​Despite it all, I side with the old guy holding that sign by the road in "Close Encounters," encouraging the aliens to "Stop and Be Friendly." It could happen.

If you're looking for a compelling summer read, I want to give a shout-out to my partner and mate, Pamela, who just published a memory from her childhood in a new blog, "My August Anguish." Her first post,  "The August When I Was Nine," is both  nostalgic and emotional, and will stay with you long after you finish that last sentence. Find it here.

Someone asked me recently if I had any advice on becoming a writer. It really made me think about my own journey, and my interest in writing that started very early-on. So much so, it  inspired a new blog, "INK, BITS and BYTES: So You Want To Be a Writer." 

If you read it -- it is a work in progress -- you'll find out one of my early passions was poetry. And when Forest Oak Junior High in Fort Worth, TX., held a literature competition, I eagerly entered with a long opus entitled, "The Talk of the Frenchman." It took up almost two pages when the winning entries were printed by the school newspaper, The Acorn.

Even though I only garnered Honorable Mention in the 9th Grade category, I was proud to see my name in print. Thanks to my school friend, Joe Cartwright, who retained a PDF copy , here it is in all its long-winded glory.