January 2004

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The SSQQ January 2004 Newsletter
Written and edited monthly by Rick Archer

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HEADLINES
	STORY ONE	THE SSQQ CRUISE TO the new orleans Mardi gras HAS 36 PEOPLE AND WE STILL HAVE SPACE FOR MORE!!
	STORY TWO	january dance classes begin the week of sunday, january 4.
	STORY THREE	THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS PARTY IS FRIDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 19
	STORY FOUR	THE SSQQ NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY IS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31.
	STORY FIVE	SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE: ON NOVEMBER 8, 3 DIFFERENT SSQQ INSTRUCTORS GOT MARRIED! WHO WERE THEY? PLUS A REVIEW OF THE 30 SSQQ WEDDINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS FROM 2003. (several good stories!!)
	STORY SIX	CHRIS O’ROURKE PLANS A NEW YEAR’S BASH AFTER NEW YEARS.
	STORY SEVEN	WHO WON THE SSQQ HALLOWEEN SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE?
	STORY EIGHT	it’S TIME AGAIN FOR THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE LED BY JUDY ARCHER.
	STORY NINE	shoe sale AS mojo dance shoes PREPARES TO go out of business.
	STORY TEN	business opportunity: mojo shoe store is for sale. (Want to own your own business? This is an interesting idea)
	STORY ELEVEN	SOFT SHOE TAP CLASS COMING TO SSQQ
	STORY TWELVE	SSQQ STAFF CHANGES FOR JANUARY 2004

REGULAR FEATURES

	COMPLAINT OF THE MONTH		RICK ARCHER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL CONTEST DOESN’T PLEASE ONE WOMAN (fascinating story)
	BEST NEW JOKES OF MONTH		WOW! 15 NEW JOKES THIS MONTH!!
	ssqq employee of month		BRYAN SPIVEY and Krista johnsoN AND JUDY ARCHER
	ssqq logic club		who were the WINNERS OF the december logic puzzle? who is tied for first?
	NEW logic puzzle		the NEW january ssqq logic puzzle: THE NATURE OF GOSSIP!!
	joke picture of the month		yup, it’s michael jackson again!! RICH LYBARGER SENT IT IN
	WORST NEW PUN OF MONTH		THE DENTIST'S OFFICE. CHRIS HOLMES IS IN TROUBLE FOR THIS ONE.
	VOCABULARY WORD		THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING US! RICK ARCHER SENT THIS ONE IN
	CLEAN SIDE JOKES		FEATURING A CLASSIC SUPER BOWL JOKE FROM RICH BEVIS AND SUSAN SCHROEDER
	BLUE SIDE JOKES		FEATURING A TERRIFIC GOLF JOKE FROM SUSAN SCHROEDER

SPECIAL FEATURES

	FEATURE ONE		Can you spot a serial killer? CONTRIBUTED BY SANDY THE DOOZE
	FEATURE TWO		the winner of the annual “foot in mouth” award CONTRIBUTED BY ANN FAGET
	FEATURE THREE		LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: A CHRISTMAS DANCE STORY (this is an excellent story! RA)
	FEATURE FOUR		SPECIAL TREAT: A HALL OF FAME JOKE: WINTER AT THE RESERVATION!! MARLANE KAYFES
	FEATURE FIVE		PRICES GOING UP FOR SSQQ DANCE CLASSES IN JANUARY 2004 PLUS NOTE ABOUT EMAIL

	START OF THE HEADLINE STORIES SECTION
	STORY ONE	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: THE SSQQ CRUISE TO MARDI GRAS AND COZUMEL!!
	SSQQ has scheduled a 7 Day Cruise to visit the 2004 New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. We will sail aboard Royal Caribbean's beautiful Rhapsody of the Seas. We leave Sunday, February 22nd, and return on Sunday, February 29th. As of 12-17-03 we have 37 people going. Count on reaching New Orleans Monday evening in time for a wild night of dancing on Bourbon Street. Then after a little rest, on Tuesday we hit the peak of Mardi Gras during the legendary Fat Tuesday, the day of Parades, revelry, and legalized insanity. We will remain in New Orleans Wednesday till 6 pm, then it is off to the sparkling warm waters in beautiful Cozumel. While others shiver stateside in the middle of winter, our group will work on getting great suntans at the famous Chankanaab Beach. This exciting trip promises to be the experience of a lifetime! SSQQ no longer has any reservations. However there is still space available. The problem you face is that prices can no longer be guaranteed and should rise soon – SO DON’T WAIT TO CALL US TILL THE LAST MINUTE!! (Check out who is already going to Mardi Gras: http://ssqq.com/information/mardigraspassengers.htm ) marla@ssqq.com (Marla Gorzynski email) 713 862 4428 (Marla Gorzynski phone) Check out the ssqq web site for the price, to see who is going, and further promotional information – http://ssqq.com/information/mardigrashome.htm

STORY TWO

RETURN TO HEADLINES

THE JANUARY SCHEDULE OF SSQQ DANCE CLASSES
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/schedule.htm

The January Dance Semester begins the week of Sunday, January 4^th.

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JANUARY 2004 SCHEDULE
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/extra.htm

beginning Lindy Hop will be offered on Sundays in January with Gloria Sanchez. The Lindy Hop was America’s first Swing dance in 20s. After disappearing in the 50s, it surged back to life during the huge 90s Swing era. Today it is perfect for slow Swing tunes!

Zoot Suit Riot moves to Sunday afternoons this year. Taught by Judy Archer, Zoot Suit is Judy Archer’s advanced Swing class covering the most sharp moves, flashiest patterns, and the fanciest footwork Swing has to offer! Prerequisite: Advanced Swing.

The Beginning Whip/West Coast Swing Superclass is back!! These two fascinating dances are taught side by side on Sunday and Thursday. Whip and WCS are danced to Disco, Blues, Pop & Rock music. They feature fancy footwork, sexy hip motion, and flashy spins. Historically speaking, January has always been the perfect month to take on this challenging project! As the New Year begins, grit your teeth and join!

Beginning Western Waltz, the Western dance of Romance, will be offered on Sundays at 7 pm w Judy Archer. Western Waltz is exceptionally beautiful & marvelous fun to dance.

Ballroom Dancing officially returns to SSQQ in January. SSQQ Ballroom Dancing went underground due to the popularity of Salsa in 2000. Now four years later it is time to devote one special night a week to everything that Ballroom has to offer including classes in Swing, Foxtrot, Tango, Waltz, & Latin Dancing as well. In January, we start our new Ballroom Program with Beginning Ballroom, Beginning American Tango, and Intermediate Ballroom Waltz!! Afterwards, Room 4 will be reserved for an evening of Ballroom Practice on Mondays.

