Happy Holidays! 2025!!!

 

Oh wow... I was just noticing that my most recent post appears to be a Seasons Greetings from last year. Well, it's not surprising. This ol' blog doesn't get much attention -- not from me or from readers. But it's still one of the places I like to keep track of stuff. 

I've been journaling since the 90s. I go through stretches where I'm very dedicated. And then I stumble through periods where the only thing I write in my journal is a list of stuff I need to do (which usually involves grading essays, teaching classes, and maybe some creative project). 

It was interesting to read the last post, because 2025 has felt like more of the same -- which is a good and comforting thing, for the most part... The kids live out of state, so we don't get to see them on a regular basis -- but we did make a concerted effort to visit them, and those adroable grandkids! 

Well, Cheri is calling... We're going to hang out and watch some Stephen Colbert while he's still on the air! 

Merry Christmas!!! 

Poets Across the Ages

 

• William Shakespeare (1564–1616) — passage of time, love, jealousy

• John Donne (1572–1631) — religion, love, faith

• William Blake (1757–1827) — vocation, religion

• William Wordsworth (1770–1850) — death, endurance, and grief

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) — theological, political, nature

• George Gordon (Lord Byron) (1788–1824) — nature, satirical, love, loss

• Percy Shelley (1792–1822) — love and sorrow, nature, politics

• John Keats (1795–1821) — friendship, human nature, life/death

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) — slavery, love, feminism, spirituality

• Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) — horror fiction, adventure, detective fiction

• Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892) — mythology, loss and grief, nature

• Robert Browning (1812–1889) — love, dramatic, morality

• Walt Whitman (1819–1892) — loss and healing, democracy and equality

• Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) — loss, longing, faith, doubt

• Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) — unrequited love, sexuality, death, faith in God

• Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) — death, nature, love, spirituality

• Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) — war, love, loss, time

• A.E. Housman (1859–1936) — unrequited love, grief, fleeting youth

• Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) — spirituality, nature, and humanism

• William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) — love, longing and loss, Irish myths

• Robert Frost (1874–1963) — human vs nature, natural world

• Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) — imagination vs. reality

• Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) — spirituality, love, loss, drinking

• T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) — time, death/rebirth, quest for meaning

• Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) — inhumanity of war and its impact

• E.E. Cummings (1894–1962) — love, nature, individualism

• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) — love, self-discovery, poetry itself

• Langston Hughes (1901–1967) — struggles of everyday life, racial injustice

• Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) — longing, desire, loss, and search for identity

• W.H. Auden (1907–1973) — love, political/science themes, war

• Theodore Roethke (1908–1963) — life and death, individual growth, appreciation for nature

• Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979) — her sexuality, family relationships, loneliness

• Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) — life and death, love and loss, childhood nostalgia

• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) — black pride, black identity/solidarity, love

• Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997) — sexuality, political dissent, mental illness

• Maya Angelou (1928–2014) — strength of women, human spirit, black beauty

• Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) — death, patriarchy, motherhood

• Marge Piercy (1936 - present) — political activism, Jewish heritage

• Billy Collins (1941–present) — love, death, mortality

• Bob Dylan (1941–present) — social commentary, love

• Jimmy Santiago Baca (1952–present) — social justice, addiction, community

• Tupac Shakur (1971–1996) — racism, violence, and social injustice

Happy Holidays! 2024...

 

Greetings, Interwebs... 

The year 2024 is winding down, and it's been a rather odd year in the sense that not too much has changed in my personal / professional life... Just staying the course in terms of family life -- grateful for my relatives and friends, and especially grateful to spend time with my granddaughter and the kids as they contonue to grow and spread their proverbial wings. 

We were visiting with our friends in Orange County last night, and I was telling Joshua and Joel about how Cheri and I have really been leaning into our empty nest phase, which seems to include the two of us embracing Elderly Culture. 

For example, as I type this blog entry, it is 9pm... and I've been wearing my pajamas and bathrobe for over an hour... and probably later on I'll be playing Jeopardy on this computer. So, yep -- we're old! 

