Traveling The Open...And Nearly Empty Road

A quick internet search told me the population of Utah in 1970 totaled just over a million people. Today, that number's nearly quadrupled. In 1970, my parents purchased ten acres of land on the foothills of Farmington, a sleepy little town twenty miles or so north of Salt Lake City. I've often wondered how much has changed since then.

In the past twenty years I've done a lot of commuting to get to work, to get to rehearsals, to get to events. The government's tried to build roads to keep up with the population growth, but there's no way it can. We can have too many kids and buy too many cars--it's a losing proposition. 

Many times, as I've driving either north or south (can't drive east - mountain, or south - a big lake...) I've wondered what it was like for my father to commute to his job at Hill Air Force Base. In 1970 Interstate 15 was open between Salt Lake City and Clearfield so my dad drove his big beautiful Buick Electra 225 on a newly-built three lane highway.

I can't imagine there was much traffic.

Even at its busiest time, I doubt there was a "rush hour" to worry about back then, with so few people and so fewer cars. I keep imaging my dad driving on a nearly empty road.

Back when I worked a graveyard shift, we clocked in at midnight. I remember the roads were nearly empty back then, but that was more than twenty-five years ago. Whenever I'm driving I-15 around midnight now, there's so many more cars than there was before.

I started to wonder if I'd ever see nearly empty roads.

I did last weekend.

I ran an errand in Salt Lake Saturday night. Driving home, there were only a few of us heading north. It reminded me of all the times I've driven--and parked--on packed roads. Eventually, things will return. It will be deemed safe to travel and people will be anxious to return to an activity that provides employment, entertainment, and freedom. For now, though. You may just get to experience something not seen in decades...a nearly empty road.

Trying To Help Out...

I read somewhere that to help the economy during this crazy time, Americans should try and order out three times a week.

I mean, if that's what we need to do to help, I guess that's what we need to do.

But, seriously, I don't necessarily thing that's a bad thing. I am fortunate enough to have a job that has not been greatly impacted by this disaster. I've worked my regular hours since it all began and the workload has remained steady. If I were working the job I had more than a decade ago (working unemployment insurance claims...) oh, how life would be different. But, no--my job's pretty much the same.

That can't be said for millions of others.Take any fast food establishment. There's the food preparers and the food servers. Until we get a grip on this thing, the servers are not needed, well, most aren't I suspect. I told my wife over the weekend I wish we could order out every night. It would help those scared about the future and give us some tasty food as well.

Unfortunately, we can't do that. Plus, eating out can become a chore--like when you're on vacation and all you do is eat out. After a while, It's not so great.

Tonight we got Subway for the boys. The wife and I made dinner from what we had. That way, we helped a business, but didn't go overboard. I have no idea what's going to happen when this thing ends. I know everyone will have changed--how can we not? I saw a post on social media the other day. It was simple, but conveyed a lot. Basically, the post said, "I can't wait until I can take things for granted again." I hope I never do, but I can understand what the writer meant. Yes, we'll all have changed--let's hope it's for the better.

On The World-Wide Day Of Prayer And Fasting, I Didn't Give Up Food, I Gave Up...

If you're a person of faith (or, even not in this crazy time...) today was set aside by people of many denominations as a day of prayer and fasting. The concept is simple, dedicate your thoughts inward, to think of the situation facing the world and how we need a power greater than ourselves for help.

Prayer and fasting has been around for millennia as a way for humans to cope with events, either world-wide or personal. By praying and giving up food for a specific length of time a person hopefully gains understanding, builds their faith and demonstrates to that higher power a desire to help others.

Millions gave up food today, but not me. Because of the time of year it is, spring allergies play havoc on my system. I can't really not eat right now, so last night I wondered what I could give up, could go without. Then it hit me...

My phone.

It sounded a little silly at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Every day we ingest food, but we also ingest other things, like information, and entertainment. Denying myself the things offered by my phone is a way to give up something that's become as natural as food. 

I woke up, and just left the phone on my nightstand. 

And I didn't touch it for many, many hours.

This morning I read a large portion of a book I've been meaning to finish. I hung out with the family. I played with the dog. It wasn't until the afternoon that I picked up my phone (no, I did not complete a twenty-four phone fast...). 

