Sometimes, judging a book by its cover can be disastrous. Other times, it can be hilarious.
Fortunately, they were able to transform into their gelatinous yogurt forms milliseconds before the explosion. The fireball and sonic concussion did not affect them as they poured their forms down the rainwater drain.
“That was too close,” said Keylime Kicker, “We barely made it out of there.”
“Yeah,” said Coconut Chopper after they had all returned to their full-bodied, pet-like forms, “How did our arch enemy, Deep-fried Pork Rind, know that we would all be together at that exact location and time?”
“I don’t know,” replied Blueberry Back-kicker, “But that was way too close for comfort.”
[Announcer]: Will our heroes find out how the bad guy, Deep-fried Pork Rind, discovered their secret location?
Do they have a hidden mole in their group?
Will they allow this incident to stop them from leasing out their services to help people in their town?
Find out on the next episode of “KARATE YOGURT PETS FOR LEASE!”
Wait…wait…wait….
I thought this was a blog about music and helping people look at the world with positivity. What is this nonsense about karate yogurt pets for lease?
Sometimes, I talk too much. I know that I have the “Gift of gab,” but that doesn’t give me the excuse to talk incessantly or ad nauseam.
Working in an amusement park has helped me taper the length of my babbling to a few minutes per guest. It has also helped me to listen to what is being asked by the guests, instead of spewing information on what I think they need to know.
The majority of questions, by guests, are focused on locations. “Where is Diagon Alley?” “How do I get to the ET ride?” “Can I walk to Hogsmede from here, or am I required to take the train?”, and the most asked question, “How do I get to the exit?”
If I am working in the SanFran/London area of the park, I happily walk with the guests and tell them that, since I have been called a “Muggle”, by people walking around with wands and robes, that all I can do is take them to the area by a big purple bus, and direct them towards a wall that I have seen people walk through.
They usually respond with, “Oh my gosh. We walked by here three times and had no idea that this was the entrance.”
They will typically thank me, gather their family, and then disappear from London.
I enjoy helping them and being a bit of an entertainer too.
What I enjoy mostly is that the guests, as well as many of my fellow team members, have no idea that I am a trumpet player with talent beyond the, “Oh, yeah, I played trumpet in high school and was first chair. I never really learned to read music and played mostly by ear. But, I was really good”, level of trumpet playing. They have no idea the burning and yearning to perform that is inside of me.
They see someone walking around an amusement park with a broom, dustpan, and a silly smile on his face while sweeping up trash, emptying trash cans, and cleaning toilets. I love doing the job, I chose to do it, and I have a lot of fun performing my duties. As a matter of fact, I plan on performing my job for a long time into the future.
How does all of this tie in with leasing out pets that are of yogurt quality while helping the town with their karate skills?
Well, it is simply a reminder that not everything is as it seems on the surface. We shouldn't judge a book by its cover. (Insert all of the folk sayings that you can think of about not jumping the gun on making up your mind too early)
Some of my fellow team members have had other careers that include military service, teaching, science, and for some, working at the amusement park is their first and only job. Each person has a story that is unique and interesting.
Since many things are not as they seem on the surface, let me explain the “Karate Yogurt Pets For Lease” title.
I try to make sense of things that may not make sense to others. Many times, I look for patterns, commonalities, in random objects or situations. Other times, I take things at face value and enjoy the comedic value of the scene.
A lot of times, when we are working on something, we are so focused on what we are doing directly in front of us that we fail to see how it looks in the big picture.
For example.
If I were playing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb, on the B-flat trumpet (first movement) and only focused on hitting the run-up to the high E-flat, I would be missing out on the flourish that happens before the higher note is reached. I would be missing out on the melodic phrasing that allows that note to sit on top of a phrase, as opposed to making it the most important part of the phrase. Too many times, I have seen young trumpet players become frustrated when they miss the high E-flat and therefore think that they have ruined the rest of the piece.
We need to step back and look at the whole picture and see how the small parts fit in.
That brings me to the title of this blog.
Over 30 years ago, while we still lived in Indiana, a line of shops located on West Washington Street (by the old Kmart for those of you familiar with the area) displayed words on the outside facade describing the offerings of each shop.
Reading them from left to right, consumers could study Karate, enjoy the yummy taste of yogurt, buy a pet, or lease a storefront.
Therefore, if I could be so bold as to judge a book by its cover, I felt that I should have been able to go into the shops and lease a pet that was made out of yogurt that knew karate.
So, with the help of AI, I have presented the image of the “Karate Yogurt Pets For Lease.”
P.S. The corny story about the Karate Yogurt Pets was all mine. No AI helped me with that one.