Disney Store Tsum Tsum! The Japanese Phenomenon

I became familier with Tsum Tsums a few weeks ago when my brother Steven bought me this really cute Winnie the Pooh tsum tsum from the Burbank CA Disney Store.

These cute stack-able tsum tsums are a Japanese hit, and thanks to this popularity they've come to the USA.  I haven't seen them yet in Utah (I've recently visited both the Disney Store at the Orem University Mall and City Creek in Salt Lake.)

But isn't Pooh adorable!!??

And no sooner then Steven giving me this plush I saw a commercial on the Disney Channel all about them!  (Haven't seen this commercial before or sense, ironically.) ( . . . and yes, I'm 32, and I watch Dog with a Blog and Girl Meets World . . . ) But in the commercial they showed many more tsum tsums that can be purchased.

If you can't buy them in your area, the Online Disney Store has tsum tsums for sale.

The Online Japan Disney Store has other tsum tsum varieties not available yet in the USA.

Check out the cuteness!

I don't mind the occasional cuteness overload:0)

(The commercial I saw.  Yes, I took a picture with my cell.)

Below is a video of YouTuber LorienSpree opening an order from Japan.

And here's a commercial advertising the Line Tsum Tsum phone app game.

I downloaded it for free from the app store, but I guess you need a Line account to fully get it going, which I haven't done yet.  Not sure where to go for that, but it looks like fun.

This is the game opener.

More cuteness abounds!

And if you don't feel like buying them, but would rather make a tsum tsum, I found a great tutorial from YouTuber BudgetHobby.

Really creative.

Though for $4.95 I would rather buy one :0)

So if you don't like all things cute, you may not like tsum tsums.

As for me, I'm embarrassing the adorable!

Getting Into the Fifa World Cup Spirit, from a Nerds Point of View

 I'm a bit of a nerd.

For the longest time I thought I was more geek then nerd (I know many people think they're about the same, but this isn't the blog post for that), but after conversations with my family I've realized I was in nerd-denial.

I am a nerd.

Bona fide.  100%.  Classic textbook.

In short, if I had a choice of going to a sports game vs. spending several hours in a library or bookstore, I'd choose the books.

(Unless it's baseball, in that case bring on the hot dogs and Cracker Jacks.)

That being said, I've been trying to branch out a little.  See if I might like sports beyond the Olympics, Ice Skating, or occasional minor league baseball game, so I picked a sport to try a couple months ago, Soccer, thanks to the Real Salt Lake team who are quite popular here.

It's interesting, but I'm not quite hooked yet.  As far as I can tell people run back and forth trying to make a single point.  2 points in a professional game is really good.  Just running back and forth.  (You can fast forward a game and get the gist.)  I know!!  Not giving the experience what it's worth!  Not giving soccer a true try.

I've heard that seeing a game in person is a lot better then watching it on TV.  That's surely the case for baseball.  I want to catch at least one live Real Salt Lake game this season before making my assessment on soccer, then I'll try out another sport.  Salt Lake Jazz?  Maybe.

(I just Googled "Salt Lake Jazz" to add a link, but discovered a Jazz music festival in Salt Lake this July instead.  I love jazz.)

Anyway, enter the Fifa World Cup!

I've watched most of the games so far.  Accomplishment.  (Granted, some of the games were fast forwarded, but I did go back to watch goals and referee calls.)

When I wrote on Twitter, "Just finished watching the #WorldCup2014 game between Brazil and Croatia. Congrats to Brazil. Still thinking about that yellow card . . ." a few days ago, my brother Steven wrote:

"Still shocked that you are still watching..."

Then Robbie wrote: "Impressed."

Come on, this isn't any stranger then my Dad getting into NASCAR!

Though, gotta admit, watching cars spin off the track is pretty fun.

But I was suddenly reminded of this picture.

Place: Bee's baseball game in Salt Lake.

What: Robbie and Michael playing their Nintendo DS's instead of watching, and being quite proud of the fact.

When: Many moons ago, aka years.

I asked Robbie yesterday if he wanted to watch the Argentina team, and he declined!  Choosing to watch a Star Trek marathon instead!  (It did make me nostalgic over Star Trek Voyager, and a realization that I should watch all of Deep Space Nine.)

That being said, I am actually enjoying the World Cup.  Fast forwarding aside.

The game between The Netherlands and Spain was really good.  Sad Japan lost their game.  Happy Argentina won theirs.

And the USA game is about to start!  They're playing Ghana.  (I'll be watching that tonight.)

June 22nd is Portugal

June 26 is Germany.

So far the jury's still out, but I'm giving Soccer a fair chance, and learning a little something along the way :0)

New USA Harry Potter Forever Stamps 2013

Last week I noticed on the USPS, United States Postal Service, website that the USA issued on November 19, 2013 a new Harry Potter booklet with 20 different stamps spanning all seven films.  Being the stamp collector/Postrossing lover I am, I had to buy them . . . three booklets worth.  One booklet to keep unused for my collection, and the other two for postcards.

One booklet is priced at $9.20, the cost of 20 Forever stamps.

I absolutely love the design and layout of these stamps!

 The back side of the booklet.

 With stamps I really love, I like to get a First Day of Issue canceled envelope.  Usually when you by them you have to get all 20, or whatever is in that set, but I can't afford the $32 price tag.  I always get the DCP covers, Digital Color Postmarks, instead of the black and white cancellations, because I love the designs and art of the colored postmarks.  They're more interesting to look at.

Luckily there is a set where you can buy a single booklet with a randomly placed DCP first day of issue envelope for $10.95.  I couldn't resist.  I'm so lucky to have gotten Ginny Weasley.

I bought my stamps off the USPS website because, with the Holidays, I didn't want to stand in line, and the local post office has a habit of running out of the good/popular forever stamps.  I didn't want to take a chance.

I hope the USPS continues to do more stamp booklets like this with fun themes.