The Morning After

When Madelyn was a newborn she would wake up. I’d get up with her to let Mom sleep and we’d hang out. Late one night the CBC showed a documentary which I believe will be her future. Synchronized Swimming. I always wondered how someone got their kids into bizarre sports.

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The Phat Bunny dot net runs a feature on 50 word stories and he asked me to right a guest spot for him.  This exercise is much harder than I thought it would be.  First off, TPB’s stories are really good and second, I couldn’t think what to write about.  I defaulted on the stayed but true, write what you know.  Music or baby.

I can’t really write about *babies* with any authority, just mine.  But I like this story because I am not sure if I ever blogged it before and it is one of those memories that is very clear for me, so it is good to write it down before I suffer a brain injury or get Alzheimer’s.

My little thought story required editing to get it to 50 words and still be a cohesive idea.  Reminded me of an old exercise we did in broadcast school.  The writing teacher (whose name I forget but he was good man) would give us a paragraph and we’d have to eliminate half the words and the paragraph still had to make sense.  Then, we’d have to halve that half paragraph.  Then sometimes, halve that one!  Yikes… but it is important for radio because generally we have to get some big ideas on the air in just a matter of seconds.  It is what has always bothered me about school assignments where the goal is a “6-page” or “1,000 word” essay.  If I were a teacher, I’d want you to demonstrate your knowledge or convince me your point in the fewest words.  Christ, teaching is a union gig, the less time marking, means more time to party.

Go with yourself.