And I'm grateful to be so! I hope Cheri and I get to spend another 40 or 50 years on the planet puttering around and visiting loved ones (in between watching movies, reading books, and maybe dabbling with a story or play every once in a while. 

The aspirations for literary greatness (as well as fame and fortune) are definitely waning... But, there's still part of me that hopes to stumble upon some creative nugget that turns into gold. 

In the meantime, I'm just trying to savor all of these moments as they come and go. 

Wishing whoever is reading this the very best New Year and holiday season. 

Take care!

P.S. In other news, check out this giant inflatable Santa we saw in the Eklunds' neck of the woods: 

Keeping Track of the National Report Card (Part Two)

 

I should have done this a while ago! But I had forgotten about it. 

You see, back when Trump was about to take the White House in 2017, I made a blog post to keep track of some stats... You can find it here. 

And now that Trump will be returning to the White House (*shudder*) it's time to check on some of this info again! 

Here we go: 

U.S. Population: 334.9 Million (2023) 

-- that's up from 318.9 Million (2016)

National Debt 35.95 Trillion

-- that's up from 13.62 Trillion (2016?) 

Life Expectancy: 77.43 years

-- that's down from 78.74 years

Percentage of Americans without Health Insurance: 8% (2023)

-- that's down from 11% (2016) 

Number of Cancer Deaths in 2023: 609,820

-- that's up from 2015: 564,800

Number of Heart Disease deaths in 2023: 680,909

-- that's up from 610,000

Of course, now I'm thinking about how the population is grown, so maybe some of these things are on track, statistically speaking? 

Number of Car Accident Deaths: 40,990 (2023)

-- that's up from 32,000 (2015) 

Number of Legal Abortions: 1,037,000 (2023)

-- that's up from 664,435 (2015) 

Number of Births: 3,596,017 (2023)

-- that's down from 3,998,076 (2014)

Number of Americans with Alzheimer's: 6.7 million

-- that's up from 5.4 million

Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (2023)

-- that's slightly up from 3.6% (2019)

-- and a lot more than 4.9% (August 2016) 

Median Household Income: $80,610 (2023)

-- That's up from $55,775 (2017)

Average Price of a Home: $487,300 (2023)

-- that's up from $188,900 (2016)

Average Gas price: $3.10 (November 2024)

-- that's up from $2.32 (Jan 2017)

Poverty line for a family of four: $30,000 (2023)

Percentage of people living below the poverty line: 11.1%

Percent of upper middle-class citizens -- making between $100,000 and $350,000 a year: 29.4%

(2014)  --- this is the same in 2024.

How many millionaires are in the U.S.? This varies based upon search... I'm going with the one that says 22 million... 

And there were only 11 million millionaires in 2019!

There are now 801 billionaires. 

-- that is up from 540

There are 653,104 homeless people living on the streets (2023).

-- that is up from 578,424

Dow Jones: 44,000

-- that's up quite a bit from 18,166 (2016)

The Number of Troops in Iraq at the end of Trump's first term: 2500

The Number of Troops in Afganistan at the end of Trump's first term: 2500

The Number of Troops in Syria at the end of Trump's first term: 900

The Number of Troops in Iraq at the end of Biden's term: 2500

The Number of Troops in Afganistan at the end of Biden's first term: Zero (?) 

The Number of Troops in Syria at the end of Biden's first term: 900

Military Deaths by Hostile Action during Trump's Administration: 

2017: 21

2018: 14

2019: 21

2020: 9

Military Deaths by Hostile Action during Biden's Administration: 

2021: 13

2022: 0 

Haven't been able to find 2023 or 2024 yet. 

Source: https://dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/summaryData/deaths/byYearManner

Murder:

There were 15,696 murders in 2015 (Obama)

There were 17,250 murders in 2016 (Obama)

There were 17,284 murders in 2017 (Trump)

There were 16,214 murders in 2018 (Trump)

There were 16,425 murders in 2019 (Trump) 

There were 21,500 murders in 2020 (Trump)

There were 22,990 murders in 2021 (Biden)

There were 21,156 murders in 2022 (Biden)

There were 17,713 murders in 2023 (Biden) 

Cases of Rape: 

There were an estimated 90,185 in 2015 (Obama)

There were an estimated 95,730 in 2016 (Obama)

There were an estimated 135,755 in 2017 (Trump)

There were an estimated 139,380 in 2018 (Trump)

There were an estimated 139,815 in 2019 (Trump)

(The FBI changed their definition -- I think in 2013 -- so I don't know if that's one reason for this jump between administations.) 

