It is done.
Now all I have to do is edit. And, thanks to my good friend Susie Dayton, we are going to get that task accomplished in a few days, or so....
What am I talking about? My book, you silly thing, that I have been working on for a full year. Now, the daunting task of finding a publisher. Should I self publish, or should I try and find an agent? Self publishing is so expensive and there is not guarantee that it will ever see the inside of a bookstore. But, if I try and go with an agent, I may find that I am not good enough to EVER get published. And who knows, Oprah may want me, or Don Imus....
What is my audience? Everyone who ever grew up. and some who are striving to, and those who never did. My audience includes people who have long lost loves, demons to purge, memories to remember fondly, and events to recall from youth. The people who think that they have it hard now, who don't know about growing up in a time period that was tumultous, mixed up, and at the same time, fun. Sure, it is partly fiction, partly real, but then all memories are like that. They encompass what we dreamed and what was real; what we wanted and what really happened. Our memories shape the person we are.
That is what my book "Growing up Doughnut" is about. What a wonderful life I have led. I have been blessed with some fantastic friends and experiences just like you have. And, I lived in a great hometown...Hoopeston, IL.
From publication to the big screen. That is every author's dream. And I have a lot of people to thank... My wife, my kids, my brother, my friends, my parents...
Oh, and Oprah, if you read this, we need to talk. Don....Call me. I'm in the Phoenix book.
And Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme, I am open to a sponsorship....Just think, a real life Doughnut as your spokesperson! Someone with doughnut roots, who knows the ins and outs of the hole. Who has lived with the icing and rolled the dough. Besides, I look like someone raised on the doughy delicious delights!
Doughnuts...Buy 'em, love 'em, live'em.
Doughnut
Showing posts with label North Phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Phoenix. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Barking Dog Problem
It is a beautiful Tuesday in Phoenix! I am grand dog sitting today and I have to say that these two Dobies are easier than if I had grandkids. They play, they sleep, they play, they sleep...What a dog's life! NO, WAIT....that is mine, too.
If you have been following along here at THE DOUGHNUT HOLE 503, you know that Debi now has two Dobies, Akkadian (the older dog) and Osiris (the Puppy). They are here today because one of Debi's neighbors complained via ANONYMOUS NOTE that the dogs were barking constantly and were a nuisance. Since I am not with them 24/7/365, I cannot speak to whether the complaint is true or not. All I can say is, Akkadian never barks unless someone is coming in his yard, and Osiris has not found his bark, yet. Now, the note told Debi that her dogs start barking at 7:30 in the AM and never shut up .
This is an outright lie, to that I can attest. Debi does not go to work before 10am, Jim before noon, and the dogs sleep with them. They sleep in Deb's room, then when she gets up, they go to Jim's. And, to be honest, Ihave never heard Akkadian bark longer than 5 minutes, then it is only because someone is in or near his yard. He is very protective. The little one yelped today in what I thought might have been an attempt at barking, but his voice has not dropped yet.
What bothers me about this is the note left in the mailbox...unsigned. They also left a copy of the barking dog ordinance we have here in Phoenix. Which, by the by, says that the first step is to TALK to your neighbor and tell them there is a problem. How can someone know there is a problem if no one tells them? Not signing your name when you complain, well, that is sheer cowardice.
But it points to a more real problem in our society. People hide behind chat room names and say just about anything they want and do not have to prove it. The "in your face" confrontational attitude as seen on TV and movies has permeated our society. Talk radio persists in promulgating this attitude, and therefore, our society seems to think that it is ok to say whatever you want, as long as you don't have to put your REAL Name on it. Newspapers that allow comments should require that people put their real names and addresses in the comment. That way, they can be held accountable for what they say. Some of the mean comments might stop then.
Yeah, I use a moniker on this blog, but you'll also find my picture, my name, and my email. You don't like something I say, email me. We can talk like real people.
Debi is helping with the funeral route this morning for the fallen Gilbert police officer who was shot during a traffic stop last week, then she is doing her regular shift. She has asked me to go talk to neighbors for her, so she does not have to knock on their door tonight at 10 when she gets home. I'll try to be tactful. (quit laughing... I can be tactful). I will offer the neighbors my phone numbers and tell them to call me during the day when there is a problem.
