Tired of Waiting

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.

Tales of the Tiny Alien Episode 3 - Progress?

When we last left our Tiny Alien he was considering taking roast beast from strangers, after successfully getting something that he could technically quantify as a Treat. Still he was looking to see if the Green Gentleman was actually some sort of Trick. 

Our story continues. . . . . 

The Green Gentleman introduced himself as a member of Who's Who. The Tiny Alien found that he had once declared an all out war on the local holiday currently being celebrated. To hear the gentleman tell it, the sonic effects of the choral singing traditional to the holiday were enhanced by the particular sonic frequencies of one Cynthia Louisa Who, which cured a congenital heart condition by stimulating it's growth. It seems that the Green Gentleman's four chambered heart was a third of the size Green Gentleman are supposed to have. Much like the Tiny Alien, he was pretty cranky at the time, and really had some rather nefarious plans, which seemed a lot like Trick or Treating but without asking. There was of course no Honor in such a course of action. The Green Gentleman agreed, but admitted that he really didn't see it that way until his miracle cure. The Tiny Alien accepted the invitation to come over for some roast beast and try to figure out what to do next. They were joined by another local who was a green amphibian and quiet poetic about it.

As they sat over their beautifully carved roast beast, they spoke to each other for a while about how best to be true to their own natures. The Green Gentleman admitted that it was still in hs nature to run around and startle people with grandiose schemes and then smile disconcertingly and say "Just Kidding." The Amphibian admitted that he was a wee bit t0o pragmatic and perhaps a bit of a perfectionist, so he was always trying to help others get projects underway but sort of freaking out when it got close to deadlines or something interfered with the ability to complete his task. The Tiny Alien admitted that while the Honorable Act of Trick or Treating was important, he was pretty sure that there were other things to do and see. The Amphibian and the Green Gentleman took the opportunity to explain that the holiday being celebrated was a time of brightening up the darker days caused by the planet's rotation around the earth and that locally it was celebrated by singing, food and the exchange of presents.

A brief analysis on the Tiny Alien's part indicated that the primary differences were that Treats were exchanged without Tricks, only some people wore costumes, and that choirs singing "whahoowarry" could cause spontaneous heart expansion. It seemed nice enough and he certainly enjoyed the roast beast, but the Amphibian pointed out that perhaps dedicating one's life to the pursuit of a single holiday wasn't necessarily the best way to pursue that holiday. He suggested a kind of journey to find out where the Tiny Alien belonged. Not that the Tiny Alien didn't belong here of course. There were all kinds of people in the neighborhood. The Green Gentlemen suggested that one of the people in the neighborhood was an Oracle, or an indie record store owner which was just as good. He was fairly sure that she would know how to help the Tiny Alien figure out what to do next. All the Tiny Alien would have to do is go to the corner store and ask her for an egg cream like her mother used to make, then either she or her brother would probably ask all sorts of interesting questions and tell the Tiny Alien all sorts of interesting things. If the things were interesting enough, she might want to meddle and if she wanted to meddle then the Tiny Alien was sure to have all sorts of interesting adventures after that. If nothing else it would at least kill some time for him until it was Time for Trick or Treating in the land of Tiny Doors.

It did seem to be more of a long term plan than the Tiny Alien had on his own. Also the Green Gentleman explained that the upcoming holiday would arrive with or without bells, whistles, packages and bows, so he would be able to partake of the festivities no matter what (he was however warned about the dangers of unexpected heart expansion.)

The three compatriots agreed to meet again and support each other in the experience of being green in a world where most of the inhabitants were not. One for all and all for one; and that sort of mildly plagiarized thing. The Tiny Alien stayed overnight and left to follow the  instructions promptly at lunchtime the next day. He got to the window and saw the Indie Record Store Oracle serving fountain drinks through it. He drew himself up to his full height and prepared to introduce himself, but the force of habit overtook him and he announced "Trick or Treat, or Else!" instead.

He would have been mortified if he were built that way, but he wasn't, so he was belligerent instead. Having once committed to the act, he threw the full force of his action behind it. The Indie Oracle however smiled a quirky little smile and said "Well if you're going to be that way about it, we'll have to go with Trick, but first let me introduce you to my little brother."

The Tiny Alien suddenly felt a tiny bit apprehensive, the brother looked normal enough but there seemed to be a small problem with the laws of physics in his general vicinity . . . . .

