Don't Worry ( #BOTB Results )

Anxiety weighs down the heart,  but a kind word cheers it up.    

Proverbs 12:25 New International Version (NIV)

Pondering the Colorado River in Austin Texas

Pandemic Days

        There's so much for people to worry about these days that it's difficult to know where to start.  Maybe it's best to start by not worrying.  Jesus said not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34) and if you don't take any stock in what Jesus had to say then just use common sense.  How are you going to make things better by worrying? 

          If you find yourself consumed by worry then maybe you need to take some action to take your mind off of that worry.  After all, worry is essentially an act of selfishness if no action is taken to find ways to remedy that which is worrying you.  Worry is wasted effort which culminates in no positive result.  If all you do is worry then you aren't working towards personal wellness and your worry can become more contagious than the worst disease.

         Would you rather be spreading the negative energy of worry or the positive energy of hope, concern for others, and the mindset that things will get better? 

        Sometimes children know best.  Here's a story that my daughter Ada Z shared recently about my dear granddaughter, Grace, who is seven years old:

My daughter, Grace, had a dream the other night. She said,
“We were sitting around the campfire as a family and God came down to sit with us. He started singing a song about the world. Then he ate a marshmallow. Everything is going to be ok”

I asked her how she knew that it was God. She said, “It was definitely God”.

The smile that she had on her face and the twinkle in her eye gave me so much hope and it has truly gotten me through the last few days.

         Thank you for that sweet story, Ada, and bless the wisdom of my granddaughter, Gracie.  She put into words with elegant simplicity the advice I've been trying to live by over the past decade or so.  Eat marshmallows and sing happy songs.  Everything will turn out just fine--or at least the way it's supposed to work out.

Battle of the Bands Results

My Martyr Battle

         My most recent Battle saw "Joan of Arc" by Jennifer Warnes go up against "The Martyr" by prog rock group Wally.  As some of you might have guessed, my favorite was the song by Wally.   However either of the albums that these songs came from are big favorites of mine.  The voting ran close at the beginning of the race, but then Wally broke out ahead to capture the win.

   Final Vote Tally

Jennifer Warnes     5 votes

Wally                       9 votes

Next Battle on Wednesday April 1st

        This is going to be a big day in blogging since this will also be the start of Blogging from A to Z April Challenge for 2020.   So far nearly 300 blogs are signed up to the official list, but many more will be participating through social media sites like Facebook.  If you're basically locked down for the current pandemic then why not join us in A to Z.  This seems like the year to do it.

       And wait!  There's more!   April 1st will also be the posting date for Insecure Writer's Support Group.  So it's gonna be a whopper of a blogging day.  I've pulled all these together in one post in previous years so I guess I can do it again.

        Please be well.  And don't be afraid.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Thought I'd post this last minute Mother's Day video message that was created by my daughter Ada Z.   She's been doing some great video work (not just my opinion).  Hope you enjoy it!  Please share with others and maybe you can go to YouTube and "Like" Ada's video and maybe add your comment of support on that page.   Comments below are also welcomed.







        Don't forget the Moms in your life.  Mother's Day (in the U.S.) is this Sunday May 13th.

Remembering (and Not Remembering)

The wedding vow kiss.  The white you see in the round window is the blizzard on the beach.
(Sorry about the picture quality--I haven't figured out about editing photos on my new computer and these were the best quality photos I had access to)

          Hands down the best wedding I've been to was that of my daughter Ada and her fine husband Tom Zdanowicz.   Or should I say. since just about all of the weddings I've been to were very nice and I wouldn't want to slight any of them to say one was better than another, Tom and Ada's 2009 wedding was probably the most amazing due to the circumstances surrounding it which also made that event highly memorable.

           In order to make things easier for those of us who were attending the New Jersey event from out of town, the wedding was planned for December 19 in order to coincide with holiday vacations.  My wife and I would have been going back east anyway in order to visit family, so having the wedding during that time seemed like the best way to accommodate us as well as the others coming from California and other places.

          When I say amazing it's because one of the biggest snow storms in recent northeastern U.S. history hit on that wedding day.   Since all arrangements had been made and people had traveled from all over, postponing to another day was not feasible.  Despite the weather the wedding would go on for whomever was able to make it through the snow.  Incredibly nearly everyone did show up, including some who drove hundreds of miles through inclement weather.   What I feared could be a ruined wedding turned out to be a big success with a good crowd who had a great time as the blizzard roared outside.

The happy couple at the head table with the snowy beach in the background with a might blizzard underway.

          Getting to the facility was somewhat scary.  Traffic was light, but the roads were covered in ever deepening snow.  It was slow going, but everyone arrived early with time to mingle and get acclimated to the beautiful facility.  The place where the wedding was held was on the Jersey beach and had large windows through which in the darkness past the raging snowstorm ocean waves could be faintly seen.  What a sight!  Watching the wedding ceremony was hypnotic with the blowing snow seen through the windows that acted as a dramatic backdrop.

