What did you call your grandparents?
Nana?
Pop pop?
Maybe it was the traditional Grandpa and Grandma.
Do you remember why you called them that?
I have eleven grandchildren. I still remember how excited I was when my oldest daughter told us we were going to be grandparents. My oldest granddaughter is eight years old now.
When she was just a baby, my lovely wife and I decided what we wanted her to call us.
We’ve decided we want to be called Grammy and Papa.
I’m not sure what the protocol is for a grandparent name. I’ve heard some people suggest that it has to be given to you. You don’t get to pick it.
Well, none of those people are in our family, apparently.
I picked Papa because it’s what I called my grandfather. My brothers and I all called my grandfather Papa. But, I don’t think any of my cousins used that same name for him. We all called my grandmother Granny.
I also knew my great grandfather. We called him Big Grandpa.
I don’t remember my dear mother telling us what she wanted to be called by her grandchildren. She was just always Grandma Bliss.
The thing is, that’s a misnomer. My father passed away many years ago and my dear mother remarried a man whose last name is Nelson. But, my children had already learned her name as Grandma Bliss. So, even though her name hasn’t been Bliss for more than a decade, that doesn’t matter.
She will always be Grandma Bliss.
What names did you call your grandparents?
And what names will your grandkids call you?
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Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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My editor was half way through the line edits on my latest short story.
Still seems like your main character is pretty creepy. I thought you were going to make the computer the villain?
I did. I completely flipped their roles. The main character is now a somewhat clueless social nerd. Did you get the updated draft?
The thing about your writing is it’s pretty clean. So, I didn’t realize it was still your first draft.
My story, titled, “You Can Call Me Dan” is a scheduled to be part of an anthology out this Christmas. This story will be with the same publisher as my most recent short story. So, the editor and I have worked together, but we’ve never met in person.
I’ve enjoyed his edits. And my latest story DID have a creepy protagonist. The story that will be published in November will be a better story for the edits. And the villain is now a creepy computer program. Not the protagonist (who falls in love with the girl.)
But, I had to laugh when he basically said that my first draft was TOO well written. He went on to say,
I can tell within a paragraph or two.
A couple weeks ago the editor for my newspaper column called me out for writing a column that made her cry. She told me that it wasn’t okay for me to do that. Now, another editor told me that my first draft wasn’t rough enough.
Writers don’t write for the accolades, but I have to admit to having an ego. And while comments from readers are absolutely valued, editors are often jaded. When the editor offers a compliment it’s one to keep.
Or blog about.
I’ll let you know when “You Can Call Me Dan” will be available in print.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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$600.
That’s how much it costs to replace the starter in a Toyota Corolla. At least that’s what my daughter’s friend Samantha was quoted. Samantha and her husband are a young married couple.
My daughter reached out to me.
Hey, Dad. Samantha is looking to see if someone could replace her starter. She was quoted $600. Is that something you could help with?
My daughter didn’t want to commit me without asking. Samantha used to be our neighbor. Her dad and I were good friends when we lived in the same neighborhood.
Of course. You can tell her I’d be happy to help.
I’ve never replaced a starter on a Toyota Corolla. But, I’ve replaced one on similar style cars. Starters are fairly easy to replace. Typically only a couple of bolts and an electrical connection.
Samantha’s car was stuck in her work parking lot. I told I’d come fix it in the parking lot. I loaded up my rolling toolbox, a jack and ramps. But, first I did was every backyard mechanic does. I went to Youtube and watched a video on how to replace a starter on a Toyota Corolla.
It was just as simple as I expected. The mechanic on the video pointed out that you needed a 14MM ratcheting wrench. A ratcheting wrench acts similar to a socket wrench. You put the wrench on the bolt and you can turn the bolt without removing the wrench between turns.
Did I have a 14MM ratcheting wrench?
Nope. But, I had a 14MM solid wrench. I was sure that would work.
A starter costs about $200 for the parts. If you think about it, $600 is not too unreasonable. Two hundred to two the car to a shop. Two hundred for parts. And $200 for labor. Not too much.
Good thing she had a friend who’s dad would do it for nothing.
Saturday, I got the part and headed out to her work parking lot. I got the car up on the ramps and located the starter, right where the video showed it was. And suddenly I understood why the mechanic had said this job required a ratcheting 14MM wrench. The bolt was located in a spot that was too tight for a socket to reach. And sure, I could put a wrench on it, but there was only enough room to make about a 1/16th of a turn before I had to readjust the wrench.
The bolt was 3″ long. Do you know how long it takes to remove a 3″ bolt when you can only turn 1/16 of a turn at a time? I don’t know how long it takes either. After about 30 minutes of frustration and less than an inch of the bolt being removed I drove to Home Depot and bought a ratcheting 14MM wrench. At that point the job went very quickly.
The car started right up after the new starter was put in place.
Samantha’s job is a hair stylist.
So, I spent a couple of hours helping a friend’s daughter and I got a haircut out of it.
Oh, and a new 14MM ratcheting socket wrench.
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Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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There was a leak.
It was intermittent.
I never could track it down.
This is why I hate working with water.
I enjoy home repairs. I’m not too terrible at them either. I’ve built walls that didn’t fall down. I’ve wired lights that went on and off successfully. I’ve even done tile and drywall. As I said, I enjoy it.
But, not water.
The problem is that if you do electrical wiring wrong when you flip the circuit breaker it sparks and then trips off. It’s hard to do it wrong. Well, it’s hard to do it wrong and not KNOW you did it wrong.
But, water isn’t like that. Water repairs can LOOK like they are successful and then three months later part of the ceiling falls in. I don’t mind paying a plumber to do the water repairs.
So, there was this intermittent leak coming from an upstairs bathroom into my son’s bedroom. I thought it might be the toilet, so I replaced the wax ring. Still leaked. Appeared to be the shower.
So, I called the plumber. He came today.
He didn’t fix the leak. But, he told ME how to fix the leak. See shower doesn’t leak. The heating vent next to it leaks. Why would a heating vent be leaking? And why intermittently?
Because if you take a shower and you don’t pull the shower curtain all the way to the wall, the water is going to splash on the wall and run down on to the floor. Right where the heating vent is located.
The plumber was able to replace a failed cartridge inside the faucet, so it wasn’t a total loss. And we had an exposed pipe that had a slow leak. He fixed that too. But, really it was the leaky shower that was the reason I was willing to pay him $180 to come make repairs.
So, my leak is fixed. I’ve talked to the kids that shower in that bathroom and explained the need to properly position the curtain. And eventually we’ll get a shower door.
But, until then, it was worth the money to have the plumber tell me how to correct my children.
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Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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I’m a writer.
But, then, you knew that. That’s why you’re here. If I were a photographer this page would be a lot more colorful. But, I’m a writer, so you get to see words.
I like writing because it’s permanent. When a story, or even a blog post is written down it because a thing. A thing that is real. But, it’s also not real. At it’s simplest it’s characters strung together. Even though this site is backed up, the 1000 or more posts on this site could disappear with a ill-timed computer glitch.
Johnny Depp is currently in the news. Apparently his legal issues are more popular than the baby formula shortage, the war in Ukraine or even the inflation rate. It makes sense I guess. Nearly everyone has seen his movies.
You know who hasn’t seen a Johnny Depp movie? Johnny Depp. He never watches his films. I think he watches other people’s movies. He just doesn’t want to watch his own.
I’m not like that. I kind of like to read the things I’ve written. I write for the local paper. It’s not available online. It’s literally old school. Only available in print form. And you can’t buy it. You can only get it by going to a local Pleasant Grove Business and picking up a copy.
I went to the local Ace Hardware store today. It’s a local Pleasant Grove business. They had the latest copy of The Timpanogos Times. I picked up this months copy.
My column was on page 4. I wrote it only a couple of weeks ago. My editor claimed it made her cry. I read through my column sitting in the parking lot. I didn’t cry. But, I realized why she did. It was not terrible.
Many writers hate editing. I have a novella I’m working on that is over 12,000 words. I’ve read it a dozen times or more. Of course I know how it ends. I would hope so. But, I enjoy reading it. I enjoy some of the clever word play. I like the characters. (Even if some of my beta readers didn’t.)
I like to read what I’ve written. And I love to see my name in print. Books, online or newspapers.
Johnny Depp should try it. I’ve heard he’s pretty good.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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There are savants who, if you tell them a date from history, can tell you what day of the week the date fell on.
I’m not that smart. I only know one.
Forty-two years ago, May 18th fell on a Sunday.
I’m reminded of it every year. I was 15 years old. I was living in Lacey, Washington. And we, my brother and I, were headed to church that morning.
That morning Mount Saint Helens blew 1300 feet off it’s top. The ash cloud was visible from miles. Which is good because we lived about 150 miles north or the mountain. Looking south we could see the ash cloud billowing thousands of feet into the air. And it then drifted toward the east. All across Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana and more were covered with ash. Despite being as close as we were, the ash didn’t hit our town until the ash made it’s way all the way around the world.
The eruption on May 18 was surprising, but not unexpected. The experts knew an eruption was imminent. But, even with warnings, not everyone was willing to leave. In fact, one old man named Harry Truman insisted he would never leave. He lived in a cabin on the mountain. And he had a generous supply of whisky.
Harry was no doubt killed instantly when the mountain went up.
