This is the February 2008 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter First Week
The Newsletter is written by Rick Archer

AWEBER WORKS LIKE A CHARM

On Wednesday, January 30, I sent out the first SSQQ Newsletter using our new AWEBER Email system. Amazingly, it worked like a charm. The only problem is that it more or less shut down our Online Registration System in the process.
Can't have everything, can you?

Although we haven't figured out the problem yet, I think it is related to a link we put on the Registration Receipts linking to our website Aweber Sign Up page. It turned out to be a quick fix, so if you had trouble registering online the past couple days, give it another try.


MARLA ARCHER ANNOUNCES OUR NEXT CARIBBEAN DANCE CRUISE
 

Our newest dance cruise is scheduled this year for August 24th to August 31st.

I am pretty certain this will be a huge trip. The signup rate for this 2008 trip has been phenomenal so far. Marla made the announcement on January 24. In just one week 20 people have already signed up.

Sorry, but the prices are somewhat higher this year.  Part of the increase reflects the lack of competition in the Texas Market (Royal Caribbean is absent at this time of the year) and the other part is a gas surcharge. There isn't anything Marla could do to offset these twin realities. I have a small warning for you Insiders - we have 100 spots at these rates and then expect the cost to skyrocket. Several latecomers complained bitterly about this problem in 2007 when it happened to them.

So if you want to go, don't be the 101st person. Sign up now. The 2007 Caribbean Dance Cruise aboard the Conquest was clearly our best dance cruise to date. Although we were worried about leaving our beloved Rhapsody, several factors worked in our favor.

First of all, there was absolutely no facility on the Conquest to match that marvelous Rhapsody dance floor. We were very frustrated at first. Then one night right after dinner, several members of our group were walking by the Casino when they stopped to listen to the western music of a guy named Randy. It turned out Randy was literally a one-man band - he prerecorded some of the instruments and played the guitar live while he sang. And his music was good! Even though this area was hardly a dance floor - it was nothing but a tile floor with all the slot machines just a few feet away - on the spot people decided to dance the Texas Twostep. Turned out the tile floor worked just fine. The next thing we knew, we had our new dance floor. It turned out there was plenty of room. After the main area filled with dancers, there was plenty of overflow room up and down the public aisles. There was a bar ten feet away. There were plenty of comfy chairs. And the passengers were in such awe of our dancers that we always had an appreciative audience. Plus we loved Randy's music. Randy liked us too. He often played long after his shift was over just because he enjoyed our enthusiasm. And when he finally called it a night, Gary Richardson was there to play his jukebox music using his laptop computer and speakers he brought from home. Quite frankly, I have never seen anything so ridiculous as the Casino Dance Club, but I would have to say the dancing was even more popular on this makeshift dance floor than it was on the Rhapsody. We have some very determined dancers in this group.

We caught another unexpected break when Phyllis and her Troubled Companions discovered a deserted second floor eating area. On the Rhapsody we had the Windjammer Café, but this was even better - a place all to ourselves! The area served as a daily meeting area where people could find other members of the group all morning long. There might be forty/fifty people in that area laughing, making friends, making plans, and having fun hanging out together. Thanks to the Second Floor Clubhouse, our group became even more tight-knit than I ever thought possible.

In addition, we finally made it to the Cayman Islands. Several people discovered it was possible to take a cab to the beautiful beach, then take a wonderful six mile hike along the beach back to the ship. This impromptu walk was a real highlight. Oddly enough, the island is so low that you could actually see the gigantic Conquest from practically any spot on the island. Seeing the Conquest in the distance gave our beach group the idea to hike back. They had a great time!

I have begun to put together the Cruise writeup from our 2007 Trip. I have finished Page One if you would like to go visit.
.......................

THE FEBRUARY DANCE SEMESTER BEGINS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3.

 

 Once upon a time, the Super Bowl used to be played on the last Sunday in January. Oh, how I miss those days! If you could care less about the Super Bowl, we will hold our classes as regularly scheduled. Since Kick-Off isn't till 5:30, a lot of you might come for the first hour of our 430 classes and skip the second hour. For many of you there are parallel classes, so no big deal. But for the classes that have no backup, whatever you decide to do, just remember if you miss the first week of Sunday classes, you can always start in the second week. The Second Week Review will catch you up.