I watch out for my granddogs.
Doughnut (aka ...Don Shields)
If you have been following along here at THE DOUGHNUT HOLE 503, you know that Debi now has two Dobies, Akkadian (the older dog) and Osiris (the Puppy). They are here today because one of Debi's neighbors complained via ANONYMOUS NOTE that the dogs were barking constantly and were a nuisance. Since I am not with them 24/7/365, I cannot speak to whether the complaint is true or not. All I can say is, Akkadian never barks unless someone is coming in his yard, and Osiris has not found his bark, yet. Now, the note told Debi that her dogs start barking at 7:30 in the AM and never shut up .
This is an outright lie, to that I can attest. Debi does not go to work before 10am, Jim before noon, and the dogs sleep with them. They sleep in Deb's room, then when she gets up, they go to Jim's. And, to be honest, Ihave never heard Akkadian bark longer than 5 minutes, then it is only because someone is in or near his yard. He is very protective. The little one yelped today in what I thought might have been an attempt at barking, but his voice has not dropped yet.
What bothers me about this is the note left in the mailbox...unsigned. They also left a copy of the barking dog ordinance we have here in Phoenix. Which, by the by, says that the first step is to TALK to your neighbor and tell them there is a problem. How can someone know there is a problem if no one tells them? Not signing your name when you complain, well, that is sheer cowardice.
But it points to a more real problem in our society. People hide behind chat room names and say just about anything they want and do not have to prove it. The "in your face" confrontational attitude as seen on TV and movies has permeated our society. Talk radio persists in promulgating this attitude, and therefore, our society seems to think that it is ok to say whatever you want, as long as you don't have to put your REAL Name on it. Newspapers that allow comments should require that people put their real names and addresses in the comment. That way, they can be held accountable for what they say. Some of the mean comments might stop then.
Yeah, I use a moniker on this blog, but you'll also find my picture, my name, and my email. You don't like something I say, email me. We can talk like real people.
Debi is helping with the funeral route this morning for the fallen Gilbert police officer who was shot during a traffic stop last week, then she is doing her regular shift. She has asked me to go talk to neighbors for her, so she does not have to knock on their door tonight at 10 when she gets home. I'll try to be tactful. (quit laughing... I can be tactful). I will offer the neighbors my phone numbers and tell them to call me during the day when there is a problem.
I watch out for my granddogs.
Doughnut (aka ...Don Shields)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Phoenix sales pitch
The Valley of the Sun, I have found, is a great place to live. Yes, it is hot, and yes, it is crowded at times during the winter when the "snow birds" roll into the valley. But it has a great deal to offer and it feels like a many small towns all put together in a design that amazes and astounds me. Is it cheap to live here? Cheap is a relative term.
The time of year that Valleyites call "The High Heat" is during July-September. The temps do get above 100 regularly, but I have found that it is not all that uncomfortable. One does have to make adjustments, like being sure one puts up the sunshade when parked in a lot or driveway so the steering wheel does not achieve branding iron temps. Very little goes on outside during the middle of the day from about noon to five, as folks take to swimming pools and air conditioning. Little outside work goes on during this time, also, as most people start early in the morning around five and end around one. A great deal of construction goes on at night under floodlights. The heat is sometimes oppressive, but if you can drink plenty of water, cover up, and pace yourself, it is fine. Think of the high heat as akin to winter in the Midwest, but sunshine is not hard to shovel!
Snowbirds can be a problem out here. Most are elderly drivers that are not used to driving on our vast expressways and roads. The Valley is a well marked grid that follows a pattern. This pattern is interrupted by mountains, though, making it seem somewhat confusing to the directionally challenged. Snowbirds, however, pay no attention to the grid, trying to get by on the their lowered instincts for direction and low visual acuity. This leads them to often turn at the last moment, or from the center lane. Once the swallows go back to Capistrano,things get back to normal, whatever that is.
