When Lightning...Or Something Else...Fries Your Cables

I wonder if my kids are ever curious about what it was like to grow up in the 1980s. They've never asked me about it. But if they ever ask me, "Hey dad--what was it like to grow up in the 1980s?" All I have to do is disconnect the cable and internet and they'll know.

That's what happened at our house yesterday.

Twenty-four hours, modern technology-free.

It was eye-opening.

Tuesday, during a thunderstorm, our cable went out, and when I say "out" I mean, we had nothing--no phone, no cable, no internet. We think it was lightning, but we're not sure. Usually, it's not a big deal, except I now work at home and require internet access to work. Nope. No dice. We called the cable company and there were no outages in our area. Normally, I don't want bad things (no cable...) to happen to others, but if it had been an area outage, a technician would have been dispatched immediately. Since it was just us, they couldn't send anyone out until twenty-four hours later.

 Bummer.

But, we endured. We persevered. We survived. I used my phone as a wifi hotspot to post my "Pic Of The Day" and my blog post. Thank goodness. Had that not worked, I would have had to go to the library or found another public wifi to do those things.

The tech came yesterday and diagnosed the problem. The cable--at the connection at the street and at the house--was fried. You could still smell the burned rubber a day later. They ran a temporary line and we had services again. Instantly, we were transported into the twenty-first century.

I'd like to think I'm not a slave to technology, that I could go a day without picking up my phone. Turns out, I can't, or if I did, it would be a miserable experience. So, whenever someone from my generation criticizes the younger generation for always being dependent on their devices, I think it's a universal problem. At least, for one day this week, it was for us.

When No One Knows...

He didn't.

We know because he's still with us.

She didn't.

She told us why.

Yesterday was National Suicide Prevention Day. There's so many National Day this, and National Day that, that--to be honest--I get sort of numb to it, especially when something as serious as suicide is listed alongside such other National Days like National Doughnut Day, or National Left-Handers Day (okay, that last one is kind of cool, but is in no way as important...).

Yesterday, I sort of ignored it.

That is, until I read a social media post from an acquaintance. I don't know if I'll ever treat the day so lightly ever again.

We all know people who have taken their own lives, or people who have tried. Maybe you're one of those people who tired, or have thought about it. I don't know the statistics--I read a post saying suicide is the most common cause of death for males under 45-years old. I'm not sure if this is worldwide, or in the USA. And, if it's true, it doesn't matter because wherever it's true, it's tragic.

The post he wrote, well...it stopped me cold. I've had friends who have committed suicide and I knew they weren't happy. They'd gone through trials in their lives and some seemed to never recover. Then there's the ones who say the person was always happy--no signs of trouble. But, obviously there were.

In the social media post I read yesterday, the acquaintance explained what happened, and how he went from choosing the day he would end his life, and how things slowly got better. I was shocked reading the words--I had no idea. Since we're not close (we don't see each other much, but I've followed his posts on social media for years...), I had no idea how he was doing other than from what he posted. I kept imagining how shocked I would have been had I opened the computer and read about how he was no longer with us, how he took his life. I would have wondered if I could have done something to alter the unchangeable ending.

I would have come up with zero results, which would make the tragedy that much worse.

We live in a world where pain and hate and fear grow and fester in the hearts of men, women, and children, where these traits are many times celebrated and encouraged. It's taking its deadly toll. I'm so glad this person shared their experience. And I hope I remember it more than just one day a year. May we be more loving, more caring, more brave...may those grow in our hearts instead. 

Getting To Know You...Getting To Know Me

This morning, I left my work desk, climbed in the van, and drove north. It was time for a team office party. And that's where we played "getting to know you" games.

What is it about office parties? The games seem to be part of the plan. In defense of the organizers, the people at this particular party do not work together often, if at all. We all have very specialized job duties and for that reason, we're all under the same manager. Today we got to meet each other, and by the time the party ended, we all knew each other better.

I don't know who came up with the party games, but they were fun. We played "rock/paper/scissors." We acted/sounded like barnyard animals. We spelled out four-letter words (the safe kind...). We sat across from each other and asked questions printed on a card. I think the card game allowed us to find out more about each other than any of the games. Who knew Forrest Gump was a person someone wanted to be in a movie?

The rain came, the temperature dropped, the food was eaten, we got in our cars (and vans...) and drove home. Normally, after an office party, I'll see the people in the office and ask how they're doing, maybe catch up on something they told me when we first met. Now that I telecommute, I have no idea when I'll see them again in person. It might be soon--it might be years. But, on a somewhat cool day in September in a park in Ogden Utah, I got to know them a little bit better.

Halloween Season...It Begins This Week

This morning, as I left for work, it was dark and the crisp air had a bit in it.

Halloween is coming!

And, as if to solidify the point, my autumn gig of scaring the crap out of people begins this next weekend. It's time to break out the Halloween decorations. And so I did, at my work desk. I unboxed then assembled my Jack Skellington. He's seen better days and I'm missing his dog, Zero, but even with his faults, he puts me in holiday mood.

I've made no secret that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I do not "go all out" as some do. We decorate, the house but the kids don't go "trick-or-treating." They're getting too old, anyway. But there's something about the time of year--summer's relinquishing its hold on the hot weather and things are starting to cool down. It's the beginning of football season, college, pro, even high school when I get a chance to watch.