The number of robberies went down!

327,347 in 2015

247,837 in 2020

220,450 in 2022

Property crimes resulted in the loss of 14.3 billion in 2015. 

Property crimes resulted in the loss of 15.8 billion in 2019. 

140 officers died in the line of duty in 2016.

89 officers died in the line of duty in 2019.

129 officers died in the line of duty in 2021.

963 people were killed by police in 2016.

1004 people were killed by police in 2019.

956 people were killed by police in 2022. 

Current prison population: 157,000 in Federal 

-- it was 211,000 in 2016 --and it was 152,000 in 2020

986,000 in state prison

-- it was 1,351,000  -- and it was 1,215,000

There were 20 executions in 2016.

There were 17 executions in 2017.

There were 25 executions in 2018.

There were 22 executions in 2019.

There were 17 executions in 2020. 

There were 11 executions in 2021.

There were 18 executions in 2022. 

Marriage and Divorce: 

There were 2,065,905 marriages reported in 2022. 

-- down from 2014's marriage count of 2,140,272

The divorce rate is 7.0 per 1,000 total population 

(about the same as 2014)

Immigration: 

Legal Immigrant Population: 46.2 million

(It was 42 million back in 2016)The Biden Adminitsr

Unauthorized Immigrant population estimate: 11 million

-- it was 10.9 million in 2016... --- and 11 million in 2019... and 10.5 million in 2020... 

1.5 million deportations took place during the Trump administration.

2 million people were deported during the Obama administration.

The Biden Administration is on pace to match the Trump administration. 

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-deportation-record

High school graduation rate in 2022: 87% (up from 82.3% in 2014)

Average yearly cost of a state college education: $10,940 (up from $9,650 in 2016) 

New Picture Book in the Works

 

Well, I'm trying my best to stay productive... But it hasn't been easy, since I've received a couple rejection letters in regard to my latest project which Abi sent out into the world. 

Part of me wants to just focus on THE STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB... since it offers instant gratification. Each video I do gets at least 1000 views (which I know isn't much, but the audience leaves a lot of encouraging comments). And some do quite a bit more... 

Still, deep down, I know that whatever I do with the SKBC, it's just derivative of another man's literary work. And as much fun as it is, if I spent the next ten years doing nothing but Stephen King videos, I'm not sure I would look back on that and feel fulfilled. That's not to say that I don't want to work on these videos over the course of the next decade... I wanna keep making them (at least for now) because they are a lot of fun. But I don't feel like it's my "Great Purpose," if that makes any sense. 

I'm not sure writing books for children is all that GREAT of a PURPOSE... but at least it's more original (or attempts to be). 

All that said, I have finally gotten to work on something that might show promise. I just finished the first draft... and I think it'll need one or two more drafts before it's ready to send to Abi. I'm not sure it overcomes the SO WHAT obstacle... It's sort of a smaller, sweeter story than the Mr Complain / Mr Snore variety... but I think it's kinda cute. 

I'll let you know how it goes!   

Summer Time!!!

 Well, it's that time of year again... The semester is over. The essays are all graded. And now I have 88 days until the first day of school. 

Which means I have a little bit of spare time to work on new projects. 

I have no idea what I'm going to write yet... But hopefully something will spark my interest soon. 

Actually, there was an idea I had been kicking around... But I recently found out that a TV show called the Curse basically had the same idea. Darn. 

Anyway, I'll at least be blogging a bit more often, I think. So thanks for stopping by! 

What will you be doing with your summer break? 

I'm up in Washington state visiting my mom... and she's turned me into her gardening assistant. 

Tinkering with Stephen King Videos...

