First off, shout-out to Jayn for her tip today. Thanks!
I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the “‘Tocks” post earlier. Although I am not as fascinated with ‘tocks, toebeans, nosicles, etc. as some of you, I fully understand what makes them fun. And that brings me to a larger point: This site can’t quite be Cute Overload 2.0. I have my own way of doing things, and my own things that I like.
But one of the things I like is making people happy, and so I want to bring you the things you like as well. Today’s ‘tocks post began when somebody requested it on my Facebook page, and so I encourage you to be vocal about what you want. I’ve set up an array of feedback mechanisms, and I monitor them all.
I hope everyone has a great week.
While many of us will always miss aspects of CO, we love, and are grateful for, your own unique site and style, NTMTOM! I am sorry if we ever make you feel like you have to reinvent the wheel!
I think of it more like we’re inventing a new wheel. With more corners. 🙂
A wheel with corners; that is so you and I love it!?
Then fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!
I second what Amyliz is saying.
NTMTOM, rest assured that for my part I do not expect nor wish for CO 2.0. And your brilliant take and humour are spectacular and ultimately are what will make people flock here and stick around.
I must say, however, that having been a fan both of yours and CO from way back some of the glossary terms are now part of my vocabulary, as I suspect, is the same with others. I hope you do not mistake it for nothing more.
I agree with the other posters. You do you. However, if you were going to continue a CO feature, I would nominate “The Guiding Leash.” Those little stories always made me laugh.
Oh, you bet. No prodding needed for that feature.
Yep, guiding leash and reptile theater are my top two. I would like to see the blowfish in the brown suit. I think he might have quite a bit to contribute here.
Whatever you want to do, it would still be fun.
For me, your commentary was the best thing on CO along with the cute pics and I missed you when you were gone. I like it here.
Oh, and I just wanted to say I REALLY appreciate it when you give us warnings about sad things or bad things if we click on stories. I don’t want to read or see the sad stuff and your warnings allow me to avoid them. (I have enough bad stuff around – I need the laughter and the cute).
Thank you, Mike!!
I never understood why we had to go through entire months devoted to noses or “tocks”. Seemed like a bit much to me.
I like what you write and how you think. Just continue to be you.
I agree. A month of tocks was a lot of tocks . . .
:p
I agree. To thine own self be true, NTMTOM.
I agree with everybody. You were my favorite single thing on CO, though I loved the site generally. I don’t need it recreated though. I love this site and I think it’s already got its own feeling and culture. All NTMTOM all the time is a plus !
I second Janice, and the rest of the commenters! ‘Tocks and nosicles are cute now and then, but not for a month. I never “got” toebeans, and why they preempted many other, cuter (in my mind) types of posts. My favorite parts of CO were not just the cute pics, but the hilarious commentary, 90% of which was courtesy of NTMTOM. There are many funny , cute, animal sites on the Web, but NTMTOM’s brilliance, and the great comments by fans, are rare gems. Alas, I suck at puns, and tend to be snarky, so I can’t really compete with many posters in the comments department, but I love lurking here.
Oh snark away!! We can handle the snark.
Be careful what you wish for! 🙂
?
You look worried…:)
That was a conspiratorial wink. How’s this ? ?
I agree with everyone else. Though the old site was fun, I find this site wittier and more delightful. The only thing is I need is Bunday and we’re doing just fine with that! Thanks, NTMTOM.
So happy you have set this website up. It’s a refreshing place to visit. Love your humor NTMTOM. But there is one voice I miss: Has anyone heard from Oakley?
Indeed. Where’s Oakley, Pun State alum?
I miss Oakley too 🙁
NTMTOM, do whatever you want. This site is awesome and I fully trust your judgement on what to post. I am so glad this site is here so we can have our happy corner of the interwebs.
I loved CO, but I agree with everyone else — it’s your unique style, NTMTOM, that makes us love you and your site so much. I’ve been trying to avoid turning this into CO v2.0, and have mostly succeeded, even in my own head — although if I do put in an occasional “sweateuw,” I hope people will forgive me! That and “baroo” are indispensable additions to the cute and silly vocabulary, IMO.
But you do what you want, and I promise you, we’ll love it! I just appreciate your incredible responsiveness, and your accessibility in the comments. I hope that even if this site gets bigger and more popular, you won’t end up having to distance yourself from your devoted readers, if only for your own sanity’s sake.
Especially all those who want to marry you.
I bet a lot of us want to marry him!
Oh yes. Yes indeed. It might be the only way to get that coffee table book.
I appreciate that you are you and not the other.
While I think it might be fine to reference CO, most of us met at CO, we come here for this unique flavor.
