Childhood Dreams

Monday was a long day.  Little sleep for a few days before and a busy, hectic day at work;

I was hoping for an easy day at my part time arcade job.  I picked up my brother, Kelly, planning that we could play a good deal of relaxing pinball after performing some quick repairs and cleaning.

That plan didn't work...thanks to some trickier that planned technical issues and some cross-threaded bolts (whoever did this, I hate you); my hope of getting repairs completed in about an hour were dashed.  It turned into a 5+ hour ordeal...and left me with some homework.  Thankfully, Kelly was a big help and we did end up playing a few games of pinball (sorry about making you work so much!).  We trudged out of the arcade a bit after 11pm and started to head for home...drained.

I was feeling pretty worn out...but then a distant image appeared on the horizon (OK across the parking lot).  Is that...is that...I think that is....is it, it is...The NUTmobile!  Obviously, I had to get closer.  It's after 11pm, no meeting Mr Peanut for me.  I would have to settle for a picture.

What an awesome way to end the night?  It would have been great to meet Mr Peanut, but I am sure he had many important nut-related activities the next day and I wouldn't want to interrupt his sleep.  He is almost 100 years old now.  I am not sure about the human year to peanut year ratio is...but I am guessing that 99 is on the more mature side for a peanut.  

Feeling better about the night, we turn the corner...and Oh My God!

The Oscar Mayer WienerMobile is parked in the same hotel...cleverly hidden behind this tree.  I have loved the Wienermobile since I was a kid.  Who hasn't?  I have never got to see it in person, something has always come up, ruining every opportunity for me to visit the grand frankfurter tabernacle. I was pretty excited, but made myself stay in the car to temper my enthusiasm.  If not, I was liable to A) run through the hotel knocking on every door looking for the Hotdoggers in order to get a whistle, B) climb the WienerMobile and ride that thing like I am Slim Pickens in Dr Strangelove. 

Wooo-Hooo!

I was a little sad, not to get out and enjoy the wienermobile to its fullest, but not being arrested for disrupting many a hotel guests or defacing a sausage shaped automobile; reminded me that it was all for the best. I guess the WeinerMobile and I will remain like two ships that pass in the night.  Longfellow knows my pain.  

What amazing event has drawn these two titans into a meeting?  I am unsure.  I can't find anything about anything in Des Moines...google searches show a lot of press about a visit last year, but nothing about this year.  I guess they needed to rest on their trek, spreading joy across the country...so it was truly serendipity that I saw them.

Which WienerMobile did I have the honor of (almost) meeting?  "OH I WISH."  The best one (in my opinion).  What a great night.  One down, five to go.  Until we meet again, #WeinerMobile, I will see you in my dreams.

OH I WISH - the flagship of the fleet

Lies

Hallmark, why do you have to turn this store into a house of lies?  I am not fluent in "bird talk" but I am pretty sure Woodstock is NOT saying the same thing in both of these cards.  Looking at the tweet hashes the phrasing is not the same at all.  Also am I supposed to believe that the same sentence can be said in 9 or 50 characters?  I suppose you could argue that the longer phrase is because it is all capitalized...but I don't see Woodstock being a bird that would yell "HOPE YOU GET WELL SOON".  I get the feeling that this is like when someone gets what they think are badass Chinese characters tattooed on themselves, but in reality it does not mean what they think it means.  The writers are being lazy and not taking time to be consistent and just write whatever they want...because who is going to notice?

I noticed.  The cards were 3 feet apart.  Now I am not sure that I trust you...maybe I am getting a card that I think says "Hope you get well soon" but what it really says is "Stop being a cry baby.  Oh boo-hoo, you have ebola."  Do I take the risk and send that card to my sick grandma?  Maybe, just maybe she is fluent in bird talk.

Hallmark, please stop turning Woodstock into a liar.

Hope you get well soon.

Stop being a cry baby.  Oh boo-hoo, you have ebola.