 Well, I guess you could say I've gone ALL-IN on my Stephen King YouTube channel... It has absorbed most of my creative energies for about a year now... This is in no small part due to the fact that the videos are popular (in comparison to my Wade Bradford channel)... and the money has started to trickle in each month, just about enough to make a monthly payment on the kids' student loans. 

And they are a LOT of fun to make. 

If there is any downside, it's only that I know I'm dedicating a lot of time and energy into material that is derivative. I don't mean that as a slam against myself... I just mean that I'm playing around with another artist's work -- and so it's not going to be much more than a combination of fan-fiction and light literary analysis. 

But for now, I'm not sure about my next step as a writer of original works... I wouldn't say that the well has run dry... but it certainly seems like my middle grade adventures don't really have an audience... 

So, I'm waiting to be struck by the next brilliant idea for a picture book... But those moments of brilliance don't come often for me. 

Ugh -- I didn't mean to make another blog post whining about my writing -- but that's my favorite journal topic; I couldn't resist. Anyways... here is the latest Stephen King video. It's based upon his short story "Dolan's Cadillac." Enjoy! 

Happy Halloween! 2023

 Wow -- it has been a little while, blog. Sorry I've been away so long!

Here's a fun video promo for Horton Hears a Boo! It's in so many bookstores, even Barnes and Noble is carrying it. 

A big thank you to anyone and everyone who reads these blogposts. As 2023 winds down, I'm not sure what I'll be working on next, but I can't wait to find out. 

Horton Has Arrived!

 

Yesterday, I received my author copies of Horton Hears a Boo! 

Needless to say, we're having a Who-bilation here at the Bradford house. 

It arrives in bookstores this August!

Working on a New Stephen King Video...

 And I've been playing with crayons... Can you guess which Stephen King story I'll be bringing to life? 

Horton Hears a Boo!

 

This blog is way overdue for a cover reveal of my latest book: 

To say writing a new Dr. Seuss book is a "dream come true" is an understatement. I still can't believe I was chosen to write a new Horton story... like millions of other children, I learned to read, thanks to Dr. Seuss. I fell in love with books because of Dr. Seuss. It's hard to say just how much this artist's shaped my imagination... 

So, to be asked to continue the story of this loyal elephant, this defender of the little guy... all I can say is that I'm grateful. 

 

Today's Project: New Video for Stephen King's THE STAND

 

Spent the last couple of days tinkering on a new video for the Stephen King Book Club channel... It think it turned out pretty well... 

Mackenzie and her family said farewell and spent about 24 hours on the road back to Texas. I miss them already. 

Settling into summer break; trying to stay productive. My agent and I went over some final (?) editorial notes on the Middle Grade book. In theory, it should be going out this week -- but we'll see... 

And I finished the first and second draft of the new picture book idea (about a Platypus)... but it still needs work, specifically the last act of the story. I tinkered with it today... but now I'm not quite feeling it... Too lazy after working on the video all morning and afternoon. Guess I should have worked on the book first! 

Today's Progress: 

-- Captain Trips Video ( STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB ) 

-- Tinkered on new story ( 6 / 8  PICTURE BOOKS ) 

The Power of Being a Brat

 

I've been working on a new picture book (as mentioned in a previous post). I thought the draft was good enough to send to Abi... but now I'm thinking it needs to cook some more. The Second Act needs work. 

Still... I think there's a cool turn of events in this one... I know lots of bratty characters have been in children's lit before... but this one feels new since it explores not just the disadvantages but also the advantages of being a brat.

This is, at least in part, inspired by my mom. Not that she's a brat. But she is a "Karen." 

Karens, as you may or may not know, dear reader, have become a slang term for someone who complains about things that shouldn't be complained about... My mom doesn't usually do this (thank goodness)... but she was always willing to stand up and complain about something she felt passionate about... and that's a quality I often lack and sometimes envy... So, I guess that's what my book tries to tap into... 

I'll tinker with it some more and then (hopefully) submit it to my agent on Monday. 

I've had a leisurely day this morning and afternoon. I've basically done nothing but re-read the first 100 pages of Stephen King's THE STAND. 

