Ask Norman: Do Goldfish Toot?
Norman T. Goldfish answers questions from readers. Scroll down to read his responses.
Hey Kids!
Scroll down to read Norman’s answer to Jude . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Hey Kids!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Poetry Challenge #162-Be Kind to Your Cold-Blooded Friends
This is a tuatara. Who knew?
Be kind to your cold-blooded friends, for that gecko maybe some critter’s mo-ther/Be kind to snakes, crocs, turtles, tuatara, too/And don’t just stick them all in the zoo…
There are approximately 10,700 species of reptile, that is four-limbed (or like snakes, related to four-limbed) cold-blooded, egg-laying, creatures that have been walking-climbing-crawling-slithering over this planet for more than 312 million years, including turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. Besides staring in horror films, what exactly do you know about them?
It’s said knowledge is the best way to raise awareness, so, since today (Oct 21) is National Reptile Awareness Day, that’s what we’ll do with poetry—in the form of a lantern poem!
Snakes, snakes…them too!
Poetry Challenge #162
Be Kind to Your Cold-Blooded Friends
A Lantern Poem is a type of descriptive poetry that originates from Japan.
The Lantern poem uses five lines with a structure of one, two, three, four and one syllables (or words) per line.
It’s called a Lantern poem because, when finished, the shape resembles a Japanese lantern.
Begin by choosing a one-reptile as the subject of your poem. Now, with that reptile in mind, follow these instructions to craft your lantern poem
Line #1: 1 word noun
Line #2: 2 words to describe appearance
Line #3: 3 words to describe action
Line #4: 2 words simile or metaphor
Line #5: 1 synonym
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just slither, creep, crawl into it!
Post a review, I’ll give you a glug!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #161-Love Me Some D-E-S-S-E-R-T
Crumpet, Pumpkin, Sugar, Cupcake, Sweetie…the variety of ways we call loved ones by dessert names make me want to burst into song: Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch…Can’t help myself!
Especially not today, Oct. 14th, officially, unapologetically, National Dessert Day! Or, as I prefer to call it, Don’t Forget What Erma Said Day:
Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. ~ Erma Bombeck
7-Minute Poetry Challenge #161
Love Me Some D-E-S-S-E-R-T
Dessert! There’s always room for dessert! Cindy’s niece and nephew say everyone has a dessert stomach separate from their very full dinner stomachs. If you ask my kids if they have room for dessert, the standard answer is “YES! And it’s shaped just like an ice cream cone!”
List as many kinds of dessert as you can think of. Put your list into some sort of order: biggest to smallest? best to worst? colors of the rainbow? alphabetical?
Write a 2-4 line refrain to stick into your list a couple times.
This will be a sweet, sweet poem!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Love Me Some D-E-S-S-E-R-T Playlist:
Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch sung by The Four Tops
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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We Need to Talk About First Ladies . . .
Or, Who's going to worry about the China Collection?
NOTE: THIS IS A REPOST FROM THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. AS IT IS STILL TIMELY, I’M SHARING IT AGAIN (The only update is the election date…what does that say about the current First Ladie’s contributions???)
It’s less than a month until Tuesday, November 3, 2020-Election Day! (I’ll be voting—I hope you will too.)
Even if you are sick, sad, tired, disgusted by this presidential campaign thus far—VOTE!
Even if you don’t want to vote for either of the presidential candidates—Please, go to the Polls & VOTE! Presidents aside, there are many other issues on the ballots: Propositions, inc. TAX proposals; elected officials . . . i.e. local & state issues that should concern & will affect you. Remember the Revolution? Taxation Without Representation? (If you don’t VOTE that’s what you’ll be getting.)
Assuming we are all voting, we need to talk about First Ladies. Every other election I can recall, the First Lady has played a huge part in the campaign. Copious hours of media attention has been paid to candidates for First Lady, too.
In the last election, Ann Romney, headlined at well over 40 fundraisers. Contrast that to this campaign. As noted it this Sept 16th CNN report, Melania Trump’s been AWOL pretty much since that July 18th National Convention speech… you know, the one she sort of copied from our current—extremely visible and popular first lady, Michelle Obama.
Likewise, I haven’t noticed much campaigning from Past Pres. Bill Clinton either. So few that the fundraisers Bill subbed at when Hillary had pneumonia stand out. I’m sure, as former President, Bill has been campaigning and fundraising—as a recent Washington Post article “Two Clintons. 41 Years. $3 Billion.” noted, the Clinton’s are pros at fundraising.
