As some of you may know, I have been posting a boatload about toys over the past three or four months, I still have four more posts to write, but I wonder if this one isn’t a fitting end to the series, if if a bit preemptive. Cogdog has been chiding me all along about my toy posts, as have many others, suggesting they aren’t real blogging—the very banter I love —and in the spirit of fun-loving abuse, CogDog wrote this tweet:
So, in order to escalate the banter, my son Miles and I took a look at Cogdog’s real Matchbox cars and made a plea for a playdate in the form of a video:
No question this is a shameless plea, and Cogdog not only took it in stride and enjoyed my strategic use of my children to make a point. He actually one-upped me again by actually sending some of his childhood toy cars to Miles (and I think the second video makes clear that Tessy understood the bubble wrap was hers to eat):
This is silly and all, but more than anything this is why I continue to have faith in what I do, and why I continue to do it. Very few people live the idea of giving and sharing on such a deeply personal level as Alan Levine, and he remains a real teacher and mentor in this regard. When I think about all the toy posts over the last few months, I think this was the very reason I did it, to foster those connections with my distributed friends that are so real and present to me on a daily basis. So thanks Alan for making this insanity so much fun, and Miles really does love the cars, we are planning to make a movie with them today, which will hopefully act as a follow-up post, and serve to ensure we are putting the toys to good use 
Yep, the community we have created through tools such as Twitter and blogs and the like is extraordinary. And the fact that we can pass along joy so easily and efforlessly in the process? ftw.
Which reminds me, I have a hockey stick that I need to send to Dave Cormier. Many years ago, when my sons were the age that his young man is now, he chided me via Skype for being a controlling, un-fun parent when I removed (and hid) a hockey stick they were using to each thwap each other. I have kept it tucked away ever since, waiting to pass it on to Dave. Hmmmmmm.
Maybe you should get Mr Cormier and CogDog to come to FacAcad this year and we could have a big ole toy swop? Oooh the possibilities. And tell Tess there will be bubble wrap in there for her as well.
Happy New Year to all!
Let’s see if there is a video response in the tubes soon.
And for the record, I never thought the toy blog posts took away from the regular channel, it all fits and was epic in scale.
Happiest new year to the entire Groom clan!
PS I have a whole box full of bubble wrap, Tess- who shows in the video she is a savvy gal.
T
When can we do the looting?