It's obvious how addicted we are to technology. I'm speaking for myself, of course, but I think I can safely say I'm not the only one. For the first time since I've owned a smartphone I didn't touch whenever I wanted. I thought about other things, sort of the point of going without. It was a good experience, something I should do more of. Hopefully, I will.

Finding A Sister...I Never Knew I Had

When you're adopted--and the adoption records are sealed--you grow up with questions, and "what ifs" and what might have beens.

I can only speak for myself, of course, but I can't imagine any adopted person not feeling this way, at least a little. For me, those feelings were always on the back-burner. Sure, they'd creep into the front of my thoughts from time to time, but my adopted family never gave me an excuse to need to find my birth family. I always thought, maybe one day, I might find those people responsible for my existence. I also thought that if I ever did come in contact with them, then it would be "meant to be."

After my mother passed more than a decade ago, those back-burner thoughts spent more time front and center. Then, for Christmas years ago my wife bought me an Ancestry.com DNA kit. I wondered if by taking the test, would questions be answered, "what ifs" figured out, might have beens realized?

I thought I might find my birth parents, or maybe their families, since my parents may no longer be living.

I never thought I'd find a sister, a sister who was also put up for adoption a few years after me, a sister who submitted a DNA test for the same reason--to find her parents, and maybe their families.

We found each other.

Last night we spent an hour texting each other for the first time. It was, in a word, fascinating. I won't include what we discussed or what we discovered--it's too personal, but even though neither of us found parents or siblings of parents, we both found another person on this big earth, people neither knew existed. It's a wonderful, surreal, exhilarating, and a little lonely experience. I'm glad we found each other--at least a couple of questions answered.

Waxing Nostalgic...That Senior Picture

I don't know why I'm waxing nostalgic, exactly. Yesterday, I came across a KANSAS concert ticket stub from 1980. Today, it was a senior class photo. I've blogged about it before, but this time, I saw the picture in a different light.

I can't tell you the exact day the photo was taken--that was several months before I began keeping a daily journal. I do know it was in the spring. The seniors gathered on the front steps--steps no longer there--to have some guy I believe on a tall ladder take pictures of us. 

When ready, they passed out the posters to all of us. We all searched for each other, then for our friends. After I graduated, I stowed the poster somewhere in my mom's house where it stayed for decades. Over the years the poster suffered some water damage. It's too bad, because it's a cool memento from the last year of my public school experience.

It's something millions of students--worldwide--that will not have. Dances, games, tournaments, concerts, and graduation ceremonies have been most likely forever canceled. Many have bemoaned the lack of these experiences for these students. I can understand that. Guaranteed, if the same thing happened to us, we would have been upset and felt slighted, saying what some are saying now, that it's unfair.

But, with the hindsight of experience and age, yes--those things are important and have their place, but we also understand--especially today--that other things can be more important. Hopefully, the pain they now feel will be replaced with something positive. After all, they may be--God willing--the only ones that can tell their children and grandchildren that they were unique by not doing things the rest of us did.

Back in the spring of 1984, I stood (stooped, actually--that's me in the middle...) with hundreds of other kids, excited and nervous of what came next. Many got married and had families, careers, all have had trials, tests, struggles, triumphs, joys, accomplishments, basic lives lived. Of course, some are no longer with us and we mourn their passings. 

Imagine, if we knew then what we know now. 

Would we have looked any different? Probably not.

Then You Come Across An Old Concert Ticket...

Tonight, I was meandering on Twitter (I really shouldn't, the place is kind of a pit...), but every once in a while there's a tweet that gets you thinking. One of the people I follow mentioned him having tickets to an upcoming show of his favorite band--KANSAS. I thought it would be fun to send him a picture of a concert ticket from almost forty years ago.

I found the ripped stub among other old concert tickets I've saved from my childhood. I took a picture, shared it in a tweet.

There's so much of my childhood in that picture of that stub. In the late 1970s to the early 1990s concerts were a big part of my life. I even wore a RUSH concert-T in one of my high school yearbook pictures, my junior year, I think. In order to see our favorite bands, we had to wait months, even years for them to come to town. You had to actually camp out at the Salt Palace ticket office days in advance to guarantee even getting inside the venue to see the show.