To me, the absence of media attention on First Ladies (will that be “First Partners” going forward? Or something else?) is disconcerting. I missed seeing either of the First Lady/Partner? standing behind her/his Man/Woman when their spouses accepted their party’s nominations. And where are the fashion features we’d come to expect? You know the round ups of Jackie’s Hats? Nancy’s penchant for red jackets that led to all of us buying at least one red “Power Blazer.” Or, more recently, Hillary’s First Lady candidate hairdos & cankles? Michelle’s weight and wardrobe updates—and hair, of course. Why isn’t the media chatting about Melania’s hair and clothing—or lack of it? We sure rear plenty about Donald’s hair…why not Bills? Or his wardrobe update? There were heaps of articles about Presidential Candidates ties in past elections. One, “The Psychology of Tie Color,” comparing Mitt’s ties to Barack’s concluded that Republicans prefer blue ties while Democrats go for red. But what about Bill’s ties? If the color of Nancy’s blazer mattered, shouldn’t the color of Bill’s tie?
Fashion aside, let’s focus on what should matter:
According to Wikipedia (the source of all “free”—as in writers are not compensated for their research, verbiage, or time—encyclopedic knowledge) “The First Lady of the United States is the hostess of the White House. . . The First Lady is not an elected position; it carries no official duties and receives no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. Traditionally, the First Lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office.[1] She has her own staff, including the White House Social Secretary, the Chief of Staff, the Press Secretary, the Chief Floral Designer, and the Executive Chef. The Office of the First Lady is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President.”
What do the First Partner candidates plan to accomplish in office? Have any of you heard what issue Bill or Melania plan to battle when he/she is First Partner? Along with serving as hostess, and traditionally selecting the “State China, recent first ladies choose a cause to champion. BTW: Michelle Obama’s choice was “Kailua Blue."
I wonder, is Bill thinking about whether to choose his own china pattern or add to the pale yellow and gold “Clinton China” commemorating the bicentennial of the White House, Hillary selected. And what about Melania? Is she mulling over causes to champion? Or doesn’t it matter anymore? Did it every, really? Were all those article, all the media attention paid to past First Ladies, just filler?
As an American female, I have always paid close attention to First Ladies. It seemed that they, and the causes they championed were important. I googled “Causes First Ladies Championed,” and they were! And they did make a difference. If you doubt it, rewatch the episode of Mad Men where the Draper family went on a picnic. Imagine how high the litter on our highways, roadsides & parks would look like now if Lady Bird Johnson hadn't campaigned for highway beautification?
Here are some causes First Ladies are remembered for championing today.* What mark will the next First Partner make on America & the World?
Michelle Obama: Childhood Obesity
Laura Welch Bush: Childhood Literacy
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Historic Preservation & Health Care
Barbara Pierce Bush: National Literacy
Nancy Davis Reagan: Red Blazers and “Just Say No!”
Rosalynn Smith Carter: Mental Health Care
Elizabeth Bloomer Ford: Alcoholism is an illness, AA awareness
Patricia Ryan Nixon: Volunteerism & Restoring the Whitehouse
Claudia “Lady Bird’ Johnson: Beautify America, wildflowers & anti-litter
Jacqueline Kennedy: Pill box hats, glamour and big sunglasses
Bess Truman: Consummate Hostess
Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower: “Million Dollar Fudge”
Eleanor Roosevelt: Humanitarian, Equality for African Americans
Lou Henry Hoover: Athletics & Girl Scouts
Ellen Axson Wilson: Better Urban Housing
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes: “Lemonade Lucy” Temperance
Mary Todd Lincoln: Care & Service to Union Soldiers & Freed Slaves
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams: Women’s Rights
Dolley Madison: Hostess to 2 Presidents, saved Washington’s portrait when the White House Burned, Orphan Care
Abigail Adams: Wrote Letters to her husband, John
Martha Washington: Set an example by hosting weekly receptions in the White House
*First Ladies not listed may well have championed causes. Frankly, I didn’t want to take the time to research more. If you know other’s causes, send word and I will add them.
First Ladies Playlist:
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Poetry Challenge #160-Walk or Bike to School Day!
With this new wonky school year—with all the variations—underway, today’s designation as National Walk or Bike to School Day (Oct 7) may be wonky, too.
Check the date on this poster…brings Carly Simon to mind: “Rolling around again. How did you get to school 5, 15, 25 years ago?
