Saturday, December 19, 2015

HolyDaze are upon us!

The Holydaze of December are upon us.



It’s NOT just Christmas in December.  Diversity gives us more to celebrate.   It’s Chanukah, Boxing Day, Bodhi Day,  Yalda,  Yule, Winter Solstice, The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,  Feast of St. Nicholas,  Pancha Ganapati Kwanzaa, Hogmanay , Dongzhi Festival, New Year’s Eve. No matter how hard I try to list all the celebrations of December, I’m going to miss one or a dozen.  Then there are the fictional or parody December holidaze:  Festivus, Decemberween, Feast of Alvis, Wintersday, Hogswatch.  

Little Savage celebrates whenever, where-ever, whatever!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Cartoon of the Month - September


This is a cartoon from my new book “This is NOT a Cook Book”.  I think there are at least a dozen pages on coffee. . .    good for you, bad for you, then good for you again, like eggs and butter and chocolate . . . . I’m moderating.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Don't Call Me Ma'am

Don’t call me “Ma'am” unless I look like I’m over 65. Even then, Sir, doesn't every woman wants to think she’s not past her "sell-by date.”   If you're my waiter and  you want a big tip from me,  call me “Miss”.  If you're a shoe salesman and you want me to buy those shoes, say, "Can I help you Miss"?   At the check-out counter, if you want a big smile,  DON'T CALL ME MA'AM!  I'm willing to bet most women still love being called a “Miss".   It's subtle . . .  it's flattering, it's like you just said, "You're still attractive.” 

I LOVE the guy at the Post Office who says, “Hello Young Lady”.   He’s from the South and he doesn’t call me “Ma’am”.   He knows something a lot of gentlemen don't.   

When you say “Thank you Ma’am.” I cringe and my inner voice screams "I’m NOT my old Aunt Edna!!  I’m NOT my mother"   It's like a poke in the eye , a term of non-endearment and everything it represents.    It's a moniker reserved for women of a "certain age",  but there's an undercurrent of something derogatory in it.  What is the exact age at which a woman becomes “Ma’am” and not “Miss”?   30? 40? 50? 60? 70? Does it mean I'm a married woman not a single woman?   Why must age and status enter into a casual relationship with a stranger?  Ok, Mister.  I’m not your mother or your boss, the Queen or your teacher.   


How do I correct those nice young men at the checkout, at the bank?  I don't.   I’m not allowed to say anything unless I can figure out a way not to sound snarky or sound like I have a chip on my shoulder.   Just five years ago, I was still being carded when I bought a bottle of wine, which meant  I appeared to look 28 or younger.  That is a stretch but I liked it.  Somehow, it made me feel more relevant in this youth obsessed culture.   And, exactly when did youth become the pedestal upon which we all must live, gauge our self worth?  Our culture does not affirm the glories of older women.  Men with grey hair look "distinguished", women with grey hair, over the hill.   I resent this, yes I do.

When I was 28, making my living in the entertainment business, a director told me, "You ain't no spring chicken".   OMG, I'm over the hill at 28?!!  I'll be wearing polyester and hobbling along the street with a cane in no time.  And why do we say "28 years OLD"?  Why isn't is "28 years YOUNG"?  

This brings up the topic of Age-ism, which is rampant, especially in the ole US of A -- and it somehow seems more imposing if you're female -- or if you're in certain professions where the 20 somethings receive most of the adulation and attention  Nearly every popular magazine shows svelte young women, air brushed, too thin, professionally  made up and super-groomed.   We are obsessed with celebrity and youth.  Birthday cards are often jokes about "getting older."  Articles on how the years have not been kind to certain "celebs", their cellulite and flab exposed to the world; shame on them for not retaining their youth.   The cosmetics and plastic surgery industry, injecting face parts with botulinum toxin, fad diets, brain supplements, all support the myth that youthful beauty means you're desirable, hip, and valued.

I do believe that living well, thinking well, eating well, and being well improves the aging process.  If we're lucky enough we have the privilege of living a long, healthy, rich and fulfilling life and we might deserve a certain degree of respect.  Our entire culture seems to have forgotten that elders might be wise productive members of society.  We put them out to pasture in granny farms, reinforcing age as something to hide away, remove from view.   The graceful aging process doesn't deserve to be reduced to "Ma'am" --  an aberration of the French "Madame" which has some air of dignity and authority to it.  Kiss my hand and call me "Madame" with a French accent, that somehow  feels different.  Then again, "Madam" can refer to an older woman who manages a brothel, escort service or some other form of prostitution,  What about "My Lady"?   Ooooh, how 18th century romantic.  