         Now here's the part of the story that has to do with my Battle of the Bands post that featured the song "I Only Have Eyes For You".    Earlier in the year Ada and Tom had come to visit us in California at which time Tom was going to ask my blessings for him to marry my daughter and then he would propose to her.   I think Tom is a great guy and I was thrilled that they were going to get married later that year.   Of course I approved!  They were one excited happy couple.

         One evening during their visit I pulled my recently acquired Busby Berkeley DVD box set off the shelf because I wanted them to see some of the great dance numbers found in the films.  They were especially impressed by my favorite piece which happened to be that song "I Only Have Eyes For You".   Then, at the wedding during their dance together, I didn't even realize they were using that same song.  Maybe it was the typical father-of-the-bride jitters or the distraction of the snowy weather.   Or perhaps it was because the version they used was the one by the Flamingos and it was so different that I didn't even make the connection to the original version I had played for them earlier that summer.

         Ada pointed out to me later what song they had used and I was so thrilled that they had chosen that particular song.   Maybe it was a combination of a lot of things that made me miss that song connection, but now I clearly remember what I did not immediately remember that night.  Now I can't imagine ever forgetting that amazing wedding.

Tom and Ada dancing to "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos

         As a postscript I should mention that the evening wrapped up successfully though the crowd probably started dispersing earlier than they might have had under different weather circumstances.  We all partied and had a great time, but at about 11 PM the shuttle service which had delivered most of the guests to the site from the hotel where we were staying or parked decided that they should start taking groups back.

         Going back was even scarier than getting there as the snow had not relented and the roads were getting really bad.  Several runs were made by the shuttle vans that had been hired for the occasion.   My wife and I and her family members were on about the third run.  Many in her family had never been in the snow before so I'm sure this was memorable to them.   The next morning we awoke to a fantastical hotel parking lot winter wonderland covered in snow.  Cold, beautiful, and a heck of a good time for all of us.   I don't imagine any of us will ever forget that New Jersey trip and a truly magical wedding.

        Were you in the big winter storm of December 2009?    Have you ever attended an event that you thought might be a disaster but it turned out great?   Are there any songs that you've heard played but didn't recognize because it was a different version than what you had been accustomed to hearing or had expected to hear?

         If you still haven't voted on my most recent Battle of the Bands post you can still have your vote counted if you get it in by tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon after which I will tally the votes I've received up to that time in order to determine the winner.  Please visit "I Only Have Eyes For You" and tell us your favorite version.


       

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A to Z Reflections 2012

A to Z Badge Artwork by Ada Zdanowicz from CollagePodge.com

          What a wonderful successful A to Z Challenge we had this year.  Third year--bigger and better than ever.  As it should be.   There were so many amazing posts by tremendously talented bloggers that it was not possible to keep up with them.  But some of the ones I did manage to make it to absolutely floored me at times.   A hearty congratulations to everyone of you who participated in the Challenge and a special thanks to those who weren't posting from A to Z, but following faithfully and providing support to those who were.

          In the weeks to come I will be saying more about the good and the bad and my thoughts about the next Challenge.  You will be able to find these posts on the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Blog.  The posts will primarily appear on Mondays starting May 21st but may be elaborated upon on other days as seen fit.

          And just a word  about that A to Z Blog.  It was good to have the focus of the Challenge drawn away from my Tossing It Out blog so a greater focus could be given on this blog devoted to the Challenge itself.  We had some outstanding guest posts from too many of you to mention here.  We thank all of you for your help in keeping content on this blog that one blogger referred to as our "water cooler site" where bloggers could gather to ask questions, make suggestions, and just talk about the Challenge or whatever else was on their minds.

         The A to Z Blog site will continue to stay active for the rest of the year with the Post Challenge Challenge and other happenings.  Just how active will depend on you bloggers.  We are accepting guest posts, so if you have an idea of something you'd like to post, please contact us at one of the emails listed on the "Contact Us" page at the A to Z Blog.

        I would be remiss to not mention my biggest source of support and creativity--the incredible A to Z Team of 2012.  I couldn't have done on my own anywhere near what we accomplished as a team.  These are some of the greatest bloggers around.  If you haven't visited all of them you need to get over and make friends with the ones you've missed.  These are good people to have in your corner.

Here is our 2012 A to Z Team:

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas) -- Despite some personal challenges she was dealing with, Damyanti kept a strong presence throughout the A to Z Challenge.  She was our Twitter maven who injected vitality into the Twitter activity and put together our Twitter news that you might have noticed on some of our sidebars.   She wrote some very effective material on her blog as well.