SOFT SHOE TAP CLASS IS COMING TO SSQQ. Beginning/Intermediate Tap - Soft Sole
This class is All-American tap (without the tap shoes) to rockin’ music. Get ready to move your feet as we practice shuffles, flaps, time steps and more! For all you tap lovers, this is the class for you - If you’re a little rusty or just getting started, don’t worry, we’ll be starting from the beginning and adding some jazz moves and turns to keep things interesting. Taught by Karen Schneider, the class will be from 6-7 pm on Tuesdays starting January 6^th. The 4 one-hour lessons a month will cost $20.

Wednesdays in January brings Beginning Night Club with Anita Williams. This lovely dance has proven to be very popular at SSQQ as the dance of choice to all slow Western dance ballads. Similar to Sharon Crawford’s Western Waltz and Western Cha Cha classes, Anita will offer three levels of this beautiful dance including Advanced in March!

Triple Two, also known as the Dallas Twostep will be offered on Fridays with Brian White for the first time in 3 years. This unusual dance is quite popular in the Dallas area, but is so rare in Houston most dancers have never even heard of it. Triple Two is an interesting dance used to Polka rhythm music to Triple Step, Triple Step Walk Walk footwork.

Martian Whip 01 Extra is a special feature of the Martian Whip class. Taught by Rick Archer & Jack Benard, this class no longer parallels the Thursday class. It is taught like a Crash Course - something new every week. Pay one price and get the second class for free. Such a deal!!

SATURDAY NIGHT PARTIES IN JANUARY

SWING CHARLESTON PARTY
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party01.htm

On SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, we will have our Charleston Swing Dance. There is no dress code, but the ladies are encouraged to wear Charleston beads. (Hint: Mardi Gras beads will work just fine.)

7-9 PM CRASH COURSES AT A GLANCE

BOXFOX - Adele/Marty
BEG LINDY HOP - Gloria
ARGENTINE TANGO - Don
SALSA DIPS & LUNGES - Martin and Judy
CROWDED FLOOR SWING PATTERNS - Maureen
BELLY DANCE - Rachel Zephyr

Music: Swing in Room 1, Salsa in Room 4.

SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party02.htm
Saturday, January 24^th,

7-9 PM CRASH COURSES AT A GLANCE

BEG TEXAS TWOSTEP - Leo
TWOSTEP/POLKA CIRCLE TURNS - Linda
BEG WESTERN WALTZ - Vicki
LATIN HUSTLE - Jack
BEGINNING NIGHT CLUB - Paul
ADVANCED NIGHT CLUB - Anita
SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO - Rick

Music: Western in Room 1, Whip in Room 6

	STORY THREE	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS PARTY, Friday, December 19th (9:15 pm – Midnight) http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party24.htm
	The music SSQQ Christmas Party is unusual since much of our music has a Christmas twist to it. It turns out that Country-Western artists have figured out a great way to make money is to record a Christmas CD. Some artists like Garth Brooks and George Strait even have two Christmas albums. As a result, there are many Christmas songs that are excellent Twosteps and Polkas. It may seem a bit odd to realize that ‘Frosty the Snowman’ can be a Twostep, but when it is sung by George Strait you can be sure the speed is right and it definitely sounds country. Throw in ‘Feliz Navidad’ for a Polka and ‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree’ for a Swing and suddenly you have some good dance music with a Christmas theme as well. It is actually pretty fun to dance to these classic Christmas pop songs. There are many Waltzes played at the SSQQ Christmas Party. It turns out that several well-known Christmas Carols are very lovely Waltzes. “What Child is This?”, “The First Noel”, “Silver Bells”, “Away in a Manger”, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”, and several others are beautiful Waltz songs. If you like to Waltz, you will love this party! This year we are adding a new feature: Room 6 will have non-stop Swing music. We will hook up one of our computers to an amp and play regular Non-Christmas Swing music to your heart’s delight. Besides the Swing music in Room 6, there will be plenty of Christmas Swing music in Room 1. The Whip music in Room 4 will not be Christmas music. Sometimes it turns out that too much is too much – whenever the Christmas music gets a bit overwhelming just say something and we promise to throw in some normal dance music as well! There is no dress code. Jeans are fine. It would be nice to wear something with Red or Green or a Christmas Theme shirt/pullover, but it isn’t necessary. One nice gesture would be to bring a Toy along with you for the SSQQ Toy Drive. It doesn’t have to be wrapped. We will be taking our huge collection of Toys to the Toys for Tots Foundation the day after our Christmas Party.

	STORY FOUR	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	THE SSQQ NEW YEARS EVE PARTY http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party25.htm Wednesday, December 31, 9 pm – 1 am Cover Charge $15 person
	From: Julie Newton Holeman Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 3:18 PM To: dance@ssqq.com Subject: New Year's Eve Dance “Hi! I am writing from Oxford, MS. My husband and I are going to be in Houston, TX for New Year's Eve and we are looking for a place to go ballroom dancing. I found your website on the Internet. Can anyone come to your dance or do you have to be members? Any info you can give me will be helpful. Thanks so much! Julie Holeman” RICK ARCHER'S REPLY: “What a nice letter, Julie. You are more than welcome to join us. The party is very relaxed. Party favors, champagne at midnight, food, and wine/beer are gratis. The cover charge is $15 a person. As you might gather from the price, we are not attempting to “gouge”. The studio features dancing on two different floors simultaneously. The room you would enjoy will be playing sinatra foxtrot, big band swing, a few tangos, a few salsas, and Irish Waltz music. The studio is smoke free. The main dance floor is over 1000 square feet. Medium age range will be people in their 40s and 50s with all ages represented. Dress is semi-formal and 95% of our guests respect our wishes. Expect attendance to be around 100 or so people. Despite access to unlimited free wine and beer, no one ever drinks to excess at our parties – they are all here to dance! In all a very pleasant party that anyone who loves to ballroom dance would enjoy thoroughly. Rick Archer” As stated in the reply above, the Annual SSQQ New Year’s Eve Party is all about dancing. The party is safe, friendly, relaxed and fun. You have a smoke-free environment, plenty of room to dance, and although there is drinking, it is much less than at other venues. We have never had a problem to date. The attitude for the evening is ‘Upscale’. We expect you to dress up! Coat and Ties for men, dresses for ladies (or anything else formal you can think of). No jeans, please. You can dress as sharp as you want, but please don’t come casual. Think of it as a special kind of Halloween Party where you fool people by coming dressed in disguise as a wealthy person. This is a perfect evening to visit with friends. Many people come together and many people come without dates. Although I won’t name names, I remember in particular one excellent three-year romance between two people who came alone to our New Year’s Party. The music in our main room will consist of a great deal of Big Band Swing music. There will be plenty of Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, and the other 30s and 40s Classic to Swing to. In addition we will play all of Frank Sinatra’s best Foxtrot songs such as ‘Witchcraft’ and ‘New York New York’. Another special feature are the popular Irish Waltzes with their haunting sweetness. In addition there will be a healthy dose of Ballroom music in Room 1 including Cha Cha, Tango, and Salsa music. Western Dancing is big too at this party. We open up Room 5 and combine it with Room 4 to make a very large dance floor. In addition to the Western music, there will be a healthy dose of Whip/West Coast Swing music as well. Let us add the floors will be very nice since we will be refinishing them over the Holidays. Room 6 will be reserved for Salsa Dancing. This means there will be three kinds of music playing in three rooms simultaneously. Rick Archer will be on duty as your DJ. He will take requests for all three rooms. At 11:40 we put our on crazy hats, grab our noisemakers, and start the celebration. Just before Midnight we pour out the champagne and start the big countdown to 2003!

