Behold--The CANDY CANNON! Conclusion...Success!

 This fall, everything's new--new for us, anyway. We have a general idea about some things, like what the weather's going to be like. I mean, from our new house we can see (when it's not so smokey...) the valley where we used to live. But, it's the little things we don't know about because we've never lived here...little things like, "What's Halloween like in Tremonton?"

Tonight we found out.

We also found out that if you stick some PVC pipe into a leaf blower, it'll launch candy to costumed children (and non-children...). We also found out, it's a blast for both the trick-or-treaters and trick-or-treatees. 

We made a candy cannon and it was an overwhelming success. Of course, we tested it out first.

We had to get a feel for the contraption. Certain candies are more aerodynamic, apparently. Plus, you get more "umph" when you cover the candy distribution port. Eventually, we got the hang of it and we had a blast pelting the kids with calories in a wrapper. We had to instruct the kids to stay on the sidewalk and we'd launch the treats their way.

Turns out, there's a lot of kids who trekked up the hill and wanted candy. We were able to deliver it to them from a distance. Did we have fun? Yes. Did the little visitors enjoy the candy cannon? We think so. Are we going to do this again next year?

Definitely!

Even Dream Jobs Suck, Sometimes...

 If you ask a kid if they want to be a writer when they grow up, chances are, they'll say, "naw." They probably want to do something more cool, like be a fireman, cop, or professional sports athlete. But, as that kid grows and either his personality or his body fails him in achieving--especially that professional athlete--goal, that same kid just might consider being a writer...

That is, if they can be a sports reporter.

That is a dream job.

At least, for a lot of grown-up kids, it is.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to call myself a "Sports Journalist." I wrote several articles for the Davis County Clipper. I covered local high school sports and I actually loved it. Reporting on local high school sports consists mostly of putting in as many high school student's names as possible. "Rex Sorensen tipped Max Hefner's desperation 4th-down Hail Mary pass to secure the win for Viewmont, thus guaranteeing the Vikings another winning season." Rex, his friends, and most importantly, his parents (who pay the subscription bill for The Clipper...) geek out that Rex's talents were forever preserved in print--doesn't matter the paper's size or circulation, it's IN THE PAPER!

So, when I heard of layoffs from one of the state's largest newspapers, it hurt. I felt terrible for those reporters and their families. I also thought about all those kids who would have done anything to be a sports reporter. Who wouldn't want to watch sports all day and get paid to write about it? But it isn't all "fun and games. To be successful, you've got to be part writer/part arm-chair quarterback/part bartender/therapist. The reason sports reporters are some of the best reporters in a paper is because of competition, and lack of paying gigs for those services.

I don't know these reporters personally, but I've read their work. I'll bet they were once those kids who looked on reporting on sports as a dream job, and when they got the gig, was one of the best days of their lives. Even though catching "red-eye" flights, doing interviews in blizzards, crazy deadlines, angry fans and readers, cheap motel rooms and bad food made the job tough at times, they kept doing it because they loved it.

I wish them all well. I'm glad some of those kids got to live out their dreams with a dream job...even though--as these great writers will tell you--the best of jobs can suck at times.

Ever Wish You Could Turn ANY Photo Into A Pumpkin-Carving Templet? With Pumpkin Masters...You Can

 I've wondered for years if something like this existed--a way to turn any photo into something you can slap on a pumpkin and carve away.

Turns out there is, and it only took a quick internet search to find it.

Today, I downloaded and used the Pumpkin Masters app. I found one of the most simple patterns you can imagine. In fact, I probably didn't even need the app.

I'll let you in on a little secret...

Most of the fun of this app is seeing what a finished pumpkin will look like with whatever photo you choose.

Now that you have literally unlimited carving possibilities, it becomes a question of what would you like to see on your Halloween jack-o-lantern. I was snapping pictures of everything from a skeleton mask to Halloween decorations, to our dog, to DVD covers. The app lets you either snap a picture or download one from your photo library. Then, you can see what it will look like on a pumpkin. Then, you just print the templet, tape it to a pumpkin, transfer the image, then carve away!

Some work really well--others, not so much. Of course, the technology is not perfect. Getting a good likeness of a person can be tricky. The skeleton mask looked good. The one of the dog (not included...) did not turn out.