You can always check on descriptions of our classes in the EXTRA.
Here are some advanced classes to keep your eyes on:

If you are a fan of Western Waltz, we will be dancing some very sophisticated same-foot Waltz patterns on Sunday afternoons in February in SUPER-ADVANCED WESTERN WALTZ.

Tango aficionados will be pleased to note an ADVANCED TANGO class offered on Sunday evenings in February.

Our expert Ballroom dancers have thoroughly enjoyed Dakota Wilhelm's ACCELERATED BALLROOM program. In February, Dakota offers WALTZ LEVEL II.

Maureen Brunetti offers ADVANCED SWING/JITTERBUG 2 on Mondays.

Rick and Cher are offering MARTIAN WHIP 2 on Mondays as well.

Steve Gekas is the Salsa Master with his special ADVANCED SALSA 8 on Tuesdays.

Scott Ladell and Cher Longoria bring you INTERMEDIATE NIGHT CLUB on Wednesdays. This class was very well received in January.

Scott Ladell's Thursday Hustle class was the hit of January. He returns in February with INTERMEDIATE HUSTLE on Thursdays.

Jack Benard has been doing phenomenal things with his MARTIAN WHIP CLASS on Fridays. His class has grown so big he might be in line for Room One in February if his class continues to grow like it has. In particular, under Jack's watch, FRIDAY WHIP PRACTICE NIGHT is so popular we literally have to tell people to go home at closing time. People are having so much fun, they don't want to leave.

SALSA EXPLOSION is a highly advanced Salsa class offered on Saturdays at 430 with Rebeca and Bjorn Bangstein. These two instructors teach a very highly motivated class in case you advanced Salsa dancers want a weekend challenge.

RHYTHM AND BLUES TWOSTEPPIN' with Willie Bushnell returns on Saturdays in February.
...........................


BEST FIRST WEDDING DANCE EVER
Contributed by Jerry and Nancy Easterly

Trust me, it's worth it.
............................

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE: SPEAKING OF WEDDINGS

Congratulations to Brit Davis and Melisa Melios who were married earlier this month. Brit and Melisa took three Western classes last summer at SSQQ, then switched over to private lessons with Jack Benard and Linda Cook to get ready for their wedding dance.

"Jack and Linda, Thanks to no small effort on both of your parts, our wedding dance went beautifully!! Everyone was super impressed with our twirling and twostepping... oh wait, I mean polka-ing (is that a word?) ;-)
Thanks, and see you soon. Brit and Melisa"

Congratulations are also in order for Jim Burrell and Paula Bione (I think that's her last name). Jim and Paula met last spring in one of my Western classes. That was the class where I met Phyllis Sullivan, my lovely assistant now on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. Phyllis and Paula became best friends and loved to dance the night away on Fridays. Then one day Paula sorta disappeared from the studio. As Phyllis reported, Paula had a boyfriend she met in dance class. Paula and Jim married in early January. It has been great seeing them again as they resurfaced in dance class this month as well.
...........................
 

AND A VERY SAD NOTE

SSQQ has lost two dear friends recently.

Austella Whittington was a dear lady who was much loved by her friends here at SSQQ. Not only did she take every Salsa class we offered, she was kind enough to help Willie Bushnell teach his Zydeco and R&B Twosteppin' classes. After a lengthy fight with cancer, she passed away on Sunday, December 23, 2007. Austella was 56.
 