STORY FIVE

RETURN TO HEADLINES

THE 2003 SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE YEAR IN REVIEW!!
Written by Rick Archer

On Saturday, November 8, three lovely SSQQ instructors also became three lovely brides. By an unusual coincidence, SSQQ Instructors Rachel (Seff) Koenig, Vicki (Bernard) Smith, and Patrica (Or) Homes all got married on the same day.

Just three weeks later, on November 29 during the Thanksgiving Weekend, long-time SSQQ Instructors Ann Bush and Brian White also got married.

Nor is the ssqq wedding frenzy complete yet – during this period SSQQ Instructor Michele Wann announced her engagement to Trent Haynes. Shortly after, SSQQ Instructor Michelle Yeiter got engaged. This wonderful surprise for Michelle Yeiter marked the 30th SSQQ Engagement and Wedding this year. Including myself, Linda Cook, and Timm Chavez, that makes five more SSQQ Instructors who are currently engaged.

Without trying to sound too schmaltzy, something special is clearly going on at SSQQ.

As we start our 27th year of business in 2004, SSQQ has been rumored to be a highly contagious place for Romance to develop for a long. Not only have hundreds of our students literally met their future spouses here at the studio, many other students have had the sense to bring their boyfriend or girlfriend here during their courtship due to our reputation as the right place to “seal the deal”.

Indeed, the list of couples who have backed off is remarkably small. Once you get them dancing, they fall even more hopelessly in love.

SSQQ does not come about its Reputation as the Romance Capital of Houston by accident. We earned it!!

The number in 1999 was 23. In 2000 it was 30. In 2001 it was 23. In 2002 (post 9/11) it slipped to 16, but this year we bounced back to 30 again. With the exception of the large churches, can you imagine any other Houston institution that can claim to have created 20 to 30 marriages a year for 25 years?

In particular, members of the SSQQ Staff seem particularly vulnerable to the mysterious Love Bug that permeates the studio. Like any good Bug, the more you are exposed to it, the more likely you are to catch it!!

It is no accident that this studio feels like one big family. After all, it practically is.

Although it is unlikely you will recognize many of these people by name, please read the following list:

Diane Head.
Jim Smith.
Mike Fagan.
Tom Easley.
Mark Matthews.
Peter Shores.
Paula Yerks.
Arlene Phillips.
Amelia Cate.
Brian Swanson.
Lisa Starnes.
Nancy Faulkner.
Reid Faulkner.
Mike Hitzhusen.
Hannah Baker.
Richard McDonald.

David Vining.
Tonya Binig.
Tom Binig.
Michael Stephens.
Suzy Kish.
Larry Carlton.
Liliana Ashley.
David Bagesse.
Terry Johns.
Heidi Moynihan.
Beth Hentges.
Allen Hentges.
Linda Decker.
Rad Decker.
Renee Reisinger.
Janet Wukman.
Kathleen Alexander.

Do you have any idea what all these people have in common?

You might be surprised to discover that each one of them is a former SSQQ instructor who met their future husband or wife here at the studio.

For that matter, the current SSQQ staff has three married couples who met through the studio. Did you know that Ben Liles met his wife Diana at the studio? And that Daryl Armstrong met his wife Joanne here? And that Karen Clawsen met her husband Dennis here?

It makes me happy to see the phenomenal number of Romances that have developed for my Staff over the years and in the recent past. Ever since our society has rebounded from the trauma of 9/11, things have been smoking around here. Read for yourself the list of the 16 SSQQ instructors who got married or engaged just in the past 18 months alone:

SSQQ Instructor Jim Coulter met his wife Ulrike here and married her a year and half ago.
SSQQ Instructor Paula da Silva got married a year and a half ago.
SSQQ Instructor Tracy King met her husband Jeff Perry, also an SSQQ Instructor, here at the studio. They got married a year and a half ago and recently had their first child Kay Lynn in October.
SSQQ Instructor Kathleen LaBounty got engaged to Mark Oryhon in February.
SSQQ Instructor Carol Armand met Arthur Madrid here in 2001. They married this July.
SSQQ Instructor Rick Archer was engaged to Marla Gorzynski in July.
SSQQ Instructor Linda Cook was engaged to SSQQ Instructor Timm Chavez in August.
SSQQ Instructor Michelle Wann announced her engagement to Trent Haynes in October.
SSQQ Instructor Patty Or married David Holmes in November.
SSQQ Instructor Vicki Bernard met Johnny Smith here at SSQQ in 2001. They married in November.
SSQQ Instructor Rachel Seff married Dave Koenig in November.
SSQQ Instructors Ann Bush and Brian White got married at the end of November.
SSQQ Instructor Michelle Yeiter announced her engagement to Scott Keepers in December.

Plus I know a couple other Staffers who could very easily succumb to old ssqq slow dance and romance magic at any time, but I don't plan to jinx them by saying something!!

If you want to get married, join the SSQQ Staff. It's that simple. Sometimes I tease we should rename the SSQQ Web Site to the SSQQ Wed Site.

And we haven’t even begun to talk about all the SSQQ Kids. The list starts with Judy Archer’s and my daughter Samantha, Ben and Diana’s two children Cole and Allison, Daryl and JoAnne’s Austin and Ali, Tracy and Jeff Perry’s Kaylynn, plus Tom and Margaret Easley’s Tommy and Ashley.

These children are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, read this letter:

ROBERT AND JENNIFER LEAKE

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 2:42 PM

“Hi Rick. Four years ago (1999) I met my wife Jennifer at SSQQ during a swing dance class. Our love blossomed over at the Orchid Lounge in the Village.

