Mystic Monday

Well Damn!

When it rains, it pours!

If any of you follow my status reports on Facebook (if you don't you're not missing much except for some game play, although I can say some profound things - from time-to-time.), you'll know that I am deeply saddened by the loss of amusement park owner, Will Koch. I didn't really know him, but he wasn't the kind of guy to hide himself from people who loved his park and the rides in it as much as he did.

It hurts even more because my husband and I just saw him little over a week ago during the annual park event, Holiwood Nights. It's so hard to wrap my head around this tragedy because he seemed so lively as he jammed with the band playing for us while ate dinner that Saturday night.

I know it's been a week because I've been dealing with vertigo for almost an entire week since our return home last week Sunday. We left the Thursday before that and the event started that Friday evening. We have a ticket to return when they get the new timberliner trains functioning on The Voyage. I was looking forward to seeing him again and that smile he always seemed to have for everyone! May you have all the airtime you can handle on this new roller coaster you are riding Will!

He's not the only person I know who passed away this past weekend either. My sister-in-law lost her father to pneumonia, he was suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Let's take a moment of silence to remember all of those people who have touched our lives whether they were family, friends, teachers, authors or actors. Remembering them will keep their light shining for just a little longer.
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Well, that takes all the fun out of my post now, doesn't it? This was supposed to be the one where I tell all of you whether you care or not, the answers to my questions from the Creative Blogger Award I was nominated for over a month ago.

Since it's been a couple of weeks, I'll recap the statements:

"So, here's my list of 7 statements. 1 could be true or 6 of them could be. That's for you to decide hehehe!

1. I met my husband in a "chatroom" over the intranet.

2. Exchanged emails with an NBA General Manager.

3. Went to school with the kids of a Big Ten football referee.

4. Met a professional athlete.

5. Was born at a professional football stadium.

6. Knew an actor before he became an actor.

7. Was told by an author that I had the grasp of narrative hook when I was 13.

Okay, there's my list. Not so easy, is it? Or maybe it is. HAHAHAHAHA! Have fun! Can't wait to see what answers are chosen! Oh, and just a fact, I was born in Green Bay, WI....Anyone who really knows me can honestly say that each of these answers has 50/50 shot of being true...lol!"

If you want to come up with your own answers now, don't scroll down any farther. I'll give you sometime before I post the answers.

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Okay, time's up!

1. I met my husband in a "chatroom" over the intranet.

- True! I think some of you might have figured I meant Internet, but it wasn't the Internet. At the time my husband and I met, the Internet was in it's infancy. We met on what was known as Holomuck, a moo (don't ask me to explain that one, it's a complicated explanation). You could only get to it using a dumb terminal that was only connected to the one server at the school - thus it was an intranet.

2. Exchanged emails with an NBA General Manager.

- True! I had a couple of emails saved that I sent to Larry Harris when he was the General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. I have them saved on my computer.

3. Went to school with the kids of a Big Ten football referee.

- True! I had originally mistakenly said NFL ref, when I meant to say Big Ten ref. His name is Dennis Lipski. I attended grade school with both his son and his daughter. Plus, the house they lived in on 96th was on land once owned by mother's side of the family.

4. Met a professional athlete.

- True! Believe it or not, I've met a few pro basketball players in my day, but I doubt they would have remembered it. I went to some before game signings and such. I met Mo Williams (Currently with Cleveland Cavs) when he was a rookie and got his signature. He sat next to Joe Smith (Currently with Atlanta Hawks). At that time, I had been used to seeing Joe with a shaved head, but he let it grow in and it was different. I couldn't resist commenting on it - he said everyone was! Then, during the first Squad 6 auditions, I "met" Charlie Bell for the first time. Then, during the 2009-2010 season when Andrew Bogut was sidelined the first time (he wasn't out that long), I got to shake his hand after a game. Okay, that doesn't really count, but I wasn't using it as proof anyway.

5. Was born at a professional football stadium.

- False! I got many of you with that one, I think! I would love to be able to claim this one as true, I was merely born in a hospital in the area.

6. Knew an actor before he became an actor.

- True! I went to high school with a man named Andy Pond. He is a paid actor who currently resides in Chicago. He used to live in Florida and performed at Laughing Gas Comedy Improv Theatre Company in Miami. I have heard some interesting stories from him, that's for sure. You can find him on their Hall of Fame list. Sorry, but you'll have to scroll down to find him. Because he's a friend, and oozed potential and talent 20+ years ago, I thought I'd give you this review written by Leah A. Zeldes on his recent performance in Heaven Can Wait (closed May 30th):

"The cast ranges from excellent to eh. Andrew J. Pond (recently seen in Out of Order (our review ★★★★) at Arlington Heights’ Metropolis Performing Arts Centre) plays Levene in keenly expressive comic style, smooth, natural and so far outshining the other actors that it makes you wonder what he’s doing in this show."

7. Was told by an author that I had the grasp of narrative hook when I was 13.

- True! Late author Ellen Hunnicutt (aka E.M. Hunnicutt, author of Suite for Calliope) taught a writing enrichment class to my 7th grade class (I think it was 7th grade). I had written a short story for a class project. She commented in front of the entire class that I had "narrative hook". I remembered that comment for a long time, I just never understood what she really meant. Then, in college, I was lucky enough to take her creative writing course. She was tough on me, and rightly so, but I still didn't get it - I appreciated it, but I didn't see that her words helped mold me into the writer I am today. My biggest regret is that I didn't keep in contact with her after I finished her class. I missed out on a big opportunity because she passed away in 2003 at the age of 72. I remember being told that she was in a car accident. It hurt, but not for the closeness, but for the lack of it. I had wanted to reconnect with her, tell her how I could appreciate her words now, but I can only hope she knows now.

Someone put a really cool slideshow of quotes on writing from different authors. Some people didn't appreciate this, but I do! Ellen has a quote mentioned on slide 17.

Quotes From Authors on Writing

View more presentations from Pam Krambeck.

On that note, I'll leave you to enjoy your day, just as I plan to!