World War Z: The Webkinz Apocalypse

I am working my way through World War Z, but as I mentioned before, I’ve been having a bit of trouble getting focused on it. Still, I’m all about the zombies right now, so you can imagine the thrill I got when this little item buzzed across my twitter stream:

Webkinz Halloween Zombie Costume Preview! http://bit.ly/JXuDy #Webkinz

Sing with me: Zombies and Webkinz … these are just two of my favorite things!

If you don’t know what Webkinz are (and if you don’t, what planet do you live on and how are you reading my blog from there?), they are cute little stuffed animals that you buy at Hallmark. Each comes with a code that, once entered in a website, unlocks a virtual pet that you name and care for, along with a bunch of games and so on. It’s a kind of mass contagion that has spread among the tweener set. My daughter has, I don’t know, forty or so of them, and yet I fully expect her to end up in therapy someday to discuss her childhood Webkinz deprivation: one kid we know of has more than a hundred.

I used to play on my daughter’s account, but she told me to stop and then changed her password on me. So, with no other option, I decided to buy one of my own, and discovered how truly addictive collecting Webkinz can be. I’m up to about twenty of my own now. My favorite thing about Webkinz: you can give them names that are totally inappropriate, even for celebrity children. I have a virtual chicken named Beaker McNugget, and my virtual camel is a cross-dresser named Prince Humperdink. Top that, Nicole Richie!

I like to think of it as embracing my inner child, and the fact that my inner child probably rides the short bus makes it all the more worth embracing. I’m sure any psychiatrist would agree. Not only that, I am sharing my daughter’s interests. I’m in touch with my child and my inner child, at the same time - I'm multitasking!

My Webkinz have been sadly neglected since I started my book project and blog, to the point where my husband is predicting a mass pixelcide. And this has me worried, because I love my books and my Webkinz and my family and you, my dear blog reader. How do I fit it all in? None of these are things that can be outsourced, like we do with things we hate (cleaning, yardwork). Actually, I imagine I could pay a nine-year-old to care for my Webkinz, but have I really reached the point where I am outsourcing my hobbies? Obviously, it’s a question of priorities. I need to figure out how to make time for what’s most important, and yes, I’m working on it.

In the meantime, though, the zombies have invaded Webkinz World and it is clearly a sign: Read World War Z, it contains vital knowledge. I will finish this book! I will do it for the Webkinz.