Camp NaNoWriMo

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Just Chuck

I wanted to wait a bit before I announced this.  Just in case I failed.  I have been participating in Camp NaNoWriMo for the past nine days.  I have successfully fulfilled my daily goal of writing at least 645 words per day on my way to completing 20 thousand words for the month of July.

NaNoWriMo is the acronym for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo normally takes place during the month of November and the goal then is to write 50 thousand words.  I’ve been a member of NaNoWriMo since 2005 and have attempted the 50K challenge four times in the past. I’ve never written higher than 5 thousand words and lasted past the first week of November. It is not easy to write 1667 words per day to reach the 50K needed to declare yourself a NaNo winner.  Especially when you have the Thanksgiving holiday thrown in the mix.  I tried and I failed and disillusionment about being able to write set in.

Recently, to maintain interest in NaNoWriMo, the folks that manage the whole thing came up with the idea for camps.  These are currently held twice per year and occur in April and July.  During a Camp NaNoWriMo, the writer can set his own goal.  You can set a word count, or perhaps you are in the editing phase of your manuscript, or you are in the prepping stage doing outlining or research.  Whatever you want, you can make that your goal and their is a formula for converting hours spent into a word count.  The only caveat is that you need to reach your goal by the last day of the month.

For myself, I missed April’s camp and chose to try the July camp.  This is my first Camp and I am tracking my words.  I set my goal for 20 thousand words in 31 days.  That equates to writing 645 words per day to stay on track to meet my goal.  I felt this was a perfectly reachable goal. As of this posting, after 9 days of writing, I am at 6,634 words or 33% of my 20K goal.  I feel good.  The structure of Camp NaNoWriMo and setting your own achievable goal have shown me that I can successfully write on a daily basis.  It takes me about 20 minutes to write 645-700 words each day.  Many times I will do that at work when I find myself with a break in the daily shitshow.  Many times I find myself writing more that the minimum needed to reach my goal.

What am I writing? I am working on a memoir.  I may have mentioned it here before.  Its about a time in my life when I tried, and for a brief two years, successfully ran a music business.  Myself and a partner opened a rehearsal and recording studio business after a massive layoff (a mini memoir soon to be posted here) from a company I thought I would retire from.  Such is life. 

I will post more updates and m final tally at the end of the month. If you are a member of NaNoWriMo then drop me a line. Let’s be buddies on NaNo. Oh, and come November, I’m going to kick NaNoWriMo ass and win my first 5oK word challenge. For that I’ll be working on my fiction novel.

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Did you know?

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Just Chuck

With the 4th of July tomorrow, I just happened to be reading Brad Meltzer’s First Conspiracy book and I’m at the part of the book where the start of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence are introduced.  Here are some facts I learned from this book that I did not know.

At the beginning of May of 1776, the Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and began to question what the Continental Army was fighting for. Up to this point in history the colonies were happy to continue life under British rule but with more favorable taxes and concessions.  During the meetings the pro-independence radicals began to gain control of the Continental Congress  and ask why must we continue under British rule?  Why can we not self rule?

The debates led to a consensus to explore the possibility for independence by putting pen to paper and drafting the ideas that were being discussed.  On June 14, John Adams selected a little known delegate, who was only there as a quick replacement for a sick Thomas Payne, to start drafting a document for independence from England.  That 31 year old red headed delegate’s name was Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson was chosen by Adams because of his elegant prose. It took Jefferson fourteen days to draft this “declaration” document and on June 28 John Adams presented Jefferson’s first draft to the Continental Congress. 

The delegates from the 13 colonies spent the day reading the document before debating it. After 3 days of furious debate and minor revisions, on July 2nd, the document was put to a vote. The vote passed, the document was approved. 

After another round of revisions, the wording of the declaration was finalized on July 4 1776.  The colonies no longer considered themselves part of the British empire.  They wanted self government and to rule themselves and this Declaration of Independence was their statement to the world.