Well, the Orchid Lounge is no longer there and our pretzels have all gone soft but today we have two wonderful additions... Our Twins Alexia and Aidan were born last summer. They are now 8 months old...We are blessed.

Thanks for everything!!
Robert and Jennifer Leake”

SSQQ is a Family. There are literally hundreds of Slow Dance and Romance children out there from the 400 or so marriages created through SSQQ. Some of these kids are just now getting old enough to take dance classes. You don’t suppose that makes me happy, do you?

Now including Instructors and student alike, here is a review of the 2003 SSQQ Slow Dance and Romance list:

January, 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 1 - IMRE KONDOR AND EILEEN KRIEPKE GET MARRIED!

February, 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 2 - Wayne Brodd AND Carol Jones ANNOUNCE THEIR ENGAGEMENT

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 3 - SSQQ INSTRUCTOR KATHLEEN LABOUNTY GETS ENGAGED TO MARK ORYHON.

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 4 - SSQQ INSTRUCTOR PATTY O IS ENGAGED TO DAVID KOENIG.

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 5 - SSQQ INSTRUCTOR VICKIE BERNARD IS ENGAGED TO JOHN SMITH

April 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 6 - RANDY BEST AND KIM GRAY GET ENGAGED ON VALENTINES DAY!!

June 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 7 - WAYNE BRODD AND CAROL JONES GET MARRIED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 8 - LAURA JEAN BRZOZOWSKI AND TIM BELL GET MARRIED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 9 - BRIAN WHITE AND ANN BUSH GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 10 - RACHEL SEFF AND DAVE KOENIG GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 11 - MIKE HARRAH AND ANN MCGOWAN GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 12 - DENNIS TAUPO AND HEATHER BLUE GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 13 - JASON HEISER AND REBEKAH MORALES GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 14 - CHUCK MORTON AND BRENDA UFFMANN GET ENGAGED!

July 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 15 - MIKE HARRAH AND ANN MCGOWAN GET MARRIED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 16 - RICK ARCHER AND MARLA GORZYNSKI GET ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 17 - CAROL ARMAND AND ARTHUR MADRID
”Arthur and I were married in a small ceremony in Louisiana with family and a few friends on July 26. Don’t worry, most people still don’t know that we are married. We usually keep a low profile. It helps to keep us out of trouble!”

August 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 18 - SSQQ INSTRUCTOR LINDA COOK AND TIMM CHAVEZ ARE ENGAGED!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 19 - BILL BLUM AND ELLEN CHAPMAN GET ENGAGED!

October 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 20 - LINDA MALIN AND BILL HOLDEN ANNOUNCE THEIR ENGAGEMENT!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 21 - VERONDIA NEVILL AND DELAIN GODDARD GET MARRIED!!
“Oh by the way, Rick, Delain Goddard, who I met at SSQQ in April '02, and I were recently married on Oct. 26! Add us to your list of success stories! Verondia.”

“Ladies and Gents, Two-Steppers, Polka Babes, and those of you who really appreciate a good-fittin’ pair of Sans-a-Belt slacks, the day has come. Verondia and Delain are hookin’ up to show us how to do the final lesson in the Rick Archer School of Meet ‘Em, Greet ‘Em, and Marry ‘Em.

Well, it’s official!

She said, “yes”. (Along with some whimpering, sniffles, and tears, but I got over it soon enough after she handed me a tissue and told me, “Geez fella, it’s just a marriage.”

“Not like you or I haven’t done that before.”

Okay, okay, yes, she fell apart and threw her arms around me, squeezed me with all the glory of her affection, then said, “Okay, and how big is the diamond going to be?”

Aah, that Verondia. She is so thoughtful. Always thinking about me. . . and how come I can’t afford the “big rock” this time around. Steady, Sometimes Quickly, and definitely with thoughtful Questioning along the way, we have made the decision to join together in marriage this Sunday, October 26, in a small, informal ceremony joined by our children at Champion Forest Baptist Church.

Verondia and I have been dating and exploring our likes and dislikes, her dreams and my demands, for about 1 ½ years and have come to the conclusion that I do know what’s best for us. So, she is forcing me going along with my desire to make this a permanent arrangement. As long as I continue to take her dancing, at least, occasionally to boogy through the only three patterns we were able to get under our belts before leaving SSQQ (for the time being).

Gang, thank you for all the smiles and well wishes you’ve extended to us over the past months.

We always enjoy seeing everyone when we are able to get out and meet up at the honky tonks.

Wish us well, pray for us, and we will see you soon.
Delain and Verondia . . . Goddard”

November 2003

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 22 - ANN THEALL AND ED JABLONSKI GET ENGAGED.

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 23 - SSQQ INSTRUCTOR MICHELLE WANN AND TRENT HAYNES GET ENGAGED.

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 24 - ANN KEYES AND JERRY GRIMM GET MARRIED IN NOVEMBER!
Editor’s Note: I am fairly sure that Ann and Jerry met in one of our Whip dance classes. To be very honest, neither Ann nor Jerry took to this difficult dance quickly, but I have to hand it to both of them for their tenacity at staying with it. I remember distinctly the many times they would stay after class to practice together. Then this past summer they decided to join the 2003 SSQQ Jubilee Cruise. They were definitely inseparable by this point. Congratulations!!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 25 - CHUCK MORTON AND BRENDA UFFMANN GET MARRIED NOVEMBER 1!
Mara Rivas recently sent me this note:
“Did you know that Chuck and Brenda got married November 1st?? It was a beautiful wedding from the church ceremony to the reception and the music was very appropriate for the occasion. Very sweet.”

Editor’s Note: Chuck and Brenda signed up for the SSQQ Rhapsody Cruise in the Summer of 2002. I don’t know if they dated before the trip, but I promise you they definitely grew closer together on that cruise. Every day I noticed them curled up in a couch or on a lounge chair at different places chatting away happily or simply hugging each other quietly.

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 26 –
JOHNNY SMITH AND VICKI BERNARD GET MARRIED

Vicki Bernard and Johnny Smith got married on Saturday, November 8, in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Vicki and Johnny originally met at SSQQ in November 2001. At that time Vicki was an assistant instructor in a Western class that Johnny had signed up for. They soon started dating. One year later they became engaged in December of 2002.

Along the way, Johnny developed an interest in Western Waltz, partially because Vicki began to assist Judy Archer in teaching Western Waltz on Sundays. Taking a Waltz class was a good way for Johnny to hang out with his favorite lady.

