Bike Be Gone...

We knew the new year would bring new changes to the family, but I didn't know I'd be boxing up a bicycle and shipping it to California. That's what we did today.

Before I started, I thought 'it can't be that hard. I mean, bikes are shipped across the country and the world every single day.' And, to be honest, it really wasn't a big deal. Thanks to the studs at Biker's Edge Bike Shop in Kaysville, Utah (see their website: HERE), we were able to get a box. Really, that was the toughest part. And be warned bikers--they have a very dangerous store!

As a kid, a bike was my transportation. We put together so many bikes over the years. From the Schwinn Stingrays to the first-ever BMX bikes, we rode everywhere.

My kids--not so much. There's just more for kids to do at home nowadays. Truth be told, if I could play video games and watch pretty much whatever movie or TV show on demand, it might have kept me in the house more, too.

I broke down the bike and stuffed it in the box. I called a good friend Tyler Servoss to come over and inspect my work. He gave me the "thumb's up" and he should know. He's raced bikes for decades.

This morning we drove to the post office and sent it off. In a few days it will find a new home in California. We pray it will offer transportation, safety and won't get ripped off. I can live with the last one...

Paying For Spam...And Not The Salted Pork Product

Spam...I've got a couple of e-mail addresses and occasionally, I get a spam e-mails that reach me. I know others who hate spam, but for me, it's not that bad. I just use the Mail apps on my phone and MacBook so I don't have to even read them. For me, Spam has been no big deal.

But my attitude changed about a year ago. That's when I paid for my first website, the one that I use for my official author website. I haven't utilized it that much, but who knows what the future will bring? Like e-mail addresses, I've got a few blogs,--mostly through Blogger, but I've only paid for one--that one's through WordPress. So what does a paid website and spam have to do with each other?

Lots.

When I first began my author website, I got a couple of nice comments from friends and well wishers, which I authorized and you can still find them on my site, HERE.

But then came the "other comments," the spam... The problem is, I cant' stop it. It's like digital dirty dishes that need to be cleaned up regularly or they pile up. And how much spam piles up?

Last month I had 1500 spam comments which translates to 1500 spam e-mails between November 11, 2013 and February 15, 2014. The 240 message I have now are about three week's worth. I wouldn't mind so much except...

I pay for that frickin' website!

I also run this daily blog and I've never got a spam comment or e-mail from Blogger, so basically I'm paying for the privilege to be bombarded with spam. Fun.

I checked WordPress to see if they have any anti-spam add-ons that I can use. They sure do, but, wouldn't you know it? I have to pay for that service.

So, for now, I'll keep deleting e-mails and clearing the comments from the website. Maybe one day I'll do something more.

This Made My Friend Text: He's Back!!!!!!!!

I needed a quick lunch, quick and cheap, so I decided to go to Cher's, a small sandwich shop between 2nd and 3rd East on 3rd South in Salt Lake City. Cher's is good, especially their "Sandwich Of The Day" deal. I wasn't sure what Wednesday's sandwich was--possibly tuna fish, but I knew it wasn't egg salad so I felt pretty safe (not so much a fan of the salad sandwich made of egg...).

Just when I was about to cross the street to go east, I looked south.

I'm so glad I did.

Not that Cher's wouldn't be that bad, but, sorry Cher's...you just can't compete with the Taco Cart!

Three words: he is back!

I'm not going to say it's the best $3 burrito in the world; I'm sure it's not, but it's darn good. My friends had other plans for lunch so I made them pay. I texted a picture of the cart and sent it. I knew it would cause them pain because they weren't in line getting their own burrito, but I also knew the pain would soon be replaced by unending joy as the Taco Cart businessman has returned to the country that we love serving us the food that we love.

In short, it's a good day!

Stephen King's Firestarter...A Book Review

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 I finished another Stephen King novel today and I have to say, I enjoyed it much better than the last  Stephen King novel I read. I wouldn't quite call Firestarter a horror novel, but there were elements. I'm sure there's a proper genre name for this book, but I don't know it. It's not fantasy, but more science fiction.

Whatever it is, I liked it.

I liked the pace of it. It wasn't frustrating to me. I understood the situations and they actually made sense. Well, okay...if you buy into the "ten-year old girl can make things spontaneously combust by her will alone" part. While reading I thought of all the possibilities open to someone who has this ability. Apparently, so did Mr. King. To a government, there's only one outcome for a person who can do this. They have to be eliminated, not just their "talent" but the person. It must be a permanent decision.

As the story ended, I could definitely imagine a sequel. Maybe that's because every creative project these days seems to have either a sequel or it was written to have one. And maybe King planned on another story. I'll have to ask him one day.

Because if there were a sequel written, I think I'd like it, too.

* Photo used without permission from:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233667.Firestarter?from_search=true

Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions...A Book Review

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The cover of the hardback edition of Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions asks the hypothetical question: What would you do with a million in cash?