Contrary to popular belief, the Declaration of Independence was not signed for another 3 weeks.  In the meantime, two hundred copies were made and sent out to all 13 colonies governing bodies.  One specific copy was sent and received on July 9th by the Commander-in-Chief George Washington in New York City. George Washington was in New York City preparing his rag tagged Continental army for an imminent British attack from British encampments on Staten Island.  That copy of the Declaration of Independence was read to the entire Continental army and everyone cheered. Now the army had something worth fighting for.   Now they were fighting for their independence.

They lost that first revolution battle of New York City to the British but lived to fight another day. And we all know how that turned out.

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Vinyl of the Month – Hey Hey It’s the Monkees 20 Smash Hits by The Monkees

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

Before I had ever heard of the Beatles, I already knew who The Monkees were.  The band was formed in 1966 originally as a fake TV band (a la Partridge Family) and they came into my living room every Saturday morning singing their poppy, can’t get them out of your head, tunes. 

I wanted to be a Monkee.  I wanted to drive around in the spectacular Monkeemobile.   Even in fourth grade I wanted to impress girls without having to talk to them by playing music like the Monkees.  I wanted to be Micky Dolenz, the drummer.  I wanted a drum set but never got one.  Sadly only Micky Dolenz is alive today.

The Saturday morning Monkees shows were repeats, of course, of the two seasons (1966 and 1967) that were originally shown at night on NBC.  The Saturday Morning showings were on CBS from 1969 to 1972, the years we were living in St. Louis. 

Dad had just purchased our first color TV, a huge console set in a dark wood cabinet.  It occupied its own corner of the living room and perched on top was an antenna console with  two telescoping antenna flayed out in a large V.  Our evenings were spent tuning in to one of three channels – ABC, NBC, CBS – and watching intently.  It was about this time when the parents invested in a set of T.V. dinner trays.  

On Saturday morning, while the parents were still asleep, I would get myself a bowl of cereal and plop down on the floor in front of the TV and take in, what no longer exists today, four hours of cartoon and children’s programing aimed to sell you the latest toy or cereal.  It was glorious.

I can recall watching another of my favorite Saturday morning shows at the time, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.  The Banana Splits were another “fake” band but they were live action costumed animal characters.  I loved Fleegle, Drooper, Bingo and Snort.  I was a Bingo fan.  I loved the songs.  Tra La La, La La La La.  I loved the goofiness of the show and the additional segments of Danger Island.  If you watched the show you will never forget “Uh Oh Chongo!“.  

The Monkees would follow with their 30 minutes of music and mayhem.  When that initial line of the theme song was sung, you couldn’t help but pay attention.  

“Here we come… walking down the street… we get the funniest looks from… Everyone we meet…Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees.” 

So many wonderful memories of those Saturday mornings.  It is sad that we no longer have that ritual for our kids or grandkids.

The album “Hey Hey It’s the Monkees 20 Smash Hits” was released in 1985.   Of the 20 “hits”, most people would likely only recognize seven of them (three for sure).  So its a bit of a stretch to say “20 smash Hits”.  Regardless, it is a good album to listen to and think back to those Saturday mornings.

So, for bringing back Saturday Morning memories in St. Louis I chose “Hey Hey It’s the Monkees 20 Smash Hits” by The Monkees for this months Vinyl of the Month.

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I Miss Sears

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Just Chuck

I miss Sears.  

Every year, as the summer days started getting shorter, Mom would herd my two brothers and I into an old blue Ford four door and make the annual trek to our local Sears store with the singular purpose of shopping for new school clothes for the coming school year starting in September.  

Although she made us think we were picking out the clothes we wanted, she was really guiding us through a clever reverse psychology to pick out the jeans, shirts, and sometimes shoes, that she wanted us to have.  I looked forward to the new clothes but I whined through the whole process.  Mom would stand guard in front of the fitting room curtain and shove an armful of clothes through the slit with the command “try these on and let me see what they look like.”  I would quickly slip out of my cutoff jean shorts and raggedy T-shirt and tug on the very stiff, very dark blue Levis Blue Jeans.  I always wore Levis Jeans and continue to this day.  I could never adapt to the fit of a pair of Wrangler jeans.  I  completed the ensemble with the shirt provided, an alternating green and blue striped shirt. 

