Since this blog isn't approved for advertising anyway, I think I'll link my book here.
For some reason, this thing will not show a picture, either from uploading or from a URL.
How to Save Western Civilization
With a complete discussion of what it is, why it needs saving, and why it's worth saving
$6.99 on Kindle, available for immediate download, free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers
Monday, March 9, 2020
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Post #50 and Update
Hello, all. Not sure why this is still getting views when I haven't updated in a long time, but since I'm here and it is still getting views, I'll post something.
I'm only getting to one contra dance a month these days, and unfortunately, they all seem to blend into one another anymore, without much uniqueness to make one stand out from another. Part of that is the monotony (sorry) of having the same band and the same caller time after time. That was one of my main goals as the scheduler for that brief time, making sure that there was a different band and a different caller every time out. You'd think with a board and a ready supply of cash in the till that they could afford a greater variety of bands and callers, but you'd think wrong. You'd also think that they would be working on developing new bands and callers, but you'd think wrong on that score, too.
I've been told that I can come across as harsh in my writing, but you should know this is me being nice. If I wanted to be harsh, I wouldn't be nearly this restrained. I would be brutal. But generally speaking, I like most of the people involved in the dance and have no wish to create hard feelings. That doesn't mean that I can't or won't point out when I believe there's room for improvement.
Just for fun, I think I'll write an entry for my own amusement in which I am brutal. If you think you can take it and want to see it, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. Then you'll know what harsh really looks like.
I'm only getting to one contra dance a month these days, and unfortunately, they all seem to blend into one another anymore, without much uniqueness to make one stand out from another. Part of that is the monotony (sorry) of having the same band and the same caller time after time. That was one of my main goals as the scheduler for that brief time, making sure that there was a different band and a different caller every time out. You'd think with a board and a ready supply of cash in the till that they could afford a greater variety of bands and callers, but you'd think wrong. You'd also think that they would be working on developing new bands and callers, but you'd think wrong on that score, too.
I've been told that I can come across as harsh in my writing, but you should know this is me being nice. If I wanted to be harsh, I wouldn't be nearly this restrained. I would be brutal. But generally speaking, I like most of the people involved in the dance and have no wish to create hard feelings. That doesn't mean that I can't or won't point out when I believe there's room for improvement.
Just for fun, I think I'll write an entry for my own amusement in which I am brutal. If you think you can take it and want to see it, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. Then you'll know what harsh really looks like.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
New Venue Report
A new location for the Davie dance run by Pat & Anita... the Hollywood Woman's Club. It's a beautiful building and a beautiful floor. Unfortunately, because the room is nearly square, it seemed much tighter in size than it is. Only about 16 people showed up, which is better than the Unitarian church, but still not enough. I'm not sure what to do about the square shape, though... two lines with only 16 people in each line? Parking is also a problem. That's not to say I dislike the venue, I still like it, I just recognize there are limitations. One other limitation is that it won't always be available for contra dancing, so dances there may be haphazard rather than on a regular schedule.
Several people I have not seen recently showed up for the dance on Sunday, so that was nice. I think we had just two complete newbies, one male and one female. The female seemed to catch on quicker than the male did.
Several people I have not seen recently showed up for the dance on Sunday, so that was nice. I think we had just two complete newbies, one male and one female. The female seemed to catch on quicker than the male did.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Something to Report
It's been a long time since I posted anything new on here, mainly because I've forgotten about it, but also because I really haven't felt like I had anything to post. But now I do.
Over the eclipse weekend in August, I managed to make it to the Athens, Georgia, contra dance, even though I had blown a tire on the RV and had to get it repaired on a Saturday. It was a great dance! The dancers were experienced, the band was good, the caller was good, and of the crowd of about fifty or sixty, HALF were young people under 30! I don't know how to create that situation down here in Florida, but we need to.
It's now a week until the 5th Saturday dance in Davie at the Davie Woman's Club. The club survived the storm, the band and I survived the storm, so we're going ahead with the dance. I'm calling it the "I Survived Irma" contra dance. Please come, and please bring a friend.