That was the first part of the adventure.

Then, once you got a ticket, you figured out where you were sitting, the closer to the stage, the better--obviously. Hard to pack in a decent camera to take pictures, and there was no way you could actually video part of the show. A seat super close to the stage became a status symbol, to be admired by all your other rocker friends. I can't remember exactly if Section 23, Row E, Seat 6 was good, but if I recall, it wasn't that bad.

KANSAS was my first concert. I believe it was the Audio-Visions tour. Great show. It was the first of many that followed. Heck--when a show cost less than ten bucks, you saw a lot of them.

Seeing the ticket, holding it, turning it over...those tickets meant a lot of a geeky skinny undersized teenager who loved the music of the era. And if you were lucky enough to see an act live, you left with the memories, and a ripped concert ticket stub that you can write about forty years later.

Rachel Huffmire's "Spinning Briar"...Available Now!

When you hear about a cool new story idea, that cool new story idea sticks with you and you know the pitch worked. I don't remember the pitch word-for-word, but I remember what Rachel Huffmire's first book was about...

Fairytales and time traveling.

I finished her book, Shattered Snow and it was fantastic. I kept being blown away by the fact that, yes--I'm reading a story about fairytales, but it's also super technical, like a futuristic adventure, but in the past. 

Now, the next chapter in the Mirror Chronicles is available, as of yesterday. Rachel's Spinning Briar can be yours. Here's an overview from the book's Amazon site:

Being an International Time Travel Agent requires absolute obedience. The smallest change in history could completely destroy the present.

When Charul Shazad loses the trail of the Mirror, a time-traveling vigilante, both history and his career are put on the line. Unwilling to lose everything, Charul takes on the dangerous renegade alone and finds himself marooned in a forgotten forest. But Charul isn’t one to give up. Could the vine covered castle in the distance hold the secret to capturing the Mirror once and for all?

Dorothea Wild is the Mirror's newest right-hand programmer. After spending forty years in a high-security ITTA prison cell, accepting the renegade's job offer was an easy decision. But, saving people in the past isn't all she wants. A big enough mission could undermine the authority of ITTA, allowing her sweet retribution on the company that ruined her life.

Fleur de Doue was never meant to exist, at least that's what the Mirror's assistants tell her. To avoid being erased from history, she helps the Mirror surround her castle in wires and brambles. But, just because the Mirror enabled her birth doesn't mean he has the right to control her fate. Could it be that he made a mistake and Fleur doesn't belong in the past?

If this sounds like something you'd like, you can order the book from Amazon: HERE, or you can go to Immortal Work's site: HERE. I haven't read the new edition yet--it's on my list, but Book 2 is anything like Book 1, I'm sure I'll love it. Check it out yourself--what a wonderful world in which to escape.

What To Do When The Closest 100' Ethernet Cable Is A Month Away? Make Your Own...

We're living in a new reality. In the last two weeks, so much has changed, and I have a feeling some things will never return to the way they were. Yesterday my neighbor and I struck up a conversation since we're both working from home. He said he went to Costco over the weekend and it was interesting to see what things people go for, what they buy.

Interesting, indeed.

First things people bought--toilet paper, bottled water, and hand sanitizer, at least, that's what disappeared where I live. As the realization of the situation befell us, other things began to disappear from the shelves. I think sociologists are going to have a field day and study this past month for decades to come (and they'll never run out of things to study...).

As time went on, other things began to be in short supply, flour, rice, almost all baking ingredients vanished, at least, that's what disappeared where I live. 

But, what about ethernet cables?

Hadn't thought about that, at all.

Until, I needed one.

My oldest got permission to work from home. Great--more isolation for the family. We had a problem. My son had to be hard-wired to the router (no wifi...) and he had to work away from my work station so we needed an ethernet cable, a long ethernet cable. No problem--we'll just drive down to Best Buy and pick one up.

Problem--the longest cable they had was seven feet--seems everyone was doing the same thing. We needed a hundred-foot cable. We looked on-line--a month's wait. We tried Walmart, Home Depot, Target...nada. When we built the house, we put CAT-5 cable in each room. The problem was, I never put the cable into a box, so there's ethernet cables running throughout my house--we just have to tear open a wall to get to them. I didn't want to do that and I was frustrated.

