The Shiny Butter Blog

5 August 2025 Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog I stole that, Reader, "Live dangerously, live lovingly." Well, I didn't exactly steal it—it's more like I borrowed it. I borrowed it from Tom Robbins, author of the novels Jitterbug Perfume,* Another Roadside Attraction,* Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,* and a bunch more. Robbins, who passed away earlier this year (in February) spoke those words in a commencement speech back in the 1900s, as the kids say. The...

15 July 2025—Come look around with me Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog Shiny greetings, Reader, I took a long country drive the other week to pick up something two and a half hours away. It was one of the hottest days lately. Even with a/c in the car it was rough out there. But I loved it. That's because I love driving through the countryside in eastern North Carolina and look forward to every opportunity. Give me a local road over a bypass any day. I love...

8 July 2025 Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog Hey, hey, Reader, The year was 1969, I was six-years-old, and there sat my first-grade classmates and I, circled up in our little bitty chairs having a very serious discussion. Our teacher had been reading a picture book to us but stepped away, so we, at the risk of ruining the story for ourselves, grabbed the book and started looking ahead. What we found shocked us to our core! We were concerned and confused!...

1 July 2025 Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog Signs of Life—real, hands-on life Coming to our senses, literally... plus, a giant new playlist for you 🎵 Just a beautiful little miracle of sunlight I saw the other day A Big ol' playlist from Coco—Click to go to spotify: Fly Robin Fly • citizencoco Fly Robin Fly • Silver Conve... PREVIEW Hey there, Reader, I doubt anyone named Al laughs at the wisecracks I'm pretty sure they get about "AI." I sure would get...

Think of something good. Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog 17 June 2025 We all want the same thing... I think. I hope. A manifesto. In today's email Announcement!! Quote of the Week We All Want the Same Thing... I Think. I Hope. You May Also Like: Note about these emails and AI Follow and Share Announcement! Here's the Summer MEGA Sale for Coaching I want to reach and talk to as many people as I can right now because times are weird and I have time to talk....

Warning: mangled frizz ahead Talk and Tales from Coco, Optimist in Charge at The Shiny Butter Blog 10 June 2025 curly hair as a metaphor What to do when you look like Roseanne Rosannadanna In today's email Quote of the Week Curly Hair as a Metaphor Note About AI More Shiny Things Follow and Share Quote of the Week Play the hand you're dealt like it's the one you wanted. Anonymous Curly-headed greetings, Reader, My mom was a hairdresser before she had me back in ye olden days of 1963. (Fun...

22 April 2025 A Bit of a Rant Call it an earth-day special. Behold, the mighty dandelion Shiny greetings, Reader, Funny how we have Earth Day, when you'd think every day would be earth day for those of us who live here. You'd think, seeing as how we never really leave, we'd make a point of honoring and outright glorifying this very cool planet swirling around in the universe, with us somehow attached to it. It's not about politics You'd think we'd take good care of our beautiful home! But...

25 March 2025 This Mysterious Journey On wandering off... and picking back up in pursuit of what we really want. Sunshiny greetings, Reader, Maybe I'm preaching to the choir, but it seems to me life is a big ol' self-discovery journey. It's experimental, avant garde, a whole lotta jokers and wild cards, a whole lot of winging it and making things up as we go, and basically meta-physical and meta-everything else, too. And seeing as how this is a largely experimental endeavour rather than a...

31 December 2024 Let's light the world up Something for the eve of 2025 One swan a-swimming on this seventh day of Christmas. Happy almost new year, Reader! Sure, there's more than one way to nail down when, exactly, the new year begins, what with the lunar new year vs. the Gregorian calendar vs. various other options to identify when the beginning begins. But because the regular old, common people's calendar right now say JANUARY 1 tomorrow, beaucoups of us don't need any more reason than...