30 Day Blog Challenge Day 30: A Weird Quirk Of Mine

We made it! Day 30 of 30 has arrived. Hard to believe how quickly it went. I've had a blast and I hope you've enjoyed it too. I hope you've gotten to know me a little better. Some of you may feel like you know me a lot better than you wanted to. At any rate, my last assignment is to write about a weird quirk of mine. I'm not sure I'm that quirky a guy. I mean I don't refuse to step on cracks or count my steps when I walk or do any of those things. But I guess there is one thing I do that's kind of quirky.

I make noises. I don't mean I make rude noises after eating too much fiber. Everybody does that, right? No, I mean I do sound effects. And the weird and quirky part is that I don't even realize I'm doing them half the time until someone gives me an odd look. Another odd thing about them is that I never learned to do them. I just realized one day my mouth made these noises. I can whistle like a bird and do other whistling sounds. I've actually fooled people into thinking there was a bird in the room. I can also roll my tongue and make an odd sound that I can only describe as being similar to a train whistle. Finally, I can make a noise that I call the 50-pound bumble bee. It involves sucking in air and I just can't even explain how it works.

Another quirky thing I do is write books. It must be somewhat quirky to do that, right? I mean, not everybody does that, so it's kind of sort of quirky. If you enjoy reading my blogs and haven't tried any of my books yet, I hope you will. If you aren't already a member of my mailing list, you can get a free download of my first book, Harsh Prey, by joining. The form is just over there to the right. All you need to do is put your email in and then you'll receive a confirmation email (if you don't get it, check your spam) that you'll need to answer. That's so no one can just put in a random email address as a joke. Plus, if you sign up by May 7, you'll be in the running for one of two signed copies of my third book, In The Shadow. And you'll hear about publication dates first, as well as receive occasional gifts and discounts. I hope you'll consider it.

Sorry for the crass commercialism there at the end. It was, admittedly, kind of a "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine." kind of moment. But hey, I'm an author. Trying to get you to buy our books is part of our quirky charm.

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 29: My Favorite Comfort Food

It's day 29! The end is in sight! You get a whole week off after tomorrow before you hear from me again with another blog entry. Or you could say it's a whole week before you get to read another blog entry from me. It's all a matter of perspective. Today's assignment is to write about my favorite comfort food. This was an easy one and everyone in my family, at least the Stephens side, will know exactly what I'm talking about.

These aren't my mom's noodles,
but I don't have an actual pictures of
those. They're always gone before
anyone can take a picture.

Every year in the fall and sometimes other times of the year, but rarely, my mom makes her noodles. They are similar to what some people call dumplings, but not at all like what I think of as dumplings, which are softer and round. These are noodles in either chicken or, best, turkey gravy. They are quite possibly the best food known to humanity. They're so good that they are a bit like crack. I've been known to knock small children out of the way to get seconds of them.

Come fall, when we start exchanging messages on Facebook about the Stephens family Christmas reunion, one of the first questions asked every single year is, "Is Aunt Nancy bringing her noodles?" She used to run out, so she just kept making more and more to the point that she brings a great vat of them every year. And people line up to take home extras.

Why are they so good? I have no idea. I've seen her make them and the ingredients are just the basics. She has no secret thing she adds into either the noodles themselves or the gravy. And I've tried noodles made using the exact same recipe by other people that just aren't as good. I guess it's just something magical about my mom that makes them the best comfort food I've ever eaten.

By the way, the best way to eat them is poured over mashed potatoes. The perfect bite has some turkey, some mashed potatoes and some noodles. And then you sop up the gravy after you're finished with homemade hot rolls slathered in butter. If that ain't comfort, I don't know what is.

A pretty close second is cheesecake with me. It's my favorite dessert most of the year. I'll eat it plain or with practically any kind of topping. In the fall, though, pumpkin pie and the pumpkin pie Blizzard from DQ take its place.

So what's your favorite comfort food?

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 28: Top Things On My Bucket List

On day 28 of my blog challenge, I am assigned the task of choosing the top items on my bucket list. This one's kind of tricky because I'm pretty content. There are things I would like to do, but not too many that I just feel like I need to do them before I die. But I guess there are a few things I'd like to do a lot. Here they are:

*Travel to Ireland  And I don't mean take a two week vacation. I'd like to spend at least a few months there. Take a long walking tour. Long enough to see the touristy stuff and then two or three months longer. I want to stay long enough to have wee bit of the brogue when I finally come home. Maybe I'll fall in love with a lovely redheaded Irish lass and just stay. Either way, I'd like to take a short detour and see London as well.