And then it hit me...

I can make my own.

We bought the cable, the connectors, and a tool to crimp them together. It works beautifully. 

My dad grew up in the Great Depression. They had to make due with what they had. I know my situation is nowhere near what my dad or his generation went through, but for a brief moment, I was able to do something myself, something that helped the family. I think we'll need to do more things like that in our new reality.

Netflix...The Little Things Make A Big Difference...At Least, To Me

Like billions of other people, I'm utilizing the incredible modern technology known as streaming over the weekend. And like billions of other people, we subscribe to Netflix, arguably, the most popular streaming service available.

I don't know who is in charge there at Netflix, or who is responsible for the little things, but one thing I noticed the other day is their hold function. I know that's a strange thing to acknowledge, or even notice, but the other day my wife and I were watching, The Stranger, a limited-series based on a Harlan Coben novel. It's the third Harlan Cobin series we've watched. We paused the episode to do something and after a moment, information came up on the paused screen.

I know the above picture's not the best quality, but to me, it looked like Netflix could have taken that paused imaged and used it as an advertisement for the show (which, is exactly what it is...). Of course, not all pauses yield good pictures, but the majority of the time I do this with Netflix, I get a shot worthy of an ad.

It's the little things.

I know Netflix doesn't want us to pause their entertainment--they want us to sit, watch the entire episode, not move, until the show is done, then watch the next nine episodes until the series is complete. Then, they want you to start another series w/o leaving your chair. But, next time you're enjoying/watching a Netflix show, check out the picture when you hit pause. Chances are, it's going to look good enough to represent the entire show.

I know, I know...it's a strange thing to acknowledge, or even notice...

But the show was titled, The Stranger.

The Hills Are Alive...With The Sound Of Hikers

This past week I think I've seen more hikers on the mountain above our house than any other time in my life (and I've lived on this street for more than four decades...). It makes sense--people need diversions. And as far as diversions go, there's none better than going for a relatively easy hike on a beautiful spring day.

On a day like today, with few cars on the road and fewer airplanes in the air, you can hear a lot of things. With the wind just right, you can hear bits of conversations between the hikes several thousand feet away. We don't necessarily know what they're talking about, only that they are. 

A few weeks ago, I took a small hike up the hill, not all the way to Flag Rock, but high enough to take a few pictures and enjoy the view. I thought what a great idea it would be to start hiking on a regular basis. I thought it would be good for my physical health--got to get out of the house and be active when you're home all day.

Now, I think it would be a good idea to go hiking, not just for the physical benefits, but for mental ones as well. 

There's something cleansing about rising above it all, and using your body to get you there. Apparently, I'm not the only who who feels this way. 

Today, there must have been at least a hundred people on the Flag Rock trail, and still others on other trails on the mountain. I hope it was time well spent for them. Based on my experience, I'm sure it was.

Books, Books, And More Books...Now On Sale!

The other day I posted about my little book, Chaser a book about a boy, his dog, and a grand adventure. Looks like my book is included in a book bundle.

And it couldn't come at a better time.

The sale goes until March 26th.

You can click on the Amazon link: HERE, or Immortal Works's website: HERE for the sale. My novel Chaser is included as is an anthology where I have a short story, Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. Got to love it when your works are included in with so many great ones.

During the sale, ALL Immortal Works titles are on sale. What I love about being included in this is I know many of the authors personally, and have read many of these stories. Immortal Works is a small press. They're only a couple of years old and they're trying to do something wonderful. They're giving writers an opportunity to have their stories available to the public.

If you're looking for something to read, there's something for every taste, books and stories in almost every genre--PG-13 or tamer, that is.

It seems like--even in this insane time we're in--everyone's coming at you from all sides, look here, buy this, don't do this and/or that. I suppose I'm adding my voice to all the others. But, it you want an adventure to take you away from the insanity, check out the Immortal Works titles. Come for the sales--stay for the stories.

And For The Briefest Of Moments...Things Felt "Normal"

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but there was a moment today when life felt almost normal.

Normal...