Some places, just as they do every year, are holding Walk to School Parades—with everyone socially distancing, of course!
For many, who used to ride buses and carpool but now attend classes online, that walk to school, might be just a few steps. Whatever your commute, here’s a chance to step out—physically & mentally!
Poetry Challenge # 160
On My Way To School. . .
Happy Walk & Roll Day! Take a walk or bike to school today—even if only in your mind. Rev up that Time Machine! Note what you see. Look closer. What words can you use to describe this object? What other thing does it look like?
Write a poem describing your walk. Title it
“A Walk in/around/through ___________”
Norman’s on the roll to school!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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Poetry Challenge #159-Chew On This!
Double mint chewing gum/it’s the one/tastes so fun/made for me and you…
For much of my young life, that jingle—like the gum it touted—was stuck in my head. I resurrected it and a few others especially for today, September 30th—otherwise celebrated as National Chewing Gum Day!
Gift for my 17th birthday & blatant product placement…
“Get your skis shined up, grab a stick of Juicy Fruit — the taste is gonna move you! Move you up! Move you out! The taste is gonna move you when you pop it in your mouth!
Juicy Fruit is gonna move ya! It’s got a taste that gets right through ya!”
Along with digging through drawers and bags for a stray stick, I dug up some chewing gum history (and finally broke down and “treated” myself to a chipped gumball from my ancient dispenser.) Chewing on:
“Kiss a little longer, stay close a little longer, hold tight a little longer — longer with Big Red!”
Seems as long as humans have been walking upright, they’ve been chewing some sort of gum. Evidence, dating back more than 5,000 years, shows humans chewing gum-like substances: sap resin, tar, bark, wax, gristle, for various reasons: staving off hunger, freshening breath, working out nervous energy—you name it, apparently they chewed it. So maybe it’s true that gum isn’t digestible and thus stays forever in one’s stomach (otherwise how would they know?)
To paraphrase Cole Porter:
Mayans chewed it, Greeks chewed it, even Neanderthals in skins chewed. They chewed it—Babe Ruth did, too! How’s about yoooouuuuuuu.
When I think of gum—aside from it being stuck—in hair, on sofas, clothing…shoes—and chewing, it’s the jingles. Which lead to this prompt.
Poetry Challenge #159
Chew on This!
Pop a stick of gum into your gob—literally or figuratively—and chew away. There you go: chew, chew, chew. Now, with that repetitive rhythm in mind, write a poem.
The subject of the poem doesn’t have to be chewing gum. It can be, of course. Whichever subject you choose—be it chewing gum or otherwise—focus on the rhythm, that repetitive chewing action. Try to get that repetitive motion and sound into your poem.
If you’d like to chomp off a bigger challenge, see if you can shape your poem into a jingle.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just chew-chew-chew it!
More to chew on:
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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Life in the Time of CoVid-Day 188 Lockdown-Everybody! Do It!
September 29, 2020—Day 188 SA Lockdown; Day 200 US Lockdown:
Ben Does It Swinging
That is 6 months, 4 days of my personal Lockdown, isolation, social distancing, virtual meetings, constant low-level/high-level anxiety . . . Yes, if you are in the U.S and caring, your Lockdown count should be higher. (I was blissfully holidaying, cavorting, hugging, karaoking in S.A. when the U.S. public was made aware of the treat, otherwise my Lockdown day count would be 200, too.)
Worldwide: More than One Million people are confirmed dead from CoVid. That is 1,000,000 children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, neighbors, colleagues, friends gone.
SA: 672,000 confirmed cases; 16,586 deaths; US: 7.18 million cases; 205,000 deaths.
And still, every day I am out—which is every day as I am one of the lucky (healthy) people who can get out—I see people either not wearing masks when within 6 ft perimeter of others, and what’s worse sort of waggling said masks about as if they were accessories and not necessities.
Jack Does it PIcking Blueberries
In the meantime, my mother, who lives in an assisted living facility, has not been outside, or had a casual visitor in 200 days. Day before yesterday, Mom called, delighted—and a tad nervous, but in that “I’m going to the prom” way to announce that they were reopening the dining room on Oct. 1st.
Mom, had her outfit all picked out for that first dinner “out.” What’s more, I’d just a few days earlier, received a note that the facility, officially Co-Vid free, was exploring how to allow visitors! Of which I, would absolutely be one!
