Back and Forth by Broadband.

This picture kind of sums up how I feel when arguing with someone on the internet.  I've decided it's just not worth it, so I don't do it anymore, but I used to spend time arguing with people about silly things that, in general, weren't worth arguing about even in real life.  It's time I wish I'd spent differently.

Right Behind You!

Ever been given good advice too late?  Then you know how frustrating it is.  This picture, taken by Red Yoshi, was immediately followed by him warning me of bad guys right behind me.  Baby Mario hadn't mentioned it.  I gave him some slack because he was a baby, but I still wished he'd pointed it out somehow.  With Red's help we avoided them rather narrowly.  It's amusing in retrospect, but was a little nerve-wracking then.

Recreation Reboot.

This was a picture which we both posed for.  We were going on what Mario called a "safari", and I guess he wanted a sort of "hunter's profiles" picture.  He asked if I wouldn't mind coming along as his mount and friend, so I agreed, without really knowing what I was getting myself into.  After the picture was taken we both started on the hunt, but to this day I don't know what we were actually pursuing.  Turns out neither one of us are any good at it, which frankly didn't surprise me, although Mario seemed a bit stunned.  Seven hours of fruitless searching later, he apologized to me for "wasting the weekend", which I told him not to worry about, and then we went to ice cream (he paid).  I haven't seen that gun he's holding in the photo since.  Whenever I mention it to him, we both have a good laugh.

Party Crasher.

So, this picture is pretty low-resolution, but that's because the photographer (Toad) was snapping it on his phone as he rushed over to try to help us out.  Never let Bowser be player one.  Ever.  Seriously.  Don't.

Cake It on.

This picture was taken after Mario, Luigi, Wario, and myself worked together to rescue Peach and she made us a cake.  It really fits any situation.  Can you think of an inappropriate time for cake?  I can't.  By the way, a close friend of mine celebrates a birthday today.  Another good reason for cake.

Infant Images.

I kind of have a thing for baby pictures.  Obviously I didn't take the one at the bottom, though.

Flavor Follower.

That has occasionally led to stomachache...so I wouldn't really recommend it unless you like risk-taking.

Angler Wrangler.

I suppose I'd take him more seriously if I was in their situation, but, well...he looks more like he needs a makeover than a terrifying villain.  Just sayin'.

Hockey Stock.

Just because something is difficult or improbable doesn't mean it's impossible.  Don't get discouraged by the challenge of doing something, just go out and do it!  If you do it wrong the first time (I caught a cold the first day I played hockey), get up and try again!  Don't ever give up on your passions because they're hard.  Neither Toad nor I "should" be able to play hockey, but so what?  Bees shouldn't be able to fly, but they do.  Go ahead and fly!

Eggstreme Obstacles.

I know that the rules state that everyone has to face equal obstacles, but it still seems counter-intuitive that I can be squashed by a Yoshi egg.  Mario's course doesn't have mega fire flowers that threaten to squash you.  Peach's doesn't have giant cakes that fall on you from the sky.  It makes little sense to me.  At least the recent renovations have made the valley a little less dangerous- now the egg just knocks you over, I think.

Mustache Dash.

I know it seems silly, but it's actually a great way of resolving conflict.  You should try it with your friends sometime!  I also love this picture because it's from around the first time I met Daisy and Waluigi.  Daisy sure has changed since then.  The others, not so much.

Wow Factor.

There's nothing wrong with taking time to smell the roses, or chase after a star, or be with friends, or seek an adventure.  What would life be like if we never saw it as what it is: amazing?  Well, it would still be amazing, but we'd be missing out.

Attention Absence.

This picture doesn't look like it at first, but it's a prime example of out of sync priorities.  We were standing against a picture wall at a fair.  While Baby Mario looked at the cotton candy booth, I did my best to pose for the photograph, which is why I'm sticking my tongue out (the presence of caramel apples nearby helped too).  Anyway, the picture worked out fine, but Baby Mario and I were not communicating too well.  Under other circumstances the photo could have resulted in a redo.  The point is that you should make sure you and your buddy are working together and not just doing your own thing.

Time Waste.

Okay, so I don't want to know who took this picture.  We were all arguing over the name of some place that was going to be called MarioLand, but an argument about that was started, and then it got more heated, and, well, you can see how productive we were...not.  At any rate, I don't want to sound like I'm bashing logical discussion.  Those are great.  It's when emotion trumps reason that things start to sour.  Anyway, I introduced this picture to show you why arguing is a lame waste of time.  Don't emulate my friends and me.  We've since made up, after all, it was 14 years ago or so.