What has the Tiny Alien gotten himself into? Is the Oracle setting him up? What is an eggcream anyway? Was it cosmically significant? The answer to these and other questions will be in the next episode of  Tales of The Tiny Alien . . . .

But First, A Word From Our Sponsor

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 Taunting + Sesame Street has a New Cabbie

The Second Candle has been lit, the Second Night Poppets have been released.

Color Me Happy was greeted with Squeeing and joy. The recipient had been sure no one would ever think to get her a Poppet that was so cheery, and she had really, really wanted one. 

Crash Test Poppet was met with similar enthusiasim and immediate plotting since the human that Crash would be collaborating with is part of the construction team for the Embarrassed Embassy. 

The Second Candle Crew has joined the First Candle Crew, in front of the Matriarchal Menorah ( who knows that she is a Channukia but doesn't like putting on airs. ) Her name is Goldie and like everything else in the house there is a story behind her. While I am not often in the habit of anthropomorphizing ritual objects Goldie is special - she is the first Channukia I purchased myself and it took me about twelve years to find one that I wanted to own. 

Crash arrived on the same day as the Yellow Taxi Cab Company agreed to provide Poppet Size Service. There had been some question as to who would be driving the specialized vehicle. Crash of course applied for the job immediately and said he was proud to be part of a long line of immigrant cab drivers on Embassy Row.

The Coffee Poppets are Here!

There will be more with my little kindred spirits later - for those of you who do not know me well, please understand I have a deep, deep love of coffee. I still remember a perfect cup of coffee that I had in August of 1999. I can describe it in every detail, the color, the selection of half and half instead of cream, the single scant teaspoon of sugar, the smoothness of texture and creaminess that blended and complimented the robust flavors of the roast instead of smothering them. When a cup of coffee is just right it encourages me to believe that there is such a thing as civilization.

Thus, the introduction of the Coffee Loving Poppets was followed by the cri de coeur  "They must be mine!".

At home I mostly drink alone, my husband does not share my passion, and my son begins to dabble in the way of java at the same time he begins to dabble in the logic of JAVA. I am sure there is a connection. But he does not drink coffee often, and not seriously, he is only just taking steps to developing his preferences and it is not yet a need or a passion. My daughter for various reasons should not truly be drinking coffee so therefore it is mostly something I do alone or with the coffee co-op at work where we try to limit our conversations so that our co-workers do not think we are even crazier than their current evaluations. 

So now, happily I can drink knowing that there are at least two creatures in my house who will appreciate bean and brew. 

Of course the Embassy Re-gentrification Project includes the Poppet Cafe, and the Reds were doing the groundwork, now the Coffee Poppets have arrived for the heavy lifting, stocking and designing. I do find it interesting that the Coffee Poppets did not arrive until the same day that I received the City Cafe restaurant supplies for the project. It's almost as if they weren't willing to make the trip until they knew for sure that they would have access to their own espresso machine.

I will tell the story of the Cafe equipment later. In the meantime here are the Coffee Poppets inspecting the potential Cafe Furnishings, and of course the Dreamtime Brew . . . . 

Not bad considering they'd only been here for about 15 minutes. . . . 

We are now off to make the Sunday Morning Brew.

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!

The Re-Gentrification Project Begins

The Embarrassed Ambassador is looking at the formerly prestigious Sesame Street location for his new Embassy. Current owners Bert and Ernie are planning on moving to Connecticut and realized the old neighborhood is not what it once was.

Cookie Monster is now acting as the local real estate mogul and happily shows off the amenities. He is particularly happy that the Reds are scoping out Hooper's Store for the Poppet Cafe.  He confides in the Ambassador that his cookie reformation is something that is contractually required, on his own time cookies are NOT a sometimes food, but he has found ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies in his cookies and tries to make sure that the ingredients are all local and organic.

The project will involve a great deal of renovation and the place may not be as recognizable if they sell it, the Ambassador would like Bert and Ernie to be very sure they are OK with sharing their legacy of respect and politeness and fun. 

The Poppets also spend some time with a resident who will NOT be moving. He is very excited that there will be a great deal of construction noise and mess. There will be heavy equipment and copious amounts of things that are no longer needed. He will only be upset when that day comes where the new rooftop garden is in place, all of the street facades will gleam and no further mess will be created. The Reds reassure him. If this works out well they may buy the buildings on the next block too. 

The Ambassador will invite his friends to check out the buildings tomorrow, since Bert and Ernie seem amenable to the deal.