Tag Archives: panda kindergarten

31 Days of Pandas: Day 21 and my Annual Review

Wow, we are two thirds of the way through 31 Days of Pandas! It is also the night of the solstice, which is the longest night of the year, unless of course, you live in the southern hemisphere, in which case it is the longest day of the year. Go figure. It’s all a little yin and yang to me, which reminds me of pandas, of course. (Okay, quiet in the cheap seats. I know everything reminds me of pandas! Do you have a problem with that?)

And speaking of pandas, here we go with the next episode of The Case of the Picturesque Panda! Huzzah!

Hmmm...what possibly could be in those large, painting sized crates that Babette has had loaded onto the S.S. Tipandic ocean liner?

Hmmm…what possibly could be in those large, painting sized crates that Babette has had loaded onto the S.S. Tipandic ocean liner? And should we be worried that the captain is a polar bear?

I just wanted to add a little reminder that you have a mere 10 more days to order any of the Panda Chronicle Books or Pandamorphosis and have a portion of the profits go to Pandas International. You know you want them, so don’t wait, okay?

Additionally, the National Zoo in Washington DC is inviting people to print, photograph, and post on twitter, the National Zoo’s version of the flat panda. I propose printing, photographing and posting pandas from my paper panda page (especially Princess Pinky) and tweeting them to the NZ at   and use the hashtag #FlatPanda. Feel free to tweet them to me as well @PandaChronicle or @NoirPandas  Here are a few examples of the travels of Babette:

Babette visiting her good friend Po, before Po's trip to China

Babette visiting her good friend Po, before Po’s trip to China

Babette at the ice skating rink in Rockefeller center a few years ago with her good friend Frances A.

Babette at the ice skating rink in Rockefeller center a few years ago with her good friend Frances A.

And now….

The Year in Review…

If you are just here for the pandas, you can stop reading here, and go look at pictures of pandas on Facebook or wherever pandas congregate on the internet. But this has been a year of challenges and changes for me and I felt the need, on this long night of the solstice, to take a look back and reflect on the accomplishments as well as the sorrows.

I wrote a rough draft of my year in review, by way of a challenge from Chris Guillebeau over at The Art of Non-Conformity.  The idea of writing an annual review is something I’ve wanted to add to my decade long Annual Pre-view, which I do along with another artist friend of mine. We write down our plans and goals, personal and work, for the year. It’s been a very useful tool to organize the chaos and actually accomplish work throughout the year.

But the review that I wrote in that draft seemed kind of cold, with no heart to it. So, while it is useful to me to see where I achieved and where I failed in my professional life, it didn’t have enough of my heart and soul in it, if you know what I mean. If I have learned nothing else from pandas, I’ve learned that even when you are an endangered species, heart is everything. That you pick yourself up from what seems like the worst thing ever, and get up, have lunch, and maybe climb a tree.

So this is a bit more and a bit less than that other review. Bear with me.

This is hard to write about, but it was the event that shaped much of how the year felt. I lost a dear friend to cancer this year. I met her 22 years ago when she and her husband moved to our island community, and I took an instant liking to them both. As coincidence would have it, we had all lived in Philadelphia, PA at some point in our lives, so maybe that was part of why we connected. She encouraged and supported all my creative paths, including pandas. Like all friendships, it ebbed and flowed over the 22 years we knew each other, but she was always there when I needed her. Spending time with her in the last weeks of her life was one of the best things I’ve done. I will miss her forever.

This one's for you, Jude.

This one’s for you, Jude.

I published three books, including my pandam-opus, Pandamorphosis, a wordless picture book, which took me more than 3 years to complete. That process had it’s ups and downs, but I can honestly say that I am proud of it. (also The Book of Wu and Pandapocalypse Now!)

I visited three sets of pandas, in two countries, and met more fans of my cartoon panda creations. I can honestly say, that I never really expected to form so many real life connections with people who read my books and blog. It is a wonder and a gift that I am grateful for every day. The other surprise has been the people who have written to me and told me how much my panda-toons have helped them cope with the challenges in their life. Here, I thought I was just amusing myself. The Panda Chronicles was born out of my need for light and humor, when my art career took a dive during the financial meltdown of 2009. I am gratified (not to mention amazed) that it has helped others as well.