My favorite? The Galaxy Quest DVD cover. How beautiful is that? It would be a pain to carve, though. Maybe next year.

I chose a simple pattern, a copy of the illuminated ghosts we have in front of the house, and considering the pumpkin I chose to carve this year was two inches thick, I think I chose wisely.

If you're interested in downloading the app, it's in the Apple and Google Play stores. Who knows? I might just pull up the app the rest of the year, just to see how things look...

Carved into a pumpkin.

This Halloween...We're Launching!

 Lots of unknowns for this weekend. After living on the same street since 1997, this year will be the first Halloween someplace new. 

And we have no idea what to expect.

There are some things that we know. We know that even though there's a world-wide pandemic out there, some kids will most likely be trick-or-treating this year. We live in a new neighborhood so we haven't even met all our neighbors yet. We've seen kids playing in their yards and on the street, but will the venture over to our door?

We'll find out Saturday.

Spend a little time on social media and you'll see some incredible things people are doing to keep a safe distance between the candy givers and the candy receivers. We've seen catapults, chutes, but the coolest are the launchers. My wife found a YouTube video of an inventive couple and their invention so we thought we'd give it a try--you can watch the YouTube video: HERE.

Ours will be different. We did a test launch after we returned from the hardware store. It will need "tweaking" because we don't want to hit a little goblin or ghost dead-center in the chest with a Fun Size Snickers. but we are excited for what may be.

We might get no one to show up...we might get many. Even if we're stuck with tons of miniature chunks of sugar, this Halloween's already been a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday, Mom...First Time In A Long Time I Couldn't Visit Myself

When you move, there's a thousand things to remember. I think I knew this on some level, but it's still something I'm reminded of when there's something I forget. We did well remembering things like getting the utilities changed, the mail stopped, voter registration, drivers licenses changed, and it goes on and on...

Then, you remember something you did at your old home that was such a simple thing.

Halloween means many things. Personally, it's my favorite time of the year. The heat of summer dims and is cooled by the winds of autumn. It's also the season of my mother's birthday, this day--the 27th of October, in fact--is her birthday. Each year for at least the past couple of decades, I've carved a pumpkin and given it to her when she was with us, or placed it on her headstone after she left.

It was so easy when I lived close. I could carve the pumpkin and take it over in a matter of minutes.

That's changed. Now, I've got to do some planning.

My wife reminded me of the tradition. I remembered my mom's birthday--hard to forget since it's exactly one month from my own--and she also reminded me of the carving. Thankfully, my wife was driving her sister and brother-in-law to the airport today, so last night I carved a pumpkin and today my wife dropped it off.

Since we no longer live close, I may need to take the day off to continue the tradition. It's something I'm willing to do and do gladly. I just need to remember.

Remembering alone doesn't make something a tradition, but acting does. Glad I was reminded. Glad I could keep it going. Glad my mom and dad were able to adopt me and raise me as their son. Glad I know that wonderful person who was born almost ninety years ago today.

Happy birthday, mom. Sure do miss you.

"Closing Time"...The Podcast Version--Such An Honor

 A friend contacted me a few weeks back and asked if she could create a podcast of a short story I wrote a year ago.

"Of course," I said.

What an honor.

Today the In The Telling podcast released my little story entitled, Closing Time, and it was so cool. She asked for the story--I told her where she could find it online, so when I listened to it this morning, I had honestly forgotten what happened or how it ended. This is not a long story, only twenty-six minutes. If you'd like to hear it yourself, just click: HERE for the link.

When I wrote this story, I was working at Lagoon's Frightmares and I wanted to write a story for the Halloween season. It took seven blog posts to finish it up. As I listened to Amanda Angerbauer narrate Closing Time (she did a great job, by the way...), I cringed a little. There's some glaring technical issues I could and should have fixed, but my blog posts are "down and dirty" since I write them every day. I'm lucky if I can find all the misspelled words (and sometimes I don't...).

It's a fun little story and I'm so happy my friend decided to turn it into an episode for her podcast. Thank you, Liz. If you'd like to do it again, and I'll come up with another story. Just let me know.

They Really Don't Know Me...Do They?

 Social media intrigues me. The thought that people from all over the world (except some socialist countries--just think of the irony of that...) can interact, communicate, share interests, even engage in commerce.

