March 2015! GISHWHES Announced! Awesome times begin!

March! Yay!

Soon-ish there will be cherry blossoms and temperatures that don't make me shudder! Woot woot!

In addition, the Hina Matsuri Doll collection my in-laws set up in my house (as is custom) is finally back in storage, meaning I can spend a little more of my time being a person and not a toddler chasing madwoman. Putting a very expensive set of dolls so close to tiny, prying, destructive hands is just such a bad idea.
But it's custom.
So it is.


In other awesome news, GISHWHES dates have been announced. This year, the registration is going to be open for 18 weeks instead of the measly 4 last year. This year is going to rock. Here's why:

1. I have been gathering teammates from the splendid people I already know, giving them the information they need to make an informed decision and know not only what they are getting into but what is expected from them.
2. My team is already starting to talk to each other. We have an actual team name! Last year, it was a last-ditch sort of affair and I named my tiny, 5 person team "42" because it was the shortest name I could think of and a good Douglas Adams reference. Partial teams gets joined together with "loves" between the team names. For instance, team "Pudding" and team "Wombats" would become Team PuddingLovesWombats. If you add more teams, you get longer things. Our team had four loves in it last year. I am aiming to not repeat this.
3. If everyone who I have in the facebook group joins, I will already have 2/3 of a team that I know and trust. That is just so cool.
4. Having all this time means tons of time to think, plot, save, and prepare. Many plans are already in place. Also, I've already made a Dinomite (the 2015 mascot-- half Dinosaur, half mite).

I also have a cunning plan. For each of these 18 weeks, I will do one GISH related activity in preparation. Last week, I created a replica of the mascot. This weekend, I have AMOK (Annual Melee of Kindness, a weekend long kind-a-thon from Random Acts) during which I will write postcards to anyone I can, shouting kindness across the seas, spreading it to the global community. 

Next week, I may film a series of weird stuffed-animal battles (including the Dinomite) as part of an English lesson with a very interesting 9 year old boy, soon-to-be 10.

And after that? Who knows!
Options I have come up with include:

• Making a Youtube video about GISHWHES
• Making more Dinomites for my teammates
• Making a new mascot costume for my daughter
• Finishing accessories to a steampunk ensemble for an upcoming Steampunk and Cherry Blossoms picnic (oh heck yeah!)

Any suggestions? Let me know!

For more information on GISHWHES, please visit this site or ask me.
For information on the Dinomite, watch this video: