Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred #5 and BOTB Results

It's a Tuesday, so that means it's an opportunity for an entry in my semi-regular, quasi-periodic, almost-feature blogging topic, the Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred (TN200).  This is where I create a snippet of blog-exclusive writing of exactly 200 words, based on a recent story in the news.

So I'd like to offer you a new TN200 post, and also provide my own vote and give the results from my last Battle of the Bands post -- I'll do that at the end of this post.

But first, for this initial 2014 edition of TN200, I thought I'd go in a different direction than using a humorous odd-ball story as inspiration like usual. In this piece, my inspiration is more... Inspirational.  I call it "Bridging the Gap" and I hope you enjoy it.  As always, the link to the original news story is at the end.


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Bridging the Gap

Jonny felt the swirling winds tousle his hair.  He hadn't come here for the view, but the light reflecting off the water far below him was riveting.

The voice came from behind him again.  "Please don't do this, mate," it said.  A man's voice. Jonny heard anxiety in it.  Jonny had to admit he felt nervous himself.  Funny -- he'd thought it was going to be easy.

Jonny didn't turn around. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Mike," the man said.  Or maybe the man said "Mark?"  "Ike?"  Jonny wasn't sure. Whatever -- 'Mike' worked.

"Why do you care, Mike?" Jonny said.

"I just do," Mike said. "You can get through it."

Jonny snorted. "You don't even know what's wrong."

"It don't matter, mate. You can get better, whatever it is."

Jonny stopped staring at the flickering water and turned to look at Mike.  He was in his early twenties and looked like a typical yuppie, probably on his way to work.  Jonny noticed a small crowd gathering behind Mike.  He could also hear sirens approaching.

"Let's go for a coffee and talk it over," Mike said.

Jonny sighed.  Why the hell not? The moment was past, anyway.

He climbed down.


Original News Story: Trying to Find 'Mike'

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Battle of The Bands 1/15/2014 Results

In my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) post, I offered up "Take Me to the River" by both Talking Heads and Al Green, who originally wrote the song.

This is a favorite song of mine, and I really like both versions.  The Talking Heads can be a bit of an acquired taste -- and there are many of their songs that get not much more than a "meh" response from me.  But the funky infectious bass line of "Take Me to the River" and the groove and catchy chorus are awesome.  I know that a big reason why I like the Talking Heads version is probably because Al Green wrote the song to begin with.  The mix of arty and weird with earthy funk and groove is what I like most about the Talking Heads, and when that earthy foundation isn't there, the band is not nearly as good in my opinion.  The pinnacle of the band was their "Remain in Light" album, when that funk and groove were up-front and hitting you hard, and then when coupled with freak-out guitar master Adrian Belew? Incredible.

So, yes --a lot of why I like "Take Me to the River" is because of the funk and groove that Al Green put there (and I especially love his live version of the song in last week's BOTB post), but coupling it with the arty weirdness of the Talking Heads gives it extra impact, I think.  

But that really doesn't change the result.  Even with my vote, Al wins this one:

-- Al Green 4; Talking Heads 3.

However, as a parting gift, let me leave you with a live version of "The Great Curve" from the Talking Heads album "Remain in Light".  This was recorded live in Rome in 1980 and the sound and video quality are shaky, but check out that funk!! Busta Jones as an extra bass player to compliment Tina Weymouth, and Adrian Belew in full psycho screaming guitar mode.  Amazing!  I defy you to listen and not start bobbin' your head or tappin' your toe. ;)

 

Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred #4

Today is Tuesday, so that means it's time for another edition of Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred (TN200) -- a blog-exclusive bit o' flash fiction of exactly two-hundred words about a recent item I found in the news.

Since Christmas is fast approaching (only a week from tomorrow!), this story, like my last TN200 post, has a Christmas theme.   I call this one "Walmart Santa" and I hope that you enjoy it -- the link to the original news story is at the end.

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Walmart Santa 

It had been a rough year for Karen's family.  Jim had finally gotten a job after being laid off for several months, but it was only half the money he brought home before, and they were struggling to catch up on the bills that had fallen behind.

She'd taken a second part-time job and that helped, but not nearly enough. With Christmas coming fast, she worried the kids wouldn't have much under the tree.  

