Jr. High School Dances...The Horror

Tonight, my wife and I attended a dance recital that turned into a ball (not, "ball" as it "lots of fun" although that works too, but ball as in formal dance...). My daughter's dance academy put it on so we got to see several of the student's dances and afterward, the floor opened up to everyone to kick up their heels a bit. They played Boot Scootin' Boogie, The Macarena, and other songs, many of which we knew.

My wife and I hadn't planned on doing a lot of dancing. In fact, we thought we'd not stay long because of the storm--didn't want to not make it home, but it stopped snowing so we stayed while our daughter did a little dancing. The event was held in a community recreation center that doubles as a jr. high school gym.

And, boy, did it take me back--roughly forty years back--to the aging (even back in the 1970s...) gym at Kaysville Jr. High, home of the Knights. Just thinking about those afternoons when everyone in the school knew a school dance was scheduled sent shivers up and down my spine.

And not in a good way.

No, as if the overall experience of jr. high school wasn't bad enough, they had to twist the uncomfortable knife even deeper. It's like the final piece of the crap puzzle that was jr. high school. You throw hundreds of socially awkward kids together and then you tell them to dance. The most successful jr. high school dances were the ones where my friends and I snuck out through the back of the gym and caught a #70 bus home.

Tonight's dance was not like my childhood nightmares. Families, little kids, jr. high and high school aged people were on the floor. And the fact that it was put on by a dance academy meant the kids could actually dance. Still, sitting in a darkened jr. high school gym watching people dance while listening to poorly acoustically delivered music, those memories came flooding back. Those were tough times--glad I got through them.

Clearing To The Mailbox...

Much of the country is expecting snow tonight. We got ours the day before yesterday. It ended up not being a lot of snow, relatively speaking, but it hit later at night when most were already inside. When that happens, it's good for those who plow the streets because there's no cars that get in the way. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac so the plow can make a huge sweep and get to the next street as quickly as possible.

Maybe where you live, you don't get a lot of snow and your community doesn't have specific laws in place concerning the responsibilities of homeowners. We do because we get snow. I don't know the specific rules, but I know that we're supposed to shovel our sidewalks and we're to get our cars off the street to make it easier to clear the roads. I think there are specific timetables to get everything done, but I don't know what they are, only that we have to do it.

There's another rule and it may or may not be a law. We're supposed to clear the snow in front of our mailboxes. This morning I went outside and saw the ten feet or so of snow separating the plowed street and our mailbox. With shovel in hand, I began to clear.

It turned out to not be that bad, and the reason for that is the snow wasn't that deep and it wasn't that heavy. I also didn't clear the drift left the night before by the plow. I sort of made our own little drive-thru lane.

So, technically, I followed the rules.

Someone Needs To Remind Me...Trains Are Sometimes Late On Snow Days, Too

I knew the bus would be late this morning because of the terrible roads. And I was right. I even arrived at the bus stop a few minutes late, so if the bus had been on time, I'd have missed it. A fellow commuter checked her phone and said the bus was a town away.

I did a little calculating.

That meant the bus and the train would be arriving at about the same time. Usually, the bus gets there fifteen minutes before the train. While we waited we saw the bus exit the freeway. Soon we'd be inside a heated vehicle and out of the cold. But something told me I ought to catch the train. I had no idea how bad the roads were leading to work and I didn't want to be stuck on a bus for an hour or more in case it slid off the road or got in an accident.

I crossed the bridge and joined the others waiting for the 6:10am southbound train headed to Salt Lake. I watched the bus pull up to its stop and pick up the fellow rider and make its way back to the freeway.

No worries--the train should be pulling up any moment now.

That's when the guy waiting with us on the platform checked his phone and saw that the train was going to be late. Bummer. I mean, trains are supposed to be the reliable alternative when the roads are crappy. That's what I thought when I decided to take the train instead of the bus this morning.

And I should have known better because it wasn't the first time it happened. The second the guy said the train was going to be late, I remembered the same thing happened last year. A storm hit--I thought the train would be the fastest way into town, but the train ended up being almost an hour late. If I had remembered that five minutes earlier, I'd have been in a warn bus instead of freezing with the others.

In the end, it wasn't that bad. The train was late, but I arrived at work only thirty minutes past my normal time. The best part of the morning was when I got off my train and took the short walk to my building, the bus I passed on drove by, meaning it took the bus just as long to get into town as my late train. Had I taken the bus, I would have been warmer, but I'd have had to find something else to write about tonight.

Ever Had A Danish Kringle...?

I have great in-laws. I'm kind of lucky, in that regard. And to prove my point, I present the gift our family was given for Christmas this year by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Pam and John. The gift came all the way from Wisconsin.

And it was a Danish Kringle.

I've never been to Wisconsin. I'm sure it's beautiful. I'm sure it's also cold in the winter. It would most likely remind me of another place that's beautiful and cold in the winter, Denmark, home of Danish pastry. It's been a while since I've walked upon the rolling hills of my fatherland, almost twenty-five years...much too long. I told my wife that when I get my book published, we'd go over--even more incentive to get that thing in print.