The 2006 Halloween Party

I am also sorry to report that my friend Tim Green passed away on Wednesday, January 30, after a lengthy fight with cancer. Including Austella and John Jones, we have now lost three members of our community to this dread disease in the past year. Unlike Austella's ordeal, I witnessed Tim's fight first-hand. He and his girlfriend were all set to go on the Conquest Cruise last summer when he got sick and had to cancel. Although he skipped the cruise, Tim continued to take classes throughout last fall. He never said a single word about his sickness. One day I noticed he had lost some weight.  Like a moron, I remember going up to Tim and complimenting him on how handsome he looked after dropping the weight. Tim smiled and thanked me for noticing. How bizarre is that? Then Tim began to sit on the couch for long periods during dance class. That's when I finally snapped to the painful realization that something was wrong. I asked his girlfriend what the story was. She frowned and explained that Tim had asked her not to say a word. Out of respect for Tim, I didn't ask again. But I could see it was serious.

When Tim appeared at our 2007 Halloween Party, he was so gaunt that I wanted to cry. This man was so tough, he wouldn't say a word! Tim had to be in so much pain, but he didn't want a single word of sympathy. It broke my heart.Finally in late December, I couldn't help myself, so I asked again. This time I got a straight answer from Tim's friend - esophageal cancer.  No wonder the poor man had lost so much weight.  He could barely eat. A week ago I got word that the cancer had spread and Tim had begun the morbid countdown. One week later and he was gone. Over the past few years, I got to know Tim better than most of the students here. In addition to Tim, I had the privilege of meeting his mother-in-law Mary Gillespie and his vivacious daughter Morgan, age 17. Tim's daughter was so special that I knew he had to be a great Dad. Tim was an exceptionally intelligent man. Believe it or not, he had just gotten his law degree not long before he fell sick. A couple years ago, Tim was very helpful to me in my struggles with my studio's landlord. Tim was the kind of man who was the best of the best - kind, sensitive to others, quick-witted, a very giving man. Tim will be remembered by a lot of people here at SSQQ because he was a big part of this studio for a long time. I know I will miss him very much.

AND NOW ON A MORE CHEERFUL NOTE, THE JOKE OF THE DAY

Rick Archer's Note: This issue is the second Newsletter using our new system. After I send out the very first SSQQ Newsletter using the Aweber System, I asked Marla what she thought of my work. Her immediate reply:
"Pretty boring. Can't you find anything funny to say?"

Hurt, I thought to myself, how do you make a story about Comcast funny? Adding insult to injury, I discovered my new service has a Spam-meter, which assesses the amount of suspect content in every mailing. It registered a pathetic .2 on the Spam-meter.
In the old days, the Newsletter was so raunchy it was BANNED by all sorts of companies. So maybe its time to get things rocking again. Here's a joke that made smile. If it offends anyone, please forgive. Let's give the Spam-meter something to chew on.)

THE RIDDLE - Contributed by Leroy Ginzel

On a trip to Great Britain while he was President of the United States, Bill Clinton had a meeting with Queen Elizabeth. During that meeting he asked her, "How does one manage to run a country so smoothly?" "That's easy," the Queen replied, "You surround yourself with intelligent ministers and advisors."

"But how can I tell whether they are intelligent or not?" asked Bill. "You ask them a riddle," she replied, and with that she pressed a button and said, "Would you please send Tony Blair in?"

When Blair arrived, the Queen said, "Mr. Blair, I have a riddle for you to answer for me. Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was this child?"

Blair replied, "That's easy. The child was me."

"Very good," said the Queen. "You may go now."  Then she nodded to Clinton, who was suitably impressed.

Years later while sizing up his wife's chances in her presidential bid, and thinking back on that meeting, Bill Clinton spoke to Hillary. He said to her, "I have a riddle for you, and the answer is very important. Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was that child?"

Hillary replied, "Yes, it is clearly very important that we determine the answer. I have an excellent staff. Can I deliberate on this with them for a while?"

"Yes," said Bill, "I'll give you four hours to come up with the answer. It will determine whether you have surrounded yourself with the kind of staff it will take to put you in the White House!"

So Hillary called a meeting of her campaign team, from top to bottom, and asked them the riddle. But after much discussion and many suggestions, there were all sorts of conflicting answers. Not one person had a compelling reason why his or her answer was the correct one. Hillary was quite upset, not knowing what she would tell her husband, the former President. By chance, as Hillary was leaving her meeting she ran into her formidable challenger to her presidential nomination, Barack Obama. So she said, "Mr. Obama, can you answer this riddle for me? Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was the child?"

