Walking on Sunshine

The unexpected boost of getting the Sunshine Blogger Award

A friend gave me this picture of me in my teens. I love it!

December is here, and I say HOORAY! November turned out to be a mixed bag, and I have high hopes for this final month of the year.

Unfortunately, Andy is on his way back up to Canada. I don’t want to say too much, as it’s not my story, but this is his fourth trip, and he’s dealing with some serious, heartbreaking family stuff.

Kurt and I are here to hold up the fort, or is it protect the fort, or maybe do the best we can in his absence. We’re grateful he was here for Thanksgiving and are hopeful he’ll be back for Christmas.

Last month was difficult, and I hope to be healed of everything in a couple of weeks. At any rate, I’ve appreciated the small moments of grace, acts of kindness, and surprising words of praise.

You can imagine my delight when I received a nomination for the Sunshine Blogger Award by fellow nominee Hilary Hattenbach in her enchanting and entertaining post. Let The Sunshine In! I was touched by her thoughtfulness and the complete unexpectedness of being nominated.

Cut to: Me fuming and pacing the floor, grumbling, “Aren’t I sunny enough?” Jk

Thank you, Hilary!! The Sunshine Blogger Award is a pay-it-forward award that shines a light on creativity, inspiration, and positivity. How wonderful is that?

Participation isn’t required (this isn’t a chain letter, ) but if you’re nominated and you want to join in, all you have to do is answer some questions, nominate some of your favorite Substackers, and that’s it.

When I was growing up, my best friend, Cynthia (yes, we’re still friends, and yes, I mention her quite a bit), had a crush on one of our teachers. Let’s call him Mr. B. Mr. B. wasn’t the most obvious choice for a schoolgirl to crush on. He bore more of a resemblance to Jerry Lewis’ version of the Nutty Professor than, say, Tom Selleck or any of the late 1970s heartthrobs.

No one would have accused Mr. B. of being overly kind. Since he suffered no fools or lazy-asses, he could be downright terrifying. At least once, he threw our papers at us, and I remember a blackboard eraser and a waste paper basket being tossed, too.

But here’s the thing: he was funny. Oh my gosh, his wit was biting, sarcastic, and sexy as hell.

Okay, Cynthia and I couldn’t just express our fantasies, so we’d ask each other silly questions like, “What would you do if Mr. B. were sitting in an armchair in your living room wearing a smoking jacket?”

We started with random questions and then wrote out full-fledged questionnaires for the other to fill out. It was super fun.

Later, when I was at the ACME comedy theater, my friend Christy and I wrote a sketch about two teens playing mini-golf and asking ‘What would you do’ questions. I’m not the world’s greatest sketch comedy writer (comic character monologues were my jam), but that was a really fun sketch. Note: Christy went on to be an amazing TV writer and filmmaker.

Nowadays, I like filling out questionnaires for the characters I create.

All this to say, I like answering questions unless I'm feeling snotty. For example, when I’m asked to write about a product I’ve purchased, then I’m all, “I’m a professional writer, writing is my job, and I can’t spare the time to explain why I enjoy your soap!”

Hilary’s questions:

1. What do you eat for breakfast every day? Breakfast isn’t my favorite meal of the day because I hate eggs. So, no eggs fixed any style or any dishes with a heavy egg influence, such as a frittata, egg bites, or French Toast. My favorite breakfast is the humble but delicious sourdough toast, but sometimes I’ll make overnight oats or have cereal or instant oatmeal.

2. What age do you aspire to be and why? Good question, and I don’t have a good answer. I know I want to outlive my cats, but not my resources. If I feel pretty good and stay creative, maybe 80?

3. Who’s your hero/shero? Easy-Stevie Nicks, always and forever.

4. Favorite pastime? Oh gosh, I love being with my friends, having afternoon tea, spending time with my cats, watching TV, reading, going to concerts, and cooking to start.

5. Tell me about your first job? My first unofficial jobs were babysitting and cooking. A cool mom of a family that I babysat for asked me if I wanted to cook dinner for them a couple of nights a week. She supplied the recipes and ingredients, and I cooked the meals. I really enjoyed it. It’s funny, but when I babysat their two daughters, all the girls wanted was to spend hours in the pool with me and then have some canned corned beef hash for dinner—those were super fun evenings.

6. Best live concert you’ve ever seen? This is a tough one because I’ve seen some phenomenal concerts, but if I had to choose one Prince concert, it would be the one I went to. He was amazing each time, but the most special one was an after-concert performance at The Palace in Hollywood. I worked at Security Pacific Bank at the corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga, and one of my customers was the bookkeeper at The Palace, who gave me the tickets. It was amazing that Prince could do a full concert at the Forum and then do another, full-on show at the Palace.