Hey maybe some women feel "Ma'am" connotes respect. They're proud of their Ma'am-ness.   Well  . . .  not  for me, “Ma'am” does the opposite.

Is it the same for men?  If a man is  called “Sir” or "Mister" does that mean they’ve hit THAT AGE of not being youthful, virile and vibrant- i.e., past your prime, no longer full of potential, hopes, dreams?    In the military, in school, or if you’re not on a first name basis with your boss, maybe "Yes, Sir!" is required . .. But in street clothes,  does “Sir”  make you feel better, more distinguished? Maybe it does for men.    Maybe it denotes authority and respect?   And, we've been trained to trust the image of the white, grey haired white male more than any other demographic in the USA.  These are usually the most influential leaders in politics, business, military, in all areas of life.  Maybe it's because they remind us of "Daddy'.    And the "Ma'ams" and "Madams" are old women who are regarded as well . . . old.   This might be different for transgender folk.

I'm not talking about political correctness, eliminating or creating gender neutral forms of address. I'm talking about what is a kind and polite way to address women in public situations where you don't know their names.   When in doubt, leave it out.   It's easy to say "Thank you" without the "Ma'am".

Abraham Lincoln said, 'In the end it's not the years in your life, but the life in your years."  And Henry Ford, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young."   It's not just about being young at heart, it's having a purpose and a place.   

If I do happen to hobble into your establishment wearing polyester some day and you call me "ma'am", I probably won't give a damn what you say.  I'll have earned my license to speak my mind. In fact, I've earned it already, and I've gotten over it by writing this rant.   But remember . . .  If you don't call me Ma'am, I won't call you "Mister".

PS.  I  discovered this Blog after I wrote this little rant.  Check it out:  "Don't Call Me Ma'am".  It's reassuring that others feel the same. 


Saturday, August 15, 2015

Cartoon of the Month - August


This one’s for all of you having some brain trouble.   This cartoon is in the first edition mini book “This is NOT a Coloring Book”



Savage Beta Brain is tested.and released prematurely.
I’ve  got a bad case of  “CARTOON BRAIN.”  Is it time to unplug and reboot?
This is the latest greatest new improved upgrade? I’m sure I’ve been downgraded.   The more I try to fix it the more it tries to fix me!

When things go wrong, do you wonder if the Operating System is corrupt?

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

What's the Big Secret?

LITTLE SAVAGE:  I just saw the movie “The Secret”.  It’s message seems to be that thoughts are the most powerful things in the Universe.   So....If I think the right thoughts, will the Universe align itself with me, and everything I want will fall from the sky?  If I really feel it and think it, will that shiny new Tesla arrive in my driveway free of charge?   Would this mean that Everything and Everyone are mass hallucinations of each other’s thought processes creating the Universe each according to her/his own reality?   That works for me! 

I am a cartoon.  In my multi-universe, I can have anything I want; anything can happen on the page.  If I fall off the edge and crash, I pop right back up, intact and whole.   I don’t know how it works; it just is.  I’m simply the outward expression of my creator’s thoughts.  That’s the beauty of being a cartoon.  

SAVAGE CREATOR For those of us who are NOT cartoons, here are a few NOT-so-secret pieces of wisdom.  If you find the love in your work and you do the work, the possibilities open up.  Thoughts are powerful things: your attitude,  sense of purpose and resilience do matter.  Small successes build upon each other,.  Mistakes are simply part of the learning curve and are often the best teacher.  Redefine your work, play and embrace it.  Love it. Love it Love it. . The more present you are, the happier you are. Everything is NOT your fault (nor the other person’s).  Leaping tall buildings in a single bound is for super heros and cartoons.  It does happen occasionally. The more you are willing to do for your dream, the greater the possibility you will make it come true, with a little help from your friend the Universe.  Ask not what your dream can do for you, but what you can do for your dream. The “how” tends to reveal itself if you’re paying attention and doing the work. “WORK?!!”  Is that idea going to sell? 


Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with having the “good life”.  Give us this day our daily bread, roof, health and needed implements.   But, if it’s more things you want, rather than the good you can do with your abundance, think about that for a minute.  Aren’t things just part of the clutter? Ever see the “Story of Stuff”?   Things are only good if they’re being used for something good.   Accumulating  things for the sake of it, or because you want the hottest new car because some advertiser sold you on it . . . . what is that?    WHY do you want it? What will you use it for?   Your ego gratification?  Ever hear of GREED or wanting more than you NEED.  What about ENOUGH?  Is it really all about YOU?  What about US?  Is your dream about stuff and fluff, or is it bigger than that?  End of transmission.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Channeling My Comic Self.