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh) --The famed Ninja Captain Alex, who probably needs no introduction.  He's been a presence since the very first Challenge and a mighty presence in keeping up with visiting, commenting, and giving recognition to other bloggers on his own blog.

Life is Good (Tina Downey) -- Tina set up and managed our A to Z email account and has corresponded directly with many of you with help and advice.  She kept the A to Z Blog schedule organized to make sure daily content was delivered to you readers.  You will be seeing much more of Tina when the Post Challenge Challenge begins next Monday May 14th.

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons) -- DL's influence reaches a wide range of bloggers and he did a tremendous job of drawing many to the Challenge and leaving his encouraging comments with many of you.  He was a huge asset in adding his much loved personality to the Challenge.

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)--  This guy is a boundless creative source.  He is the one responsible for nearly all of the graphics, banners, and animations that dressed up many of your blogs.  His blog added a quirky touch to our collection of host blogs.  Jeremy's behind the scenes availability made him a go to guy when we needed special assistance.  He had so many ideas that we never even got around to using most of them.  Next year.

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)-- Shannon was rock steady in keeping things going from her corner.  She had a fascinating series on her blog during the Challenge that I'll have to get back to when things slow down some.  At the same time she made sure she visited plenty of your blogs.  Shannon along with Lisa will be a major force in the weeks to come as they take over with the Post Challenge Challenge.  More about that next Monday on the A to Z Blog.

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)-- Adding literary integrity to the Team, Matthew was another one who was all over the place during the Challenge.   He was always on call and ready to go when he was needed and an integral cog in the well-tuned A to Z machine.

Author Elizabeth Mueller(Elizabeth Mueller) -- With grace and charm, Elizabeth was a welcomed addition to our team.  She is full of ideas and artistic vision.  We were thrilled to have Elizabeth by our sides.

Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)-- Jenny provided one of the biggest surprises to me.  She approached me last year about being a co-host and assured me she would give it her all.  She not only gave it her all, but her energy was incredible.  Jenny was a huge motivating force leading up to the A to Z sign up day and she was there to encourage all who needed it once sign ups started.   What a great addition she turned out to be.

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow) --I didn't know about Konstanz until Elizabeth recommended her and what a coup it was to land Konstanz on our Team.  She is a creative visionary who is filled with great ideas.  I thank Konstanz for getting us on track with the A to Z Blog Facebook page.  This became such a great tool for communications.  The great many of you who were using the Facebook page to publicize your blog posts can thank Konstanz for that idea.

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp) -- The Beatles may have sung about "Nowhere Man", but they didn't know about Stephen Tremp who is like "everywhere man".  I couldn't keep track of this guy a lot of the time, but I knew I didn't need to worry about him.  This was Stephen's second year as an A to Z co-host so he knew what was going on.  Great job, Stephen, for the things I knew about and those I didn't.   

Coming Down The Mountain(Karen Jones Gowen) --- Karen is an experienced professional who knows what she's doing.  I was grateful to have a cool collected individual like her to step in and do what needed to be done.   She also had a very informative and practical series on her blog that I will have to visit later on.

           In addition to the above mentioned team members I have a few unofficial team members who provided me with support and assistance.   My thanks go out to the following:

Yvonne Lewis at Welcome to My World of Poetry not only commented on every one of my posts on all of my blogs, she mentioned me in a few of her posts and commented on many of your posts.  Yvonne is like our A to Z Goodwill Ambassador.  She is also the first person who took me up on my original Challenge in 2010.

Nicole at The Madlab Post provided us with several informative posts on the A to Z Blog, assisted in putting together the A to Z Video Challenge, offered a number of helpful suggestions, and left many substantive comments on many blogs.  You will be seeing more from Nicole at the A to Z Blog in the weeks to come.

Ada Zdanowicz is the artist behind the official A to Z Badge that you see at the top of this post.  I'm not sure how closely you've looked at this artwork, but there is an intricacy there that may be lost in the casual passing of this badge on the sidebar.  Ada worked with me many hours back in October to come up with something that would be unique and aptly fit the spirit of the Challenge.   The serendipity of her name escaped me for a good while before I noticed that she was signing her emails to me as Ada Z--Ada Z?  Could a better name be found for the official A to Z artist.  Thank you Ada.  She doesn't have a blog, but you can find more information about her work at CollagePodge.com.

      Well I hear the music playing as they try to get me off the stage.  Thanks again to everyone.  Now be sure to visit some of the others on the list.     

For Reflections Linky list go Here.





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Advertising -- ABC's of Marketing

Badge art by Ada Z from Collagepodge.com

       Advertising is an integral part of promotion.  Typically advertising is  paid for or at least requires some sort of investment in materials.  The purpose of advertising is to create awareness of what I will refer to as product throughout this series.   The advertising also provides knowledge, branding, intrigue, and hype.

