Although the hearts of all the members of the South
Jersey Writers’ Group are still heavy over the loss of our Patron Saint of
Blogging, Glenn Walker, we continue to meet. Blogfest is a monthly ritual that
is held the third Sunday of every month at Treehouse Coffee Shop in Audubon,
NJ. Why are we so loyal to working on our blogs? Find out after the jump
Multi-dimensional superheroine with more adventures than a comic book museum, stuck in a grandmother's body.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Rockettes, Disney Characters & Snow Storms! Oh My!
I don’t get to spend enough time in New York
City, but that will change this spring when I plan to spend a whole weekend
sightseeing with my daughter, granddaughter and travel buddy, Tracy. This
December 15th, the four of us had traveled by Starr Tours Bus to see
the famed Radio City Rockettes. Were the Rockettes as awesome as promised? Meet
me after the jump to find out
The Trip
Tracy and I had become good friends during my
first trip to Italy where I signed up for the Leisurely Tuscany Tour. Tracy had
mentioned that she’d always wanted to see the Rockettes and to think of her if
I decided to go. After my grandson who’d finished his five year service with
Marines and his wife, Kimberlea, moved back to New Jersey, I had the perfect
reason to travel to New York. We booked our trip with Starr so we knew that
everything for this adventure was taken care of.
As soon as we reached the city, the bus driver
handed out maps and a list of restaurants to visit before the show began. On
our way to find Planet Hollywood, we came across some Disney Characters who
offered to take photos with us. Stupid us thought that they were provided by
the city, but after taking a few photos of us with Kimberlea’s cell phone, they
began to ask for tips. My daughter gave the main spokesperson five dollars, but
they wanted more. Our South Philly attitude is no match for New York con
games...and the characters backed off.
The sights and sounds of the busy Times Square
area were truly exhilarating. I freaking loved the hustle and bustle of
shoppers and workers as they made their way to their destinations. At Planet Hollywood, we had fun checking out all the memorabilia while we waited for our
food. I would definitely return to this restaurant for the ambiance and the
tasty food.
The Rockettes
I can’t say enough great things about the show.
The staff and security made sure the lines getting into the theatre were
organized and moving steadily. The dancers were fabulous, especially performing
one of my favorite routines with the wooden soldiers. There was even 3D segment
at the beginning of the show. If you haven’t treated yourself to this event,
please do so.
When we left the theatre we were faced with a
full-fledged snowstorm. Luckily we were able to warm up with some hot chocolate
at Starbucks. Our bus ride home was longer than expected due to the nasty
weather and unbelievable traffic. I will never complain about Philly traffic
again.
Conclusion
I’m a big kid at heart and I love to escape the
stress from this past year’s election. Traveling to the Big Apple with family
and friend, and our seeing Times Square up close and personal was a real treat
as was the Radio City Rockettes.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Gilbert Speaks on "The Patron Saint of Blogging"
This past Wednesday on December 6th
we lost a literary knight in shining armor. Sir Glenn, a nickname that was
lovingly given to Glenn Walker, was a mentor to the members of the South Jersey
Writers’ Group, and a friend to anyone who strived to be the best blogger out
there in social media land.
I am still trying to come to terms with his
death. I’m not alone. Glenn touched everyone and anyone who wanted to write. He
is sorely missed by his friends at SJWG, and his fellow bloggers at the Canadian
Pop Culture site: Biff Bam Pop!
Andy Burns, who is the Editor-In-Chief of Biff
Bam Pop, wrote a beautiful tribute to Glenn and you can read it here. Glenn
Walker was involved in so many projects: Welcome to Hell; Biff Bam Pop; The Gar
Podcast; The Make Mine Magic Podcast; but his love was all about pop culture.
He was a library of information on almost every comic book out there, and
although he loved to review movies and television series, his blog “French Fry
Diary” was a big hit with many who considered themselves true connoisseurs of
fast foods. Glenn’s short story “Live to Write” is featured in the anthology of
speculative fiction, Strange World.
Glenn and I first met after I had retired from the
Academy of Natural Sciences. My granddaughter, Katrina, was already a member
and it was she who introduced me to the members of the South Jersey Writers’
Group and to Glenn. Glenn was responsible for me becoming one of the writers
for Biff Bam Pop.
My fondest memories of Glenn were when I began
writing the reviews for “The Walking Dead” on BBP. I was a retired grandmother
of nine, who was not only tech challenged, but naïve with the mechanics of
blogging. Glenn would wait until the early morning hours for me to post my review.
As Andy’s second-in-command, Glenn was responsible for editing the post before
it could go live.
Glenn never lost his patience even after
explaining the purpose of tagging multiple times. It became a running joke
after a while, but he never gave up on me. I was always eager to get Glenn’s
input whenever I wrote a review for Biff Bam Pop even if we often had a different
point of view on a specific episode.
Before moving to Florida with his lovely bride,
Jennifer, Glenn would hold court at a local coffee shop once a month. He gave
freely of his time and experience to anyone who needed help with their blogging.
It wasn’t long before we grateful bloggers began calling him “Sir Glenn the
Patron Saint of Blogging.”
I miss my friend very much, but maybe if the
universe is kind, Sir Glenn will find himself in some heavenly coffee shop.
Maybe they will serve French fries and milkshakes in that angelic coffee shop.
Maybe my friend will be surrounded by other writers and bloggers. I miss you, kiddo.
R.I.P Glenn Walker
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Gilbert Speaks on "The GOD Particle"
Although I was raised a Catholic, I have turned
against most organized religions. I truly love GOD. Not only do I love our
Creator, I’m always trying to lead people back to him both with my writing and
psychic readings. Recently I was thinking about a book I read called The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. How
does a book about evolution tie in with the science behind the “God Particle
and Saint John’s bible verse 1:1? Meet me after the jump to find out.
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