The best compliment you can give any baker in America making Danish pastry is that their pastry is close. OH Danish Bakery is close. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but there's something about eating desserts in the country named after those desserts. Maybe it's the Danish air that brings in daily storms that blow across the countryside. Maybe the natural cheerfulness of the people is somehow infused within their confections. Maybe it's a secret that only they know and the rest of the world will only hopefully one day understand. All I know, is I don't believe I've ever tasted anything as good.

I spent two years in Denmark and I ate a lot of pastry. Back then I had to work my butt off to keep any weight on. Funny how life likes to change its mind. Now if I lived there and ate as I once did, I wouldn't last two months. Good thing I'm in America.

Thank you Pam and John for all the deliciousness, and for everything else!

The Unseen Price Of Publishing...

For an unpublished--or, barely published--author, just seeing a convention booth like WordFire's is impressive. All those titles, all those best-selling authors, all that publishing experience in one place--it exudes success.

But it's what you don't see that makes their booth in particular so much more impressive.

Today Kevin Anderson, WordFire's creator and owner, posted in Facebook a "year-end-roundup" for the WordFire Press booth (I also lifted the photo he used--I hope he doesn't mind...). Here's some stats he mentioned in his post.

In 2016 the WordFire Press booth appeared in twenty-two shows, almost two per month. 

They calculated one and a half million people had access to their books and authors. 

With shows, interviews, and social media exposure, they reached around four million people.

The van that transported the booth traveled over 53,000 miles in the past eighteen months.

They also included a list of authors that signed autographs at their booth in 2016. The names include some of the biggest names in the publishing world today. If you've even been to a show and seen the booth in action, it's like a beehive of activity with authors and volunteers alike scrambling to feed the public something that will at least quell their insatiable hunger to read. Those at the booth work their butts off and in a manner of days, many of the same people along with new replacements will do it all over again, same booth--different city. It is so much work.

I've chatted with Kevin a few times over the years--he's got great stories. And I've asked him many questions, but I've never asked him specifically why he puts so much time and resources into WordFire. Then again, I don't think I need to. I've heard enough of his lectures and panel discussions to formulate a guess. Kevin not only has achieved success as an author, but the man loves to see great stories on a printed page, so much so, he's willing to go through all the trouble of creating his own publishing house and all that that involves. The man doesn't have to...heaven knows he could use all that time for more writing or to enjoy the fruits of his previous labors, but to him, it's important...it's worth all that hard work.

We see the finished product, or at least what many of us feel is a finished product, but if you know the process, seeing their booth in action is not just the finished product, but also the beginning and middle as well. If you get a chance to see their booth in the coming year, take a step back and just look. Look at the activity, look at the crowds, the authors and you'll see it's more than just a place for fans to pick up a great read including an author's signature, it's a testament to one man's love of great stories.

More Writing Inspiration From 1969...

A few days ago I blogged about how excited I was finding an old magazine from 1969, but there was one page specifically, a collection of interesting scientific worldwide stories compiled by John F. Pearson, that made me realize just how much writing inspiration could be found from this one publication. After I found that one page, so much in the rest of the magazine seemed to become a potential writing topic.

Here's the topics on that page:

New way to prevent cavities is with a laser beam

Omega, called the world's first global, all-weather navigation system

A rare weed that proves a threat to western ranges is under study by the Department of Agriculture scientists

"Moon mud" may be the next cure-all peddled by quacks once our Apollo astronauts return from a lunar landing

Quick recognition of friendly ground troops is a problem for combat pilots

For the first time a pulsar has been put on film

The "pill" is still a controversial method of contraception

Each one of these topics made me think of some really good short stories. I realized as I looked through the pages that the magazine was printed during the Vietnam War. Its mentioned throughout, but not sensationalized or highlighted, only that it's happening.

Some of my favorite topics--the runaway rare weed infecting the west, the potential Moon Mud scandals (especially since this was printed two months before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon...), and the first global navigation system. Now, a global system seems so ordinary, but back then, it was revolutionary. Those were the ones I would choose, if given a choice.

I don't know if I will ever write some of these short stories, but I loved that this old magazine got the ideas flowing.

So, It's A New Year...

If you're like me, you've seen many posts and opinions about the year that's been. Most couldn't wait until 2016 was in their rearview mirror. They had a terrible year, nothing but doom and gloom. Of course, others countered by commenting that 2016 was either a fantastic year for them, or at least, a year that wasn't that bad. The "half empty/half full" analogy was used often.

For me, 2016 was an amazing year. 

Then again, so was 2015.

And 2014, and 2013...

You get the idea.

I don't feel I'm one of those people that feel everything is rainbows and unicorns. I like to think of myself as a realist, someone who tries to look at many sides and understands life is more than a headline or a predominant opinion. I'm not always right, but I'm trying. So, was last year (and those other years...) really amazing? I can honestly say, yes. My family's been safe, we've had a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. I've had success with my writing, performing, and photography. Of course, there have been ups and downs--there always is.

So many have bemoaned 2016 as a terrible year. There was an election like none of us have ever seen before, and the news of passing celebrities came and went almost on a daily basis. Such is a living in a world with instantaneous news. I don't know what the future will bring, but I have a feeling that those who so hated 2016 will most likely dislike a lot of what 2017 gives them. And those who had a good year or an okay year in 2016 will probably have the same time of year in the next twelve months.

Such is life. At least, I hope so because that will mean, 2017 should be another amazing year.