As a result, when Vicki and Johnny began to prepare for their wedding, it was easy to choose to Waltz for their first dance. Although most people think Waltz is the perfect dance for a “First Dance”, in reality only about one couple in twenty end up dancing a Waltz because it is such a difficult dance to excel at.

With this in mind, Johnny prepared very seriously. After taking several Waltz classes in 2002, this year he and Vicki signed up for Sharon Crawford’s legendary Western Waltz class that runs for 5 months from April to August. He took careful notes plus he kept hold of his various syllabi that Sharon passed out for her class.

Vicki and Johnny quickly decided on a very beautiful Waltz named “When I Said I Do” by Clint and Lisa Black. Once they had the song chosen, Johnny then went to the trouble of counting the number of beats in the song, then mapping out all the patterns he knew to create a routine.

After Waltz class was over, the two would stay after class on Wednesdays and Sundays to practice whenever possible. By the time the wedding came around, the two dancers were flawless together. They knew the pattern like the backs of their hands. Not only did they have their pattern down a T, they even had the presence of mind to invent techniques in case of an emergency. Now that’s planning! Johnny isn’t an engineer for nothing.

As they walked out on floor for the wedding dance, Vicki told me she was not nervous in the slightest. In fact she was looking forward to it! She said Johnny may have been a little nervous, but he certainly didn’t show it. They were so in control as they danced that even a minor glitch didn’t stop them. Early in the dance the strap on one of Vicki’s shoes slipped loose. Vicki said she limped for three beats, then hesitated long enough to lift her dress and reach down to adjust the strap without even losing her stride. Such poise! Their emergency plans paid off as Johnny immediately returned to a Basic. It was all done so smoothly Vicki doubted anyone even noticed.

Her father was so proud of Vicki!! He said she looked like she was floating out there. This makes sense because a well-danced Waltz literally makes a woman with a lovely gown appear to glide across the floor like no other dance can. It must have been wonderful to watch these two well-trained, well-prepared dancers in action!

Vicki said when the song was over, 200 people stood up and cheered and applauded with a roar! They had been treated to a marvelous exhibition of dance. It was very inspiring!

After the wedding, Johnny and Vicki honeymooned at Playa del Carmen, a resort near Cancun in Mexico. They spent an entire week in Paradise without a care in the world.

However, they had a BIG SURPRISE waiting for them when they returned to Houston. Vicki picked up her answering messages. One of the first messages was from her mother announcing that the two were not legally married after all. What? Vicki was stunned.

Once she resumed breathing, Vicki listened carefully. It turned out that Johnny had not signed his name on the marriage license. This was due to the fact that Vicki had obtained the license on a visit to her home town one day while Johnny was still in Houston. The plan was for Johnny to sign it on the wedding day. However by the time the wedding rolled around, everyone had completely forgotten. Vicki’s mother said they had two days left before the 10-day expiration date kicked in and voided the marriage!!

Johnny and Vicki quickly got in their car and drove to Louisiana. Simultaneously her parents did the same thing and drove towards Houston. Somewhere around Beaumont they met. Johnny hastily signed the license in time for the parents to take it to the courthouse the next morning.

Life can be so complicated!!

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 27 – PATRICIA OR AND DAVID HOLMES GET MARRIED!! Editor’s Note: On Saturday, November 8, SSQQ Swing Instructor Patty Or, affectionately known to me and to her friends at SSQQ as Patty O, married David Holmes. Patty is a lovely young lady who moved to the United States from Hong Kong shortly before the Chinese Takeover in 1997. She arrived here in the States just in time to participate in the 90s Swing Dance Revival. Patty is too modest to take credit for creating the Revival herself, but I can tell you she was instrumental in promoting Swing Dancing in Houston. Patty worked tirelessly creating one Swing dance venue after another for several years just so she and her friends could Swing dance practically every night of the week.
Although I was thrilled when Patty said she had gotten engaged, I was also a bit sad for a very odd reason. I myself had coined the silly nickname “Patty O” and had grown fond of using it. Somehow Patty K or Patty Z or whatever her new last name was going to be probably wouldn’t have the same ring to it. When I pointed out I would miss calling her “Patty O” I was surprised to find that she actually liked the nickname too! This is something I was not aware of. Furthermore I discovered from Patty that a lot of her friends liked to call her “Patty O” as well. I asked Patty what her fiancés name was. Patty said it was “David Holmes”. She immediately went deep into thought, then came back with a smile. Patty suggested I simply add an “H” to the end of her nickname! So now we have the lovely Patty OH on the staff. Patty is too adorable. By the way, if you visit her web site, you will see some of the finest pictures of the famous sights of Las Vegas I have ever seen!! (go to www.pattyanddavid.info ) If pictures tell the story, she and David had a heck of a fun honeymoon!
Here is the story of Patty Oh’s wedding in her own words: “David & I met a year and a month before the wedding. Him being a computer expert and highly musical, and me being in the financials and heavily addicted to dancing; we love music all the same. After one year of planning, getting all the details nailed down... it was the big day. Our nuptial took place on November 8th of 2003. We decided that it would be a good date because the year before we had beautiful weather. However, during the date, the weather was quite gloomy, not necessary a bad thing because it was perfect for taking pictures and boy do we have tons. The good thing was that the morning of the wedding, I was basically resolved to whatever. Meaning that if something were to go wrong, and I’ve been confirmed by many that it will, I said to myself, there’s nothing to be done about that, just go with the flow.
The bad thing was that there were a few miscommunications, the topper wasn’t on top of the cake, the doors weren’t open when we got there. But I didn’t sweat, just go with the flow. As you can see on the pictures, the Swing lessons David took for the 3 months prior paid off, and the private lesson with Judy in Waltz/Box step didn’t look too shabby either. Advice to many future brides: 1, don’t sweat the family, even if they don’t get along, they will behave. 2, It doesn’t hurt to do a last minute private lesson just to brush up a little before the big day. We did, and it turned out great! Love, Patty O-H”

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 28 – RACHEL SEFF AND DAVE KOENIG GET MARRIED!

I have known Rachel Seff for many many years. Rachel joined the SSQQ Staff in 1998. Her warmth, intelligence, and charisma made her one of the most popular instructors we have ever had. Whatever it was that the studio needed, Rachel was always game. If someone needed a sub, Rachel was incredibly giving with her time. If I needed a new crash course taught, Rachel was always game. Rachel loves to perform. Rachel taught belly dancing, she was the lead actress in one Lip Sync skit after another, she organized Christmas Carol singing at her house, and she became notorious for her unusually popular Dirty Dance class. I might add I never had the nerve to ask questions “why” her DD class was so popular. I just smiled and said “thank you”.

