Heard it Through the Grapevine

Howdy howdy howdy! An appropriate greeting for the month of October, as it was also a name given to the antagonist/demon from 'The Exorcist' - Captain Howdy. How do I know such things? Have you seen my dad's horror movie collection? Other kids will grow up watching Dora and Yo Gabba Gabba; I'll grow up with Bruce Campbell and George Romero as my role models. Hail to the Queen, baby!

Anyway, on to the pressing matter at hand. Pictures. I have heard through the grapevine that there was an uproar amongst my readership over the lack of pictures in my last blog entry. I check my comments regularly and saw no complaints, so I thought that a) nobody was reading the blog anyway (which is still okay, as I do this mostly as a sort of diary for myself), or b) everyone reading was satisfied with my posts. I was quite surprised, therefore, to hear of the umbrage given to my last post with the single picture of me (all snug in my carseat). I whole-heartedly apologize. I had been using the blog to keep tabs on all the latest goings-on involving yours truly. I have now learned that, as Andre 3000 so eloquently phrased in 'Hey Ya', "Ya'll don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance." Except in this case, ya'll just want pictures of my adorable mug (Dad inserted the word 'adorable', I'm not that vain). So, as a peace-offering, I extend the olive branch of pictures your way. But first, a quick update of the latest goings-on (this is where you can skip down to get to the picture pages treasure trove).

I have recently discovered a new game I call "Messin' around with Parents" (presented by Jack Link's). The way the game works is one day I will sleep all day long. Mom will try to wake me up for some tummy time, and I'll maybe open one eye, Thom Yorke style, and then drift back off to dreamland. Then, that night, I'll switch it up and wake up every hour or so (or maybe every 2 hours, but just stay awake for 45 minutes after that). Basically, I'll vamp things up - sleep all day, stay wide awake all night. Now, because Mom and Dad like to do things the opposite, this really messes with them. Then, and this is where it gets good, the next day I will stay up all day long, with the occasional short nap, and sleep for 3-4 hours at a time that night. Mom and Dad will then be all, "Wowwee zowwee! I think she's getting it - good girl Azja!" Then, and I think you know where this is going, I'll switch it back again the next day! Oh man does that mess with Mom and Dad! The only problem with this game is that it actually wears me out. Eventually I'll probably get so worn out from this game that I'll just pick one mode of operation and stick with it. For now, though, what fun I am having. When I'm awake, I sometimes hear Mom and Dad talk about how cute it is when I smile in my sleep. Guess what I'm dreaming about? "Messin' around with Parents" : ) As Bugs Bunny often said, "Ain't I a stinker?"

Another thing I've been working on is something called 'dancing'. When I discovered this I was immediately blown away by the sheer beauty and simplicity. What you do is take the music that is playing in the room and channel it through your body. You become like a music lightning-rod and just let it flow through you. The resulting effect is shear bliss. You feel the beat from your head to your toes and just move with it. It takes listening to music to the next level - you actually become part of the music. I'm starting to think that's kind of what happens in church. They call it prayer, but I think it might actually be like becoming part of the music, only in that case the music is the something not heard with the ears but felt in a different way. They should call dancing 'praying to the beat'. Anyway, I've started to test this thing out lately, and I really dig it (do people still say dig? or is it now Digg?). I'm a fan of Rihanna and Walter Meego for dancing. For pure music enjoyment I like Poe a lot, but I now realize there are two different reasons to listen to music. Luckily, Mom and Dad like music a lot, so I always have a lot of different kinds of music surrounding me. Who knows, maybe in the coming months and years I may discover even more reasons for listening to music. Edgar Allan Poe speaks of the 'music of the spheres' in his "Conquerer Worm", so there are definitely other aspects out there to be discovered. But for now, there is dancing.

Also, the other thing I've been testing out lately is standing. I know it sounds easy for all of you locomotively skilled bipeds who can not only stand, but also walk, run, jump, hop, skip, and even cartwheel. But since I was born, I've only known how to lie on my back, belly, and side. I can now hold my head up on my own, and if I push my feet against something I can propel myself forward. But standing is something else entirely. It works my leg muscles in a brand new way. I first discovered it when Dad was holding me up to dance. He let go of my sides and just held my hands. Lo and behold, I was still vertical! Granted, my balance is best described as inebriated, and my leg strength gives out after a few seconds or so. But as long as someone has my hands to help me balance, I'm up there! Then I'm back down again, almost in slow motion. I know we have to learn to crawl before we learn to walk, but I beg the question: do we? Actually, once I finally figure out this crawling thing, I'll probably forget about the standing thing altogether for a while. But a girl can dream, right? Hehehe - sorry, just thought about "Messin' around with Parents". Which reminds me - I'm also smiling a lot more these days. It's almost to the point where Mom and Dad can make me smile on command. Almost. I'm strong-willed. Within a few more posts, you'll probably see all smiling pictures! Won't that be fantabulous?! And speaking of pictures, the cache I promised lies just below.

Tune in next post when I get to tell you about how the Halloween party went. There will be pictures of Mom, Dad, and I in our costumes (yay!), as well as some pictures from the party. DJ Dadbro has been practicing a lot, and I think he's ready. I hope that he doesn't stop playing music for us after the party, though. Maybe I can convince him to make some new setlists just for me. If I could combine a Dadbro setlist with one of Mom's awesome massages, I think I might be able to find heaven on earth. Oh - that's a good one for the setlist, Dad! Do you have any Belinda Carlisle?


Sincerely,
Azja Kathleen, Dancing Queen