"That's seems pretty easy," said Obama, "I think the child would be me."

"You are going to answer that without consulting your advisors?" Hillary asked.

"Well, I think I will wing it myself on this one," replied Obama.

"Oh thank you," said Hillary. "You may just have ensured my nomination as the democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States! With sharp answers like that, I think I might have a place for you in my Administration."

So Hillary went back to Bill and said, "I think I know the answer to your riddle. The child was Barack Obama!"

"No, you dumb ass! Can't you do anything right without me?" shouted Bill.   "The child was Tony Blair!!!"
 

This is the Second February 2008 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter.
The Newsletter is written by Rick Archer

Happy Valentines Day!  We have some exciting Valentines News to share with everyone.

SSQQ SETS SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE RECORD - 5 WEDDINGS IN ONE MONTH! 

Something is definitely in the air.  SSQQ watched five different couples tie the knot in January.  Jeff Anderson and Lisa Ramey, Manny Angulo and Michelle Crossley, Jim Burrell and Paula Bione, Brit Davis and Melisa Melios, plus the stars of our previous article - Mack Warren and Amy Giles.

Please read their stories and see their pictures on the SSQQ Web Site.

Happy Valentines Day!  We have some exciting Valentines News to share with everyone. SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE IN THE NEWS - SSQQ DANCE INSTRUCTORS DOUBLE AS CUPID Article Reprinted from the February 12, 2008 issue of Village and Southwest News with permission given by paper's owner Kathleen Ballanfant Original Article Written By Sarah Kortemeier Please note there are some minor modifications added by Rick Archer Rick Archer swears he never intended to run a “marriage factory”, but that’s exactly what has happened at SSQQ Dance Studio.  SSQQ - short for slow slow quick quick - is ostensibly a social dance school.  Every month, 1300 students come to the school to learn salsa, swing, western and ballroom dancing.  And a remarkable proportion of them wind up dating and marrying one another. “The magic is definitely alive,” Archer says.  “We had five weddings in this past January.”   He calculates the studio averages 25 weddings and engagements a year and has lists that go back ten years to back it up.  What’s making that magic work, exactly?  Archer has several theories.  “First of all, partner dancing requires so much concentration that a certain type of person is attracted to it,” he explains. In any case, he says, “Barriers break down quickly when someone is in your arms. You have permission to touch and you begin to let your guard down.” Amy Warren started attending classes at SSQQ after she extricated herself from a “terrible relationship”. “I had moved in with my mom and I needed to get out and about,” she says laughing.  One of Ms. Warren’s cousins turned up at a family reunion with a “gorgeous cowboy” she had met at SSQQ.  On the spot Ms. Warren decided to give the school a try. She met widower Mack Warren in a beginning western class and the rest is history.  Married last month (January 2008), Mack and Amy have been together for four years. “We are very happy,” Amy Warren says.  “SSQQ is such a nice place to get to know people.  It is a comfortable environment.  In the beginning classes, they have you chance partners often and you soon discover everyone is so friendly.” Archer says he doesn’t see a lot of first-time marriages.  Many of his students are like the Warrens - grieving in some way and looking for new companionship. “We get a lot of people who have a broken wing and are intimidated by the dating scene,” Archer says. “This environment is structured and ultra-safe.  Plus the people all have something in common - dance- to help break the ice.” Amy Warren agrees.  “SSQQ was like a safe haven for us,” she says.  The dance community at SSQQ provided vital support even after she and Mack had become a couple.  “Mack in 19 years older than I am.  At first our families weren’t widely accepting of that.  But everyone at SSQQ encouraged us to continue,” she says. Ms. Warren adds that she and her husband have made life-long friends at the studio. But Archer is not content to rest on his matchmaking laurels.  In the early 2000s, SSQQ added a new feature to its dance format when the studio began to organize dance cruises for its students. According to Archer, the cruises have taken the SSQQ dating scene to the next level.  “2001-2008 has been the Love Boat Era for us,” Archer says.  With seven full days to get to know one another on a cruise, a couple who begins dating on land often experiences a dramatic intensification in their relationship once they put out to sea.  “Slow Dance and Romance on the High Seas is a pretty lethal combination,” Archers states. Many couples come back to the SSQQ cruises after they marry, Archer adds.  Amy Warren has participated with her husband in several SSQQ cruises.   She says Archer is absolutely correct. She says those trips are “a total blast”, adding, “we just take over the whole dance floor and it is such a romantic environment.” Meanwhile, Archer and his wife Marla, a teacher at the studio, oversee their creation with benevolence and some bemusement. “It’s wonderful to watch,” Archer says. “But for many years I wasn’t aware of just how many people really do meet here and form lasting relationships.  It’s like having a pyramid grow in your back yard and not noticing.  One day you look up and say, “Oh my goodness, there’s a pyramid in my back yard.  Where did that come from?” “All these marriages were being created at SSQQ and I just took them for granted because they came one at a time.  Then one day I sat down and counted them all up.  I was flabbergasted.  It was just like finding a pyramid in your back yard - the studio had been responsible for hundreds of marriages and I simply had never realized it before.  But now that I am aware, I am very grateful to have been given this role.  I am very proud to see my studio make this contribution.”

