A as in Arlee & All

 Attention!

       The time has come.  Already the first posts of the 2015 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge have been flooding the internet as bloggers from India and other parts of that side of the globe have been publishing their posts for the letter "A".   As many of you are reading this now, more bloggers from other time zones have published their blog posts.   I've seen some quality work so far which gives me high hopes for this year.   As of today I'm giving the bloggers of A to Z at big A+ grade for the work that's being turned in.

Action!

        Even if you don't have your post up or prepared you can still gear into action and start writing.  Listen all you bloggers, you are also writers (even if you don't think of yourself as such) and you can write off the cuff, spur of the moment improvisational pieces.   A to Z is a test of your blogging abilities and I have no doubt that you've got what it takes to start and finish this Challenge.  Give it all you've got and let's see this thing through!

All of Us!

        We are the mighty A to Z Community and we've got unity, comradery, and a spirit of support for each other.  Now in it's 6th year, A to Z has shown how we bloggers can help each other out when help is needed.  We are all in this together.  Visit as many blogs as you can and comment often.  This is a good investment of your time and as you continue blogging onward into the future you will see how your actions in April will pay off in the coming months and even years.

Ask Arlee!

       All of the co-hosts have been doing their "About Me" posts so here is mine.

        With a lifelong interest in writing, I discovered blogging in 2009 and realized it is a great way to get ones writing out before the public without having to submit it all over the place to face numerous rejections and maybe never get published.  It's been a wonderful writing adventure for me so far.

        After a couple months of being mostly unnoticed on my blog, I started catching on to the social networking game and the not-so-secret secret of getting blog followers.  This discovery led to my starting the first Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in 2010.   It worked and now here we are with six fantastic years and thousands of adherents, fans, and followers.  A to Z has gained an admirable reputation and we've had some of the best bloggers in the world joining us since its inception.

        I currently blog at:

        Tossing It Out

        Wrote By Rote

        A Faraway View

        A Few Words

        I have all of these blogs operational for A to Z in April.   I hope you will take time to visit them.


>>Some questions asked by A to Z community members:

Susan Scott from the Garden of Eden Blog asks "Do you remember your dreams?"  Much of the time I do remember my dreams.  I've been interested in dreams since childhood and have at times kept a dream diary.   Now I write about dreams and dreaming at my blog A Faraway View.  Be sure to visit Susan's blog as well as she also will be writing about dreams as her A to Z theme for April.

Barbara In Caneyhead asks: 
"What is your favorite pastime other than writing/reading/blogging?"   For many years I worked in touring theatrical productions as a manager, actor, and juggler.  I'm still very interested in show business even though I've stepped away from that life for now.  I continue to have a passion for travel and take long road trips whenever I can.  I love traveling the roads of the United States.

Loni Townsend asks:
"You are one insane guy... four blogs for the A-to-Z challenge?? Okay, here's my question for you: How do you find time to do it all?"   In order to take on the four blogs for the Challenge I plan ahead as much as possible.   Short posts are also vital.  I highly recommend that everyone keep their posts short for A to Z if they can.  In fact, I've grown to be rather a fan of shorter posts all the time.  Oh, I still get wordy at times, but don't most of us?

Nicole asks:
"What I'd like you to blab about is:
How did you propose?"   Actually I don't exactly remember the how of it.   Since we were both older and had gone through previous marriages I think we just kind of came to a mutual agreement that incorporated logic and, of course, love.   My wife and I have now been married for going on 18 years.
"Aside from blogging, what do you do for fun?"   I enjoy movies and music.  And my wife and I like to dine out.
"If you could only have one condiment for an entire year, what would you pick?"  That's so difficult since I'm a condiment crazy guy.  One of my absolute favorites though is Tabasco sauce.  That could take the place of a lot of other things for me.

Dixie@dcrelief asks:
"Oh, and a question? What finally made me say yes to the challenge?? I don't know, this is 'ask Arlee' today... right?!!"   Well yes, it is "Ask Arlee" day, but I can only guess why you said yes to the Challenge.  My guess is that you needed A to Z in order to Challenge your abilities, you wanted to be part of a great community of bloggers, and you find me utterly irresistible.   Isn't that why every one does this A to Z Challenge?

Advance!

     And now, my thanks to all of you for stopping by and being a part of A to Z.  Also, a magnanimously huge thanks to my great team of co-hosts as listed in the sidebar and all of our individual teams of helpers who you can find listed in the tab at the top of the page.  These are the people who really keep A to Z advancing onward and I'd be lost in this Challenge without them by my side.  Be sure to visit all of them and express some gratitude.

     Now let's get busy wrapping up our blog posts and visiting all the wonderful bloggers out there.  Don't forget to leave comments!

.

C. Lee McKenzie Meet Your Host

AtoZChallenge

The Hosts during this challenge are a varied as the stock at K-Mart. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, we're of different belief systems, we live in places all over the world.

Isn't it amazing that we can come together like this to complete such a unified and demanding task? Twenty-six days of blogging and commenting. Makes my brain tired. You've already met some of these Team Members; now it's my turn to reveal who I am.

My Work

When you were invited to ASK US ANYTHING on the AtoZChallenge Blog, the questions were as varied as the Hosts. Here are some of my answers to your questions.

Susan Scott  wanted to know what our best form of exercise was. That's so easy for me to answer. I hike or I do Yoga. For hiking all you need is good pair of shoe and water. I don't have to haul around a golf bag or find a partner to hit a ball to me across the net. It's just me and trail. Yoga doesn't even require shoes! I think you can categorize me as a minimalist.