You might not know this, but Rachel was particularly good at matchmaking. Particularly in our romance record-setting year of 2000 where we had 30 different documented couples who met at the studio who either got engaged or married, Rachel claimed responsibility for pairing about half of these couples together personally. All year long Rachel and I had a good-natured competition about which of the two of us deserved more credit for assisting the various relationships along. Naturally Rachel claimed she won.

During this same time, I came to realize that Rachel was disappointed that she hadn’t found the right guy for herself. As she watched her friends get married, she wondered why with all her wit, beauty, education, business success, and sex appeal she couldn’t find a man to settle down with. Mind you, that was three years ago.

To say that Rachel was picky when it came to men was an understatement. She went about her affairs of the heart very methodically. She was determined not to make a mistake. And when she got depressed about waiting, she would confide her disappointments to me.

This said, when Rachel met Dave Koenig, I saw an immediate difference. She liked him a lot right from the start. So ladies, take some advice from Matchmaker Rachel - Do not compromise. Wait for the right guy. He will appear if you are patient enough.

Here are some thoughts Rachel shared with me about her courtship and her wedding:

“Ahhh…you want the scoop, eh?

I kissed a lot of frogs before finding my prince charming. I was in multiple different dating services, went to lots and lots of singles events, and literally forced myself to go to activities where I knew eligible men would be present.

In the end, I met my Prince Charming (Dave) through a colleague from work who was also a member of the dating service. Susan had gone on a date with Dave. A few days later, I asked her how it went. She didn’t think he was a match for her, but she thought I might really like him. "Think about it, Rachel. He's from Boston, he likes to dance and he has a boat!!" (Those that know me know I am also from Boston, I love to dance, and love the water and the outdoors).

"Hmmm." I was a bit skeptical at first, but I trusted Susan. Thank goodness because she turned out to be right!

Once Susan peaked my interest, I decided to send Dave an email: “My friend Susan thinks we might make a good match. Let me know if you’re interested.” He wrote back immediately and we had a nice ‘Email’ conversation.

I told him a little about the dance studio. I casually mentioned I would be teaching a Belly Dance class, but Dave didn’t seem to pick up on the hint.

So on Saturday, November 9, 2002 (almost a year to the day of my marriage!!), I taught my belly dancing class. Then I stayed at the studio for the SSQQ Swing dance party. As I started to head home at 10:30 pm, another instructor, Jill Banta, asked me, "Have you met Dave?"

"What are you talking about?" I replied.

Jill said, “There's a guy here named Dave that asked me who you were and I pointed you out to him."

I responded, "Which guy?"

"Him," Jill said as she motioned toward handsome man in a white button-down shirt and red suspenders on a chair in the corner.

"That guy has been watching me all night!" I proclaimed.

So I proceeded to flirt about and walk back in forth in front of Dave a few times. No response. Finally, I waved at him and motioned I was leaving.

Dave stopped me as I was walking out of the studio.

"Hey!" he said. "When were you going to say hello?"

"When were you going to stop stalking me?" I replied with a flirt.

We sat on the sofas and talked for 30 minutes or so. It was a really good first conversation. Covered all of the basics….where are you from….what do you do…etc.

And the romance began! First date to dinner at Argentine Grill. He drove me home and immediately asked me out again. Second date to dinner and theatre downtown…and the moment he picked me up I knew this was one special guy. He was dressed in a handsome sport jacket, big smile, and a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses.

"This is it!" I told my girlfriends JoAnne Armstrong (Daryl’s wife) and Lisa Cloud as I gushed about him after our second date. Both cautioned me that I have met a lot of frogs in my day and not to get my hopes up that he was my prince.

And although we didn’t tell each other out loud, we both knew on the second date that this relationship felt very different than all the others. (But I think it was the belly dancing that really hooked him!)

Turns out, Dave also told his friend Jerry after our second date that he was pretty sure I was "the one." Jerry said no way and told him. So Dave bet him $100 and now he has to pay up!

Dave and I were married on November 8, 2003, exactly one year from when we met. We had a destination weekend wedding in Newport, RI, for close family and friends.

My advice? Don’t give up! The only way you can meet someone is if your force yourself to get out and participate in activities where you will meet new people.

And oh yeah, take my belly dance crash course in January. It will drive your potential mate crazy with enthusiasm!

Rachel Koenig”

(Editor’s Note: I found it interesting that Rachel, always the Matchmaker, actually met Dave through her friend Susan doing some matchmaking of her own. As they say, What Goes Around Comes Around. My guess is Rachel had some serious good karma to cash in on!

One of the ways the ssqq magic works is that many students invite their friends to come to the studio with them. The more targets for those floating pheromones to attack and attract, the more likely the chemistry will react. Or put more succinctly, the more the merrier.)

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 29 – SSQQ INSTRUCTORS ANN BUSH AND BRIAN WHITE GET MARRIED!

Ann and Brian were married November 29. They just got back from their honeymoon in Hawaii only a couple days ago.

Here is what Ann White had to say about the wedding and the honeymoon:

“Brian and I were united in marriage on November 29, 2003 at Sagemont Church here in Houston. Both of our families were present to witness this special occasion.

On Sunday Brian and I left for our honeymoon, a week in Maui. We arrived in Maui, late Sunday afternoon, just in time to witness the end of their 6 year drought. It rained all day Monday and most of Tuesday. It rained so badly on Monday, in fact, that we ended up getting stranded in another town because the city shuttle bus service quit running because of the flooding.

Wednesday was also spent in the rain but that is because we took a tour of the rain forest side of the island.

Thursday was spent riding on Jet Ski's, parasailing and riding on the Sugar Cane Train which included a bar-b-q dinner and Hawaiian entertainment.

On Friday we went on a boat, with 120 other people, to go snorkeling off two other islan! ds, Molokini and Lanai.

Saturday, our final day on the island, (before we had to catch our flight at 7:30pm) was spent bike riding down Mt. Haleakala. This volcano has recently been reclassified as an active volcano in an uneruptive state. From the top of the volcano at 10,000 feet (43 degrees at the top) we coasted down the two lane road for 38 miles to end at the beach (80 degrees at the bottom).

We consider this last adventure to be our favorite of the trip although it was all very memorable.”

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 30 – SSQQ INSTRUCTOR MICHELLE YEITER AND SCOTT KEEPERS GET ENGAGED!

Editor’s Note: The very lovely Michelle Yeiter helps teach Salsa at SSQQ on Tuesdays. Michelle and her handsome boyfriend Scott Keepers have been seen on many occasions in SSQQ Whip classes throughout the year.