I am still trying to cope with rebuilding my fine art career. It is not easy, but as long as I have pandas, I think it will work out okay. The challenge is to to see with clear vision, to see what is possible moving forward, as opposed to trying to retrieve what was. Easy peasy, right?

In the next week, I will start working on my goals for 2015. I’ll let you know how it all works out. In the meantime, keep being the bear, OK?

Bob T. Panda

31 Days of Pandas: Day 20!

Oh, this is getting so exciting! Here we are at day 20 of 31 Days of Pandas and only three more episodes of Inspector Panda’s mystery, The Case of the Picturesque Panda to come! I am on the edge of my seat!

Tomorrow’s post will include my Year in Review post, as well as the next episode of Inspector Panda, but now, let’s just sit on the edge of our seat, have a cuppycake, and get on with the show!

All right all you unruly little pandas! Be quiet for a minute!

All right all you unruly little pandas! Be quiet for a minute!

Hey…where DID Babette go?

I guess you’ll find out tomorrow.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

31 Days of Pandas: Day 18

OMG did you see that? The Case of the Picturesque Panda is getting out of control!

I think Lun Lun is going to have to have a little discussion about ladylike behavior, don't you?

I think Lun Lun is going to have to have a little discussion about ladylike behavior, don’t you?

…and what is it about Mr. Wu and his tape, which is now securely back on his ear? ( We are going with the narrative assumption that it is still sticky, so I don’t want to hear any comments about that!) And where has that sneaky Babette de Panda gotten off to?

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

PS: only 12 more days to bring panda satire into your life and help Pandas International!

31 Days of Pandas: Day 17

Well, we are really getting down to the nitty gritty, aren’t we? Inspector Panda is in the home stretch of his first full length adventure and the cuppycakes are flying! Mr. Wu has found what is lost (though he still won’t tell us what’s the big deal about his little piece of tape.)

And now, on with the show, as 31 Days of Pandas presents the next episode of:

The Case of the Picturesque Panda!

Oh those Meihems!!!!!!

Oh those Meihems!!!!!!

You knew all the little pandas were going to get in a cuppycake brawl, didn’t you? Uh oh, Is pinky going for her magical wand? Stay tuned for tomorrows exciting episode of The case of the Picturesque Panda!

And now, a reminder from our sponsor…um…which is me, Bob T. Panda, reminding you that The Panda Chronicles books and Pandamorphosis make lovely holiday presents, so buy bunches of them and give them to everyone you know. And each of my books that you buy this months will help actual pandas, as I will be making a donation for each of my books sold during the month of December to Pandas International, which helps real pandas!

Don’t touch that dial! we’ll be back with more tomorrow!
Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

31 Days of Pandas: Day 16

Late yesterday, so I could be early today. It’s always a juggling act trying to keep up with every day posting, especially after the events of the weekend. Living in a rural area, power outages are part of the package. Fortunately there are not nearly as many, nor do they usually last as long. Depending on where you live and the number of people affected, your power could be restored sooner or later. Mine just happened to be later this time.

OK, quit whining and give us some pandas. Okay! Okay! On with 31 Days of Pandas and the Case of the Picturesque Panda!

Uh oh, the panda kindergarten forgot to wear their seat belts.

Uh oh, the panda kindergarten forgot to wear their seat belts.

I just love drawing excited pandas! Well, time to get busy on tomorrow’s cartoon. This is getting really exciting!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

31 Days of Pandas Returns!

Here we go with days 12, 13, and 14, delayed by the windstorm and power outage (which was finally over at about 1 AM this morning) that commenced Thursday evening, of December 11th. All is well here at headquarters of The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire. Well, now it is, anyway. The sun is shining and it was a lovely day to go out and move fallen branches from the yard and driveway to spots that are less inconvenient for them to exist in.

But enough about you and your problems, I hear coming from the cheap seats. Where are all these panda cartoons that you were allegedly working on by candle light while you had nothing better to do, since you couldn’t check your twitter feed ad infinitum?

OK, OK, already. Here’s the next episode of The Case of the Picturesque Panda:

Oh, Inspector Panda! What a surprise!