Karen was trying -- she'd put Brandon's new bike, Brittney's Barbie Dreamhouse, and their other toys on layaway at the Walmart weeks ago, and Karen paid what she could, even if it was only five bucks at a time. 

But it wasn't enough.  She just wasn't going to get the gifts paid off in time, and she found herself starting to cry at the layaway counter.  The woman behind the register looked like she was going to cry too, but there was nothing she could do.

Then Karen met Santa.

He didn't look anything like she'd expected.  There was no white beard, no fur-lined red coat, and no sign of a sleigh or flying reindeer. 

And Karen had never known Santa was a Red Sox fan.

(link to original news item: Layaway Santa Pays on Total Strangers' Account at Florida Walmart )

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This will also be my last TN200 post for 2013 -- next Tuesday is Christmas Eve and I'll be participating in the Fifty States of Pray, the Christmas Eve blogfest organized by Mark Koopmans. I will be posting a prayer on that day (representing the state of Indiana), and I don't want a TN200 post to detract from the event.

And then the following Tuesday is New Year's Eve.  Right now, I have nothing special blog-wise planned for that, but I do not expect it to be a huge blogging day anyway.  Plus the very next day is January 1st, and I will have another edition of a post for The Battle of the Bands (BOTB), which posts on the first and the fifteenth of every month.  So I don't think I'll do a TN200 post on that 12/31 Tuesday either, since it's New Year's Eve and when it will be bumped by a new BOTB post the very next day.

So you can look forward to my next Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred story on January 7th, 2014.

By the way -- you can still vote in my "Christmas Time is Here" Battle of the Band Post from Sunday.  I'll keep the voting open until I chime in with my own vote on Friday or Saturday this week.

Thanks for reading, and your comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated!

Tuesday Newday Two-Hundred #3

When I first came up with the idea of having a recurring theme post on a given day, I really didn't plan on it being almost the only thing I post on my blog. :)

But I have to confess that I have not been posting as often as I would like.  My loose goal is to post two to three time a week, but with Christmas rapidly approaching, I have fallen short.  Other than my IWSG post last Wednesday, there have now been three Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred ("TN200") posts in a row.

Well, I guess the good news is that the TN200 idea is helping me to at least post something on my blog, right?

But I do promise that this week there will be another post besides the TN200 one -- I want to highlight the upcoming December 24th "Fifty States of Prayer" event hosted by Mark Koopmans, and it's been a while since I shared some music, so there will be some of that, too.  Oh, and I've got some 50-Word Story updates to throw in also. 

However, today is Tuesday, so that means that it is time for yet another edition of my Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred -- a weekly post which features a blog-exclusive two-hundred word story (and exactly 200 words -- not 199, not 201), written about an item found in the recent news.

As I said above, Christmas is fast approaching, and I've found something in the Chicago Tribune that touches on it.  I think it's a little heavy, but it will work well for today. While the news item is more of a photo-essay than a written article, it does highlight an overlooked, darker aspect of the holiday season, and shows that for some people, Christmas can be a time of sheer terror.

Read the horrifying story below, and then click on the link at the end to see the original news item:

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Christmas Terror

The mall was crowded. Julian hated it.  His nervousness kept rising as he watched the hectic shoppers shoving their way through the congestion. He was certain that something terrible was going to happen, and the mob of people around him only made it worse. 

The noise was deafening.  Christmas music blared from overhead speakers in the mall's center court, mingling with all the voices of the people in a cavernous cacophony that assaulted Julian's ears. 

It only accentuated his growing sense of unease. 

He felt like every eye was watching him and there was nowhere to run.  Hands reached out to restrain him, holding him tighter and pulling him deeper into the crowd.

He cried out, but no-one seemed to care.  It was as if his cries weren't even heard. He fought to break free of the hands around him, but their grip was too strong. Nothing he could do stopped the overpowering pull of the crowd as it slowly surged ahead.

He erupted in screams of terror when some strange man reached out and grabbed Julian, laughing deeply as Julian struggled to get away. 

And Julian's parents just stood there with stupid smiles, taking pictures of the whole thing.