But, since there is opposition in all things, there's a dark side. Anything that can be used for good will inevitably be reprogrammed and used in other ways.

Take, for example, Instagram, though I find the same thing happening with other social media platforms. Requests from total strangers to have me "follow" them are coming in all the time, but more recently, they've been showing up more on Instagram, which is interesting because I actually spend less time on Instagram than others.

I'm in my mid-fifties. I know there's a lot of bad things out there. Throw away all the other possible reasons these people--interestingly enough all young, all women--want me to follow them, and it must all boil down to one simple reason...

Money.

They're looking for money.

Not companionship as some claim, not banter, not anything but money. 

This is where I don't know if they know anything about me. Since everyone's information is most likely available to any and all who want it, any research on me or my family will show I'm not loaded. I spend very little online--even my salary is public record. I don't have a lot of disposable income to spend on whatever it is they're selling. Plus, there's the very real possibility that these people don't even exist, at least not in the form they're presenting themselves.

Maybe they're using a shotgun marketing approach--send out thousands of requests to snag a few. Perhaps. Personally, I don't really want to know or find out more. When these requests come in, I ignore them. I don't know if I get a lot--maybe a couple every other week. That might be excessive; it might be low. I have no idea. But, I do know that I'll most likely keep getting a few of these requests...

And I'll keep ignoring them...

Because I don't think they know me at all.

A Little Blogging Game I Play...Guess How Many Hits

 When I decided to join the blogging world, I was late to the game. I think the mid-2000s is when blogging hit its stride. Once everyone figured out that literally everyone could write a blog, it exploded and for many, the only people reading their blogs were possibly their mother and other close family members.

But, I started the blog not for fame or to one day be the subject of an Amy Adams - Meryl Streep movie like Julie Powell did in 2005. No, I just wanted to write something every day. And I have. And in a few months my blog'll be ten years old.

Because of the reason I write, getting lots of hits is not my priority. Each night, before I start the next post, I check the previous day's total. Because of how things are set up, the dashboard page shows ZERO hits. When I refresh the page, it gives me an accurate account of how well that particular post did.

I began a little game...Guest How Many Hits the Previous Day's Post Got.

It's not the best game, not exciting or anything. In fact, it's kind of lame, but I enjoy it. And, I must say, I've done pretty good with my guesses. I have hints, of course. If I get a lot of chatter about my post on Facebook, or especially on Twitter, I calculate how many hits the site got. If no one comments, likes, or shares, the number'll be low. Like it was for yesterday's post.

I can usually tell when a post will do well. I do my best work when I focus on others, bring out their good points, highlight their work and accomplishments. It's also safe to say some of my most popular--and meaningful--posts are when I'm honoring someone who has passed on. Maybe those do well because they're the most sincere. I really try and create a worthy tribute to them.

I have some idea of how this post will do--probably about as good as my post from yesterday. And that's okay because today, I wrote something, I blogged, and I gave something for my mother-in-law to read.

I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful day. God bless.

How To Ruin Halloween...

 You many have seen this meme...it's been making the rounds.

Because it's funny.

Other than Christmas, I can't think of a holiday kids look forward to more than Halloween. It's a day/night when a child can pretend to be something other than themselves. And the possibilities of what or who that child would like to be are endless. At least, they used to be.

I grew up in a safe neighborhood. We roamed the streets Halloween evening unafraid and unaccompanied. Fun sized candy bars, suckers, Sweet tarts, and Toosie Rolls...all renumeration for a hard night's work.

We recently moved. We have no idea how the night will go. We bought a big bag of candy, just in case. We may get a lot of kids...we may get very few. Then, there's covid to consider. I think if we had not moved, the turnout would be lighter, but not by much. We weren't inundated by kids where we used to live.

So, to answer the question posed by the meme, how to ruin Halloween?

It's not by handing out mini packs of vegetables.

It's to have a world-wide pandemic that's swept the globe.

Missing My Friends Tonight...

 As far as covid totally disrupting our life, we've been pretty much unaffected. I telecommuted for a year before this hit and we've homeschooled for twenty years. Plus, we don't go to see many movies in theaters--average about one a year--and we don't do vacations.

Yup--the virus didn't affect us very much at all.

I know how fortunate we've been. I know people have lost jobs, careers, and even loved ones to this terrible disease. I don't wish to make light of it, but for our family, a lot of things didn't change. Many people felt the virus's impact immediately. For me, it's hitting me hardest this time of year.

