Chinito

I received an *anonymous* request to write a special blog for a special someone. A stuffed bear, to be exact. His name is Chinito, for his synthetic curly fur, and he really is a mischievious bear. He showed up at my apartment late one night, hand-delivered by Ricardo, and since then, he has acquired quite a personality. I think I'm more impressed with Ricardo's acting ability than anything, but I'm telling you, it's like Chinito comes alive, crazy as that sounds.

He has a fiesty grunt of a voice, and for all his gruffness he's a sensitive soul. He likes soccer, cartoons, tequila, cuddling, and... beef. He gets a bit ruffled when I don't pay him enough attention, so I decided to honor him in this blog (he can become a little jealous of Carnita, who was featured last month). If this sounds too odd to you, it may be an indicator that (a) you need to lighten up and get a stuffed animal of your own to bestow a personality upon, (b) you don't identify with my own (unique) personality, or (c) you haven't met Chinito. Whatever the case, Chinito exists and he is a darling, thoughtful bear.

For instance, while I was in Portland last weekend, I received a picture text message from him, saying he missed me and was going to play soccer in the park, with his fuzzy face filling the screen of my cell phone. How could I not love this bear? It almost makes me forget the many times he's threatened to eat Carnita. No bear is perfect, or vegetarian for that matter, so I love him as he is. However, if he eats Carnita, I will send him packing to Ricardo's.