So much for that fantasy… One of Mom’s primary caregivers, Chelsie. The “adorable girl” who brings mom art supplies, rubs her arthricit feet, fixes her hair and puts in earrings—brings light, joy, music into my mom’s tiny room—just tested positive with CoVid. Chelsie is home ill. Not in the hospital. And hopefully will not need to be hospitalized.
…You Can Too! Just do It!
I can not help wondering, who contaminated Chelsie—an “essential worker” the only barrier between Mom and other at-risk people: children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, neighbors, colleagues, friends . . .
My new favorite compliment:
Love Your Mask!
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Goldfish to Artist: Interview & Give Away: Noah Z Jones...About that Sweatband?
One Amazing Interview with Noah Z Jones, the artist/creator of our finny goldfish, yes…Norman!
Noah Z Jones: the Human, the Artist & Goldfish Imaginer, the Disposal:
NTG: Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s its name?
NZG: We’ve got three pets. A hermit crab named Pineapple and two loafy guinea pigs, Hippo and Panda. Pineapple makes weird squeaky noises in the middle of the night and Hippo likes to take Panda’s lettuce when she’s not looking.
NTG: What is your favorite food?
NZJ: Tacos. Always tacos. From now until the end of time it’s tacos. And Fruity Pebbles. But mostly tacos.
NTG: If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous.”
NTG: Any food you would not eat—even for a million dollars?
NZJ: Look, I’m gonna be honest, I’m like a garbage disposal. I’ll try anything once.
NTG: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
NZJ: Naps. Give me a couch, a nice pillow and twenty minutes to doze and I’m the happiest person on Earth.
Kelly & Noah finally met years after NOT NORMAN was published—they were guppies!
Then (When you were a kid):
NTG: What did you like to do best?
NZJ: Draw and read. That’s all I used to do. And watch Saturday morning cartoons.
NTG: What was your favorite subject in school?
NZJ: Art! I loved it. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up from the time I was in second grade or so.
NTG: Did you have a best friend or pet? (If yes, what kind and what was his-her-its-their name?)
NZJ: My best friend was a kid named Jon Tarr. By the time he was in sixth grade Jon had cracked his skull five times, on accident of course. I was only there for two of the skull crackings. This is real. Hi Jon!
NTG: What was/is your favorite kid movie or TV show?
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NZJ: Movie would be a tie between MATILDA and BABE, they’re both SOO good. When I was a kid I loved THE INCREDIBLE HULK, I loved imagining turning green and smashing things.
ALL THINGS NORMAN:
NTG: How do you get me to show so much emotion? (And what’s with the sweatband?)
NZJ: It’s all in the eyebrows! Most of my drawings of characters start with the eyes and eyebrows. Some people say eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but I say it’s clearly the eyebrows. OF COURSE NORMAN NEEDS A SWEATBAND!! The little fish is always sweating up a storm.
NTG: Do you do all the illustrations on the computer? Or do you draw some by hand? How does that work? Can you describe your process a bit?
NZJ: The drawings for both Norman books were all done on the computer, I like being able to change things and move parts of my drawings around and it’s so much easier to do those things digitally. I have a special kind of screen that I can draw on with a digital pen, it’s pretty cool. Though I have to say I’m always keen on drawing in paper sketchbooks, that’s where most of my ideas start.
NTG: What was it like illustrating a sequel to NOT NORMAN?
NTZ: It was fun and a little harder than I thought it would be! The first NORMAN book came out FIFTEEN YEARS AGO and my adorable fish drawin’ skill shad gotten a little rusty!
NTG: Must have been hard to top that boy-peeking-through-the-fishbowl NOT NORMAN cover for the sequel—or was it? How many ways did you try? Can you show us some?
NTZ: It was a little tricky, the first sketch for the cover got rejected…I’m sending it along so you can get a behind the scenes peek at it!
NTG: Would you like to work on another Norman the Goldfish adventure?
NZJ: YES, YES A MILLION TIMES YES!! Let’s do the first book series with a HUNDRED THOUSAND sequels!!
Last question N to N: What does your letter Z stand for? (I’ll tell you about my T is if you share your Z.)
To see samples of Noah’s cartoons, animation, antics—and to find out what he’s really up to, google him—that’s what we did—cyber stalking. Here’s his bio: Noah Z Jones,
Glu-glu glu-glug And don’t forget: A GIVEAWAY!
One Amazing reader will win hot-off-the-press, a Copy of NORMAN’S ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!!!
To enter: Leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected in a couple weeks!
Glug Luck!
P.S. Keep reading…there’s more down below…