That's a great question.

And it's a great book.

My first experience with this story came via a movie, Danny Boyle's 2004 gem. I didn't know until I was trolling for available library books from the audiobook selection at the Davis County library that this story existed in book form. I checked it out immediately.

It's a quick read, or listen. I think we've all read/listened to books we know from a movie, or the other way around--read the book then saw the movie. That's the most common situation. I wasn't sure if the book could live up the rather large shoes left by the film.

I shouldn't have worried. It did.

If you're unfamiliar with either the book or the film, it's such a fantastic story. A somewhat strange, but beautifully wonderful child comes across a huge sum of money just before England changes their monetary system of pounds for euros. We are told the story through the child's eyes which makes the experience just that much sweeter. There are burglars and single fathers and Christmas plays and even Mormons. That's a winning combination right there!

I remember channel surfing a decade ago and I came across Roger Ebert discussing this film and he said he loved it. I had heard nothing about it, but I was looking for a present one day in the Target store. I saw the film and I bought it. I never do that, buy a film I barely know.

I'm glad I bought the film.

And I'm more glad I found the book.

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* Photos used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1033693.Millions

Highlands And Lows...A Short Story

It's time for another weekly writing prompt challenge! Personally, I like these photos...kind of thought-provoking, which is good if they're being used to inspire.

And, of course, if you'd like to participate, here's the rules:

1) Write a story using both photos.
2) Keep your word count to 500 words or less.
3) Submit your completed story to your blog hostess (Nicole, Leanne, and Tena) via the inLinkz linky on their sites. (If you need a bit of help with this step, just leave a comment on their sites and they’ll get you linked up!)
4) You have the until next Tuesday to post.
5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow!  

Let's see what I come up with!

Highlands And Lows

As soon Heather stepped from the car something deep inside told her this once-in-a-lifetime trip was a huge mistake. She should have recognized while planning her European vacation that her battle with homesickness and panic attacks had not yet been completely conquered. Still, with so much on the line, she willed herself to overcome the ailments she suffered since she was a teenager at summer camp.

"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked the cab driver who nodded and spoke with such a heavy Scottish accent, the recent college graduate barely understood him. "Okay, thanks," she said and she watched the Mercedes Benz taxi drive away.

"I knew I should have called the tour group before I left my hotel," Heather said to no one. A friend recommended she hire a tour guide to take her and other foreigners to the highlands of Scotland. Now, it looked as if she either arrived on the wrong date, or the rest of the tour group were late. Of course, Heather chose the worst case scenario and that became her reality.

Heather recognized the signs immediately. The tightness in her chest began to restrict her breathing as the attack began. Her heart began to race and she knew she needed to find a place to sit, a place to clear her mind and meditate. Years of practice controlling her emotions kicked in as Heather sat on the ground, breathed in and out at a controlled rate. After all, she still had her cellphone with her.

Images fought for Heather's attention. Normally thoughts of her mother offered comfort, but not this time, not since her mom warned her against taking the trip. No, she would not think of her mother, or, by extension, her father. She tried thinking of college, the friends she met and the experiences she had. So far, it wasn't working and a new feeling of fear crept up from the dark spaces of her mind.

Maybe it was the time she spent in London before taking the train to Scotland. Maybe it was her love of Masterpiece Theater productions. Whatever brought the image to her mind, Heather welcomed it, embraced it and her heart rate began to calm. For in her mind came the soothing voice of Benedict Cumberbatch as he described clues gleaned from a Notting Hill street lamp surrounded by fog.

Yes, it's working. Heather reminded herself that when she arrived back in the states, she'd order all three seasons. It's a lot cheaper than therapy.

Word Count: 423

The Lasts And The Firsts...

There's a Biblical phrase that goes something like, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." For me, it's always been one of those vague scriptures that probably means half a dozen things. Mostly, I think of the phrase when I'm standing at the back of a long line that's not moving and I think that if I could apply the scripture, then I--being last--would suddenly be transported to the front of the line...a last to be first, situation. Funny how that never happens, though.

Therefore, should I question my faith in scripture?

No...I'm pretty sure that's not what Matthew was talking about.

So, why am I talking about lasts and firsts? It's been on my mind lately. Last week our family had a lot of "lasts." Last weekend, last church together, last Family Home Evening, last dinner. All that occurred before last Wednesday.

Beginning last Thursday, we entered a world of "firsts." First night with five, first day of school with five, first weekend, first church tomorrow. Today we received another first, first letter from our son. We all gathered around and I read it to the family. Remember when people used to communicate by either telephone or via written correspondence delivered by the post office? It's a glorious feeling, if you've never experienced it.

Soon, I'll most likely stop thinking in terms of lasts and firsts and events in life will just...be. That is, of course, until he comes home. Then the prisms of last and first will probably return.