*Attend the Michael Buble Christmas Special  I've already seen him live (though I was sick as a dog and missed part of his finale because I was ralphing up my dinner). So I'd like to see him without the regurgitation. And he just seems to be this generation's Mr. Christmas. His specials are that perfect combination of old time schmaltz and beautiful holiday music. And since it's usually recorded in NYC, I can see all the beautiful decorations. Assuming it's even recorded at Christmas time. Maybe I'll see the beautiful colors of the trees in Central Park. I don't care. Either one would make me happy.

*Make my living as an author  I would be more than happy to be a million seller, but I'd settle for writing books that sell in the thousands. Enough to be independent and not have to do anything else but write. Of course, that'll happen either way when I retire from teaching, but if I'm going to live in Ireland for three or four months and then visit London, I might need to do this as more than a hobby. Last year when I did my taxes and figured up income and expenses, I basically broke even. That's not exactly what I'm going for.

You know what? I think that's it. Like I said, I'm a pretty happy guy. I have a great place to live and friends and family that love me just the way I am and two jobs that give me immense satisfaction. To top it all off, I don't owe anybody a dime and have enough money to put some away every month. So what more could I want? Oh, I know! I'd like to have six pack abs instead of this keg I'm carrying around. Yeah, I'll do that right after I get back from Ireland.

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 27: The Last Time I Cried

We're really in the homestretch now. Day 27. It will soon be May. Today's assignment is to talk about the last time I cried. Folks who know me would probably joke that the answer would be, "What time is it?"  I'm a crybaby. I own that. And it's why the narrator of my books is too. If you want to guarantee it, just play any one of about a dozen songs from Les Miz. So I don't have to go far back to think of the last time I wept.

It was Sunday. Sunday evening to be precise. I had done all the work my brain wanted to do for the day, so I was channel surfing when I came across a segment of 60 Minutes called "Gold Star Parents." As I watched the segment, the lump was forming, and by the end, I was full-on crying. It just was so sad and hard to watch at times.

Gold Star parents isn't some organization for really good parents. It's a gathering for parents of children who have lost their lives in war. Every year, there's a reunion at a former hotel that's been converted to a living memorial in San Francisco. It's put on by Blue Star Parents to honor and hopefully bring comfort to Gold Star parents.

For those of you who don't already know, the terms Blue Star and Gold Star refer to banners that would be hung in windows of families who had a member overseas in a war. This tradition started in World War I. Every blue star denoted a loved one who was currently serving and each gold star stood for a loved one who had lost his or her life in the war. So Gold Star parents are parents whose child has died.

The segment contained interviews with many parents whose children were gone who talked of the fact that their lives had changed in ways no one could fully understand except someone who had gone through the exact same thing. Other interviews were with Blue Star parents who felt the need to provide this program to try to bring some element of peace and healing to their comrades who had sacrificed just that little bit more than they had been required to. But perhaps the most poignant interview was with a retired general who had served in Viet Nam. He told of his experience of going to talk to the parents of a man who had died under his command. He said that he was too young and immature to realize that, while he needed to hurry away from this awkward situation, what those parents really needed was to talk to him about their son. It was their way of keeping him alive.

It's hard for me, someone who, at age 52, has never had to say goodbye forever to anyone close to me, not even a parent, to imagine the heartbreaking sacrifice of losing a son or a daughter in such a way. As I sat and watched from the comfort of my chair, I wept. I wept in abject sadness for these brave families who have endured more than I can even imagine. And I wept in gratitude that, for reasons I can't fathom, God has never put me through anything like this. Maybe I'm not as strong as they are. Maybe no one is until they have to be. But for whatever reason, these folks have been asked to make the ultimate sacrifice a parent can make--to live to bury their child. I salute them.

If you would like to see the segment, click here.

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 26: What Makes Me Feel Better, Always

It's day 26 of my challenge and today's topic is something that always makes me feel better. No, that's the topic. Something that makes me feel better. There are actually a few answers to this one. So I'll tell you all of the ones I can think of.

First is my relationship with God. I started to say my faith, but that's the beauty of Christianity that makes it different than any other religion. It's actually not a religion or a system of requirements. It's a relationship. All I have to do is acknowledge that I'm sinful and fall short of perfection and accept that Christ died for all my sins. When I'm struggling with my self-worth, all I have to do is remember that the God of all creation loved me enough to do that. Then I feel better.