What an odd word. It wasn't odd before, but it feels odd now.

My wife and I needed to do some shopping. Thankfully, in no small part due to an army of truck drivers, warehouse workers, and grocery store employees, there was stuff for us to buy, food to sustain us for at least another week or two. That, in and of itself, is a miracle.

I wonder if I'll ever not consider a store full of food a miracle ever again.

No, the store was not packed. It was mid-morning, not the height of busy shopping, usually. And yes, some shelves were bare, but hearing horror stories of people's shopping experiences lately, I was glad to see the store had so much stuff. I took a picture from inside the store because at that moment, with us involved in such a normal--even mundane--activity, it felt like stuff we used to do when the world made sense.

I hope I experience more of this feeling of normalcy in the future. My heart hopes for it; my head says it'll probably never happen--returning to the "normal" we once had. In reality, a new day is never the same as the day preceding it. It's always different, just not so different.

I pray for our country and our world. Billions are scared, confused, frustrated, and just plain tired. I also pray for strength to see us through this dark time. God be with us.

Had No Idea I'd Get That Response...

I've been posting a daily picture on social media for many years. Because they're daily, some photos are only marginally interesting at best. Every once in a while I'll get a nice shot, something really beautiful. I've caught some really nice sunsets over the years.

Occasionally, I'll get some responses to my posts. Earlier this week I posted a picture I took of a DVD we rented from RedBox, Knives Out. It's been forever since we rented a video; we usually wait until a show's on cable. I thought maybe some would comment on the fact we rented it from RedBox, but no...I had many responses on the film itself.

Seems most liked it.

Of course, some didn't.

Since we don't go see movies in theaters (and neither do anyone else right now...), we'll hear about new films from media or from friends. Knives Out received some good reviews so we thought we'd watch it. To be honest, I liked it. I thought it had some funny moments--one comment asked if it could even be considered a comedy. I thought Daniel Craig did a great job--one friend did not. I had one friend comment that he could not bring himself to watch the movie because of the director's past credits. Because I'm not up to date on movies, I had no idea who the director was before we rented it.

I was surprised my little picture got so many responses. I guess people have opinions about this little film, and they didn't mind sharing.

I Mean...Should I Even Take A Shower?

I finished my work shift, then I thought I'd take a shower.

But...should I?

The question has nothing to do with personal hygiene...well, I kind of does. Normally, I'd never have to even question something like that. Normally, when I'm going to take a shower--my only concern is if anyone else is taking a shower, or are the dishes/washing machine going?

Today, however, was not your normal day.

Just after 7am this morning, the ground shook. We're not used to this sort of thing, even though we live in an area full of fault lines. There's one just feet from our house. Today's earthquake was several miles away and I know we didn't feel it as strongly as others, but when the hear the rumble and feel the house shake, it's unsettling (to use a very appropriate word...). 

Then came the aftershocks, which is natures way of letting you know that even though the big event has come and gone, you're never really safe. This, of course, is something we should never forget. Extreme weather, or natural disasters, or pandemics let humanity know we were never really in charge, and we're never really in control. The only thing we really control is how we react to these events.

I could have just as easily titled this post: Should I do the dishes? Same point. For the first time in my life I kept thinking, while doing the dishes or taking a shower, will another earthquake hit, and if so, what can I do?

In the end, dishes must be done, showers should be taken, life goes on. We just have to roll with it as it does.

It's Always A Good Time To Read A Book...So Give Chaser A Chance

We are living in interesting times. Interesting times call for something interesting to read. And, as luck would have it, I know of just the interesting thing to read, a little book called Chaser.

Back in 2018 my debut novel was released. It didn't change the world, but it changed me. Having something out there that people can pick up, flip through the pages, read, and enjoy brought with it so much personal satisfaction. It took a lot of hard work, but I found an acquisitions agent who liked it and bought it. Thanks to her and a wonderful editor, the finish product was born, a book, a story, an adventure.

Like millions of people now changing the way they work, play, interact with others, my family is home and thinking about the future. I know I'm not alone thinking a great way to spend time at home is to pick up a good book and let it engulf you, surround you, and yes, change you.

