Tag: postaday

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I Was At Disney Senior Night (or Not)

One thing most people don’t know about me was that I was on the Disney grounds during Senior Night (they call it Grad Nite now), 1994. Did you know that Disney World has a tradition where seniors from all over the U.S. can come to the Magic Kingdom and stay overnight on the grounds? They bring with them sleeping bags, and they can enjoy the park for that one night all night long. It’s a sight to see (and I wish I could have gotten a picture), all those sleeping bags lined up in neat, orderly rows throughout the park. It’s also something most people don’t get to see.

But I saw it. I was a senior in 1994 (well, sort of — that’s a tale for another blog entry), and I spent three straight days (and nights) on the Disney grounds. However, even though I was at Disney while Senior Night was going on, I didn’t get to participate in it. Well, I got to participate a small bit, but on the other side of it. You see, at Senior Night, since it’s an all-night party, there are usually musical guests who regal the campers with popular songs all night. In 1994, two of the biggest hip-hop/r&b acts were Zhane, and XScape, both of whom were playing that night. Continue reading “I Was At Disney Senior Night (or Not)”

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The Road Less Traveled

It’s funny how this was the daily prompt today when I wrote a whole book about this very concept. Today, we are supposed to write about a “road less traveled,” which means if we could have changed one major decision in our lives, how would it have played out? In my novel, Detours, I explore just this concept, and more than once too.

What I found so fascinating about it is that most people I talk to tell me they made their major decisions in life based on what other people thought. We honestly place so much faith in what others tell us. Either that, or peer pressure is more dominant than even I thought. And I am no different, except that I’ve made my major decisions in life based solely on women I’ve been in relationships with, and not really too much on what anyone else thought. Continue reading “The Road Less Traveled”

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Daily Prompt: The Artist’s Eye

Bridge by Monet

Art is subjective, and it always has been. Don’t get me wrong, you can look at a piece of art objectively, and I’ve done it many times, but somehow it feels wrong to do that, like I’m denying the power of the art by breaking it down to its essential non-essential elements, like thickness of paint strokes and such.

I took a history of art class once, a long time ago, and I remember the instructor telling us about lines, about perspective, and about artist motivation. Artist motivation! I thought it was funny then and I think it’s even funnier now. Even artists don’t always know what their motivation was for creating a work of art, so why should we, once, twice, or thrice-removed from that artist? I like art because it connects with me on some level, and that’s it. Continue reading “Daily Prompt: The Artist’s Eye”

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Sam McManus: Writer

Image of Sam McManus
Sam McManus: Writer

I know, it seems so obvious, but then again maybe it’s not. If you first met me on the street, or if we met at work, or if it was at a wedding, or heaven forbid a funeral, wherever we met, unless it was at a writer’s conference, or at my book signing (July 13th is right around the corner), you would have no way of knowing I was a writer. You would see that I’m tall, that I’m black, that I have short hair, that I’m sporting a mustache, and that I prefer wearing jeans, but your first thought probably wouldn’t be “writer.”

And that’s okay. I know why that is. Writers are a varied group of people who can look like ANYONE, and who can sound like ANYONE. We are short, tall, rich, poor, long-haired, short-haired, black, white, good speakers, bad speakers, and everything in-between, or outside of those labels. The point is that a writer can’t be labeled, so why would you automatically label me one if we first met? Continue reading “Sam McManus: Writer”

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Just a Little Unwell

“I’m not crazy. I’m just a little unwell.” – Unwell, Matchbox Twenty I hardly ever get sick. Just ask anyone. It doesn’t usually matter how many people around me are sick, or how long they’ve been sick, or even if they happen to sneeze on me at the absolute wrong time. I’m generally good, so … Continue reading Just a Little Unwell