2011 Eggstravaganza Pt. 3: Judgement Day

Ah, the bitter taste of loss. Oh well. Game over for Mr. & Ms. Pacman. Not that I'm bitter, but the judging was totally messed up. But we won't go into that. This post is to acknowledge the talents of my family that won! Congrats to all my Peeps who's eggs were the best of the best! We are a creative bunch and I love you all.

There were three categories: Contestants under 5 years old. Contestants from 6-12 years old. Contestants 13 and up. 

In the the 5 and under category:

  Second Place: Alien (in the top left of carton)

  First Place: Chia Pet (in the bottom left of carton)

In 6-12 Category:

  Third Place: Angry Bird

  Second Place: Scorpion

  First Place: Dragon

In the 13 & up category:
   Third Place: Ruby Ring

Second Place: Coke Bottles

First Place: Minions (This entry won the grand prize and the Outstanding Eggcellance trophy - the creator was my mom so the trophy is still on our mantel :) )

 Honorable Mentions:
    Mother Duck (Step-dad's entry)

    "Dye-ving" Dudes

    Bert and Ernie (Po's Entry)

    Bee Hive

So ends our 2011 Eggstravaganza. It was a fun event as always. Good food, good competition, and great family! Til next year~

2011 Eggstravaganza Pt. 2: Some Assembly Required

     Can you guess what my egg is going to be?

     How about now?

     Last hint! :P

     Mr. & Ms. Pacman  :D  

 
     Results to come later today. Contest begins in T- 1 hour!

2011 Eggstravaganza Pt. 1: Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% preparation

     It's that time of year again folks. My favorite family tradition: our annual Eggstravaganza. This event is right up my alley -  it's family togetherness that feeds my lust for good competition. A fierce contest to see which family members have the creative genius coupled with the mechanical know-how to decorate the best Easter egg of the year. 

    The challenge: Decorate an egg worthy of awards using dye, craft supplies, food stuffs, etc.

    The payoff: Various accolades, bragging rights (leaving your competition with egg on their face!) and the coveted "Outstanding Eggcellence" award, given to the best egg overall. (Note: The "Outstanding Eggcellence" trophy has graced my family's mantel every year since it's inauguration)

    This year's twist: each family is assigned a color they must incorporate in their concept. My clan's color you ask? Yellow - the color of victory!! Which fits PERFECTLY into my egg idea, even before I knew about the twist.

     Now, I can't reveal my concept just yet. The competition is still a day away and there may be spies afoot. But I'm a generous blogger and will bestow a hint to my readers: It involves two hollowed out eggs, Mardi Gras beads, a nervous bunny Peep, and the secret ingredient, nostalgia. 

     This year the eggs must be completed before the event starts. In years past, the event was decorating your egg in the company of family. But Eggstravaganza 2011 is heading straight to the lightning round. 

     I had mixed feelings about this. I do enjoy sizing up my competition and sabotagi.... I mean, seeing everyone's progress before the judging. On the other hand, many a victory has been lost due to poor time management and lack of preparation. A genius idea is worthless if it can't be executed (or should I say, eggsecuted). So yesterday my humble household began our preliminary preparation. Accompanied by the fizzing noise of dye tablets bubbling with vinegar, we mapped out our designs, our necessary accessories scrambled together and gave a hand to each other when needed. Now, it's not customary for competitors (there are no friends or family in games or egg decorating contests) to assist one another, but my mom, step-dad and I all agreed it was important to keep that gloriously tacky egg-shaped trophy under our roof. So I enlisted the use of one of my step-dad's many, many, many power tools (I forget the name of this particular contraption, so for the sake of this post it will be known as the Egg Cutter). This fantastic piece of machinery cuts with such delicate precision - it took out a large chunk of the egg shell without damaging the rest or causing cracks. With my two identically sized eggs hollowed out, I offered them a soothing soak in the yellow dye. Today I'll buy the rest of my necessary supplies and complete my egg. As well as help my love with his egg! (Sappy tangent: I'm so thrilled to have my Po take part for the first time in this family tradition ~_~  He makes my life sunny-side up!)

   Now I must say, after seeing what my mom and step-dad have planned, I already have stiff competition. My knack for nostalgia has its work cut out for it facing my mom's penchant for pop-culture and my step-dad's craftsman capabilities.

    But with two days prep, my concept should prove to be a Grade A Large contender. Omelet-ting you know right now, I'm not going down without a fight!

    Over-easy and out.