Second is hugs. If I'm struggling, a good warm hug from a loved one really makes all the difference in the world. On Saturday, I got to see a special young lady who is a former student of mine. She's extremely special to me and I hadn't seen her, for all intents and purposes, since last summer. It felt so good to hug her after not getting to see her for so long (I miss you already Sam). And I have friends at church who just seem to know when I need a hug. A well-timed hug is just the best. It's saying I love you, only with arms instead of words.

Third is music. Specifically, Michael Buble music. If I'm tired or discouraged at school, all I have to do is blast some Buble and I'm feeling good. Actually, "Feelin' Good" is one of my favorites of his. Another that I really like is "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You." It's a cover of the James Taylor tune, but it's a completely different song the way my friend Michael sings it. It's got a real drive to it, like it's being pushed along by a well stoked steam engine. "Stardust Melody" is just like butter it's so smooth. But none of these compare to "Home", which is my favorite song of all time.

Here's Michael singing one of my favorites. I linked "Home" in a previous post, so I chose "Stardust Melody."

So what makes you feel better every time?

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 25: Talk About A Piece of Art I Have

It's day 25 of my challenge. Today's assignment is to talk about a piece of art I love. I should start by saying that I don't actually own any real original art. I do have some posters of great art works. And the one that immediately leapt to mind was one that I love so much that I have a poster of it hanging on my bedroom wall and on my classroom wall. It's Van Gogh's Starry Night. 

I don't know exactly what it was that attracted me to this painting. I like Van Gogh's work in general, but none compare to this one. The swirling stars remind me of an ocean in the sky. His brush technique (and I should say I am not by any stretch an art expert) give me a real sense of movement. Another feature I'm drawn to is the church in the village. It seems to stand over all the other buildings. I find myself staring at it all the time. 

I was excited to actually get to see the real painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I must admit I didn't even know it was there until I stumbled upon it right after spending a great deal of time in front of Monet's Water Lilies. I stood, mouth agape, in front of it for at least fifteen minutes and I have to say that no reproduction can do justice to the original. It was simply breathtaking. 

Connected with that is one of my favorite songs, Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) by Don McLean. It didn't make my top ten, but it's definitely in the top twenty. Here's a video of McLean singing the song with visuals of several of Van Gogh's paintings. 

It's also one of the most parodied paintings of all time. Here are a few of my favorites:

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 24: My Best Physical Feature

This amount and thickness of hair
looks so much cuter on a baby than
it does on me. 

I can definitely see the finish line now. Less than a week until my blog challenge is complete. Today's topic is much less uncomfortable than yesterday's but it's not exactly a fun one. It's to tell my best physical feature. Frankly, I don't think I have any great physical features. I've always been heavy except for a few years when I ran seriously, so it's definitely not my physique. I have nearly no hair anymore. I started having my dad's high forehead at a pretty young age, but now all that's on top of my head is little more than downy fuzz. I do have really nice thick hair on the back of my head, though. Speaking of my head, mine looks an awful lot like a balloon. When I have pictures taken with friends or my students, the first thing that strikes me is that my head looks gigantic next to everyone else's.

But I guess I have to come up with something positive to say about myself. I mean, I don't look like a bridge troll, exactly. I have been told that I have attractive eyes. They are blue with little flecks of gold in them.  A number of people have commented on them over the years. So I guess that's a good feature.

But I think my best physical feature is my arms. And I don't mean my arms are super attractive. If I were to wear a tank top, no one would be wowed by my gun show. No, what I mean is that my arms are open. I give really good hugs to the people I love and to people who need them. I try really hard to be compassionate and loving. One of the ways I do that is by being a hugger.

I have had a lot of students whose only experience of a father figure has been a bad one. I try, in my small way, to fill that void for a short while for these kids. One of my students drew a picture of me (it was really quite well done) in which I'm holding a #1 Dad coffee mug. I was puzzled by that and asked why it didn't say #1 teacher. The student's answer made feel really good. He said that he felt like I was the unofficial class dad. I'm not trying to replace these kids' fathers. I'm just trying to show them that there are men who won't leave them or neglect them or abuse them. Men who will listen and cry with them and worry over them and hug them when they need it and, yes, call them to task when they need it, but in a way that doesn't make them feel like nothing. I like to know my students have learned from me, but when I get a note from a student at the end of the year that says he or she felt safe in my room and that I didn't just teach them about literature but about life, I've done my job.

So what's your best physical feature?