I live in "North Phoenix" which is on the very top part of the city when looking on the map. I can, however, get to almost any place in the metro area via the expressways within 45 minutes. Seems like a long time doesn't it? When I lived in Illinois, I had to drive 45 minutes to just about everywhere. If I wanted a hamburger, it was a 15 minute drive to town; pizza? same thing. Groceries were the same for vitals, but a heavy shopping that required a trip to Sam's Club would take 40 minutes one way. Here, I can get groceries that are relatively the same price as "back home" within 5 minutes, Sam's is another 5. Anywhere else I want to go, like to see professional baseball, is 20 minutes. Visitors who fly in are a mere 20 minutes away from my house after I pick them up at Sky Harbor. All our professional sports teams are witin easy drive times of twenty minutes or less. During baseball's Spring Training, I have 14 major league parks within a half hour. Is this heaven, or what?
I have talked about sports, but what about the arts? I looked in the paper yesteday and found no fewer than fifteen theatres with live plays, several art museums, and of course, downtown Scottsdale that has many galleries. There are more movie theatres within fifteen minutes than there was in all of Central Illinois. The advantage there is I can get in for a reduced price. First run movies are only five dollars on weekends before noon, and showings start at 9:00AM! I can get to a movie, maybe two, then get into line at Old Country Buffet before senior citizens prices go up.
I want to move all my friends out here. I am convinced that once they do get out here and spend time, they will be convinced that shoveling snow in winter, breathing water filled air in the summer is not for them. We could get a cul de sac and have our own neighborhood. They will probably rethink the idea of living next to me, though. They know me too well.
Doughnut
The time of year that Valleyites call "The High Heat" is during July-September. The temps do get above 100 regularly, but I have found that it is not all that uncomfortable. One does have to make adjustments, like being sure one puts up the sunshade when parked in a lot or driveway so the steering wheel does not achieve branding iron temps. Very little goes on outside during the middle of the day from about noon to five, as folks take to swimming pools and air conditioning. Little outside work goes on during this time, also, as most people start early in the morning around five and end around one. A great deal of construction goes on at night under floodlights. The heat is sometimes oppressive, but if you can drink plenty of water, cover up, and pace yourself, it is fine. Think of the high heat as akin to winter in the Midwest, but sunshine is not hard to shovel!
Snowbirds can be a problem out here. Most are elderly drivers that are not used to driving on our vast expressways and roads. The Valley is a well marked grid that follows a pattern. This pattern is interrupted by mountains, though, making it seem somewhat confusing to the directionally challenged. Snowbirds, however, pay no attention to the grid, trying to get by on the their lowered instincts for direction and low visual acuity. This leads them to often turn at the last moment, or from the center lane. Once the swallows go back to Capistrano,things get back to normal, whatever that is.
I live in "North Phoenix" which is on the very top part of the city when looking on the map. I can, however, get to almost any place in the metro area via the expressways within 45 minutes. Seems like a long time doesn't it? When I lived in Illinois, I had to drive 45 minutes to just about everywhere. If I wanted a hamburger, it was a 15 minute drive to town; pizza? same thing. Groceries were the same for vitals, but a heavy shopping that required a trip to Sam's Club would take 40 minutes one way. Here, I can get groceries that are relatively the same price as "back home" within 5 minutes, Sam's is another 5. Anywhere else I want to go, like to see professional baseball, is 20 minutes. Visitors who fly in are a mere 20 minutes away from my house after I pick them up at Sky Harbor. All our professional sports teams are witin easy drive times of twenty minutes or less. During baseball's Spring Training, I have 14 major league parks within a half hour. Is this heaven, or what?
I have talked about sports, but what about the arts? I looked in the paper yesteday and found no fewer than fifteen theatres with live plays, several art museums, and of course, downtown Scottsdale that has many galleries. There are more movie theatres within fifteen minutes than there was in all of Central Illinois. The advantage there is I can get in for a reduced price. First run movies are only five dollars on weekends before noon, and showings start at 9:00AM! I can get to a movie, maybe two, then get into line at Old Country Buffet before senior citizens prices go up.
I want to move all my friends out here. I am convinced that once they do get out here and spend time, they will be convinced that shoveling snow in winter, breathing water filled air in the summer is not for them. We could get a cul de sac and have our own neighborhood. They will probably rethink the idea of living next to me, though. They know me too well.
Doughnut
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