Inspiration in the form of a plush rhino

And it starts.

Seeing as this is my third or fourth attempt at actually keeping up with one of these, you would think I'd have some idea of what to put in my first entry.

I have no idea.

I think I'll start with a bit of background information. Not about myself, mind you--I'm really not that interesting, and most of you know me already. No, this will be about the small creature that my blog is named after.

Jumbles the Rhinocerous.

I obtained Jumbles from FAO Schwarz in New York City during my senior year of high school. My orchestra took a trip there over spring break, and it included the requisite stop at FAO Schwarz. I had already decided I would be purchasing a stuffed animal of some sort, so it was only a matter of which one to take with me when I left.

If you've never been to FAO Schwarz, you should note that their stuff is rather pricey. I had picked out a decently cute $30 bear when I stumbled across a display of wild animals. They apparently were being sold to benefit the World Widelife Federation, and they were only $10 each.

Buy one bear that I'm not terribly excited about for $30, or buy 3 really cute, soft, cuddly animals for the same price and help a good cause?

Gee.

I chose Swizzle the Giraffe, CrissCross the Alligator, and... Jumbles the Rhino.

Jumbles quickly became my favorite, but he didn't come into his own until later that year. One afternoon, as I whiled away the hours sitting at my computer in my dorm, attempting to write a paper, my suitemate (Gayla) walked into my room.

Gayla and I had established a good repoire, but nothing terribly close at that point.

However, that day, she walked in, and stood in the doorway for a few seconds, not saying anything. I looked up at her, and said "What's wrong?"

And the floodgates unleashed. She'd been very stressed, and she'd finally reached her breaking point. As she sat on my bed, flipping out, crying, and snotting all over herself, I managed to grab 2 things: Kleenex, and Jumbles.

Jumbles is magic. I handed him to her, instructed her to hug him tightly, and she began to calm down. Since then, 4 years ago, Jumbles has been the mainstay for all crisis situations. He has been through breakupts, deaths, papers, tests, finals, projects, computer viruses, roommate issues, injuries, hangovers, and God knows what else.

Thus, this blog's title shall be an ode to my friend, the stuffed Rhino. It should be noted that, after purchasing a female Jumbles for Gayla for Christmas, they have produced 2 baby Jumbles (really 2 rhino Beanie Babies that Gayla and her mom found in Kansas on vacation, but whatever). The family is doing well.

And in closing, a song lyric for the day:

Josie's on a vacation far away.

posted by K @ 1:40 PM