I’ve thought about Harry over the years. He was old. He knew he would probably die when the mountain blew up. But, he just literally didn’t seem to care. He would rather die on his mountain than live anywhere else.
Do I care about something that much? Certainly not about where I live. But, I think there may be things that I would die for. My family? Sure. Defending the innocent? I’d like to think so.
Are there beliefs that I would die for?
I don’t know. Again, I’d like to think so, but then, we are all the hero of our own story.
Anyway, happy Mt Saint Helens anniversary day. . .even if I’m the only one who celebrates it.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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“In Order To Live” has been in my “To Read” pile for months. I don’t remember where I saw the recommendation, but it was inspiring enough that I bought the book, sight unseen.
The recommendation was right.
The paperback version of the book is 267 pages long. And yet, it felt like 50. The story flowed effortlessly. And yet, the details were horrific. Like being in a very comfortable canoe. . .while plunging over a 100 foot waterfall.
It’s fitting that Yeonmi Park wrote a book. Because she is the kind of person you typically only read about in books. “In Order To Live” tells the story of Park’s escape from North Korea and the journey that took her as a 13 year old child through China, Mongolia and finally South Korea. The journey cost her family, money and most of all her innocence.
Park’s experience and her determination to survive no matter the cost is a story that can inspire all of us. No matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, Park gives us an inspiring example of how sheer determination can help carry you through even the worst experiences.
What I Liked
Park’s voice is simple and powerful. Written in collaboration with Maryanne Vollers, the narrative moves seamlessly from episode to episode. Park shares enough detail to make the story engaging without becoming overly dramatic. The picture she paints of North Korea is one that we in the West know is true, but don’t often hear about. It’s a powerful story, powerfully told.
What I Didn’t
This is a memoir. A personal story and Park rarely strays too far from that personal narrative. It does not delve too much into the politics involved. We also don’t hear how Park eventually ends up in the United States. It’s not so much a criticism as an observation.
What It Means To You
Park’s story is important to the world. And it can be valuable to you as well. The truth of the atrocities in North Korea will eventually shed a light on the Hermit Kingdom. However, if you are a victim of domestic violence, domestic abuse or sexual abuse, Park’s story will be hard to read.
My Rating
Four out of Four Stars
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Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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I had a friend who was a talented piano player. Not concert level, but he could play the piano well. He sometimes played for church. He would become annoyed when someone said, “I wish I could play the piano like you do.”
“Do you? Do you know what I sacrificed to be this good at the piano? Do you know how many times when my friend were out playing baseball I was stuck inside practicing scales? Do you want that? Do you want to make so sacrifices? If not then you don’t really want to play the piano as well as I do.”
In my opinion, no matter how much I might think I want to be able to play the piano, or the guitar, or be a talented painter. If I’m honest about it, I don’t want those talents enough to make the sacrifices necessary to accomplish them.
I wish I were better at knowing how to communicate with people. I’ve always been a pretty good speaker. And I can write reasonably well. But, if I were forced to write 250 words and those 250 represented the difference between life and death, I don’t know that I could be compelling and convincing.
I wish I were a better friend; being one of those people that your friends simply KNOW will be supportive. The kind of friend who shows up in the middle of the night because you need a friend to be there.
I wish I was a better husband. My lovely wife is patient and kind and spiritual and one of the best people I know. I wish I were as good a husband to her as she’s been a wife to me.
I wish I was a better father. My father seemed so much wiser than I feel. I’m older than my dad was when I left home. And yet, I often second guess myself. I worry about giving too much advice. And I also worry about not giving enough advice. When should I step in and “fix it” and when should I step back and let natural consequences kick in? I have no idea. I wish I did.
I want to be a better grandfather, “Papa.” I hope I can impact my grandchildren in a way that they will look back fondly on my memory throughout their lives.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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My editor had an interesting comment about my most recent column.
I don’t think it’s fair to write a column that makes me cry. Just sayin’.
I can honestly say that’s the only time I’ve got that particular feedback. . .as criticism.
She certainly liked my column. And that’s not surprising.
My writing mentor, Dave Farland, gave advice on how to win writing contests. He was the coordinating judge for the Writers of The Future contest.
Every year the winning entry makes the judges cry.
I can’t say I’m particularly good at making readers cry. I’m pretty good at world building. I’m not too terrible at dialogue. And I have a pretty good sense of humor. But, being able to construct a scene designed to make someone cry? That’s harder than it looks.
I used to do stand up comedy. I got reasonably good at it. I had about 15 minutes of good material.
I spent a lot of time at open mics. Invariably there would be someone who was there for the first time. And a lot of people try stand up because, “They are funny. All there friends say they are funny.”
But, here’s the thing. It’s one one thing to be funny when a situation occurs. And that is definitely a skill. But, it’s completely different to be funny ON COMMAND.