I sauntered out from behind the curtain in a stiff legged Frankenstein walk exaggerating the extended Frankenstein arms for the benefit of my giggling brothers who were too young to need school clothes at this particular visit.  New Jeans smelled good but were like putting on a pair of plaster-of-paris leg casts.  “Walk normal please!” My mother demanded.  I dutifully performed the fitting room walk while Mom checked the length and then the waist by placing her thumb inside the jeans and pulling the jeans away from my torso to see how much play I had between my skinny body and the jeans.  The interrogation would then start.  Walking up and down in stiff legged jeans and getting peppered with questions from Mom was no longer fun at this point. 

“How do they feel?”  
“They feel like jeans.”
“How do they fit?” 
“It’s hard to walk in them, but I guess they fit fine Mom, can I take them off now?” 
“No, go put on the other shirt I gave you and let me see how it looks with those jeans.”  

This would continue for another hour or so.  

As an adult reliving this memory, I now realize that I was a human paper doll providing my mother with the opportunity to get her fashion designer yearnings out of her system. After what seemed like a week in Sears, we had a significant stack of clothing that would soon be my fashion statement for the coming school year. I would proudly wear those new clothes on the first day of school and every day after until school let out at the end of the following May.

By the end of the school year nine months later, I would have grown a couple of inches and my jeans were now what would be considered “high waters”. I’d get some teasing from some of the meaner kids those lasts weeks of school. Once it was officially summer, Mom would get out the scissors and those jeans would become cutoff shorts to be worn through the summer months until once again the summer days would get shorter and it would be time for another visit to Sears. This process would repeat until I started high school.

I miss Sears.

My first credit card was a Sears card.  I got it in 1984.  I think it had a credit limit of $300.  I think they mistook me for my dad.  We both have the same name, I’m just a Junior.  I used that credit card to buy a Panasonic “Walkman” that played a cassette tape.  So, my first ever credit purchase was a Walkman copy. 

I was so excited to have a credit card.  My next card, a couple of years later, was a gas card – Gulf I think it was.   It was not a common thing to have a credit card.  Most people didn’t trust or want one. 

My parents didn’t own a credit card until much later in life.  Except for car and house, they paid cash for everything.  If they didn’t have the cash they put it on layaway.   Everyone used layaway.  The annual school clothing trip always resulted in my school wardrobe being put on layaway.  My Mother would drive down to Sears on paydays and pay a little bit with the intention of having the merchandise out of layaway before the first day of school.

I miss Sears.

I miss the Sears Christmas Wish Book, hell, I miss Toys R Us, but as a kid you would look forward to that annual special Sears catalog coming in the mail sometime in October or early November.  A kid could spend a whole day leafing through the Wish Book circling desired toys and ear marking pages so you could come back later and write your letter to Santa.  When Santa stopped being real we still circled and ear marked pages for Mom.  She would purchase a subset of our requests (because we wanted the moon and more) in early November and put everything on layaway until right before Christmas Eve.

I miss Sears. The store was such a big part of my childhood and even into adulthood. The wife and I bought our first washer and dryer from Sears. I still have my Craftsman tool sets.

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No Monday Post

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Just Chuck

WIth Father’s Day activities yesterday and today a work holiday, Juneteenth, I took a break. New post next Monday. Instead, enjoy this song I recorded many many many years ago.

Fascination (Ozone Ferd rendition) by Corner Desk Studio on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/corner_desk_studio/fascination-my-rendition

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Hobbies and Collecting

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Just Chuck

I have many hobbies and collections. The two sometimes overlap. My hobbies, or whims, rotate depending on my creative state of mind or an external influence such as YouTube or family.  It makes it tough to focus and become good at any single hobby or skill.

Take for instance, photography.  On a whim I decided to expand my photography skills.  I watched YouTube videos on portraiture, I bought all the equipment needed and I set up a portrait taking setting in the foyer of my house.  And I learned how to take portraits.  And I practiced on my family.  And I began to think I could do this when I retire, take school pictures, animal portraits and the like.  I bought multiple background screens, including a green screen so I could take pictures and then photoshop persons into exotic locales.  I bought and took courses on photography, stuff I already knew but wanted to freshen up on.  And then I ran out of steam.  I took all of the lights and screen down, packed it all up in storage bins and that is where it sits today.

Probably my most expensive whim was due to watching YouTube videos of people that travel around the U.S. in their RVs and Vlog about their adventures.  I wanted to do that.  I wanted to be a RV YouTuber. So, I bought an RV.  A Winnebago Micro-Minnie that suited me and the wife perfectly along with all the accessories that are needed for a comfortable camping life (outdoor rug, outdoor furniture, hammocks, outdoor string lights, etc.).  There are a few posts on this blog of some of our trips to various RV parks.

To further my future YouTube life I bought a GoPro Hero camera, the tiny little camera you strap, stick, or hang from practically anything.  I figured I needed one for documenting our drives to RV parks and hiking adventures we would go on.  Then I bought a drone, because lots of YouTube RV channels have drones that take glorious sweeping videos of a state park or the mountains of Arkansas.  I wanted to do that.  Over the course of 15 months, we camped 6 times and then, due to family dynamics, the RV sat in storage for 6 months at $200 per month. That was expensive for a toy that was not getting played with.  So, we sold it back to the dealer.  I still have the GoPro, drone and all the RV accessories if anyone is interested.  I guess we are too lazy to put them up for sale.  We should.

I have a collector’s mentality, but I collect stuff I enjoy.  Comic books, certain toys and anything from the 1966 Batman show. I’m slowly rebuilding my Vinyl collection as well. Unfortunately I am a collecting completist.  I pre-order my comic books two months in advance, so I’ll order the first, second and maybe even third issue in a series before I get and read the first issue.  If after two issues the story sucks, I’ll continue to buy the book monthly and force my self to ready it just so I have a complete set of the series. I think its a OCD thing. A fear of missing a key issue in a series.

I plan on retiring soon. This means no more extra money to expand on my hobbies or continue to pad my collections. Then it will be time to start selling off the comic books and action figures. I will never sell my 1966 Batman collectibles though or my vinyl collection.

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Home is….

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Just Chuck

Home is where the heart is right?  That’s how the saying goes.  Doesn’t matter where you are or who you are with, home is where the heart is.  I assume we’re talking about my heart.

Home is where my mom lives (where I am currently writing this from).  Home is driving 500 miles for 8 hours to spend a week with the woman that gave birth to me.  She is always happy to see me.  She will cook whatever I want, which is not good since I am on a low carb, low sugar diet.  Just entering that house where I attended first through third grade is very comforting.  Its cozy even though it is old and very small; and the shower is barely wide enough to bend over and soap your legs; and the waterspout only comes up to my nose so I have to bend over to wash my hair.  But its home.  The bed is not my home bed, it’s a bit uncomfortable but I survive because being around my mom is a safety net.  When my dad was alive, I had no worries about Mom.  He was there to take care of her and us as well.  He was my lifeline if I needed one.  I know if all else failed I could go home to Hattiesburg Mississippi, and everything would be OK.  Another cocoon.  

Home is my recliner where I plop in front of my big screen TV and proceed to vegetate and watch YouTube videos when I get home from work,   It signifies I am home, I am safe, and I can relax my body and mind.  My cocoon from the big bad world outside.

Home is my house in Texas. I’m a homebody.  On weekends we don’t go out much. During the pandemic, we got used to staying at home instead of eating out. We would entertain ourselves at home.  We watched a lot of TV and movies.  We got comfortable doing that and so we have not broken that habit. I’ve not been in a movie theater since 2018. We spend the summer in the pool.

Home is my bed in my own house.  Settling in for a night of sleep feels comfortable and secure.  Even better if it is raining outside.  That is a level of coziness that can’t be beat.  A cocoon.  