EXTRAORDINARY NEWS ON THE SSQQ GREECE CRUISE

GREECE, ITALY, AND TURKEY

July 20-July 27

I cannot believe this cruise has 44 people signed up so far!   This trip was expensive to begin with, but, quite frankly, with air fare rising and the dollar weak against the euro, this trip became even more expensive than we anticipated... and we still have an incredible number of people going.  I am pretty sure I know why - this is a trip we all want to take someday in our lives.  Greece, Italy, Turkey, three amazing places that many of us have never been.  We all have to go someday, that’s for sure.  Why not make it this summer?

Marla asked me to mention we have a lady who wants to go who needs a roommate.

If you are game, email marla@ssqq.com

 

CARIBBEAN DANCE CRUISE

August 24-August 31 - visiting Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

It has been less than one month since Marla announced this year’s summer dance cruise and we already have 30 people signed up.  I imagine this cruise is going to be wilder and crazier than ever before.  People don’t need to be talked into going, I can tell by the look in people’s eyes... they are ready to go and plan to do some damage.

Let me give you all the same reminder I did in the previous Newsletter...  Marla has 100 spots at a reduced price.  If you are 101 to sign up, you are likely to pay more, possibly much more.  I am not kidding.  This scenario happened last year and it will happen again this year.  Therefore, if you intend to go, let us know now.

SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO DANCE PARTY WELCOMES RACHEL KOENIG AND SUSIE MERRILL!

 

Saturday, February 23, 9 - 11:30 pm

7-9 PM CRASH COURSES

BEG TEXAS TWOSTEP - tba

BEG WESTERN SWING - Steve C

TRIPLE TWOSTEP - Scott

SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO! (Adv Ptns) - Rick

BEG WEST COAST SWING - Jack

WESTERN CHA CHA - Linda

 

This party will say hello to Hall of Fame SSQQ instructors Rachel Koenig and Susie Merrill.  We have more information about this party in next week’s Newsletter, but circle the date right now!

CHANDELIER BALLROOM, SATURDAY, MARCH 1 Just a reminder.  More about the event in the next issue.

SOMETHING VERY COOL - THE PRANK AT GRAND CENTRAL STATION

Contributed by Leroy Ginzel

Someone had quite a sense of humor.  They recruited 200 people to simultaneously stop moving at New York’s Grand Central Station.  To people who were not in on the joke, this major Freeze Up appears to be something out of a Sci Fi episode... 200 people frozen still while everyone else stares in shock wondering what the heck is going on.  Fun to watch.

SOMETHING VERY SAD

Contributed by Milt Oglesby

Many of you have spoken to me about how sad it is that we lost our friend Tim Green recently.