The days shorten, the nights get longer.

What a beautiful time of year!

I know Halloween merchandise has been in stores for months, but it doesn't matter. Once Lagoon opens its doors (this year on Friday, the 13th...) and we escort 40 or so people into a small room on the park and begin Seance, it's on!

I hope you all a healthy and hearty Halloween season. For me, it begins this week.

And Hour Of Peace...It Was Lovely

It's been a hectic weekend and a hectic summer. My daughter and I finished a run of Peter Pan in Ogden last August. After it ended, she was working a summer job and I was preparing for FanX, the comic convention that just ended. I feel like I've been running and running with little time to my own. And next week, I begin my autumn job--working at Lagoon's Frightmares.

It seems like I'm on a train that seldom stops.

Last Wednesday I took off work to help prepare for the upcoming convention. I'm glad I did--it was nice to have some time to prepare. I checked the train schedule, got a ride to the station, sat and waited for the train. I used to take the train several ties a week. Now, hardly ever.

I boarded and sat down, then the train pulled away. I had my backpack and my scooter. In twenty minutes the train would arrive, then I'd depart and make my way to another train, then the Salt Palace. It took about one hour from when I first sat and waited to when I walked in the convention center doors. And in that hour I didn't do the things I used to do, the things I always feel obligated to do, namely, get on-line, write something, check e-mails, listen to podcasts...you name it.

No...I didn't do that. I just sat and listened to the noise of the train, felt the car sway side to side, and thought about...well, not much, actually. It was nice.

The next three days were filled with making sure performances went well, panels were covered, and guests left entertained. I walked around a space with a hundred-thousand others and I did it for three days. It was amazing--it was exhausting. But, in the last week, there as one hour--as single hour when I didn't worry about all the stuff I usually worry about. I hope to do that again sometime soon.

How Was My Weekend? This One Picture Says It All...

I'm home and my head is buzzing. My feet are sore, my eyes are tired, and my ears keep expecting to hear the low rumble of thousands and thousands of people under one roof. It's an overall feeling I've experienced may times since 2013. It's the sheer exhaustion you feel after a major comics convention has ended.

A common question I've been asked while at the con, and one I often times ask my fellow convention attendees is this, "How's your con going?"

Mine can be summed up in one picture. It's the one posted above. It's a picture showing what a portion of the convention floor looked like around 3:15 this afternoon. It's a picture of success.

On the left side of the picture is a stage. It's small and looks even smaller surrounded by patrons. On that stage are three individuals, two contestants and one M.C. It's FanX's first ever Cosplay Lip Sync Battle Finals. And they were worth the wait.

I was worried about this one--so was the person in charge. We had two preliminary rounds Thursday and Friday, but today was the big one, the whole enchilada.

And it was brilliant.

We thought our fans might get into the spirit of what we were doing, and when a Freddie Mercury look-alike donned the stage and lip synced the entire Bohemian Rhapsody song, the crowd sang along with him. It was amazing and I loved helping in a small way bringing this experience to our guests. Thanks Howie and your team for all the hard work, thanks to Liz for everything, and thanks Blake for letting us prepare a line-up that worked so well. 

All I can say at this point is I'm beat, but just wait until next year--we're going to blow your socks off!

Yup...I Oversold It...I Oversold N'Sync

I first heard about the change in plans when I first arrived at FanX Comic Convention yesterday. I was pulled aside and told that sometime between 4pm and 5pm, my little convention floor stage would get a couple of visitors.

Several, actually.

We were going to be visited by Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick. The former members of N'Sync would be arriving via golf cart to the stage area. Then, there would be an explosion of dancers (okay, that may be over the top...) and thus would begin a dance party right there, at our stage.

The first thing I did, after finding out about the change, was find the person we had booked on the stage between 4pm and 5pm. That happened to be James Artimus Own. Because James is such a pro and an amazing guy, he was at first shocked, but then he said he'd roll with it. I know some who would have balked--it wouldn't matter who was interrupting them, but not James. He met with the event organizer and found out what was going to happen. Then we all went on our way until 4pm hit.

James began his panel. If you haven't heard his story, it's one of those "come from behind" tales where sheer will triumphed over potential disaster. His story is inspiring and meaningful, especially in our cynical world. As James continued, I kept looking down the vendor hall waiting for a golf cart. Because I was excited, and wanted as many people as possible to experience whatever it was that was going to happen, I told friends as they walked by that they needed to sit down and wait because N'Sync was going to put on a show.

I completely misunderstood. 

The show was for Joey and Chris. They weren't the performers, but the audience.

I'm sure I was told this, but in my mind, they were going to hop on stage so everyone could see them. Nope, didn't happen. And that's just as well. Everyone in the area saw the stars on the cart and gave them the recognition they deserved. But when it was all over, I realized, to those I spoke to earlier, I misrepresented what was going to happen.

The picture above is a snapshot of a video I took from the back of the stage. You can barely make out section of the golf cart and on that cart were the stars. It would have been fun to welcome the two up on our stage. I'm glad they got to see the hard work put on by the dancers. After all, they put in all the work to prepare for the surprise. All I did was oversell N'Sync.