The next day brings work and anxiety due to traffic and having to do things I don’t want to do anymore. I’m getting close to retirement and I have an attitude, not a good one either.  I don’t like doing certain things, like flying.  I don’t want to leave my home and fly anymore, at least not for this company.  I’ve done enough of that over the years, and it has not gotten me anything.  Its difficult to fly these days.  The security, the bag limit, the rude people.  It just sucks.  I need my cocoon.

Home is where my hobbies are.  My music room where I can sit and practice guitar and write songs or listen to vinyl albums.   My comic book room where I can sit and read comics or work on writing.  I could never get bored with the hobbies I have.  Photography, writing, drawing, reading books and comic books, toy collecting, comic book collecting.  I never need to leave the house except maybe to get in the pool on a hot summer day.  Whenever we do leave the house it’s to do something where we stay in the car, like Pokémon hunting.  Otherwise, I come home from work on a Friday and my truck sits in the garage all weekend.  

Home is where you can spend a whole weekend and not have any need to get out and mingle with the rest of society.  I hate people, people are not really nice when you go out.   I have a terrible view of society.  People don’t get along anymore.  I want to go home to Hattiesburg, leave the big city of Dallas, and enjoy a small town where it doesn’t take 30 minutes or more to go somewhere as simple as a store.  I hate the big city now.  When I first came here, I loved it. Small town life was just boring as a twenty-something.  I want boring again.  I want nice people and a nice community.

Home is many things to me and since my heart is firmly placed inside my body then I guess you can say home is where my heart is and currently it is in Hattiesburg Mississippi.

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Vinyl of the Month – The Godz by The Godz

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

You’ve probably never heard of them but The Godz are Rock and Roll Machines and they will tell you  why in their song Gotta Keep a Runnin’.  They will go so far as to suggest we are all Rock and Roll Machines.  

The Godz are a band that formed in 1976 in Columbus Ohio and their first album was The Godz, released in 1978.  The band originally wanted to call the album Rock and Roll Machine until they found out a Canadian band named Triumph had used that title for their album.  I did not know at the time, but Don Brewer produced the album.  Don Brewer was and still is the drummer for Grand Funk.

I can’t remember why or where I bought the album.  I do remember seeing them in concert in Austin Texas sometime around 1979.  They opened for Triumph, yes that Canadian band that had an album called Rock and Roll Machine.   It has been many years but here is a brief list of things I recall from that concert:

  • I went with 2 friends, Bill and Howard
  • It was at the Austin Municipal Auditorium
  • We had shitty seats up in the balcony but snuck down to floor seats, ending up on 7th or 8th row, center stage.
  • The Godz played first and it may be because of their performance that convinced me to buy the album. They kicked ass.
  • We were so close to the stage, when Triumph came on and their opening pyro explosions went off, we were literally blown back into our seats and felt the heat.  Did they use too much powder in the pyro?   Possibly.

We enjoyed the concert and we talked about Triumph‘s opening pyro explosion for days.  Another great memory and for that I chose The Godz by The Godz as the Vinyl of the Month.

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Memorial Day 2023

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Just Chuck

Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  It is observed on the last Monday of May. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30.  The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868.  Then known as Decoration Day, the holiday was proclaimed by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the Civil War.

Memorial Day signifies the start of summer. Thousands of people will flock to nearby lakes to picnic and boat for the day. Those of us not owning boats or near a lake will fire up the backyard grill. There will be massive amounts of beer consumed and tons and tons of hamburgers and hot dogs grilled. Flags will be mounted on fronts of houses. Military cemeteries will be decorated with flags on the graves. For one day every year we celebrate and give thanks to those warriors that have given their lives to keep we here in the United States free to pretty much live our lives and make our own choices, good or bad.

Growing up as an Army Brat, you were well aware of Memorial Day. It didn’t matter where you were or what military installation you were stationed at, there was going to be a Memorial Day ceremony. The day usually started with a ceremony to honor the fallen warriors with color guard and twenty-one gun salute. A solemn ceremony you don’t really forget. Many celebrations would include military vehicles you could crawl upon. I recall, during our life in St. Louis, attending a Memorial Day celebration across the river in Illinois at Granite City Army Depot. On that day my Dad and his buddies put on a parachuting demonstration. My father was in the Army, Airborne Division, and he was a parachuter. He could fold a chute and put it in the bag, strap it on and jump out of whatever flying vehicle the Army told him to. On this day it was a helicopter, a Huey or UH-1. The kind of helicopter you see in every Viet Nam movie. On that day there was a mishap and one of his jump buddies got his chute caught on the Huey landing skids. There was a moment of panic as everyone gazed up with concern. It took some doing but they were able to get him loose before something worse could happen – getting caught in the rotors for instance. 

In addition to the parachuting demonstration, I was able to take my one and only ride in a helicopter. Sadly it was not the Huey but a more conventional Bell helicopter. It was one of those highlights you don’t forget as a kid. An additional kid activity was a simulated parachute jump for kids. This consisted of a taut steel cable with one end attached to a 3 story tower and the other a telephone pole. Attached to the cable was a parachute rigging. Kids would line up the stairs of the tower to have chance to strap into the rigging and pushed off the tower, zipping down the cable as if you were parachuting. It was a great ride. (this was pre zipline). To commemorate your accomplishment you received a certificate. 

I could go on but instead have a safe, entertaining Memorial Day. The rest of you not living in the U.S. – enjoy your workday.

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Ode to Dad

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Just Chuck

My Dad passed away in 2018 due to surgery complications.  He was 82.  He graduated from the West Point Military Academy in 1960 and retired as a Colonel.  I miss him.

Dad would not come out and admit it but he was a learner, and he wanted his kids to be learners.  Not intellectuals, but to have the desire to read, learn and seek out knowledge. He was the dad that would purchase encyclopedias (Encyclopedia Britannica, and Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History) for his children, so they had the resources to complete their schoolwork.  We still have both Britannica and the Pictorial American History volumes.  I call dibs on them.

Dad would buy me science books with subjects like “igneous rocks”, “volcanoes”, and “dinosaurs”.  He fostered a lifelong desire to learn in me (not so much my brothers) and it has not stopped. I am constantly watching History Channel’s YouTube videos and reading books or watching YouTube on various hobbies I want to accomplish – write a memoir, record a song, write a comic book, draw a comic book.  My shelves are filled with books covering all these and more subjects.

One of my favorite childhood memories came during our time in St. Louis.  As a family, we would take periodic trips to the St. Louis Science Center.  We would walk through the exhibits reading the information and learning as we went.  At the end of each visit, we were allowed to pick out one thing from the gift shop.  As I wandered around the shop taking in all the science toys and experiments, I found it difficult to choose just one thing.  I wanted them all.  I wanted a book on space, a book on rocks, a book on dinosaurs. I wanted to learn all about the things I was seeing.  I distinctly remember picking out a box with different types of rocks glued to the inside bottom.  They were each labeled – quartz, granite, marble, slate, etc.  I cherished that box and it paired wonderfully with the book on Igneous rocks.

When the space program started, and all the astronauts were big news, my father did not hesitate to buy me a 1967 Revell Gemini Astronaut model of the first spacewalk (one of many things I still wish I had).  I had models or toys of the lunar module and the command module from the Apollo moon mission moon.

Dad went so far as to buy me a real microscope in a nice brown case for Christmas one year.  I learned how to use it and how to mount things onto the glass slides.  I became engrossed with looking at bug wings, leaves, salt water, pond water and any other thing I could find in our backyard or around the kitchen.  I wish I still had that. 

Dad was always buying me gifts to increase my curiosity and knowledge.  I can’t tell you how many chemistry sets I have owned through my childhood years.  Sets that would not be considered safe in today’s overprotective, snowflake society.  Hell, we used to build model tanks and take them underneath the house and light them on fire along with a few plastic army men.  It was a different time.

Thank you, Dad, for instilling a lifelong desire to learn different things and improve on the things I know.  I only hope I can pass this on to my Grandson.  I don’t think my own three boys are much into seeking out new knowledge or learning new skills and certainly not reading a book of any length.  *sigh*

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