I for one am not happy about his passing at all.  As I found out at the funeral, this guy was among the best and the brightest we have.  Tim graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with honors... RPI is a terrible school equivalent to our own excellent Rice University. Tim went back to school later on and got an MBA, then just for the heck of it he got a law degree too.

Gee whiz.

Tim raised two wonderful children, one of whom - his daughter Morgan - I met.  Morgan is such a credit to her great father.  I learned that Tim was respected and cared for by a wide number of people.  Tim was one of those people who took care of everyone else, but wouldn’t let anyone take care of him.  Tim Green was quite a guy.  Tim is the epitome of the phrase “Only the good die young”.

My buddy Milt sent me a link to an extraordinary video of a man named Randy Pausch.  I will be blunt and tell you this a young man in his late 30s who is dying.  He gives a lecture that moves everyone to tears on the Oprah Winfrey show (including me).

This video of Randy Pausch is definitely something worth watching, I promise.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES - DUBAI

Contributed by Gary Richardson

Dubai is this amazing Space Age city being built in the desert next to the Persian Gulf.  Longtime readers of the Newsletter know I have been fascinated with this place for some time.

Two years ago I first published pictures and stories of Dubai as well as its famous symbol, the Burj Al Arab Hotel.   Since then, they continue to build in Dubai at a frantic pace. Estimates say between 15-25% of all the world’s cranes are currently located in Dubai.

Recently Gary Richardson sent me some new pictures.  I was absolutely astounded by all the new development.  I decided to share the stories and pictures with you in a new Dubai Page

JOKE PICTURE - THE INCREDIBLE HANGING MOOSE

Contributed by Gerald McEathron

There are some things you just have to see to believe.  Here is the picture and story of a gigantic moose hanging from his antlers 100 feet above the ground.

 

AND NOW FOR THE JOKE OF THE DAY

Contributed by Ann Faget

Two bees met in a field.  One said to the other, “How are things going?”

“Really bad,” said the second bee. “The weather has been cold, wet, and cloudy, and there aren’t any flowers, so I can’t collect pollen.”

“No problem,” wiggled the first bee. “Just fly down five blocks and turn left.  Keep going until you see all the cars. There’s a Bar Mitzvah going on and there are all kinds of fresh flowers and fresh fruit.”

“Thanks for the tip,” said the second bee, and flew away. 

A few hours later the two bees ran into each other again. The first bee asked, “How’d it go?”

“Great!” said the second bee. “It was everything you said it would be. There was plenty of fruit and, oh, such huge floral arrangements on every table.”

“Uh, what’s that weird thing on your head?” asked the first bee. 

“That’s my yarmulke,” said the second bee. “I didn’t want them to think I was a wasp.”

This is the Third February 2008 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter.

The Newsletter is written by Rick Archer

SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO DANCE PARTY FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS SUSIE MERRILL AND RACHEL KOENIG

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 9 - 11:30 PM 

Our Country-Western dance party last Saturday featured the return of two of the studio’s most popular teachers - Susie Merrill and Rachel Koenig.  Between them, these two ladies taught 24 years here at the studio.  That’s a pretty amazing total!

Susie Merrill retired from SSQQ in January 2003 so she and her husband Bill could move to their lake house home near Longview, Texas.  Susie promptly turned around and got a job teaching Science at Longview High School so she has obviously stayed pretty busy in her retirement!

For those of you who don’t know who Susie Merrill is, she is the lady who coached the Heartbeat Dance Team comprised of SSQQ students to a UCWDC World Championship around New Years at the start of 2003.  This championship was the culmination of six long years of hard work on the part of Susie and her dance team.

Right before the Championship, all sorts of things went wrong, including a heart attack on the part of Susie’s husband Bill!  Their victory was quite an accomplishment considering all the problems they had to overcome at the last minute.

The story of the Championship is a lot of fun to read.  In addition, Susie

was kind enough to give an interview looking back on her Heartbeat dance

team and her 14 years of teaching here at the studio.

http://www.ssqq.com/stories/advent35.htm

Rachel Koenig retired quietly from SSQQ at the end of January 2008.  I would have made a big fuss about it, but the SSQQ Newsletter was not working yet.  I couldn’t tell anyone Rachel was retiring!