Oh, Inspector Panda! What a surprise!

And for those of you who follow the antics of Bob T. Panda and his Junior Panda Friends on Facebook, you may have seen a notice that Princess Pinky has something dastardly in mind, to perhaps skew the voting in the Giant Zoo Panda Awards.

Pinky, I thought we agreed you wouldn't do anything naughty.

Pinky, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do anything naughty.

This will not stand!

This will not stand!

A big pandy thank you to all of you who have ordered books this month. Remember, I will make a donation to Pandas International for each copy of Pandamorphosis or any of the Panda Chronicles series books that you buy this month, so now’s the time to buy, buy buy!

We’ll be back sometime tomorrow with the next episode of Inspector Panda and then I have a special Holidays with Pandas surprise (that just popped into my head a few days ago!) Huzzah!

See you tomorrow!
Be the Bear<
Bob T. Panda

 

Day 11: 31 days of Pandas

The panda kindergarten (with the impressionable young Mr. Wu in tow) is speeding towards the exciting conclusion of The Case of the Picturesque Panda, but we are going to stretch this out a bit. BwaHaHa!!!!! And as one of our faithful readers has commented, “the only thing scarier than a panda driving a car and not looking where he’s going, is a panda driving a car not looking where he’s going and eating a cuppycake!”

So, on with the show! Not to mention, 31 Days of Pandas!

Look out for that car!

Look out for that car!

Don’t you hate it when the driver turns around to talk to someone in the car while they are speeding down the…um…sidewalk?

See you tomorrow for the Friday cliffhanger. Bwahahahaha!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Day 10: 31 Days of Pandas

Are you having fun yet? I know I am, and the pandas just keep on coming your way, with  31 Days of Pandas and all the panda fun you can bear.

Today’s cartoon was inspired by one of my favorite “motifs” in Calvin and Hobbes. I’m talking about the ones where Calvin and Hobbes are rocketing along in Calvin’s sled or wagon, over some impossibly steep, rocky cliff, all the while having a philosophical discussion with Hobbes, who is looking on in horror, just before they crash.

Look out for that....

Look out for that….

I think even the car is horrified by the pandy kindy driving style.

See you tomorrow!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

Day 9: 31 Days of Pandas

and more from Inspector Panda…or at least the pandy kindy, erstwhile art historians and…um…daredevil drivers!

what could be better than small pandas driving cars?

what could be better than small pandas driving cars?

And now, a word from our sponsor, WOOZPPAH! Did you know that the elephants were going to be leaving Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo? So, enquiring bears want to know, “why not pandas?” Pandas are cute and cuddly, and bring smiles to the faces of everyone who sees them. Well, maybe some grouchy people might not like pandas, but I bet if they spent some time looking at pandas, they wouldn’t be so grouchy, would they?

Here are the main points we would like to share with the-powers-that-be-at Woodland Park Zoo:

1. The Western Washington climate is perfect for pandas!
2. Bamboo grows really, really well here. (just ask someone whose neighbors planted it on their fence line.)
3. Edinburgh Zoo also has limited parking in a residential neighborhood, and they have created a timed ticket reservation system so that a regulated number of panda fans can visit each day.
4. Pandas are cuter than any other animals.
5. I would buy a membership and so would a lot of other people.
6. Panda tourism!
7. um…Pandas!

I’ll be writing more about this in days and weeks to come, but it’s never too early to start asking the zoo, “why not pandas?”

Woozppah!

Woozppah!

yes!

yes!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

 

Day 8: 31 Days of Pandas

Inspector Panda is back, and he’s loaded for bear! I can’t believe I used that joke, and actually, while the esteemed Inspector Panda’s story The Case of The Picturesque Panda has returned, those rascally darlings of the art history department, the panda kindergarten, has seized center stage, with Mr. Wu along for a very wild ride! But the very Inspector Panda will be along shortly.

Of course, we need our omniscient narrator to bring us up to date. It is Monday, after all!

Let's ride like the wind! Away, pandas, away!!!!

Let’s ride like the wind! Away, pandas, away!!!!

Huzzah! Princess Pinky has inserted herself into the narrative, but who will protest? Not I, not I.

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda