Totoro - Defined

As any of my true stalkers know, I have some randomly named pets. Today I shall share with you the history of Totoro's name.

The name Totoro comes from the creative imaginings of Hayao Miyazaki and his movie "My Neighbor Totoro." In the movie, a totoro is a large creature who appears to be a combination of raccoons, cats & owls. He is basically a large "spirit of the forest." Other "non-human" characters in this film include Catbus, dust bunnies, and smaller Totoros.

When I adopted my Totoro, he spent many days and nights camped out under the bed, earning him the title "king of the dust bunnies" or "dust monster/spirit." It was only natural that he would come to be named Totoro, given his affinity toward dark places inhabited by dust bunnies and his striking resemblance to the main character in a favorite movie!

And now you know the short, sweet story of Totoro!

More Anime Characters

Introducing Chococat! Chococat is a friend of Hello Kitty and was created by the Japanese corporation Sanrio. I dig him because he reminds me of my real life black kitty, Ryoko!

Peace & Love!

Ever Wondered...

Why there are laws requiring a person to obtain a license to drive, fish, hunt, or sell random home-made art on a street corner...but there are no laws requiring any type of testing or licensing to create a new life (read: make a baby)!

Ok, I know, I know...human rights and all. But, shouldn't a kid have the right to good parents and a decent life? From the "Pro-life" standpoint, a fetus becomes a human life at conception. Therefore, human rights would come into effect at conception, giving an unborn child universal human rights. Right?

Perhaps humankind was created in all it's complexity before stupidity and evil were fully realized. Thus, most people have to ability to reproduce, but many lack the discretion. For example, a chronic meth abuser may have the right equipment to create a new life, but lacks the common sense that meth and babies really don't mesh well. Or, maybe you are a 16 year old girl who thinks that having a baby will make your boyfriend love you more...but realize too late that this isn't the case.

Either way, isn't a human life a little more fragile & valuable than a car or some home-made art? Perhaps instead of spending all the money we do on welfare, foster homes, counseling, and prisons we should put a little toward creating a licensing system for future parents. Perhaps some kind of clip surgically placed on all male infants' vas deferens, preventing the release of sperm until said clips could be removed surgically later in life. In order to have the clips removed, the male would have to pass testing and licensing procedures, maybe have to pay a little bit for the procedure to prove he really wanted to create a baby. I have yet to decide on a fail-safe mode of protection for women. But, hey it would be a start. I can see the teen pregnancy rates dropping already.

Anyway, just a thought... Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Just Be...

How true is this statement?! I'm sure everyone, at some point in life, has realized that it truly is better to live life for oneself than to try to live it the way someone else thinks you "should." And isn't life so much more fulfilling once you realize that? Over the years I have observed my parents come to this realization and have been able to observe the positive changes it has brought about.

While growing up, I was always told..."this is how we live, this is how you should be." But why? Whose rules are those? These questions were usually answered with something like "because" or "that's the way it's always been" or something similarly vague.

As a teen, I watched probably the most hilarious ceremony ever. My sister (who had just moved back from college) had stashed some beer in the 'fridge. Now, mind you, my family had been rather conservative regarding alcohol, smoking, etc. Prior to this, the only alcohol I think we ever kept in our house was for a science experiment when my sis and I were in elementary school. And even then, my parents had received the champagne as a gift for allowing a guy to land a hot air balloon in the front field! So, anyway, my sister had stashed the booze in the veggie crisper in an attempt to keep it from prying eyes. But, alas, the beer was discovered and to her shock & horror, my parents...in a display of parenting "the right way," made her pour every drop down the drain. (Because this was how it had always been. No alcohol in the house!)

And then came the life-changing phone call. It was the week of my 21st birthday, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do to celebrate, when the phone rang. I answered and the voice on the other end asked, "Hey, do you want to go out for margaritas on your birthday? We thought it would be fun!" What?! Who is this?! And, what have you done with my real parents???!!! Yes, it was my mother, the same one who stood by during the beer incident...asking if I wanted to go out for ALCOHOL on my birthday!

It was at that moment that I realized things didn't always have to continue to be "the way it's always been." Life changes, circumstances change, people change. It was that small moment in time that I began to see my parents in a different light. I think it was in this brief moment that they too began to see themselves in a different light. After many changes in life circumstances, I think they began to really question who they were really living for. Whose standards were they really trying to live up to, and were those standards really attainable?

And now when I go to visit them, I notice the occasional alcoholic beverage in the 'fridge or freezer. I notice the changes in behaviors. I notice the acceptance, the happiness, and the ease in which they live their daily lives. And, from that I realize that it is so much better to take the chance of being hated for who you are in reality, than to put up a facade and be loved for being fake.

So, take the time to ask yourself...who am I and who am I living for? If you can't answer either of those questions quickly and honestly...then perhaps it's about time you re-evaluate life and take a chance at being real. It just might make your day more fulfilling!

Peace, love, and happiness!

Love

Witty Kitty