In a recent post I asked, “What do you want me to post about?
You responded — and your wish is my command. It might take me a while, but I will get to each and every one of your requests (even Sarah W’s).
***
This query comes from writer and waffle fan Laurel Leigh who writes: “I’d like to know if you play that banjo in the corner, whether you’ve ever tipped over backwards in your desk chair, if your office is truly always that tidy, and how come you have a Cat in the Hat but not Mickey Mouse?”
Jiminy! OK, let’s take your questions one at a time:
1. I do like to play my banjo, but I rarely play it in a corner. I prefer the center of the room.
2. I have not tipped over backwards in my desk chair. I have, however, repeatedly fallen up stairs. This degree of clumsiness never fails to astound my wife.
3. My office is always tidy. Would you like to know the secret to a truly tidy office space? OCD. You’re welcome.
4. You have jumped to conclusions, Laurel; believe me, my office is duly Mickified.
So, there you have it!
Sadly, I am going to have to temporarily postpone Query Responses for the next week or two. I have a Susanna Leonard Hill contest entry to post next week, which will be followed by the July installment of Waffles With Writers.
Don’t forget to check back soon for more fun!
Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow! 
You have a Horton!!!
I do indeed!
And his trunk is pose-able. Jealous?
I really am.
I’ll add a Horton to your Christmas list.
It doesn’t exactly pair well with the brass knuckles I planned to get you, but hey, who cares?
Horton Hears a Who and Gets His Brass Knuckles Ready was one of the Dr. Seuss books that really didn’t get a lot of publicity, I guess.
Also a forgotten gem: The Lorax Opens Up a Can of Whoopass.
YES.
You’re office is inviting. I’ve never fallen up stairs, but I think it would be a great experience! Look, you can brag now! 😉
It’s far less painful than falling down stairs, that’s for sure. The only thing I’ve ever hurt falling up is my pride.
Funny stuff, Mike.
Bruce
Thanks, Bruce! Here’s hoping all is well on your end.
At first I thought your Mickey/Minnie duo were bookends, but then you mentioned thinking about Mickey when you make a call. So, is the duo a phone?
Love your fish-in-the-teapot, along with your Horton. You truly are Seuss fan, aren’t you? Not that I blame you. I’m a fan of his, too! 🙂
Good luck with your contest and I’m already drooling at the thought of waffles! lol
Mickey and Minnie are a Rolodex, so whenever I need a phone number that’s where I’m going.
And, yup, I’m a Seuss fan. My favorite book of his has no iconic characters in it, however. Have you ever read, I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew?
Oh, THAT’s why you mentioned about the call! Boy am I slow on the uptake!
No, I haven’t read I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sallew, although I have heard of it. I think my favorite is Bartholomew and the Ooblek. We had a record of Seuss story narrations when I was a kid. I used to be able to recite each and every one of them. I think The Big Brag is a close 2nd, in my books. 🙂
I don’t know The Big Brag. I’m on it!
It’s a short story compiled in the book, Yertle the Turtle. A bear and a rabbit try to outdo each other. The bear says his nose is the best and the rabbit thinks his ears are the best, until an owl (if my memory serves me correctly) puts them both in their places. 🙂
Impressive. But you don’t have a Tigger! And why not? Tiggers are wonderful things! Their heads are made of the rubber, their tails are made of the springs……….
I do NOT approve of Tigger’s destructive, thoughtless, self-absorbed antics, thank you!
I am a Rabbit fan, through and through.
(To clarify: I loathe Disney’s Tigger. Milne’s Tigger is rather charming, really.)
Yes, I’m tend toward rabbitness, myself. But my son is a Tigger, so I must love him to pieces while I try to tone down and smooth over the rough edges.
I do agree with you about Disney. They tend to “Tiggerize” quite a few characters for the easy, destructo mondo laughs.
We owners of property need an appropriate hero.
Congrats on the four in one rapid fire answers – you rock! OK, you’ve given us the tip for keeping a tidy office, Ongoing Cleaning Discipline…(JOKE!)…but falling up stairs?! How DO you do that?!
Falling up stairs comes to me naturally, I’m afraid.
Oh, and I prefer your OCD acronym to the real one.
We have that Horton too! I think it came from Kohls long, long ago.
Yours would like that dangly thing removed from his trunk, please.
As that dangly thing was made by my boy when he was three, Horton will just have to suck it up.
A Mickey Mouse Rolodex . . . I have officially seen it all, Mike.
Oh, I own many things more peculiar than that, Sarah!
Doesn’t surprise me at all, Mike. We’ve seen your shelves. 😉
I so happy that I was able to add to the whimsy of your office with the Mickey & Minnie “Rolodex”. There aren’t many people besides us that would appreciate its uniqueness.
You, Aunt Elaine, are a Whimsy Specialist. It is just one of the many, many reasons why I love you.
That should have read “I’m so happy……”, but I’ve been having a keyboard issue.
Ahhh, you bring back sweet memories. My dad, the corporate insurance man, wore a Mickey Mouse watch for the last 20+ years of his life. No matter what obstacles he came across, and he came across many (however, he never fell UP the stairs…) he wore that watch. And when he passed away, the watch went into my jewelry box as a forever reminder. Never take ourselves too seriously, and always believe in Mickey. Good going! (But please, watch those stairs…)
Your dad sounds like a fine fellow.
I have a beautiful Mickey watch, too. After I bought it, however, I discovered that the designers made the wristband too short. Why, I often wonder, would the folks at Disney make such a fine timepiece for only the wrists of children?
Now that’s just too sad. My dad’s watch was as large as his wrist (and he was a large man) with a band to match. Um, maybe you need to check it out on the ‘disneynet’?
I’ve been meaning to replace the band, but the original one has Mickey designs in tooled leather. It’s too nice to remove.
Hm. Maybe I can lose weight from my right wrist.
That room does inspire a bunch of questions. Hm! So, now I know.
If you have any other questions, Sandee, all ya gotta do is ask.
That was fun and thanks for the reminder of Susanna’s contest next week. With the kids home from tomorrow I’ll need a reminder for everything 🙂
Glad to hear you’re entering! I look forward to reading your story!
Your office is so perfect for children’s book writer isn’t it, I never quite made that connection before! (I’m not very quick). My son always rocks back on his chair at his desk, and regularly falls off, but hasn’t learned to stop doing that yet, I guess rather like you haven’t learned to stop going up stairs yet.
I’m not very good at going down stairs either. Last December I broke my big toe doing so.
For my own safety, I need the world to be on a single level.
Horton with a poseable trunk? I AM jealous.
You should be!
I know this is dumb, but I so wish I had the compulsion to have an overly tidy office all of the time… I think I’m gonna go clean it now! thanks for the inspiration Mike!
There is nothing dumb about being tidy! Go spruce up that office of yours! Onward!
Just finished cleaning everything (with lots of breaks)! Omg, Mike, it felt so good! ha
I’m proud of you, Kaleidoscope!