In Michelle’s words:

“On Saturday evening, December 6, Scott and I were sitting quietly together on the couch at his house. We were in the living room in front of a colorfully lit Christmas tree and a fireplace flickering in the background. To my absolute surprise, Scott handed me a ring and asked me to marry him. He could not have picked a more romantic time.

I was very happy to say ‘Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes!’“

CONCLUSION TO THE 2003 SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE STORY.

I found interesting an interesting coincidence when I read the three stories of the November 8th SSQQ Brides. Did you notice that each lady got married practically the same time that her romance began one or two years earlier?

Vicki got engaged a year after she and Johnny had been dating and got married a year after her engagement. Patty got married a year and a month after she and David began dating. Rachel and Dave got married a year after they started dating.

What do you suppose is the reason behind the SSQQ Slow Dance and Romance Magic??

Try catching a butterfly. It is a lot of work and not terribly satisfying because you have captured a living creature against its will. But if you sit quietly in a garden with lots of butterflies, the odds are one will simply come sit on your shoulder. The trick of course is to find the right garden with a lot of butterflies.

Love is the same way. If you chase love, it will flee from you. But if you hang out in a safe, comfortable place like the studio where a lot of people enjoy being nice to one another, love just might come and sit down next to you one day.

I could be more analytical, but why bother? Dance and Romance go hand in hand. Let’s just leave it at that.

2003 was a very good year.

Rick Archer

	STORY SIX	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	CHRIS O’ROURKE PLANS A NEW YEAR’S BASH AFTER NEW YEARS.
	Saturday, January 3, 2004. 8pm till really, really late, late, late… http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/chrisorourke.htm I will post a map to Chris’ house as part of the December SSQQ Newsletter on Friday, December 21^st. Chris O’Rourke is an SSQQ instructor who threw some mighty big parties in the late 90s. I went to his party in 1998 and had a very good time. If you visit his web site at the address listed above, you can get a feel for his party. And he still has time to send me a writeup before the next Newsletter comes out shortly before Christmas. Be sure to look for the map on the website soon!

	STORY SEVEN	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	THE GREAT HALLOWEEN PARTY SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE http://ssqq.com/information/hallo2003puzzle.htm
	As you peruse the 300 pictures, why not keep some notes and see if you can find a picture with two halos. Or an apple. Or a duplicate picture. Or a picture with that pesky alien Waldo that visited our party this year. Or count the Cat Women. Or find a Super Hero. Or a Young Republican, a Big Ghost, or an Unidentifiable Costume. It’s fun to keep track of these pictures as you spot them page by page. The Scavenger Hunt makes you look at each picture more closely. Sometimes there are secrets in the background that would ordinarily escape your eye. Sadly only one person bothered to try the Scavenger Hunt. I am pleased to note however that Mara Rivas would have probably won even if 20 people had submitted answers. She was awesome indeed!!

	STORY EIGHT	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE Sponsored by Judy Archer
	One of my most enjoyable Christmases ever was in 1998 when SSQQ collected toys to be donated to needy children in Houston. We had a tremendous response from students and staff and we all felt great about helping a child have a better, more hopeful, Christmas. This year we would once again like to collect toys for donation. It's easy to do. Simply buy a toy for any age child and bring it to the studio. We'll set up a spot in Room #6 for collection. The best part? No wrapping! Either put the toy in an open gift bag or just leave as is. My absolute favorite part is buying the studio's share of toys for donation! Please remember how lucky we are and how happy you can make a needy child this Christmas with a simple gift of caring.” Judy Archer SSQQ Dance Studio 713 789 3026 judyarcher@houston.rr.com

	STORY NINE	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	mojo dance shoes is going out of business Written by Jill Banta
	MoJo Shoes is up for sale. We are no longer able to give it the attention that it needs so we are going to have a huge sale on stock and entertain offers for the business. The sales prices on already discounted styles have been reduced even further. The Evenin’ Star dance boots are now $149 down from our regular price of $179. The regular retail for this boot is currently $189. There are several men and women’s sizes in stock. We also have a few men’s dress dance shoes. And don’t forget the dance sneakers discounted from $49 to $29 for men and women. We have several wedding dance shoes. They are dyeable white satin and come in open and closed toe styles. These have been reduced from $72 and $79 to $39. They are great shoes for when you have to wear a heel, but yet want to do some dancing. These prices are for in-stock only items. So hurry before your size is gone. You can find Jill Banta or Mo Hendrix at the studio on Tuesdays or Thursdays. If you want to check out the shoes or boots at another time, please e-mail Jill at jillbanta@yahoo.com or call 713-875-8738.

	STORY TEN	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	business opportunity: mojo shoe store is for sale. Written by Rick Archer
	Although Mo Hendrix and Jill Banta are not interested in continuing to run a shoe store at SSQQ, the opportunity is still there to make money selling dance shoes. The big problem that Jill and Mo ran into was not being able to spend enough time at the studio to wait on customers directly. The huge advantage of the shoe store is that you are guaranteed 100 potential new customers a month who need dance shoes or dance boots. These are people who are new to dancing and don’t already own suitable footwear and might be interested in Other possibilities include the fact that SSQQ is likely to hire people to collect money for each Practice Night. When we make this move, anyone running the Shoe Store could also make money watching the front door for us. In addition many people have inquired about buying SSQQ tee shirts and jackets, another potential money maker. And of course students are always asking for bottled water, another potential sales item. Basically the job would be partly running a store at the studio and watching the door as well. So you would be working for yourself and working for SSQQ at the same time. I would imagine this opportunity would be perfect for one or two people who are retired or semi-retired and have their evenings free. If you are interested, email Rick Archer at dance@ssqq.com

	STORY ELEVEN	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	SOFT SHOE TAP CLASS COMING TO SSQQ Dance Studio
	Beginning/Intermediate Tap - Soft Sole This class is All-American tap (without the tap shoes) to rockin’ music. Get ready to move your feet as we practice shuffles, flaps, time steps and more! For all you tap lovers, this is the class for you - If you’re a little rusty or just getting started, don’t worry, we’ll be starting from the beginning and adding some jazz moves and turns to keep things interesting. The class will be from 6-7 pm on Tuesdays starting January 6^th. The 4 one-hour lessons a month will cost $20. Karen Schneider

