Remember that time we got wasted and stole a penguin?
Bird facts, shark infested waters, Saint Patrick, Killers of the Flower Moon, and snacktime with Bruce. This one has it all!
I got my time in selling Girl Scout Cookies this last week! It was actually pretty fun. Saw some neighbors I hadn’t seen in a while, and had at least one really long conversation with a lady who wanted to brainstorm unique ways she could eat her cookies (she got seven boxes!!). Her favorite idea of Myca’s was making s’mores with the shortbread cookies (called Trefoils because of… their shape?!) instead of graham crackers. Myca did this last week and is a huge fan of it.
Myca has hit her initial sales goal of 1k boxes of cookies, so a HUGE thank you to all of you who ordered. She’ll keep selling the next couple of weeks to help the troop make a good profit and also as a completely selfless service to those who are out there looking for cookies. ;) And yes, you can still order from Myca on her site if you would like to (local delivery in the Portland area and I might have taken a few boxes to NYC as well).
Oregon Christian Writers with Yours Truly
A week from this Saturday I’ll be hanging out with the crew from Cascade Christian Writers here in the Salem, Oregon area. I’ll be the keynote speaker and doing two seminars (one on writing YA novels and one on screenwriting). If you don’t want to just hear from me ALL DAY LONG there are other authors teaching as well!
You can still register here if you’d like to come hang with us!
BIRD FACTS: FLASHBACK
Waaaaay back in 2012, three drunk guys broke into Sea World Australia to “swim with dolphins” and woke up in the morning back at their apartment to discover that they had stolen a penguin as well.
This was Dirk, a seven year old fairy penguin who had been born and raised in captivity.
The three guys, now significantly hung over and remorseful, decided to released the penguin at a shark-infested estuary (to be fair, they were from Wales and may not have expected sharks), where poor Dirk — even though raised in captivity — discovered that he did not like sharks and popped right out of the water only to discover that he also did not like dogs wandering around without leashes.
Fortunately for Dirk, a couple walking by saw the penguin and searched for “missing penguin” on their phone and immediately reached out to Sea World to come get their boy.
Dirk was brought safely home but exhausted, having learned the dangers of dogs, sharks, and drunken young men.
The young men shared their crazy story on Facebook (video included), thus making it very easy for the cops to find them and bring them to justice (which was basically some public shaming and a slap on the wrists… they felt really bad!).
As for Dirk, he was safely reunited with his girlfriend, Peaches.
Praying with Saint Patrick
with Rick Lee James and Aaron Burns
Hey come listen as Aaron and I chat with musician Rick Lee James about Saint Patrick and OF COURSE our new book, Praying with Saint Patrick!
Also, here’s a fun write-up from Hearts and Minds bookstore about the book! (More at this link)
As always, you can order this book (and many if not all of my other books) from Hearts and Minds Bookstore!
I preached at East Woods Presbyterian this last weekend!
Pastor Joyce was with a group of folks ministering in Guatemala, so I was privileged to join the congregation to have a little chat about THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. It’s way more fun than you might think. Anyway, you can watch here if you like:
Killers of the Flower Moon with Dr. Randy Woodley
This week on the Fascinating Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Randy Woodley, who gives us a LOT to think about as we talk about Native representation in media generally and in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON specifically. And it’s less than half as long as the movie itself!
Bruce is on the loose
Once a week I clean out Bruce’s hutch (a large, repurposed chicken coop that he sleeps in at night) and fill it with a Bruce-sized portion of hay. He nearly always comes to supervise and make sure I clean it properly and that the hay is tasty.
If you look at the walls and window-frame you can see that Bruce likes to gnaw on the wood. He also gnaws on the ramp to the upper level and the doors at the exits. Eventually I’m probably going to have to replace everything because he’s gnawing a way out!
Rabbits are diurnal, so he doesn’t really “sleep at night” he “sleeps whenever he wants to, day and night” and then is awake on and off, 24-7. He doesn’t mind being in the hutch at night (he runs to get in at bedtime), but he DOES mind if I sleep in and don’t let him out as close to sunrise as possible.
Which is another reminder that if you live in (most of) the United States, it’s time to “spring forward” yet again this weekend. So set your clocks ahead and remember, you haven’t lost an hour, you’ve just turned it over to the government for safekeeping until the fall.
Peace to you and yours,
Matt
A+ for no footnotes! 🙌🏼