Hey, you’re a clown fish. Tell us a joke.
– Finding Nemo
Writing a scene, or a column to make someone cry is the same way. I wrote a series of posts several years ago about having to leave my kids bikes behind during a forced move. It made ME cry. It was very sad. But, it was situational.
The column I wrote for my editor was one of those situational ones. But, it was a happy cry, not sad. It was about my daughter being named 2nd Assistant to Miss Pleasant Grove and also being elected class representative in 2nd grade.
It was more emotional than it sounds.
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Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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As you may know, last month the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days royalty was chosen. And try as I might, I think a little of my bias might have come through in my writings last month. See, my lovely daughter, Ruth, was competing in the Miss Pleasant Grove pageant. And, not surprisingly, I definitely had my favorite. The pageant was held at the high school auditorium.
As parents of a contestant, we were invited to come down on Friday to watch the rehearsal. It was inspiring to see the way the girls focused on the directions and the timing and choreography. And, of course, they were all nervous. It’s tempting to think that a pageant is just a “beauty contest.” It’s much more than that. We had some idea of what is involved. Not only does the previous Miss Pleasant Grove, Hailey Howe, live in our neighborhood, my lovely wife was in a pageant when she was younger than my daughter is now. We stayed for part of the rehearsal. Our oldest daughter was Ruth’s assistant. They spent a lot of Saturday getting hair and makeup done.
On Saturday we showed up like everyone else at the high school. The contestants in a pageant are judged on multiple tasks. And interesting, “beauty” isn’t one of them. They did an interview prior to the night of the pageant. The pageant opened with a combined number with the contestants and Hailey Howe. Then, the girls each performed a talent. And these young women are definitely talented. We were treated to a fiddle solo. Not just a violin piece, an actual fiddle. The crowd definitely got into it.
There were dance numbers. I can’t think of anything more vulnerable than dressing in a dance outfit and then dancing in front of a crowd of several hundred people. And they were brilliant. One young lady did an explanation of a painting. There was poetry reciting. But, none of them compared to the singers. Maybe I’m partial. But, my daughter totally killed it. She sang a Beyonce song, “I Was Here.”
I was here, I lived, I loved, I was here
I did, I’ve done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know I was here
It was quite an emotional moment for this father. Yes, my little girl, stood up there and belted her heart out. And she was by far the best of the talented group. Was I biased? Sure. But, she really was wonderful.
The young women also had a portion of the program where they talked about their charity work. Ruth’s program was “Every Kit Counts.” She was collecting for humanitarian aid kits. Some went to Ukraine. Some went to locations in the United States. I think some went to locations in Utah. After describing her volunteer program each young lady was asked a question. They weren’t informed of the questions beforehand. It’s one thing to practice a speech you’ve prepared. It’s another to have to think on your feet and answer questions off the cuff.
The question that Ruth was asked was something like, “How can you encourage others to be their best self?”
Her answer was brilliant. “I can help others to be their best self by being my own best self. I can show that that it’s okay to be genuine by being genuine myself.” There was more to her answer. It was more more insightful than I’m being able to remember. And she was confident and poised. By far the best response.
The final event was the evening dress event. The contestants walked around the stage, pausing at certain spots. It was the closest thing to a “beauty” portion. I should explain something about my daughter. She’s. . .not tall. In fact, she’s remarkably short. She has been since the 7th grade. But, she’s also very fashion conscious. She’s been wearing high heels since she was 12 years old. Not all the girls had that much experience. And if you’ve been walking in high heels for eight years, you are going to have a much easier time gliding around the stage.
And that was it. After those three events, it was time for the judges to make their decision.
There’s something else you should know about my daughter, she was born in Haiti. She was adopted when she was about four years old. Black kids in Utah kind of stand out. When she was in the second grade we moved from the south side of Pleasant Grove to the east side. It meant our kids switched from Central Elementary to Grovecrest Elementary. Ruth came home from school one day and said, “Daddy, guess what?”
“What sweety?”
“I’m running for class representative!”
Each class elected one person to represent their class in the student council. I was nervous. She was the new girl. And she was a minority.
“Good luck, sweety.”
I didn’t want her to be disappointed, but I also didn’t want her to not try. That’s one of the hard things about being a parent – giving our kids opportunities, but also recognizing that they might be disappointed.
I was thinking about that second grade election as I sat in the high school auditorium last month. The judges had made their decision and it was time to call the names.
“Your second assistant to Miss Pleasant Grove for 2022 is. . .Ruth Bliss.”
And they put a tiara and a sash on my little girl and I don’t remember anything after that.
Oh, she also won the election for second grade class representative too.
I should have never doubted her.
Congratulations to all the young women who competed. And to the new Miss Pleasant Grove and the first assistant, whoever they are.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved