Holiday Dinner

Chicken runs round the farm yard, 

            Wishes he was the duck.

Duck runs round the barn yard, 

            Wishes he was the pig. 

Pig runs round the pig sty,

            Wishes he was the horse.

Horse smiles, relaxes in stall.

            Christmas day, he’ll mourn them all.

I experienced Devils Tower

There is no other way to describe the trip I took to Devils Tower, WY, except to say I experienced it – I experienced The Tower.

The pictures don’t give you the actual feel of the place, but I’ll share a bunch of pictures anyway.

 

 

 

Special thanks to Frank Sanders, Tina, and Stephanie at Devils Tower Lodge. Between the accommodations, breakfasts, and dinners, I wouldn’t stay anywhere else. I can definitely recommend Devils Tower Lodge, P. O. Box 66, Devils Tower, WY, 82714. 888-314-5267. If you go, stay here.

Franks’s Place
Devils Tower Lodge

Uptown Funky Sharks

Are you familiar with the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars video, Uptown Funk?

Here is the video if you are not familiar.

 

 

If the “embed” doesn’t work (sometimes on preview it does, and sometimes not), here is the link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPf0YbXqDm0

Before the Word Sharks Writers’ Conference, I took the lyrics and made them my own. Listen to the video and try these words instead.

I bring you, Uptown Funky Sharks.

*   *   *

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, (Aaaaaow!)

This bites

That cold fin

Hey Roy Scheider

That cold swim

This one, for them hood sharks

Them good sharks

Need a bigger boat

Stylin’, while in

Livin’ it up in the city

Got tail on with the dorsal fins

Gotta kiss my gills, so pretty

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Called a police and a fireman

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Make a great white wanna retire, man

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Fish say my name you know who I am

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Am I bad ‘bout that swimming

Break it down

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to ya

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to ya

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to you

Saturday night and we in the spot

Don’t believe me, just write (come on)

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Hey, hey, hey, oh!

Stop!

Wait a minute

Fill my cup, put some fishies in it

Take a sip, sign a check

“Liz-beth, get the Stang!

Ride to New York, Mauertown, Boston, Harpursville,

If we show up, we gon’ show out

Smoother than a bunch ole hippies

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Called a police and a fireman

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Make a great white, retire, man

I’m too hot (hot sharks, hot sharks)

Fish say my name you know who I am

I’m too hot (hot sharks)

Am I bad ‘bout that munchin’

Break it down

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

Girls say we gonna bite ya (whoo)

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to ya

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to ya

‘Cause Uptown Sharks gon’ give it to ya

Saturday night and we in the spot

Don’t believe me, just write

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Hey, hey, hey, oh!

Before we leave

Let me tell y’all a lil something

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

I said uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Come on swim

Swim on it

If you sharky, then flaunt it

If you sharky, then own it

Don’t brag about it, come show me

Come on, swim

Swim on it

If you sharky then flaunt it

Well it’s Saturday night and we in the spot

Don’t believe me, just write (come on)

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Doh

Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Don’t believe me, just write

Hey, hey, hey, oh!

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up (say whaa?)

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up (say whaa?)

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up (say whaa?)

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up

Uptown shark you up, uptown shark you up (say whaa?)

Uptown shark you up

Biiiiiiiiite!

The writer’s ABC exercise, with Pamela Wight

Pamela Wight, of Rough Wighting, introduced this writing-off-the-cuff exercise at the recent Word Sharks’ Conference in Newark, DE.

And what a great exercise it is! Start with a prompt – Pamela gave us the opening, “A little while ago…” – and just keep writing. Each new sentence must start with the next letter of the alphabet.

From Pamela’s notes handed out at the conference: keep your hand moving, lose control, don’t think, don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or grammar, and be free to write the worst junk in America.

If you have about ten minutes, I encourage you to try it.

Here are my results from this exercise (I have edited a teensy bit, just to aid in the ease of reading).

*   *   *

A little while ago, I realized that I wanted to sponsor my own writing conference. Because I need attention, or because I wanted to get together with long-time internet friends? Crap, I don’t know. Don’t we all have self-doubts? Especially if we exist online only and never have to stand – in person – before these people. Friends – true friends – would never say, “Boy, was this a mistake.”

Good friends come together. 

Have face-to-face conversation.

Imagine together.

Jump in.

Kangaroos jump in!

Laughing all the way to publication.

Maybe this is the start of something special for this small handful of friends. Never before has this happened, and never again will this first Word Sharks Conference repeat itself.

Oh, we might gather again – in six months or a year – but the original “yay, finally, we are here” will never again be the first time.

Perhaps subsequent emails and handwritten notes can help us reconnect and share and promote.

Quietly, quickly, we become our own little writers’ group.

Realistically, we may never gather in the same room again.

Satisfaction comes from this one conference, this one gathering. Tomorrow might never come, and glorious today, we sit in the small group sharing our feelings, insights, and ideas.

Until tomorrow, friends.

Very sincerely,

Word Shark

XOXO

Your friend…

*   *   *

This is where I finally got hung up – on the Z.

Can you finish the exercise with a good “Z” word?