(Link to Original Story: Scared of Santa 2013)

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Thank you very much for reading!  See you again in a few days with another, non-TN200 post.  :)

Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred #2

(Image by Chris J. Fries, using a template from Presentation Magazine)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Ours was great, but as you can tell by my blogging absence over the last week -- a busy one.  I apologize for taking so long to respond to the comments left on my last post, but I do want to stress that I greatly appreciate each and every one. 

I will also do my best to visit many of the blogs that I haven't in the last few weeks.

But for now -- since it's another Tuesday -- let me keep my new Tuesday post idea going.  I mean, I'd like to get a few more than one done before completely abandoning the idea.  ;)

Here's a new, blog-exclusive 200-word story based on a recent news item.  I call it "Trapped":  

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Trapped

Dexter waited.  There was nothing else left to do.

For days, he'd cried out for help, but no-one came. If anyone was looking for him, it wasn't here.

He kept attacking the rubble that surrounded him, frantically hoping to dig his way out.  But there was too much of it, and it was all too heavy.  He'd try, struggling and straining, until he'd collapse, defeated and exhausted. It was useless.

At the height of the storm, when the tornado began shredding his apartment, he'd panicked and fled in blind terror.  At first, he'd considered himself lucky to find this corner of a building where he'd managed to survive the horrendous winds.  Then the building crumbled.

Now Dexter considered it a prison, and -- after days alone, with no food and fading hope -- likely a tomb.

He waited for the inevitable.

Then he heard a voice.

Overcome with relief, he called out. The man heard, called back, and managed to get through the rubble.

But Dexter was filled with fear when he saw the man.  Was the man a looter? Or worse?  Dexter backed deeper into the shadows.

Then the man's gentle offer convinced Dexter.

Looters never share their hotdogs.

(Link to Original Story: National guardsman reunited with dog days after tornado destroys town)

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Thank you for reading! I'll see you again tomorrow with a new IWSG post.
 

Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred

(Image by Chris J. Fries, using a template from Presentation Magazine)

I've been toying with the idea of creating a recurring theme post, and thought this might be a fun way to do it -- how about a (semi) regular Tuesday post, which features some original blog-exclusive writing?  Like maybe a 200-word story?

Two-hundred words offers more room for expansion than the stories I've written for 50-Word Stories, but it is still much in the same vein -- it would be a snippet of a story in exactly two-hundred words (not 199, not 201). This would allow a little more creative possibilities, still be short enough to be able to put one together consistently, provide a little exercise for my writing muscles, generate original content for my blog, and yet not cut too deeply into my limited time for my other creative writing and my music. And at only two-hundred words, it would hopefully not demand too much time out of my busy blog visitors, either.

So I think it sounds like a fun thing to try.

But what to write about??? 

Hmmmm....  Well, how about using the news as inspiration?  Maybe I can find something for each post in the recent news and give it a twist, or simply use it as inspiration for a fictionalized piece.  I mean, it's worked for Law and Order for years, right?

So then this would be a Tuesday, Newsday, Two-Hundred-wordplay post.

Sounds like a plan!

Well, let me give it a try and offer the piece below, which is based closely on an article I found in the recent news.  I call it "Crazy in Love", and I hope you enjoy it.  To find the source of the story, you can visit the original news article via the link at the end. 

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Crazy in Love 

The wedding will be small and intimate -- an understated ceremony, performed with guarded restraint. 

The young bride is ready to be committed, and eager to be the star of the day. "This is what’s right for me," she says. "This is what I was born for.” 

The groom is older. A bit jaded. It's not his first wedding and he's never been one for ceremony. He grumbles about the whole thing. "That's trash," he says. "We're just playing that for public consumption."  But if his bride wants it, he'll go along. It's not like there's any risk of him running off. His intense emotions have kept him a prisoner. 

Secretly, he doesn't really mind the attention. Having an audience has always given him a certain gleam in the eye.  Even the playful way he lays a finger against his nose in the engagement picture captures his flair for the spotlight.

Unfortunately, there won't be a honeymoon. The bride would love to get away with her new husband, but she knows that sometimes life puts up bars against what she wants. 

So the newlyweds will make do.

When you're crazy in love, you don't let anything stand in your way.

(Source News Story from UPI:  Qu'est-ce que c'est?) 

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Thank you for reading!  

I also hope that everyone of my US readers has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving this week!