My book's been out for a while, but it's still something I'm proud of, something I still try and push whenever I can. If you want, you can go to Immortal Works website: HERE or the Amazon website: HERE and order the paperback physical copy, the digital copy, or you can check out Audible: HERE for the audiobook. I love the audiobook version. But, then again, I love them all.

Maybe it's because I'm friends with many authors and they are doing what I'm doing here--pushing their stuff. I'm glad they are. The world is a better place when we read. If you check out mine, or any book right now, thank you! I hope it makes this interesting time even more so.

 

Last Night's Sky...

I stepped out on to our back porch last night and looked up. It was beautiful. White cotton clouds filled a darkening sky. I had to try and capture what I saw. Of course, these photos can't do it justice--they rarely can.

The experience reminded me of the way I felt in September, 2001. Back then, we faced an unsure future, too. Different circumstances, but unease, worry, stress, the lack of stability--all accompanied the terrible events. The past week I've blogged about life in the new world and how we're reacting to news of a virus, something so small we cannot see it, only its effects. I wanted tonight to write about something else so when I saw a couple of pictures I took last night, I thought I'd share.

But, my mind circled back on the virus. It's hard to escape its influence.

There is one difference between last night's sky and a sky after 9/11/01. If you look closely, in the bottom picture you can see something you would not have seen back then. Almost directly in the center of the picture is a small contrail from an airplane, several thousand feet in the air. Back then, only military planes were allowed to fly. Now, planes are still flying, at least, for now.

But I'll bet, back in the last quarter of 2001, there were some beautiful skies, too.

The Simple Delight Of Homemade Bread...

Over the past couple of days, I've seen many posts on social media--several pictures of empty store aisles, long lines waiting for Costco to open, photos of toilet paper, even streets with lighter-than-usual traffic.

But a couple of pictures surprised me.

People posted photos of their home-baked bread.

It's the simple things.

We used to bake bread at home almost every day. It was the only bread we ate, and it was so good. I can't remember if we stopped making the bread because we stopped eating as much bread, or the other way around.

A few days ago my mother-in-law gave us a loaf of just-baked homemade bread. That day I had a couple of slices with butter and honey. As delicious as the bread tastes, the smell of bread baking in a kitchen is heaven.

We will all be changed in the coming months. Heck, we're all changed now. Yesterday I moved one of our two bread makers from basement storage to our kitchen to make our own bread. I wonder if the bread maker's going to stay.

Simple things.

What's Life Like Without Sports? We're All Finding Out...

I am not the biggest sports fan--my wife may disagree. And to her point, I'm probably a bigger sports fan than I need to be, but I have friends who make my sports fan-age rookie league, at best. So, when the world pulls the plug on every major sporting event, I can only imagine the withdrawal they're going through is going to be severe--if it's not yet hit, it will.

Last night I turned on the TV and first checked the Sports channels. It's habit. Normally, there'd be basketball--it is March, after all. Even though my favorite college team's season's done (as are every other team's season...), I might have been able to pick up a Utah Jazz game--I have not committed their schedule to memory. Or, perhaps, a soccer game. I usually find something to watch. Yes, when I checked last night, there were games on, but in the upper left-hand corner of each game icon, there's a space to indicate whether the game is Live or a Repeat.

They were all Repeats.

Except for one game.

It seems a professional rugby game between a team from Seattle and one from Salt Lake did take place last night. It may be the last live game I see for a while.

Events like this, the world-wide shut down of sports, stores, events, even entire countries, it will have unintended consequences. Perhaps, one of them is a realization of how important sports is in our lives...

And how unimportant it can be.

This current situation will one day end, and things will return to normal--not everything, but almost. I try not to judge others when it comes to their sports mania. For many, their relationships, their identity is entwined with sports on a personal level. I wish them well through this difficult time.

"BACKGROUND...You're Up!"

Earlier this week I noticed a post on social media: Needed--extras for a one-day film project.

Hmmm...

I was sitting at my desk working. The call was for the next day. What to do...? I was caught up. I have more than a month of vacation time to burn this year, and since we don't do vacations (usually...), I thought, why not? I followed the instructions to be considered, e-mailed my contact information and photos, then waited.

Soon after, I received a response: You're booked!

Sweet!