       For the A to Z Challenge I started a blog devoted to the event and gave the event a name that was easy to remember.   In November I enlisted the creative skills of artist Ada Z to develop a logo that we could use as a badge to be used on the A to Z Blog and for participants to use on their own blogs to identify them as part of the A to Z community.   This event has been being advertised on the A to Z Blog, the blogs of the Challenge co-hosts, and many of the blogs of participants.  All advertising in our case has been free.

        If you are an author or a creator of some unique product you will need to resort to various forms of advertising in order to get your name out in the public eye.  This is likewise true if you are a business owner or even involved in an organization such as a church or social service provider.

         Free advertising is nice but not always easy to get.  In order to get your product before more people you will need to decide on an advertising budget.  Start small and choose your advertising platforms wisely.  Do as much research as you can before making a decision so you don't squander your budget in useless places.

My Letter A honoree is Ada Z.   

         Ada Zdanowicz is an multi-media artist in New Jersey.  Her specialties are collage and video.   She can be found at her website collagepodge.com.  Thank you Ada for the A to Z logo, promo video, and other additional help you have given to the A to Z Challenge.

A also stands for Alliterative Allomorph:

At her blog Alliterative Allomorph Jessica Bell will be having a drawing every two days during April.  She will be pulling lucky winners from the comments on her posts.  Be sure to stop by her blog and also visit her music website.

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Where Everyone Is a Winner: A to Z Video Challenge

          If you haven't heard who was the winner of the A to Z Video Challenge yet, I am proud to announce that the winner by popular vote was Rachel Morgan of Rachel Morgan Writes.   Here is the winning video for anyone who has not seen it yet or would like to see it again:



          Rachel's video is indeed a winner as you can see when you watch it.  As her prize she will be featured on various A to Z co-host blogs, which conveniently coincides with the release of her new book Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1).  You will be hearing from Rachel on Tossing It Out this coming Friday.  I'm looking forward to what surprises she will have in store as I asked her more questions than she could answer in one post.   Which ones will she choose to address?   We'll have to find out on Friday when our Video Challenge winner stops by.


         The winning video was chosen by those of you who were kind enough to vote and you are winners as well.   The votes were well distributed among the entrants making the contest a close race.  I want to put out a big thank you to everyone who voted, who tweeted, who posted videos on their sites, and who supported the Video Challenge in some way.  


         And you can continue to support us by posting these videos on your sites, marking them as favorites on YouTube and leaving comments, emailing them to friends, and sending them out on social media outlets.   These videos are commercials for the A to Z Challenge.   With one last week to push the A to Z event let's do it up big and make a media blitz.  You'll be helping the cause of the Challenge and also helping get the talents of the video makers out in the eyes of the world.   You'll be doing something special that will be greatly appreciated.


         Though Rachel is the winner of the contest, in this post I want to recognize the fabulous efforts of the other participants:


            Ron Easton of  Dads Unlimited was the inspiration for the Video Challenge.  He posted a video recap of his 2011 Challenge Reflections back in December that set off an idea alarm in my head.  When I mentioned my thoughts to him about having a contest for people to send in A to Z promo videos he immediately came up with his entry to start the ball rolling.


            Ada Zdanowicz is someone I'll be talking about more in later posts.   She is the designer of the official A to Z logo.  Since I knew that she was also involved in video making, I contacted Ada about making a second video entry and she jumped right on it with her slick creative presentation.  Ada doesn't have a blog but she can be found at her website CollagePodge.com .   


           Nicole Ayers is someone you have seen often on my blogs.  Nicole is a talented writer to whom I have frequently turned for guest posts.   Not only did she assist me in putting together the Video Challenge and offering suggestions about it, she also submitted 3 videos of her own.  A big Bravo! to Nicole who can be found at The Madlab Post.  


         Also I want to thank these others who submitted their wonderfully creative and entertaining videos:






  Marta Szemik                      Marta Szemik's Blog
 Kathleen Medina                  Living 2012
 Dale Smurthwaite                 Smurfin' the Web
 Tracy Jo Blowers                Brand New Day  
 Reka Sang                           A Chronicle of Dreams
  Jocelyn Rish                        Jocelyn Rish
       I am so appreciative of all of the efforts of these bloggers and talented artists.  I hope that my readers will stop by all of their blogs to say hello and follow if you aren't already.   And don't forget to watch their videos if you haven't already.
          After all, the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is all about us--you and me and everyone one else who will be putting forth the April effort and who has already been putting forth the effort to make the April Challenge a big success.  The Challenge is many things and many people and I extend a thanks to all of you.
                 Have you included any of the A to Z videos in your blog posts?  Have you visited the videos directly on YouTube to "Like" them and add your comment?   Have you tweeted or Facebooked any of these videos?    What are some other ways you can suggest to share the videos?

       





               Have you checked the A to Z Blog lately?







             This sounds fun.