30 things you may or may not know about me

1. I am in love with Kristin Chenoweth. Seriously. I have the most celebrity dreams about her. The perfect day would include me and Cheno on a beach in Boca, piña colada in hand, dishing about music, life and who we hate on Broadway. Oh, and she'd let me wear her Glinda crown ~_~

2. Though I don't drink, I own a continually growing Martini glass collection.

3. My burst appendix is encased in glass and somewhere at the U of U.

4. My favorite flavor is lemon.

5. I played an award winning role as a mayfly in a high school comedy sketch that got great reviews. "BZZZZ"

6. I'm dyslexic.

7. Easter is my favorite holiday.

8. Sunflowers make me happy.

9. I lost a spelling bee misspelling the word "misspell."

10. I'm allergic to fruit. (insert joke at your own convenience)

11. Some of my nicknames include, but are not limited to: terwillerger, pookie, Mutch, Mitchell Delores (coined by my aunt), Little M and my personal favorite, Junior Mint.

12. Cheddar Goldfish Crackers are my ideal snack-food.

13. The first book I ever read on my own was Rainbow Fish. Share your glittering scales!

14. I'm an avid gamer. Card games, video games, board games, mind games.... And I'm horribly competitive at them all.

15. I have two designated "rainy day movies:" Clue and Young Frankenstein.

16. After taking a Disney Princess Personality test (don't look at me like that - we were bored that night and I wasn't the only guy to take it) I found out I am most like Ariel. I can't sing, I can't swim, and I'm not stupidly rebellious. Yes, it is truly a cornucopia of similarities.

17. I am in possession of my very own bowling ball, Pinkiller. (complete with ChainChomp ball cozy)

18. Out of my 114 friends on facebook, I am really only friends with 41 of them.

19. I got the coveted role of Alvin, from Alvin and the Chipmunks, in the 6th grade Christmas Play.

20. I have a phobia of being burned. That's why I don't learn to cook :P

21. Candara is my favorite font.

22. I thank God everyday that my parents got divorced.

23. There is an imprint of an axle from a hot wheels match box car on my forehead, courtesy of my sister. Love ya sis!

24. If I could have any Super Mario minion as a pet, it would be Boo.

25. I only eat pickles one day out of the year.

26. My favorite animal is the Octopus. Followed closely by the Duck-billed Platypus.

27. I'm in love :)

28. I'll take any excuse I can to dress up. 

29. I'd do anything for my friends and family cause they have done so much for me.

30. I don't believe in luck.

Can you hear me down here?

     *Psst* Over here. No, not there - here. Down here. Hi! It's me. Looked right over my head didn't you? That's ok. It happens all the time. What can be expected when I'm a 22 year old guy who stands at a modest 5 feet 6 inches. It's natural to overlook a man who doesn't fall into the typical tier of "manly." Since a young age, my slight stature was always brought to the center of attention.And as I grew older (but not taller) the attention progressed into teasing. "Shrimp" they'd call me. "MiniMe." "Hobbit Kid." Albeit clever, I did my best to let the gym-class-jeering roll off my back. After all, it's easy to let things roll off one's back when they don't have that far until they hit the ground. Yet, a nasty side affect of teasing couldn't help but occur; stifled under the weight of not being taken seriously, I lost my gumption, my fortitude, my voice. 
     Through the years I learned to embrace my diminutive presence. And when I say "embrace" I mean self deprecate. But in the fun, wacky way. Akin to "when the world laughs at you, laugh along." Beating people to the punch of pointing out my own vertical limitations became a nice self-defense mechanism. And while on the surface the self-made jabs were light hearted - created with a smile - underlying was a sense of apology. Like, "Hey everyone! Look at me - I'm short! :D And I'm really sorry you have to interact with me :/" Until one day, in the midst of getting to know a group of people I'd be spending everyday with, my routine song-and-dance-of-shortness was met with a come back that helped melt away the lackluster view of myself:
     "You're just fun sized."
     Fun sized. I like it I thought to myself. All of a sudden, a fact of life I couldn't change went from a punch-line to a niche. Yes, I'm a short, skinny, perpetually awkward young adult, and I'm really ok with it. It's a trait that accentuates who I am and lends me notice. Some people have a third nipple, some women have carnival-worthy facial hair, I'm short. It's something that lets you pick me out from a crowd. (As long as I'm not in the center of said crowd). 
     By this point, you must be wondering: And you're prattling on about your height becaaaaause...... Well dear friend, my point is that the way the world perceives my outward appearance directly affects my inner core. How I feel, think and react to the world around me. Sometimes positive. Sometimes negative. But it doesn't stop at my own transformation. The shape I internalize from my environment can be externalized to shape the things around me. Hence this nifty little blog. A place I can recapture my voice and share my perspectives - from where I stand - of the world we all share. 
     I won't go as far to say that my blog (entitled with clever word play, if I do say so myself) will be earth-shattering and life-changing. To say that would have me cross the line from "Humble Hobbit Kid" to "Captain Napoleon Complex." The Low-Down is an arena in which I can muse. And my musings will range from controversial, to deep, to light-hearted, to frothy whimsy.
     Your job is to just read, whether you are moved to comment or not. Whether my words stick in your head or fall out of memory within the hour. I'm here to stay.


     They say big things come in small packages. Gosh, I hope they're right.