Nature's Path Love Crunch Granola...Um...YUM!

I don't feel like I'm a food snob. I very much may be a food snob, but I don't think I am. Because of allergies, there are foods I can't eat. Plus, because of religious choices, there are things I choose not to drink. I don't believe I would do well in the big cities where there are fancy restaurants--even if I could afford to eat there. We do try and feed our family the healthiest food we can afford. We're always trying to do better.

Last week, I visited a friends house and he brought out a bag of Nature's Way Love Crunch Premium Organic Cereal. The variety they had--Dark Chocolate & Red Berries.

I mean, come on!

It was delicious!

"You can get it at Costco," he said when I remarked on how much I liked the food. When I got home from my visit, my son just happened to be at Costco so we texted him to be on the look out for the bag of breakfast nirvana. He didn't spot it.

Bummer.

Fortunately, I found a smaller package of the cereal at my local grocery store (Costco's items are so much bigger--buying in bulk, and all that...). I bought it. I've eaten it. It's still just as good, just not as much.

I learned a lot at my friends house, mostly about my writing and about the writing industry in general. But I also learned that I have a soft spot for some hardened cereal with dark chocolate and red berries. If it makes me a breakfast food snob, so be it. It's a cross I'll just have to bear.

I'm An Edward M. Kovel Winner...

This week I participated in a writing retreat. It ran from last Monday to yesterday, but I believe if people arrived on Sunday and stayed until tomorrow, no one would be upset. I missed last year, but attended the year before. That was the first time I went.

Spending a few days there this week became my second time at the retreat.

It's hard to explain how amazing spending time with a bunch of writers can be. Many of you--especially those who spend a lot of time with one writer--might think multiplying that experience sounds like a terrible idea. They'd be wrong, at least, the writers might thing you're wrong.

There's only a couple of rules. 1--you're expected to write, because when you're writing, you're not a distraction for the others who are expected to write. 2--you're responsible for at least one meal. It's like a weeklong potluck. A few years ago, I brought a meal for everyone. This year, there were so many participants already signed up for meals, I just paid each time, and boy--we ate good! 3--after dinner, you can continue writing, or play boardgames with the group. Two years ago, I played games (and had poor showings...). This time, I decided to keep writing.

Since I wrote Chaser back in 2016, I haven't dedicated a lot of time toward my writing, and that's a shame. Sure, we've had issues to deal with at work, at home--just like everyone else. It's amazing anyone who is not a writer full-time writes anything at all (and that can be said for some of the full-time writers as well...). In the 2 1/2 days I was at the retreat this week, I wrote just under 10,000 words. It's been a long time since I wrote that much, and it felt good.

Of course, the retreat wouldn't be possible with the amazing Butler family. They literally open up their home to a bunch of dudes. They put up with our corny jokes, our unusual places to write, our quirky personalities. And we're the better for it. At the conclusion of the event, awards are given out. They're named for Edward M. Kovel. I don't know who that is, but it doesn't really matter, like the awards. The important thing is not the particular award you get, but what you were able to accomplish, the things you learned, the friendships you made and strengthened that matter most.

This year, I got a hat--all of us winners did. I got 10K words. I got great advice about writing and the publishing world. I got to spend time with wonderful people. And I am a 2018 Edward M. Kovel winner. A very good week, indeed.

Just Taking A Stroll Around A Neighborhood...Finding Signs

I haven't been to many writing retreats--two actually, but at every writing retreat I've attended I've spent almost the entire time sitting in a chair writing. Though this is the main goal of a writing retreat, sometimes you've got to just grab your camera and take a walk around the block to see what there is to see.

That's what I did yesterday. Here are the results. I decided to focus (camera term...) on the signs I saw. There was one downed sign, a few street signs, a sign of school pride, and a sign to make sure you clean up after your puppy at the park. I'm sure, had I walked around more, I would have captured more stuff, but the muse is a fickle temptress and when the opportunity to write comes up, if you don't answer the call, it might not stick around.

Two years ago I found myself in the same neighborhood, basically doing the same thing. I walked around and snapped some pictures. I saw the plaque at the park, the U of U flags, and the street sign. This year, I caught some other things. So, here's a montage of what I saw. 

I'm hoping that my future includes more retreats. If so, I will most likely grab my camera and venture out to the streets. But for not too long.