Over the eclipse weekend in August, I managed to make it to the Athens, Georgia, contra dance, even though I had blown a tire on the RV and had to get it repaired on a Saturday. It was a great dance! The dancers were experienced, the band was good, the caller was good, and of the crowd of about fifty or sixty, HALF were young people under 30! I don't know how to create that situation down here in Florida, but we need to.
It's now a week until the 5th Saturday dance in Davie at the Davie Woman's Club. The club survived the storm, the band and I survived the storm, so we're going ahead with the dance. I'm calling it the "I Survived Irma" contra dance. Please come, and please bring a friend.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Nothing to Report
I'm missing tonight's and tomorrow's dances still, as well as missing last week's dance, so I don't really have anything to report. I haven't heard from anyone asking about the April fifth Saturday dance, so it is still on hold. My ankle is still bothering me, so I'm not sure how much dancing I'll be able to do, anyway.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Random Post Title
Well, I missed Orange Blossom Ball and it looks like I'm going to miss Snowball, too, and I didn't go to the Boca dance, so I don't have a lot to report. I did make it to the Barnacle dance, but there weren't too many people there. The wood floor has warped in place. I injured my ankle dancing on it, still sore three days later. Cornbread played and Anita called. I know why she does it, but Anita's dances are way too simple for someone who has been dancing for 13+ years now.
I still haven't decided whether or not the 5th Saturday dances will continue. If you care, let me know.
On the bright side, relations with a couple of people showed some evidence of a warming trend. I know I can come off as cuddly as a cactus sometimes, but I'm not that bad, really. Those who take the time to get to know me find me warm, kind, and funny. Of course, if you're an idiot or a control freak, you'll find me extremely hostile and unforgiving. Fortunately there aren't too many of those in the contra dance.
I still haven't decided whether or not the 5th Saturday dances will continue. If you care, let me know.
On the bright side, relations with a couple of people showed some evidence of a warming trend. I know I can come off as cuddly as a cactus sometimes, but I'm not that bad, really. Those who take the time to get to know me find me warm, kind, and funny. Of course, if you're an idiot or a control freak, you'll find me extremely hostile and unforgiving. Fortunately there aren't too many of those in the contra dance.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
First 2017 Dance
I see Rose has started her own blog about the dances on Facebook. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that subject. You can probably guess what my opinion is.
The dance was quite good, with plenty of people to dance and a new fiddler named Rex who was excellent. The caller was okay, not great. I can't stand that one dance where you wander around the room rather than dancing in the contra dance line, and I'm not terribly fond of the four facing four dances. Sicilian circles are okay, IF you get to dance with everyone, but the dance we did skipped three couples at a time, and the number of couples was a multiple of four, so we only got to dance with three couples out of the 24 on the floor. Lou believes all callers should be musicians. I think all callers should be mathematicians so they can see how the numbers are going to work. I remember at one dance making sure that a double progression dance had an odd number of couples just so everyone would get a chance to dance with every other couple, but no one understood what I was about or why I was so adamant that there should be an odd number.
I wonder how many are going to be around for the Davie dance on Saturday. I don't think I'm going to make it because I'm broke, but most of the regulars will be in Daytona for the Orange Blossom Ball. But most of the regulars have not been going to Davie anyway, so maybe it won't make much difference.
The dance was quite good, with plenty of people to dance and a new fiddler named Rex who was excellent. The caller was okay, not great. I can't stand that one dance where you wander around the room rather than dancing in the contra dance line, and I'm not terribly fond of the four facing four dances. Sicilian circles are okay, IF you get to dance with everyone, but the dance we did skipped three couples at a time, and the number of couples was a multiple of four, so we only got to dance with three couples out of the 24 on the floor. Lou believes all callers should be musicians. I think all callers should be mathematicians so they can see how the numbers are going to work. I remember at one dance making sure that a double progression dance had an odd number of couples just so everyone would get a chance to dance with every other couple, but no one understood what I was about or why I was so adamant that there should be an odd number.
I wonder how many are going to be around for the Davie dance on Saturday. I don't think I'm going to make it because I'm broke, but most of the regulars will be in Daytona for the Orange Blossom Ball. But most of the regulars have not been going to Davie anyway, so maybe it won't make much difference.
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