Because of covid, two of my favorite things were canceled--FanX Comics Convention, and doing the Séance show at Lagoon's Frightmares.

My daughter is still doing shows at Lagoon--her shows were not canceled, but Séance is a more intimate experience. And we crammed in as many people in that little room as possible. It added to the awesomeness of Séance. They just couldn't pull it off with all the restrictions.

FanX should have taken place last month--we were so busy getting ready to move and prepare for a wedding that I didn't have time to think about it, but now, things have slowed down. I watch my daughter get in her little car and drive to Lagoon on the weekend and I miss it. I miss the screams. I miss Stephen's creepiness, Lucy's scariness, Curtis's "everything under control"-ness, and my victim-choosing-ness. We make a great team, a team I'm missing today.

We all hope this terrible time will pass and we'll be able to gather together as convention guests, as "can't wait to the get crap scared out of me" victims. It's hard to imagine these things will be canceled next year, but it was hard to believe last March that we'd miss out on FanX, Séance, August U of U football among other things. 

And yet, here we are.

At least, this year, anyway.

Captain...I Know How You Feel

 Last night, I did a little channel surfing as I wrote my blog. And what should appear on my screen? A classic scene from movie history.

KAHN!!!

It's easy to forget just how amazing Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn was. The first Star Trek film, if I recall correctly, was not well received. It was visually stunning, but the story--especially by today's standards--was just okay. They had a lot riding on the second film. Fortunately, for them, they hit it out of the park. They went back to their roots, story continuation from an original Star Trek episode. The next episode, like the first, wasn't as good (these are all my opinions, by the way...), but the fourth was epic.

Genius Star Trek.

The success of the films generated a number of new TV series, and additional movies. If Kahn had failed, it might have all ended there.

Who knew Shatner's clenched teeth and scream saved the series? I'll bet Shatner did.

The look from the scene is iconic. It represents more than a man fighting his enemy--it's a visual representation of the wars we all face as we navigate this crazy ride through space. Basically, we've all been there. We've all been Kirk (without all the alien womanizing and killing, of course...). We've all fought Kahn. We've all got our own Kobayashi Maru.

Pray we'll be as successful as the Captain.

Without having to cheat, of course...

Remembering The Time I Was A Freestyle Gargoyle...Or, At Least, Read Like One

 I remember entering the building not knowing what to expect, but I suppose, that was the point.

The unknown.

A few years ago, I had the honor of participating in a Freestyle Gargoyles event. What is Freestyle Gargoyles, you ask? Good question. Basically, authors read their own original works while an incredibly talented group of musicians provides an impromptu soundtrack.

The organizer of this event is Craig Nybo, amazing author, musician, game creator, businessman, film festival emcee, and all-around good guy. He invited me to be one of the authors for that night's reading.

And I had a blast.

Craig posted on his Facebook page a link to my reading. If you're interested, the video lasts just over 13 minutes and you can access it by clicking: HERE.

If you do click on the video and watch it, I hope you enjoy it. It was fun to write and even funner to perform live. It's also an appropriate story for the Halloween season. Thanks, Craig for the opportunity, and thanks for the reminder of those good times.

There's Always More To The Story...

 I snapped a picture the other day while out and about in Brigham City. A Chevrolet Avalanche with an interesting sign across the tailgate stopped in front of us. Now, a black truck-thing with several marijuana stickers is attention-grabbing in and of itself, but when that same truck has the words "ELISE'S WICKED WOMB" on it, well...that's something you just don't see everyday.

I posted the picture as my Pic Of The Day, and even tried a humorous caption. It generated several comments.

And I thought that was that.

But then, a friend did a little research.

Turns out, the back of a Chevy isn't the only place you'll see the words "Elise's Wicked Womb." If you run an internet search, you'll find the same Facebook post my friend did. In fact, I'll save you the search--you can access the website by clicking: HERE. If you're interested to learn more, and you click the link you'll find a site that sells repurposed dolls. And by "repurposed" I mean, transformed into...different things.

We all have different hobbies and interests. Many are artistically inclined. Some paint, others play music, others write stories, and others make baby vampire and demon dolls. When the need to create hits, you've got to answer the call.

