It had taken months to get where he was going. There were numerous delays, no hierarchy whatsoever, technical difficulties, all sorts of linguistics issues, but none of that would stop the Tiny Alien from accomplishing his mission; Total Domination of Trick or Treating!

He had heard rumors of a world with tiny alien sized doors, that held tiny alien size candy bars. This was his goal. There is no honor in filling up your bag with human sized candy since it doesn't take more than one piece to do it, but this  . . . . this was a challenge. 

He manipulated his chain of command to get assigned to the proper spacecraft, skulked and hid and pushed other Tiny Aliens out infront of him, volunteering them for other destinations just so that he could make it to that world of Tiny Doors. There was a great deal of turbulence in the two month's travel, his pod sustained some light damage on the way. He did not believe that there was actual enemy action, but he and his ray gun were prepared for it if they were. 

Finally he and all his equipment arrived in the proper orbit and he circled around, scouting the location with an exhaled sigh of relief. "Whew!"

Unfortunately, this drew the attention of a rather large entity who thought the Tiny Alien was reporting for duty. The Tiny Alien mightily drew himself up to his full height and aimed his weaponry, meeting the fearsome entity directly. It immediately bared it's teeth and made high pitched noises. It took the translation device about a week to get enough local information to translate the noises into the following statement "Omygod, you are SOOO adorable."

This made the Tiny Alien very cranky once he understood it. Of course, he might also have been cranky because his new position in this planetary activity was apparently to wait inside a squarish green pod to be activated for another command. It was cushy inside with lots of amenities but the Tiny Alien wanted to be Out and Doing Things and most importantly Trick or Treating.  Like all warriors in worlds and universes everywhere, he was forced to hurry up and wait. 

And then the day came. He was released from the pod. Drawing himself up to his full height he introduced himself to his new commander who understood immediately the deep and unfilled need of the Tiny Alien. His commander put him down infront of a perfectly proper tiny door and the Tiny Alien stood bag and raygun at the ready. His heart pounded, the alien equivalent of adrenaline rushing through the alien equivalent of his ears. The bell was rung.  The door was answered and the Joyous Call was shouted menacingly  . . . . . "Trick or Treat or Else!" 

"Oh dear," was the response. "I'm afraid this is a completely different holiday . . . .  I can try to find some 'else' "

Will the Tiny Alien be cranky enough to use his Ray Gun? What is "Else" and does it involve candy?  Are there other doors to ring?  Join us for the Next Episode of Tales of the Tiny Alien and Find Out!

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The Indie Shop Owners

There are other inhabitants in the Sesame Street neighborhood. Of course like any good area that is a target for re-gentrification , it is also haven of cheap rents for young artsy types. Alex and Cait have moved into the neighborhood with a love of odd things, loud music, manga and anime, they are looking to open a music/book shop in the area. Please feel free to let them know what titles you think they should be carrying.

You might have noticed that Cait and Alex are Not-Poppets. This is very true. The Ambassador noticed this too. The same way that Oscar and Big Bird noticed that they are not birds or grouches. They invited the Ambassador over for sushi. He was very flattered that they moved to the neighborhood because of his plans for the block.

This is the Dreamtime where you are always the size you need to be. For those of you who might wonder how Cait and Alex got that way because you know them here in the Meatworld, you can see how they had the help of the Sourceress Stacy who transforms one thing into another.

If you aren't familiar with the Meatworld and you wonder what type of  Sourceress Stacy is you can check her sources for Cait and Alex on your very own. Do not doubt the power of the Source.

These are the Not-Poppets you may have heard of in the Taunting. You will hear from them again. Now, on with the show . . . .

The Ambassador Hires The Bilaterians Design Group

The Holiday break is over at last. The Ambassador's looking forward to getting on with his plans. Between the last inspection and the closing of the deal there were some nervous moments. There was a great deal of water damage and a bit of a to-do with the Historical Society about what they were, and were not, allowed to change. It seems that the metal underpinnings of the buildings rusted through, and depending on how extensive the changes were to the building, code requirements might mean that they will need to completely replace those structures. Doing so might result in full demolition, because as we all know when you open up walls and ceilings and such, you never know what else will be found inside. 

Algernon and His Poppet had performed the inspection back in December, and were quite candid with with Ambassador about the condition of the property. Given it's age and history, it is actually in relatively solid condition and quite reasonably priced, even given the current economic situation. Winter suggested to the Ambassador that he might want to hire Algernon's firm for the architecture and design. Especially since things were looking like they will be expanding. During the holiday, many other members of the Poppet community had arrived. Most of them had places to go, but some of them had expressed interest in the Sesame Street location. 

The design firm was named Bilaterians Design Group, which the Ambassador liked because it was very inclusive. He engaged them to come up with a plan and put them in touch with the Coffee Poppets so they could consult on the Cafe space. As soon as the Holidays were over the Bilaterians finished all of their measuring and specifications. They got right to work on the preliminary sketches and ideas. When they were done, they called the Ambassador over to see a presentation by the Junior Partners.