Barbara in Caneyhead asked what we'd do if our computer bellied up during the Challenge. Don't even think that, Barbara! But if it did, I'd hock the cat and buy a new computer.

CA Heaven asked if we were skiers, and I answered I used to be. If I had to choose between skiing Breckenridge or Arapahoe Basin, I'd choose Breckenridge.

Betty asked a great question: How do we mange time during the A/Z Challenge. My answer was simple. Get up earlier . Go to bed later. Take breaks, stretch and walk. The family's on its own in April. 

Now I've planned a hike for this morning, so I'm out of here. Bye computer. Bye Internet. See you later.

Meet Your Co-Hosts! Fifty Shades of Nicole…

Dear Blogging from A to Z Challenge Participants, 

I am Nicole Ayers, a freelance writer, illustrator and media producer, who completed the April challenge four times and am embarking on my third year as one of your Co-Hosts. My tendency to write lengthy blog posts comes from a preference for painting the full picture of observations and thoughts on certain subjects, rather than an overview. It isn't unusual to find me making notes of some kind -- be that for ideas, to-do lists, troubleshooting problems, etc. on a daily basis. If I won 2 plane tickets, I would go to Italy with my grandmother because it's where many of the arts and cultural scenes that mesmerized me growing up are concentrated, and she deserves a vacation. 

The perpetual calendar in my room is a source of wisdom with reminders for approaching life with a positive and/or productive mindset, one step at a time. I enjoy watching The Walking Dead because its storylines contain lessons about developing multipurpose skills, conquering fear, being a team player, staying fit and identifying the reasons behind your actions. I’m far from a nature lover but would like to be more active outdoors and improve my agricultural knowledge. I care more about Twitter than Facebook. To this day, I dislike my inability to make an edible batch of pancakes. 

It would be great to make life a little better for someone dealing with adversity, before I die. The custom made dress I wore to the prom was based on a design I drew specifically for the occasion. I carry L'Oréal Paris lip gloss in my bag and aspire to find peace on earth but in the meantime, I’ll have BBQ sauce with my French fries, thank you! Although drawing The Gates of Hell at the Rodin Museum for my Art History class was an intimidating experience, the results were surprisingly better than I expected. Over the next 365 days, I plan to get back into the habit of creating artwork on paper.  

One thing I wish I could change in this world is the high cost of education for those who need it most. A computer is among the things I want to save up to get. Since I’m struggling with finding purpose, I think I can help it by just doing a bunch of different things that interest me and seeing what sticks. My favorite TV shows include Flashpoint and Parenthood. I seldomly favor any Holidays. At the time of this writing, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominated drama “Pariah” - about a Brooklyn teenager juggling an identity crisis while risking friendship, family & heartbreak while coming to terms with her sexuality - was the last movie I watched. 

I prefer gummy bears and nachos over popcorn. I don’t remember much about kindergarten but I do miss my friend Melissa from 1st Grade. We’ve crossed paths a few times over the years but don’t keep in touch. Still, I would have lunch with her today if the opportunity presented itself because she is one of the smartest, coolest, most ambitious people I’ve ever known from grade school. I’ve handled more guns than I’ve fired. 

The last book I read was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and loved it! Add in A.M. Holmes’ Jack and Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and you have some of my favorite books. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is one of the saddest movies I ever watched. At this time, a Cabbage Patch Kid and a plush frog are the first childhood toys I remember having. 

Posing with a stranger in my prom photos is one of the stupidest things I ever did. Looking back, I should have posed with my high school friend because now I have these pictures with a person I don’t talk to and it was a great opportunity to create memories with the person I actually knew, whom I continued to stay in touch with after graduation. That was a bad call on my part. Although I rarely celebrate Halloween, I would want to dress up in a rag doll costume. Nightmare on Elm Street is my favorite horror movie. An initiative I participated in for the American Red Cross had the biggest impact on my views about giving to charity.

I like to draw more than paint but if I must do the latter, then I’d prefer tempura over watercolor and acrylics. My favorite actors include Denzel Washington, Vincent D’Onofrio, Matt Damon, Bruce Willis and Leonardo DiCaprio. My favorite actresses include Kate Winslett, Angela Bassett, Hilary Swank, Eva Mendes, and Dakota Fanning. The martial arts adventure Falcon Rising is the last live action film (I think) I saw in theaters, while Marilyn Myller is the last cartoon/animation film I watched at a laundromat during Couch Fest Film Festival. A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School teacher Scot Pankey’s “Uptown Funk” dance is one of my favorite YouTube videos.

I believe that many of our traditions and practices in Western culture are the result of social constructs that limit our potential for unity. If I achieved my dreams, I would be a happier person who got more sleep. An anonymous postcard (the image over on the left) sent to Frank Warren’s PostSerect project contains what has become one of my favorite quotes. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill is a song that usually makes me cry. My pair of socks from The Crayola Factory hasn’t been worn in at least nine months because I’m afraid about them getting raggedy. Traveling by plane is an experience I dislike since airport security measures that passengers go through have become more intrusive and downright ridiculous. Garfield, Charlie Brown and Bart Simpson are some of my favorite cartoon characters. 

Sincerely,

Nicole who Blogs at The Madlab Post

P.S.

What you wanted to know...

Do we have anything in common?