I'm glad my friend took time to answer those questions I had but didn't get around to finding out. I have no need for the products Elise is selling, but I'm sure others do.

To each his/her own...

Signs In A Pizza Joint...

 We're slowly getting to know the area. We've visited both local groceries stores, both local furniture stores, both local hardware stores, the post office, the city offices, the dry cleaners,  and a local restaurant or two. You can learn a lot about an area by visiting the places people go to shop. You can also find out a lot about the kind of people who own the businesses by what they hang on their walls.

At the local pizza joint, Pizza Plus, home of their famous breadsticks (they are SO good...), they have a few things hanging on the walls. The one on top was the first one I saw, then I saw the others. I just had to get pictures of them. They also had several pictures of old Tremonton. That section of the restaurant didn't appear to be open. Next time I'm going to check out those pictures. I love seeing life the way it once was.

There was also a mini-shrine to a couple of Bear River High School athletic teams, specifically, the 2016 Bears football team, a baseball team, and some "thank yous" from the students. Funny...didn't see anything after Trump was inaugurated. Coincidence...? Maybe.

The restaurant had my daughter-in-law's business ad hanging up and I appreciate that. It's always good to spread the word. Yes--you can learn a lot about a community by the pizza joint they serve. Ours seems to be a fun place that offers great food and provides a fun place to eat.

Within reason, of course...

What A Beautiful Day To Get Married...

 If you're familiar with Logan Utah in Cache Valley, you know it can be a volatile place in October when it comes to the weather. Many many years ago I lived in Logan from September to December, and I'll never forget walking up the hill to Old Main in December and having winds scream out of Logan Canyon--the cold went right through you, no matter what you were wearing. It was, and probably still is, one of the coldest places on earth.

So, when my son and his fiancee scheduled their wedding in October and we found out it was to be in the Logan Temple, well, you never know what kind of a day it would turn out to be.

Turns out, this year anyway, the day was beautiful.

We had some time so we took a tour around the building. I couldn't get enough of the incredible sky. A storm did blow through a day or two earlier which cleared the air. It was almost as if the storm was sent specifically to give us that sky. Add the temple to that blue and white and you've really got something.

I have no idea if next year it will be as amazingly stunning--weather wise--as it was on September 13th of this year. There's a good chance it could be snowing.

But, if you know anything about Logan Utah in Cache Valley, the snowstorms themselves, can be heavenly.

It's Not So Much About What I Think Of Them...But What Do They Think Of Me?

 We don't watch a lot of network TV. There's many reasons for that, but during election season, there's an especially huge reason to not go there.

Election ads.

I am so so so so so so so sick of them, and I've really only been inundated by one race, a race outside of my district, a race where I cannot vote for either candidate.

The incumbent Ben MacAdams, and the challenger Burgess Owens.

I don't know if their campaigns spend money on other time slots, but between 6pm and 7pm during Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, they are spending money like it's water. Every commercial break there's guaranteed, at least one attack ad from both candidates, and many times, there'll be multiple ads at each break from one or both. 

Things I didn't know about Burgess Owens: He's bad with his own money--many bankruptcies. He also wants to start nuclear testing in the Nevada desert thus, killing scores of Utahns. He also wants to take away everyone's healthcare so when we do get cancer from the testing, we'll have to pay for it out of our own pockets. And, he's a republican.

Things I didn't know about Ben MacAdams: He's bad with other people's money--lots of government spending. He also apparently loves China and wants their human rights abuses to continue. And, he's no republican, but a liberal.

I know, I know, freedom of speech, and I have the freedom to not watch those shows. I also know a little bit about marketing.  Repetition helps to cement an idea into people's brains better. But, come on! After literally the thousandth time, I really don't know what difference it's making. I don't think many people will change their minds, but only make a person's opinion even stronger. Maybe they know something I don't. Then again, maybe they don't know something I do.

Thankfully, recording the show and fast-forwarding them on DVR helps. Can't watch anything live in this new world. I haven't even scratched the surface of all the terrible things these two men supposedly are and will do if elected/re-elected. I only highlighted two ads...there's dozens more.

The big question remains. It's not really a question of what I think of the candidates, but for me, after seeing these ads so much, the question seems to be morphing into what the campaigns think about the voter generally, and me specifically.

My conclusion...

They must think I'm an idiot.