	STORY TWELVE	RETURN TO HEADLINES
	SSQQ STAFF CHANGES FOR JANUARY 2004
	Traditionally, December/January is the time when SSQQ experiences more Staff turnover than at any other time in the year. Last year at this time was particularly brutal as we lost some very valuable Staff members such as Susie Merrill, Joanne Spuck, Margie Saibara, and Ted Jones. We also lost many valuable assistants including Anastasia Miller, Sandy Baggett, Jeannie Finn, Melanie Jones, and Rachel Yancey. With a year’s perspective I can tell you now that this was the toughest set of losses at the same time I have ever experienced. There were some very talented and hard-to-replace people in that group. Things aren’t nearly as bad this year. We only lost two people. I am very sad to say goodbye to Wil Coulbourn. He has recently become a Dad for the first time and wants to spend Fridays with his lovely wife and child. Somehow I have a hard time blaming him for that! Wil’s friend Leo Skiba will be stepping up to take his place as a Western teacher on Fridays. And there is some good news – Wil said he would enjoy teaching the Dirty Dancing Crash Course now and then with his partner in crime Rachel Seff Koenig. Abbie Barbley was hired to take Leo’s place as an Assistant on Fridays and will start in January. Leslie DeRouin, a swing assistant on Mondays, resigned due to knee problems. Lisa Palmer has joined the staff to take Leslie’s place on Mondays. Tracy King is returning from a four-month absence due to her pregnancy. It will be great to have her back on Sundays! Karen Schneider has joined the staff as an assistant on Tuesdays and to teach Tap Dancing at 6 pm the same evening. And let’s cross our fingers and hope that Susie Merrill returns to the Staff this summer after her year’s exile in Longview is over. Susie is greatly missed around here.

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COMPLAINT OF THE MONTH

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RICK ARCHER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL CONTEST DOESN’T PLEASE ONE WOMAN
http://ssqq.com/archive/christmaspuzzle00.htm

If you have any interest in solving fun puzzles and you like Christmas, this puzzle is a real favorite. I have placed 50 pictures of famous Christmas Carols and Songs on the ssqq web site such as the one below (Can you guess the name of the carol??). The puzzle is about matching the 50 Picture Puzzles to a Clue List of 100 famous Christmas Songs.

I cannot claim that this was all my idea. I drew my inspiration from a crude puzzle devised by someone else. Back in 1996 a former SSQQ Staff Member named Marla Jennings gave me a copy of 24 Christmas Carol Picture Puzzles. The idea was to guess the identity of a famous Christmas Carol from the picture. I wasn’t very good at it because I am woeful at remembering the names of Christmas Carols!! Nevertheless I thought it was very clever.

I lost track of the puzzle and forgot about it until three years later when I stumbled across it again in 1999 while looking for another document. I decided to scan the pictures into the computer and put them up on my web site. I then created 26 more pictures to make it an even 50.

The biggest problem most people faced was like me they weren’t that familiar with many names of Christmas Carols. For example, I can remember the names when I hear them, but that’s about it. So to make things easier in 2002 I added a list of 100 Christmas Carol and Song names to pick from. Now the puzzle seemed pretty easy to me.

(By the way, what was your answer for the picture above? If you guessed “Silver Bells”, close but no cigar. If you said “Jingle Bells”, then you obviously have some potential for this game!)

In 2002 something odd happened. I didn’t get very many responses from the SSQQ community, but I was inundated with requests for the answers from people all over the country. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught! I must have had 50 to 100 inquiries. I got irritated because almost every inquiry asked for the answers without bothering to solve the puzzle.

So this year I added a special feature: Give me 30 right answers and I will send the entire list of 50 answers. Everyone is very good about sending me their list first and I am glad to share the rest. So far in 2003 I have had over 100 requests for the answers!!

But where were all these inquiries coming from? Finally I got my answer when a man emailed me to ask for the answers. He added that he had found my site by doing a Google Search on the Internet. Out of curiosity I went to Google and typed in “Christmas Puzzle”. I received 900,000 hits. Hmm. How in the world did they find my puzzle out of a million choices?

So I opened a couple pages. Lo and behold the SSQQ Christmas Puzzle was on Page 3. Not bad!!

Then I typed in “Christmas Carol Puzzle”. SSQQ was on Page 1 for these three key words. I had my answer!!

This year I have fielded requests for the answers from people in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada. Most of the requests for the answers come either from people looking for something to do at a Christmas Party they are hosting at work or home and from school teachers looking for something fun for the kids to do in the final week. I must have gotten at least 30 emails from teachers. Here are seveal examples:

-----Original Message-----
From: Erin Collins
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:47 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas puzzle

“Rick, Here are the answers I have. Could you fill in the ones I'm stuck on and correct any I may not have right. My extended Family of 25 is counting on you as we are playing this Christmas Eve!

Thanks and great site!
Erin”

-----Original Message-----
From: Edwards, Kerri
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 4:17 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle Quiz

“Attn: Rick Archer,

The following are my answers to your Christmas puzzle list. Were all these titles REAL songs? In any case, I would very much like to have a copy of the answers. I'd like to use these with my music students just for fun. Thank you!

Kerri Edwards
Director, Choral Department
Iowa Park High School”

RICK ARCHER’S REPLY:

“Yes, all the titles are correct. Mind you, I got a few titles from country-western albums here and there in a desperate attempt to come up with 100 titles. Finally I just could not find one new title to save my soul so I threw in “Inna Gadda da Vida” by Iron Butterfly to make it to 100. Not exactly a classic Christmas carol, but I was tired. The idea is to make the puzzle a little harder by giving extra choices.

Other than that I promise you the puzzle is on the level! Hope your kids have fun!"

-----Original Message-----
From: Laurice Badino
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 7:10 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Christmas Puzzle answers

“Hi Rick,

I'm a gifted resource teacher in a middle school, and always on the lookout for puzzles. I ran across your Christmas song puzzle. Too Cute!

I thought I might try it out with the kids, but I myself am not sure of a few of the pictures.

You said you would send the answer key if we sent you the answer to 30 of them, so here it goes…”

-----Original Message-----
From: Cindy Noster
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 11:25 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: A BIG Thank you!

“Thanks Rick-

My class will have a ball with this puzzle and having the answer will make them think I am so smart. Remember that's our little secret.

Have a Great Holiday!

Cindy”

In addition to the many requests from teachers and Christmas Party hosts, there was one particular email that was my favorite of the 2003 season:

-----Original Message-----
From: Opal Rabalais
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 12:07 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: christmas song puzzle

“Dear Mr. Rick Archer:

Here are my answers to the Christmas song puzzle. Please send me the answers. I work in a prison and I have stayed up late trying to figure them all out so I can give the puzzle to the guys as something to do on Christmas Eve. Surely, I have thirty right, Ha! Ha!

Thanks for the fun and I wait for the answers as soon as possible.”

RICK ARCHER REPLY:

“Nice work, Opal. You did great!! And good for you for going out of your way to do something nice to cheer up an evening which otherwise would have been pretty gloomy! I am honored to be able to assist you!”

Then one morning out of the blue came an email request that blew my mind.