7. What’s your superpower? I’m very perceptive, which in turn makes me good at figuring people out.

8. Most memorable celebrity run-in? Well, this is less of a run-in and more of a calculated maneuver. I went to a screening of Romeo and Juliet (1968 version) in San Francisco and got to meet Leonard Whiting (Romeo). He was absolutely lovely and signed the movie’s programs (that I’ve owned since I was 8 years old) and even said he loved me—it’s the truth!

9. Do you have a trick that helps you stay productive and focused? Yeah, when I get some, I’ll let you know. As is often the case with me, I have to trick myself into doing anything—routine and breaking one’s routine also help.

10. What’s the one dish that you can confidently cook if you’re forced to bring a homemade dish to a friend’s get-together? I’m lucky here, I have a ton of reliable and delicious dishes, but if I wanted to impress, I’d make schnitzel that I learned how to make from my Viennese dad.

My nominees for The Sunshine Award

Debra Groves Harman with her The Narrative Arc Substack. Deb is a well-known writer for her work on Medium, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and her gripping memoir “Love and Loss in Cambodia. Deb’s also a growing presence here, not only with her own work, observations, and notes, but sharing other people’s personal essays and memoirs. Deb has all the stories from her varied travels, the frequent times she’s walked the Camino de Santiago, her beloved family, and heartbreaking relationship stories. If you need to smile, she’s got some goats to help you do that.

Darren Weir is inspirational with his daily notes and fascinating with his travel stories, acts of fearlessness, and just good storytelling. Oh, and did I mention his great photography? Darren is another of my Medium buddies, and he truly is one of the kindest, thoughtful, whip-smart, and talented individuals I know. Check out Darren’s Travels  Substack, and I know you’ll be more than glad you did!

Laura House is an amazingly funny writer/stand-up/storyteller, and TV writer. I first heard her tell one of her hilarious stories in a storytelling show and know that her stand-up performances are legendary. Finding her stories on Medium and now here on her Substack, Too Much and Never Enough was like a gift from the Universe. Her stories have heart, humor, empathy, and insight.

Alex M. Stein is brilliant at everything. Okay, I don’t know if he’s good at everything, but he’s spectacular at writing, performing, filmmaking, and being a fantastic human. I’ve seen him perform his stories many times, and I’m always blown away. He’s written four books, with his latest being Rock 'N' Roll Manifesto and Other Stories. Spoiler alert: All the stories are wonderful and beautifully written, but his Rock ‘N’ Roll Manifesto is my favorite. Alex often records audio of his stories and has a Patreon page, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some of his stunning stories here on his Metaphorical Ninja Substack.

I first internet-met Karen Marie Shelton on Medium, but was thrilled to see it’s on Substack, where she’s coming into her own with her 2 Sides 2 Every Story Substack. Her stories range from true crime to memoir, and she seems equally comfortable in front of a mic and camera as she is with a keyboard. I find her to be generous and one of the most supportive people on any platform. Her interviews and talks are becoming legendary!

If you want stories that come from the heart and soul, then you need to read Luna and her Latinx Bridges Substack. Her bio reads, "Once a university professor, now a conjurer of stories—memoir & Afro-Latine fantasy. Join me as I weave tales of memory, magic, migration, and corazón,” and perfectly encapsulates how captivating a writer she is.

Candy Kennedy is a writer with range and relatability. Her Live Love Learn Substack is about life and all the things that make it challenging, fascinating, and enjoyable. Sometimes she might write about a trip or an experience, and other times she expresses something so profound and remarkable that you need to let it sink in for a moment. At its core, her work is about living authentically, life after loss, and finding the courage to continue even when things aren’t the way you planned.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Peter Murrieta and his Muy American Productions Substack, as he embodies creativity, inspiration, and positivity. Plus, he’s a real-deal writer and a friend. Peter always has several projects going and has had great success. He’s a TV and screenplay writer, a showrunner and producer, a novelist, a comic book writer, and a teacher. Honestly, he does so much and has had so much success that, amazingly, he takes the time to share his stories of making it in Hollywood as well as his personal stories. If you’re not already reading his Substack or any of his other work, like his novel, Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta, then you’re missing out.

Here are my questions

1. What’s your idea of the perfect afternoon?

2. What’s something you thought you’d hate, but you ended up liking?

3. Tell me what motivates you?

4. What’s the best present you ever got?

5. Do you go to live shows? Which was your favorite?

6. What’s the one characteristic you have that reminds you of who you are at your core?

7. Do you have any funny pet stories?

8. What’s your favorite neighborhood?

9. What’s the one piece of advice you like to give out?

10. What are you most looking forward to in the future?

You can answer all, none, or some of these questions-it’s up to you, and you’re under no obligation to nominate anyone else for the Sunshine Award.