I haven't done a lot of extra work. Back in the 1990s I was on a couple of projects, one even gave me some quality face time (my definition of "quality" may not be yours...). It was fun, but long, long days. This one-day gig was similar. I didn't stay the entire 12-hours, as indicated in the announcement, but it was a 10-hour day.

The taping was for the BYU TV show Studio C, a very well done sketch comedy program. I'm not going to give anything away as to the skit, but rest assured, it was funny. When, after hours and hours of filming, the crew laughs at a take--after seeing the same thing done multiple times before--you know it's funny.

Being an extra on a film project is its own experience. There were about twelve of us. I kept to myself and read a book. Most chatted with the other extras about what projects they had done in the past. I'm sure many of them have their own IMDb pages. It's fun to listen to each of them talk about meeting celebrities, working on famous (and not so famous...) projects. And, we were well-fed, which is always a plus.

Even though this project was different than the others I've done, one thing remains the same. Filming is hard work. The crew works so hard, re-setting, changing lighting, camera angles making sure sound is right, everything. Us extras were paid a flat rate--more than minimum wage, but not much. Then there must have been fifty or so people all working together for a one-day shoot for a skit that may last less than ten minutes. Yes, the finish product lures many with the possibility of fame and fortune, but rest assured, it's tough, tough work.

I took a day off of work to work a different kind of job. Lots of waiting, little actual in-front-of-the-camera time, but it's something I'd like to do again. 

Even Though There's A Lot We Can't Control...We Can Always Choose To Be Kind

We all have crap days at work--it's why they call it "work." I have them, at work I talk to others who are having crap days. I guess without the crap days, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the good ones. Tonight, we had an opportunity to witness some overworked employees who appeared to be having some crap days.

And I had a choice, of how I could react.

We utilize the eShop option at Harmons Grocery Store. We do this for several reasons, convenience mostly. We continue to use their service because the store continues to offer great service. Sure, there's been a few times we've had to wait a little long for our order, but nothing too bad. 

Then came this week, and nothing is what it once was.

Tonight, we made an order, not large, but we wanted to get the order in before the weekend. Normally, the service at Harmons is so good they complete the orders sometimes hours a head of time. Not tonight. Tonight we received no notice the order was ready when our 7pm time arrived. Since we had to pick up a few things we forgot on the order, we thought we'd drive to the store and go inside for the forgotten things. Surely, they'd be done around the same time as us.

In the store I noticed someone near a cart the store used to gather the orders. I struck up a conversation with an employee just letting them know we were there. 

"I've got someone working on your order right now--it's a small order so it shouldn't take too long."

Great, we told them. We'll wait outside.

My wife and I waited in the parking lot. After a half hour, we contacted them. They pulled out a cart and asked our name. Turns out, the order was for someone else--they had mixed up the names. The employee said they were starting to gather our order and it would be a little while until it was done. He felt bad--I didn't want him to feel bad so I started asking him questions. Turns out, they had twice the orders they normally get on a Thursday night. He said one worker was supposed to leave at 3pm. It was 8pm and she was still there. They called in someone else on their day off to help for a few hours. They worker looked tired, which I'm sure he was.

Right then, we had a choice. We could have lost it and unloaded on him. We knew we'd need to go home and come back. Not getting groceries--especially when they might not be there later--can be stressful. But, think about this poor guy and the rest of the employees. Imagine being told to stay home to avoid being sick, but your job requires to you be around people all day. Do you think the employees might be a little stressed, not even considering dealing with stressed out and worried people all day?

We all have things that are beyond our control, especially now. But, we do have the choice to be kind. I hope I can follow my own advice. It just make things so much better.

To Quote Kip..."So I Guess You Could Say Things Are Getting Pretty Serious"

It all seemed to hit tonight, at least, for us. For millions others, it "hit" days, weeks earlier. I suppose, for some, it won't hit them until later, even though I don't know how.

But, tonight, because of actions by our President, the NBA, the NCAA, and other organizations around the world, the effects of a world-wide flu reached so many Americans who thought about it before, but maybe thought it wouldn't get that bad.

