Pudge

Lilo's impassioned "Pudge" monologue from Disney's Lilo and Stitch

Hula teacher: Lilo, why are you all wet?
Lilo: It's sandwich day.  (big sigh)  Every Thursday I take Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich.
Hula teacher: Pudge is a fish?
Lilo: And today we were out of peanut butter! So I asked my sister what to give him, and she said a tuna sandwich. I can’t give Pudge tuna! Do you know what tuna is?
Hula teacher: Fish?
Lilo: (hysterical) It’s fish! If I gave Pudge tuna, I’d be an abomination! I’m late because I had to go to the store and get peanut butter, because all we have is… is stinking tuna!
Hula teacher: Lilo, Lilo, why is this so important?
Lilo: (calm and serious) Pudge controls the weather.

from Disney's Lilo and Stitch

***

Aloha!

Those of you who know me in real life will not be surprised by this post at all.  My obsession with Lilo and Stitch is in no way a secret.  When you walk into my house, no matter which entry you choose, you have about eight feet or less before evidence of my love for this movie smacks you in the face.

At last count, I believe I owned something like thirty stuffed Stitch plushies.  One of these is about to turn thirteen, and he sleeps with me every night.  I have a Stitch flag, cookie jar, backpack, shirts, even a large Santa Stitch sculpture (complete with Scrump) for Christmas time.  Oh, and my Santa Stitch hat.  And my Stitch paws.  And, and, and...

So it should be no surprise, really.  No surprise at all.

I also have a penchant for naming inanimate objects.  A few examples: Wilson the rawhide bone, Cabernet the car, Phoebe the car, Tattoo the concert uke, Tweety the soprano uke.

Obviously, I needed to find a suitable name for my new banjolele.  Oh!  My new banjolele!  Wanna see?

I'll admit, this little guy lived with us for a few days before he was properly named.  The design etched into the back comes from traditional Hawaiian quilts, and I wanted to name the instrument something Hawaiian.  I agonized over Hawaiian words and their meanings, never really finding anything that fit.

Until I started thinking about Lilo and Stitch.  The main characters' names would be too obvious, and neither of them really fit.  Nani, Lilo's big sister, was in the running for a bit.  Scrump's name, though I love her, didn't seem to fit either.

And then I remembered Lilo's impassioned speech about Pudge the fish.  Here I am, hangin' in the front yard with Pudge the banjolele:

Pudge and I have had lots of fun getting to know each other this week, and I'm super-excited to spend lots more quality time with him.

I was very apprehensive about this purchase, as no music stores within 700 miles had one of these I could play before buying.  After months of adoring the Luna Ulu 8" banjolele online, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.  If it didn't work out, Amazon has return policies, and these babies have a good resale value on sites like eBay.

This was not a hasty decision, by any means.  Once I realized I'd have the dough for a banjolele (not a cheapie instrument), I started researching in earnest.  I hit the review boards, narrowed my search to a couple of models - two, really: this and the Magic Fluke company's Firefly banjolele - and proceeded to watch demos on YouTube.  At the end of the search, the two were neck and neck.

But the Luna is the one I've had my eye on.  I've been dreaming about it constantly, and, well, it's just so pretty.  So I decided on the Luna, and I couldn't be happier.

So, family and friends, stop on by when you want to chat, and I'll introduce you to our new pal, Pudge.  He's anxiously awaiting your visit.  Oh, and if you want to get on his good side, don't forget to bring a peanut butter sandwich.

Pudge the fish from Disney's Lilo and Stitch