My housemate said she thinks I’m a cartoon.  Does this mean she think's I’m not living in the real world?

Well, I don’t like the Real World, but I especially don’t like Digital World - where I can be replicated perfectly.  That's identity theft.

How many hours a day do you spend in front of a two-demensional device replying to digital bits and bytes?   Does what goes on in digital reality stay in digital reality?   Really?  Is it real? How do you know?  When the digital world becomes holographic and virtual reality seems more real than reality, what will be true?

I don't believe in digital reality  Even hard copy isn't proof that it exists.  Hard copy is a print out of a bunch of ones and zeros organized in a machine to represent something -  merely a symbol - not the actual reality. Digital world is living on the bleeding edge of non existence.  One giant degaussing and POOF! All gone. 
  
I prefer to live in Analog World, where things are wavy and bendy.   I am hand-made, raw, unhomegenized

I am channeling my comic Self.   Reality is what I can get away with.

I really do like being a cartoon.  

From "This is NOT a Coloring Book" Complete Edition ©2015 Penny Little

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Write on!

After yesterday's whine about "No body reads anymore" it's obviously NOT true, because it provoked several responses of "I read".  Yay!  It just goes to show "What people say" is not always true.

I read --  voraciously, and I write even more voraciously -- every day.  First thing when I get up, I write.  I strongly advise everyone to do the same.  Write down your dreams.  Write down your wild or silly thoughts.  Write down two lines of poetry; who knows it may become something more than that.  Write down your to-do lists.   While books can be your mentors to guide and keep you company, writing solidifies your thoughts & organizes the Multi-verses. 

When I decided to draw my life in pictures instead of words as part of my journal process way back in the early 90's, it soon became apparent that words are insistent critters.  I would draw about a dozen illustrations every morning, a reflection of what was going on in my life at the time. Thought bubbles began to appear, characters developed a life of their own-- and soon after that, I had all these cartoons taking over my room.

I am reminded of the time I had decided I would not write songs anymore -- "NO MORE WORDS!" I proclaimed to God, the Universe.  "Words and lyrics are NOT pure music.  I will write only instrumental music."     Within seconds, I was scrabbling for a piece of paper, a napkin - anything - and a pen.  Words came pouring into my head, "I know you don't want to remember me, I'm in your head, your heart and your family."   



The Skepticat is watching me.   I have no clue what he's thinking.   What do you think about all this?

Thursday, May 7, 2015

You have to write a book. You have to blog. blah blah blah

People tell me:  “No one reads anymore”.

So why bother writing?  Why write a book? Why write a blog?  I’m marinating this thought.  One more "should" do.  Even though no one reads,  everyone can now be a writer, a blogger or have a book!  For free!  It only costs you some time.  It’s like having a business card.  Just having that little piece of card and a web URL isn’t good enough anymore.  You have to write a BOOK!   

And, if everyone is writing, no one is reading, how can you get your story heard above the din?   Scream louder? Make a better sound byte?  Put cat videos on YouTube?  What?!!!  I CAN'T HEAR YOU!  Just click on the cat... he won’t mind. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLFd9-FPBek

OK, so I'm whining a bit. 


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Ticket from the Universe

This may not be funny, and it's not really from "Little Savage".   It's simply a short true story.  Today, I issued a “Ticket from the Universe” to a guy who took my parking space just as I was parking.   

I had my indicator on, pulled up beside the car in front of the only space on the block, in what is a deliberate display of intention to park. This guy in a brand new black Mercedes C class pulled into my spot, right behind me as I was backing into it. 

At first I was really pissed off, I turned and pointed to the driver then me.  When realized the MB driver wasn’t budging, I drove around the corner and parked. I started to cry, but then my anger kicked back in.  I wanted to call him an asshole. He had no clue what I was going through, that this tiny little smidgeon on the event horizon was about to be a catalyst for my deep sorrow about the state of the world, the universe and everything that was wrong in my life.  

Instead of diving into that mental space, I decided to pull up to my Higher Instincts.  I got out a piece of bright pink post-its and wrote.  “This is a Ticket from the Universe.  You need to exercise more kindness.”

That was it. No time to mull over the words. I hurriedly gathered my things, power walked to where my space had been stolen, secretly hoping to confront the driver.  I saw a man and a woman getting out of the car, rushing across the street behind the Lobero Theater.  For all their hurry in parking, it took them several minutes to exit their car.  I was secretly hoping they had had an argument about his bad behavior.


Feeling like an “Angel of Mercy” for the poor woman who had to put up with this guy’s Ass Holiness, I placed the Ticket from the Universe on their windscreen under the wiper blade, wishing I had a bright green City Parking Enforcement envelope in which to place it.