It's amazing what kind of a world we live in today. Something like this flu is introduced and it disrupts the illusion that we're somehow safe. We think we're immune from illness if we eat the right things, exercise, get vaccinated, even treat each other well. Then, something infects us, something for which we have more questions than answers. It comes to town and we lose it. We stock up on "necessaries," and face the possibility of our mortality.

Truth is, we've always been at risk. Deep down, we know all this, but we choose to not think about it too much (I'm speaking for myself here, so I may be way off...). Maybe we don't think about the bad so we can't enjoy life, enjoy the good times. And then a virus comes along and spoils the party.

I heard someone on a talk show discuss the stock market. He said it's crashing because things are not predictable. When people can't count on the future, they get nervous. We're seeing this not just in the market, but with other things, vacations, concerts, sporting events. That's when it hits home.

I have no idea what will happen. I doubt anyone really does. Many have educated guesses and some will be better and predicting the future than others. It's like we're all on a giant roller coaster, one we've never been on before, riding in the dark. Some hate it, Some may like it (if so, I worry about them a little bit...). Hopefully, when the ride's over, we'll be wiser, tested, and maybe even more humble.

Time will tell.

Ditchin'...Again

They struck around 8pm, little hoodlums sneaked up the front steps and rapidly ran our doorbell over and over.

Then they split.

Ah, a favorite activity of bored youths...

The crime has come and gone at our house. Years ago, a group of street toughs, roaming the neighborhood, hit the house. What fun! The dog we buried in the yard last month, she hated that doorbell and barked and barked whenever the ditchers hit. What fun! The dog would calm down, and they'd hit us again. Even more fun!

Then, it stopped.

Until, the next generation (or younger siblings of the original ditchers...) grew and took their place. Same result, kids sneak, they ring, they run, dog freaks out, kids get their jollies. What fun!

Then, it stopped again.

But, in the past couple of months, they've returned. Tonight they hit us again. Our old dog stopped caring about the shenanigans because she was deaf. She stopped barking when the kids got their kicks. But, we got a new dog--a dog that hates the doorbell as much as our first dog did. Tonight, they sneaked, they rang, they ran, dog howled, kids laughed.

What amazing fun!

As a kid, I really can't remember doorbell ditching. I probably did it so maybe I'm receiving my just rewards. I DO know, if I ever did doorbell ditch, I didn't do it as much as it was done to us. Maybe just rewards come with compound interest. You would think that with all the things kids can do nowadays, tormenting a poor dog and a family would be low on the list.

One day, it'll stop, maybe for good, but as history has shown, probably not. I guess we'll see if the upcoming generation can think of better things to do.

$8 Thrift Store Shoes...A Freaking Steal...Except For One Thing

We only had a few minutes to look for stuff at the thrift store. My wife and son went to the stuff animal section to find new chew toys for the dog.

I went to check out the shoes.

I used to first go check out electronics, but there's so much garbage there nowadays (some would argue it's not just the electronics...), it no longer holds my interest. Last year, I found a used pair of Vans, my size--no laces. I bought the pair and wore them all the time--so much so, I wore a hole in one shoe. Time to look for another pair of slip-ons to replace the Vans.

I looked. I spotted a pair. I picked them up, saw the maker--Ecco--good brand. I tried them on and they fit.

Score!

The thing about thrift store shopping is sometimes you find hidden gold--sometimes you don't of course, but I've done pretty good over the years. I know some Ecco shoes can be quite expensive so when we got home, I did a little internet search.

I typed in: Ecco weave shoes. Then I chose the photos.

And there they were--the same pair of Ecco shoes I had just bought. The first thing that caught my eye--the $160 price a new pair of my shoes would cost.

Score again!

I love it when that happens.

Then, I saw something else in the photo...yes, the Ecco shoes are $160 new, but if I went into a Nordstroms looking for a nice pair of Ecco shoes, I'm pretty sure I would not see this pair. I'd be nowhere near this pair. The reason:

They're women's shoes.

That's right...I found, bought, and reveled in a pair of Ecco women's shoes. Of course, I had a decision to make. Would I re-donate them to the same thrift store from where I bought them, so someone else--most likely, a woman--would buy them, or would I keep them and wear them with pride, knowing I scored on an expensive pair of shoes.

I chose the latter.

I'm keeping the shoes.