So I asked Rachel a favor - would she mind coming by the studio for our Sweethearts of the Rodeo dance party and say hi to everyone?  Rachel said she would enjoy doing that.

By the way, Rachel had a pretty good reason to retire - Rachel is pregnant with her second child on the way.

Rachel and her husband Dave have a strapping son Zach who is now 2 ½ years old, all boy, and full of energy.  Rachel told me that between her tough new job, her marriage, her two kids, there just aren’t enough hours in the day any more.

I replied that I completely understood.

Rachel has long been one of the most popular instructors the studio has ever known.  Starting at the studio back in 1997 (she thinks), Rachel ran with a rough crowd here at SSQQ right from the start.

Rachel was a card-carrying member of the Daryl Armstrong Experience complete with Margarita Tours and Tattoo Leather and Lace parties.  Rachel was quite the matchmaker too.  She claims to have married off more couples here at SSQQ than any other instructor, including me, the King of the Matchmakers!  What nerve.

In her time, Rachel taught Belly Dancing, Dirty Dancing and Shaggie Jitterbug as well as lots of Western Dancing.

And what on earth, you ask, is the Shaggie Jitterbug?  You will just have to read Rachel’s story to find out!

Rachel was kind enough to give me an Interview about her ten years of

teaching.  I definitely think you would enjoy hearing what this fascinating

lady has to say about her experiences here at the studio.

http://www.ssqq.com/stories/advent64.htm

 

GREECE, ITALY, AND TURKEY

July 20-July 27

http://www.ssqq.com/travel/greece2008.htm

 

I cannot believe this cruise has 44 people signed up so far!   This trip was expensive to begin with, but, quite frankly, with airfare rising and the dollar weak against the euro, this trip became even more expensive than we anticipated... and we still have an incredible number of people going.  I am pretty sure I know why - this is a trip we all want to take someday in our lives.  Greece, Italy, Turkey, three amazing places that many of us have never been.  We all have to go someday, that’s for sure.  Why not make it this summer?

Marla asked me to mention we have a lady who wants to go who needs a roommate.

If you are game, email marla@ssqq.com

.................

 

CARIBBEAN DANCE CRUISE

August 24-August 31

Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

http://www.ssqq.com/travel/conquest2008passengers.htm

 

When I wrote about this trip in last week’s Newsletter, we had 30 people.  Since then our total has jumped to 44.  That’s pretty amazing.  This trip is selling like crazy!

Last Wednesday night at Western Practice, I met two women - Meghan and Amie - for the first time.  Both ladies were complete beginners; I had never met them before.  They were dancing just as hard as they could right up to the last song.

So I ask them why they were practicing so diligently.  They said they were going on the cruise and they only had six months to become fantastic dancers.  Judging by how hard they were practicing, I am betting they will make it.

................................

CHANDELIER BALLROOM, SATURDAY, MARCH 1

Just a reminder.  More about the event in the next issue.

.....................

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES - DUBAI

Contributed by Gary Richardson

Dubai is this amazing Space Age city being built in the desert next to the Persian Gulf.  Longtime readers of the Newsletter know I have been fascinated with this place for some time.

Two years ago I first published pictures and stories of Dubai as well as its famous symbol, the Burj Al Arab Hotel.  http://ssqq.com/archive/vinlin23dubai.htm Since then, they continue to build in Dubai at a frantic pace. Estimates say between 15-25% of all the world’s cranes are currently located in Dubai.

Recently Gary Richardson sent me some new pictures.  I was absolutely

astounded by all the new development.  I decided to share the stories and

pictures with you in a new Dubai Page:

http://ssqq.com/archive/vinlin23moredubai.htm

......................

 

 

JOKE PICTURE - THE INCREDIBLE HANGING MOOSE

Contributed by Gerald McEathron

There are some things you just have to see to believe.  Here is the picture

and story of a gigantic moose hanging from his antlers 100 feet above the

ground.

http://www.ssqq.com/jokes/jokepicture.htm

..............