Spam bots are funny. A bit of serious to go with the fun helps me appreciate how much fun there is to be had. Posts of things that tickle the funny bone while not necessarily cute make me laugh.
Laughter is good. Thank you NYMTOM.
hear, hear! 🙂
I visit to read comments >:3 and see the happy
…but Maru stuff regularly wouldn’t hurt 😉 XD
Keep sending it, and I’ll keep posting it!
Don’t change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little NTMTOM stay
Each day is NTMTOM day
(with apologies to the great Frank Sinatra)
Happy Valentine’s Day, NTMTOM our funny valentine!!
and Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers who penned it in the first place.
That’s right!
Enjoying your site for what it is, and as it grows. I love seeing animals and hearing good stories about them. Thank you for what you do!
You’re welcome, and welcome to the comments section!
I agree with each and every comment. Just be yourself and it’s all good.
I agree with everyone else!
NTMTOM posts were my fav part of CO–I was a big coffe table book supporter–which is why I’m delighted by this site. ? This site also has the comradery that CO had before it lost nested comments, and I like the open threads, too. I can appreciate most types of cute, and I’ve been pleased with the quality cuteness quotient here. ? Keep being NTMTOM–that’s why we come here!
Cute is good. That’s what CO was mainly about, cute. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, sometimes there has to be snark, and stuff that is more funny than cutesy. I like the fact that this place has puns, spambots, and funny stories about the animals, and less baby talk about the animals. I can get cute animals on lots of websites, but no one has stories like yours, Mike.
On another note, my husband was talking about work today and he said something about a guy named Mike, then switched to talking about another Mike. He said, “Not that Mike, the other Mike” and I laughed out loud, and got strange looks from him.
See? The NTMTOM phenomenon is REAL! It really happens!
?? We luv yoooooo just the way you are!??
As much as I would’ve liked to see CO continue, this blog has taken some of the favorite bits of CO and spun it into something new and just as enjoyable.
As they say in the streets: You do you, man. (Wait, do they say that? I’m so behind on my street lingo.)
Snapping fingers ala West Side Story style-
When you’re a Mike you’re a Mike all the way.
Stay cool boy.
Ha!
No surprise that I agree with most. Trying to recreate Cute Overload would be weird and not quite right. I added you to the mix when you started this page and was so glad I did because I saw the writing on the (C.O.) wall. Though you have your own flavor, you still fulfill the need that Cute Overload filled which is a refuge from the stress and overwhelming ugly of the world and my workday. There are not enough thank you’s in universe for that.
I agree with what others have said, I come to this site for your style of writing, which was my favourite aspect of CO! The ‘baby talk’ style on CO was too heavily used for me, and I appreciate this site for being different.
Keep doing what you’re doing (I love the spambot posts!). 🙂
Oh don’t you change a thing. Your site is very good just the way it is!
I too was not a fan of seeing tocks a whole month and love the diversity here.
As in: happy..cute…funny…etc., but no: happy…cute… sad… The sad always gets stuck in my throat and gives me leaky eyes. So maybe mark these postings? That would help.
I am very happy that you are you and love your comments and postings here. Keep going, you are doing great 🙂
There’s plenty of cute to be had on the Internet but only one you. I’ve chuckled many a time at animal pics and videos but I only *really* get guffawing at your writing. (“The Offering” is still one of my all-time faves!)
I’m more than happy to consume whatever you feed us!
I’m with everyone else!! Old habits die hard, but they don’t mean we want you to change anything to copy CO! I’m so glad this site is here and I love it for what you made it! And I’m super happy to have somewhere I can keep sending pictures of my very ordinary cats cause I just happen to think they’re the cutest things ever.
Don’t go changin’ …..
To try to please us …..
You never let us down before (ooo oo oo oo).
Don’t imagine you’re too familiar and we don’t see “you” anymore.
We will not leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far!
We take the cute times, we’ll take the trump times,
We’ll take you just the way you are!
Thanks for the earworm, Birdcage! 😉
Exactly!
NTMTOM is what I’m here for. Not CO₂. I love the old ranch, but you can’t go home again. So do it your way, please.
I appreciate that you don’t just make it all Maru, Milo, Kodie, Grumpy Cat, Simon’s Cat, or whatever/whoever. They have their own channels and we can visit them there if we like.
I’m happy not to have entire months devoted to a single feature. Sure, an occasional close-up of a paw pad or a nose or a tail is delightful. And of course I don’t mind if people refer to box-hab, snorgling, bellehs, sweateuhws, or all the CO vocab that we picked up along the way. But I like not having to respell puppy.
I absolutely love all the cute, and I love Dear Spambot. And I very much appreciate that you warn us about the Not Cute.
Please keep up the good work, NTMTOM!
Thanks so much!