So... it would seem that 360 is going to turn into... something else. Alas, alack and woe. I LIKE 360. I'm USED to 360.

Too bad Life isn't big on stagnation.

I'm jumping in with the rest of the crew and heading over to Multiply.

I'll still be checking in with 360 until it no longer exists, but will probably just starting doing blogging and whatnot over on Multiply, keeping it all on one page and in one service will keep it simple!

My one concern - Will picture perfect ride the 360 tide or find a new home???

If anyone knows, or has an insider's glimpse, let me know!!!

Until later, friends - I have an appointment with 2 at the gym.

Well gosh - what have we been up to lately? Stefnee's created an indoor jungle of gorgeous proportions, Cam's feeling the globalized love (and keeping us all abreast on the latest and greatest Pooch Oxygenation Protocols), the beloved Harmaceutical has not only opened his heart, but has staked out a new corner of cyberspace, Jen's taking a trip to the mall (*jealous!*), Girly has been striving to get to class but thwarted by the wickedness of the wheel and Joann is hosting a Halloween Party. ThePrototype has family members home safely and we are all unbelievably relieved to hear that!!! Everyone's been busy and it's awesome to get a glimpse into the hustle and bustle of life.

Moi? Life's been insane and utterly exhausting all at the same time. Replacing passports, exit interviews, prepping for a move that will... eventually... happen. We have an offer on the house (yay!) but it's way out of proportion to what we can give (boo!) so we countered and we're hoping for the best. If any of you happen to have any good mojo available, we'd greatly appreciate a little house-selling *umph* We're honestly not even caring about making money on the place, we just want to sell it so we can move together!

We've, as in Alison and I, have been heading to the gym quasi-religiously. The Evil Machine, aka a Nautilus elliptical trainer, is easier on the joints and better than an outdoor run as we're not equipped to run in the rain yet, but it is a rough workout! I'm not as sore with shinsplints, but the thought of getting back on the damned machine is enough to make me whimper. I may grumble about a quick run, but at least it doesn't strike fear into a girl's heart!

I liken it to the scene in The Princess Bride where Wesley is strapped to the life sucking machine: A horrifying prospect.

Rather than hop on The Evil Machine, I stayed home and spent some time on the treadmill. Only a couple of miles, but decent time! Alison's husband has a bench and we have some weights, so between the two I got in a decent strength training routine finished up as well. I, admittedly, still prefer the machines at the gym to free weights (unless you count bench press!).

Working out at home makes things way easier, as Small Thing can chill out and do her thing while I get in a quick run. She's currently loving doing Kid Fit videos. I think they have a kid's class at the gym so kids can race around together and dance and play with random gym stuff. Maybe worth looking into? I do wonder how things will work once we're overseas in regards to gym-time. I've heard awesome things about Atsugi's facilities. yay!

Random subject change:

Just out of curiosity - what kind of sleeping arrangements do all of you in 360-land have? Currently, we're crashing on the floor with the whole family in one room. 2 adults, 2 cranky kitties, and a crazed kiddo make for an interesting evening!

I was flitting around the internet, hoping for random inspiration to strike when I StumbledUpon Writing Fix.

"What's the Writing Prompt do?" *click* "Do cartoons have long term effects on us? Write something that makes mention of a cartoon character you haven't thought about in a very long time."

Well then. Ask, my friend, and ye shall receive sayeth the StumbleUpon Deity.

So I pondered long lost cartoon favorites: Snorks, Gummy Bears, Voltron, Transformers, GI Joe, Smurfs (Snorks were just Smurfs underwater, really), ScoobyDoo, Rescue Rangers, LooneyTunes, Jem, the one with the Ewoks, the list goes on. Back in the "day," Saturday morning cartoons were worth watching. Finish the chores ASAP to catch as many morning 'toons as possible, then race outside to play before Mom could think of something else that I could do. (Cleaning the bathrooms and mopping the floor were pretty much my only chores for awhile. Then I got a little taller and we added dusting and vacuuming. At warp speed.)

These were cartoons I thought about fairly often, but what were some of the shows I watched but hadn't thought about in a 'coon's age? Hmm...

Shirt t-t-t-Tales!

I loved that show, I swear it. It was on USA in the afternoons. I remember something about a train speeding by and the passengers were cartoon characters and I'd grab my after school snack and veg out watching various shorts and cleaning a bit during the commercials (general pickup was my job - quick stuff like picking up newspapers, making sure the breakfast dishes were done, prepping lunch for tomorrow, etc). Then dinner, then dishes, then homework, then race outside before the sun went down. When I got a little older, instead of cartoons, it was Star Trek, TNG. Ahh, the good ol' days.

Did cartoons have a long term effect? Yup. I use sounds and facial expressions more than the average bear, which I attribute mostly to cartoons. Wile E. Coyote wasn't a creature of a thousand words, but definitely had expressions and loud noises on his side.

Society seems to be more out-loud these days. Maybe it's inspired by the louder than life cartoons? Exaggerated gestures, clownish emotion on faces, and over-the-top dramatics to get the point across are standard for cartoons across the board. It doesn't always translate well to real life, but cartoons aren't meant to be considered "real" most of the time. Though it would be cool to get to know a talking panda bear with her own treehouse.

Can degradation of society's morals be placed at the feet of Ye Olde Cartoon? I don't really think so - not any more or less than any other modern convenience. I think they've created a new realm of self expression and I believe that cartoons have had a big impact on American communication. I'm not so sure about the negative impact on society, unless you count Couch Potato-ism. That's another debate, as I tend to blame parents more than kids and cartoons for too much TV time.

In other cartoon related Life Effects, I have an unrealistic expectation for things in life to have a clean 'n' tidy happy ending. It's an expectation that should've been ground to dust long ago, but I can't quite shake it. Is it from eternal optimism or too many cartoons? Considering my sarcastic and generally realistic outlook on life, I'm not going to put too many chips in the Optimism square. Stories with tidy endings are my favorite. Cartoons usually wrap up in 10-25 minutes. Ya can't beat that. (unless it's something akin to Dragonball Z. Then it never wraps up it just continues... heh)

Most cartoons don't wade in tragedy, they tend to focus on good conquering evil and friendship conquering all. I think that a lot of people would rather live in the cartoon world where good usually wins out and friends and family almost always come home happy at the end of the story... or at least a milkshake with ScoobyDoo and the gang after the mystery is solved.

Someone buy those meddling kids a tire repair kit!

Is it October already? Wow... feels like I was recently surprised by Summer's arrival.

Life is occasionally odd.