AND NOW FOR THE JOKE OF THE DAY - THE STORY OF THE BURNING ROOF

Contributed by Mary Tyler Moore and Debbie Awad

 

The three Firemen get an emergency call for a fire in progress. As they drive over, they talk about their failed marriages and express their bitterness towards women.

Fireman Jeff says, “Frank, who’s the meanest woman you ever knew?” Fireman Frank answers, “That’s easy, my ex-wife.  She was a Redhead with a temper to match.  She used to wear a tee shirt to bed that said, ‘Don’t touch me. I’m out of Estrogen and I have a Gun.’   Hey, by the way, I have a joke.  What do you call a Brunette in a room full of Blondes?” Fireman Dave answers, “That’s easy. Invisible. I should know. My ex-wife was a brunette. She was so ugly, her hair matched her mustache. Hey, Hank, what went wrong with you and your wife?  She was hot, man!” Fireman Jeff replies, “Yeah, but every blonde joke ever written applied to her. She was so stupid she used to brag she had the best figure of any girl in the 3^rd grade. Then after we were married her mother told me she was 19 in the 3^rd grade.  When she got pregnant, I asked her if the kid was mine.  She said she wasn’t sure, but not to feel bad, she wasn’t sure if it was hers either.”

The three firemen shake their heads. They decide they hate all women, especially the ones with hair.

Meanwhile, on top of the burning building, a Brunette, a Redhead and a Blonde have temporarily escaped the fire by climbing to the roof.  The Three Firemen gather on the street below and are holding a blanket for the ladies to jump in. They exchange a dark smile between them.  First the Firemen yell up, “Jump!  Jump!  One of you gotta Jump!  It’s your only chance to survive!”

The Brunette is the smart one.  She quickly realizes it’s her only chance to survive, so she jumps and SWISH - The firemen suddenly yank the blanket away. The Brunette slams into the sidewalk and explodes like a rude tomato.  There she is, dead as a doornail.

The Fireman give each other high fives!  One down, two to go.  That was too much fun, so they decide to try again. “C’mon!  Jump!  You two ladies gotta jump!”

“Oh no!  I ain’t jumping!  I saw what you did to that Brunette. You’re gonna pull the blanket away!” says the Redhead.

“No!  It’s just the Brunettes we can’t stand!  They are so ugly.  We’re OK with Redheads!  We like Redheads a lot!”

“Nah. I don’t believe you. I ain’t gonna jump!” the Redhead hollers.  The Fireman who was married to the Redhead knows just what to say. He starts pushing her buttons.   “OK, Bitch. Don’t jump.  Whatever you do, don’t jump!  Hey, it’s the Blonde we want to save anyhow!  I hope you burn up there, serves you right!”

“Goddamn, that pisses me off!!” screams the Redhead. “OK, you sons of bitches!  Here I come and when I land I’m gonna kick your stupid asses up and down the street!”

So the Redhead jumps and curses the firemen all the way to the ground.  SWISH! - the firemen suddenly yank the blanket away.  The lady is flattened on the pavement like a pancake.  Two down, one to go.  Now the Blonde crawls to the edge of the roof and sees the Firemen giving each other jumping high fives. She frowns and hatches a plan. They’ll never fool her!!

Looking up and spotting the last woman, the firemen start to yell, “Hey, Blondie, Jump!  You have to jump!”

“No way!  I may be blonde, but I’m not that stupid!!  You’re just gonna pull the blanket away!” yells the Blonde.

“No!  Really!  You have to jump!  We promise won’t pull the blanket away!

We like Blondes a lot!”

“Look, you guys can’t fool me!!” the Blonde says, “I’m too smart for that!  Nothing you say is gonna convince me that you’re not gonna pull the blanket away!  So do what I tell you - Put the blanket on the ground.  Then walk away from it.  That way you can’t jerk the blanket away!” So the firemen call up, “Darn it, you Blondes are just too smart for us!

Okay, you win!”

And so they put down the blanket and walked away.

Splat.

Most fun they’d had in a long time.

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And that’s a Wrap!