The Ambassador was very impressed by the amount of natural light in the studio. The Bilaterians told him that they were much happier when they got to work with a lot of sunlight. Unbeknownst to the Bilaterrians Design Group, the Ambassador is on the receiving end of a certain amount of pressure to consider a new building in the middle of the block specifically for the Embassy, but he is a little embarrassed about the idea and thought it might be a bit too show-offish. However there is interest in other Poppets moving into the area. Jacko's were looking for someplace to be off-season, there is a new arrival who thinks there ought to be a flower shop, two out-of-towners (not poppet)  just moved to the area and are looking at starting an music and manga shop. There is an area nearby that could be cleared out for a park or a fairground. It was all getting to be too much!

However - the presentation put all his fears to rest - the Bilaterians have figured out a way to make the apartments bigger on the inside than the out. Still keeping the project expansion to himself , he hired the Bilaterians and settled down with Algernon and Winter for an indepth look at blueprints and budgets. If this goes well he could always commission them for the other things. Maybe it would be good for the neighborhood to have a park and a new building, but he could wait. If the Bilaterians were successful with these buildings, perhaps he will stay quietly in the first building for sentimental reasons. 

As for the Bilaterians - after the Ambassador left, Algernon, His Poppet and Junior Partners get to work checking the studio's equipment, since new machinery had arrived last month.  This project will help defray it's cost and the Ambassador seemed like a good sort. Algernon could practically smell the secrets on him though.  As they were moving on with the saftey cheklist Algernon mentioned this to His Poppet.

His Poppet was not surprised. He figured that Algernon liked the Ambassador and Winter because they had avoided the very obvious pun that could have marred the meeting. Of course, the Embarrassed Ambassador would have been terribly embarrassed just for thinking such a thing. Algernon's Poppet smiled a very secret smile when he plugged in the lathe . . . . it was such a secret, no one even knew Algernon's Poppet had a mouth. 

The Inspection

Algernon and his Poppet were called in for the inspection of the Embassy property

They were immediately concerned about the condition of the floors and the knowledge that unlike Poppets the space was not bigger on the inside than the out. 

Cookie had tried to sell the place "as is" at a discount if the Ambassador would bypass the inspection, but New York state laws wouldn't let that happen even if the Ambassador were willing.

Algernon and his Poppet used their mad skillz to check out the foundation:

What was discovered here was that the base is attached by long pin brads and that the humans that will be involved in the reconstruction and renovation may well be able to take the whole thing apart. The brads are rusty and may disintegrate when removed or may not be able to be replaced.

An suggestion is promoted by Algernon as he suggests that more than one city block be obtained to experiment upon. It's good to be in a recession proof reality . . . . . 

The Humans have decided to follow up with the suggestion - plans for a Major Project are underway, permits are being applied for, graft is being enabled. 

The papers are signed and the Re-Gentrification Project is underway!

Second Opinions

The Embarrassed Ambassador and the Reds very much liked the proposed site and the neighbors seemed properly friendly and weird. Embassies are tricky things though, an Embassy is a tiny piece of displaced nation held together by law and fiction. The Embassy would be an outpost, a refuge, an asylum. It would be like a room of one's own in a foreign apartment. But it is also a place where you adjust to the land you are in. 

So an embassy must be welcoming to poppets, muppets, humans and moppets. This was the only way to be sure that the future Embarrassed Embassy could live up to the immortal Embarrassed Motto "We Apologize for the Inconvenience", and make sure that people and poppets could feel really good about it. They would have to be able to arrange for scooter rentals as well. Just for tradition's sake. Embassies are very concerned about traditions, as well they should be.

 

The Ambassador invited Sunray who was always the most cheerful of visitors, to come visit with the neighbors. She reported back that they were most pleasant and not interested in eating bugs at all no matter where they were on the food chain. As a matter of fact some of the neightbors were bugs! She enjoyed meeting the Tweedlebugs. Indeed Sunray found that she and Big Bird had a lot in common, including a love of hiding in tubes.

Winter was quite taken with the dignity of the architecture and the views. She was also quite polite to Cookie's repeated offers of escort to the nearby Desert Bar.  She made sure to put out a statement to Cindy Adams of the Post that she was flattered that Cookie was so welcoming and that rumors that he was just trying to use her to cover a third desert that night were simply incorrect. She also agreed the current buildings needed work and the function spaces would need to be formalized. 

Stripe thought that it was very interesting but recommended that the Ambassador might want to invest in more Security since it was obvious that the "Broken Windows" crime prevention policy had skipped this neighborhood. Why there weren't any whole windows at all! Rudy Guliani failed to return any requests for comment, saying that he was concentrating on tanning in Florida now that the election was over. 

All in all the proposed site was a great hit. All who were invited thought they would be happy to be invited back. While there were still many negatives and a great deal of work to be done, the Ambassador was ready to declare the search over and call Sesame Street his future home. 

Now the Ambassador just had to go through the inspection!