Canine Comrade.

I hadn't thought about this until the Explainer Box Guy (I don't know his name) pointed it out to me.  Poochy must be pretty strong to be able to hold me and Baby Mario on his back.  He's a good dog, and you should get to know him, if you haven't already.  I don't own him (you and I have already talked about that) but he's a really cool friend.

Hooray Plié.

Everyone has one.  When's the last time you did yours?  I do mine when:

• I'm with friends
• I have a box of kittens
• Cheesecake
• Someone sings "When Can I See You Again?", by Owl City
• People give me cookies
• I win a Mario Party
• I win anything else
• My friends throw me a party
• I'm throwing friends a party
• It's my birthday
• It's Mario's birthday
• It's Luigi's birthday
• It's Peach's birthday
• It's everyone else's birthday
• Someone understands my movie reference
• Peopl
• Etc., etc., etc.

So enjoy life!  There's a lot to celebrate!

Context Reflects Respect.

Make sure that when you hear a story you always get both sides.  I may be riding over a volcano, but I think we can conclude that my circumstances and Gandalf's weren't even in the same category.

Eeek! Speak.

In my defense, I was still working on learning the language.  English is hard!  If it's your second language, you know what I'm talking about!

Life Is Beautiful.

Let me tell you something.  Your world is a wonderful place.  It's vibrant, colorful, high definition, and best of all, it can't be hacked.  You're a very special person on a very special planet, and there's a reason for that.  If you don't know what it is yet, trust me, it's even more amazing than you'll ever guess by yourself!

Greener Candy Grass.

Okay, so in reality that would have been totally irresponsible.  We were tempted, though.  We visit on weekends sometimes (and whenever Bowser's castle starts making more noise than usual).

Reptile Racer.

I'm kidding.  I'm a good driver.  Really.

Stamp Champ.

Maybe yours does.  All I know is that if you do a job you should act like you love it even if you don't.  That's how you get a better job, after all.

Movie Malfunction.

Does anyone else do this?  I find myself having a debate with the director, producer, studio manager, and the CGI person whenever I see a movie that doesn't resemble the book in anything but title.  WHY DO THEY DO THAT?!?

Game Shame.

Nobody in this picture is very proud of it.  Yes, it was a game.  Yes, it was just for fun.  No, we weren't being purposefully malicious.  But come on!  Why on earth did we think this was the best way to spend our time?  No game should cause harm to others.  Period.

Outlook Book.

Do you go into your work with a can-do perspective, or are you defeated before you even leave the gate?  To a large extent, it's up to you.  Choose the right attitude, and you'll be surprised at what you can do (like defeat Bowser).

You're Needed.

Yes.  It's about time we acknowledged your contribution to our work.  We wouldn't be able to accomplish much of anything without you, so thanks for helping us.  Thanks to you, we've been rescuing princesses, saving babies, collecting stars, and making friends since as far back as 1981.

Shell-Mail.

Ever had an angry driver behind you who, when you looked in the rear view mirror, locked eyes with you?  This picture, taken by Lakitu of course, is one of those "revealing moments" in my life.  I didn't know I looked quite that intense when throwing shells.  It makes me think about how it's generally wise to avoid angry drivers, because if I had to face someone doing this, I'd be getting out of the way as quickly as possible.

Missed by a Minute.

I love friendly visits, but they can be timed awkwardly.  This picture comes from when Mario was rushing out the door, and he nearly ran into my egg not because I was visiting, but because someone had moved me (or maybe I rolled over there by accident, I don't know) right in front of his front door.  Anyways he "knocked", and I wasn't sure what to say besides "Hi, neighbor!"  So that's why you should always plan your visits.  Yeah...

Back to You.

I never dreamed that the brothers my friends and I saved would help rescue baby Yoshis in the future.  It's like the old saying, "You reap what you sow".  When you do the right thing for others, you never know how it may eventually come back to you.  You often meet cool people along the way, too.

Passion Dash.

I simply love what I do.  Working with my best friend, thwarting evil plans, saving people, it's just what I enjoy.  Those experiences I've gained by doing it have helped me to become way different than I was 20 years ago.  It's been fun, mostly...with the major exception of that one time Mario and I fell out of a tree, but that's a different story.