I'm trying to recall exactly when I first read it... Not sure if it was the late 80s or early 90s. And I can't quite remember if I read the book first or watched the mini-series first. I'm pretty sure I read it first... I think when I was in high school... 

CJ Graduates College!

 I've been away from the keyboard for a number of days... Mainly because we traveled up to Oregon to watch CJ earn their Bachelors in Science (Physics... with a minor in Theater!)

Of the hundreds of photos we took, this is one of my favorites. 

Now that we're back home, and recovered from our road trip, today is the first day of summer break that I've felt I could relax... so what did I do? 

I wrote a tiny smidge of a beginning to a picture book (but it's a good beginning) and took a nap. 

82 more days of summer!

Today's Progress: 

-- Beginning of a new story   (  6 / 8  PICTURE BOOKS )

Working on a New Picture Book

 Thanks to my visiting grand-daughter (and her folks, of course) I've been inspired to write a funny little family poem... Maybe it's something that could become a picture book. We'll see. I finished the first and second draft today, and then sent it off to my agent. 

Keep your fingers crossed! 

Today's Progress: 

-- Wrote a new poem / story  ( 6 / 8 PICTURE BOOKS ) 

Summer Break 2023

 Let it begin! 

I'm not finished grading essays... but I am finished with classes... and so it feels like Summer Break has begun! 

And best of all, the kids are here... with my granddaughter! So, we have a week of visiting ahead of us. And then, very soon, we'll be traveling up to Oregon see CJ graduate. 

Not sure what I'll be working on as far as my writing... But I have been kicking around an idea for a children's poem. 

Oh, and I spent a LOT of time and energy on my latest Stephen King video, a historical exploration of the Overlook Hotel. 

This Week's Progress: 

-- New Video of THE SHINING ( 3 / 65 STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB ) 

By the way, I'm not sure about my point system... I picked 65 because I thought there were sixty-five novels, but that doesn't count for his short story collections or the non-fiction stuff. I'll figure out something... 

My DODO BOOK is in GERMAN!

 Ach zu liebe! I'm so excited to present the cover of the newly translated: There's a Dodo on the Wdding Cake... translated into German! 

It's always a delight and an honor whenever my books travel overseas... I took German back in high school... but I've forgotten most of the vocabulary. Maybe I need to start some DuoLingo lessons, just in case I need to do a book reading in Berlin? 

Finished reading: THE INSTITUTE

 Another fun read from Stephen King... this book features some of my favorite aspects of his work: the troubles and triumphs of children. Sure, it's more trouble than triumph... but I always love it when the kids give the bad guy characters' their comeuppance! 

Other King news: I recorded a reading of one of his early stories: "Night Surf." It's already received a lot of views, in just a day and a half. 

In writing news, Abi and I are ready to send our middle grade novel out into the world. It should be arriving in the inboxes of eight different editors, sometime this week! 

Today's Progress: 

-- Wrote synopsis for middle-grade novel   ( 1 / 8  MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS )

-- Posted "Night Surf" audiobook video  ( 2.9 / 65  STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB )

Cowboy Festival

 Howdy! 

I volunteered at a beer tent at the Cowboy Festival for Nancy Lantis’ non-profit theater (Eclipse Theatre LA). Got to spend time with Nancy, Abi, the Engs, and the Zumstegs (all theater folks). Fun was had by y'all...

In completely different news, here's my latest Stephen King video, a comedic help wanted ad inspired by creepy short story "Graveyard Shift." 

Today's Progress: 

-- Posted "Graveyard Shift" video ( 2.8 out of 65 -- STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB ) 

My In-Between Day

 

I have an awesome schedule this semester. On online class... and the rest of my courses are on the Moorpark campus, but only on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

 That means my Tuesdays are in-between days. i have the day off... but I often spend much of the day either grading, prepping, or attending meetings. 

Today I went to the campus to attend a one-hour curriculum meeting. This means I spent more time in the car than at the college. But that's okay, because right now I'm listening to Stephen King's 2019 novel: THE INSTITUTE. 

So far, it's a page-turner. Similar in some ways to STRANGER THINGS... but that's fine, since that show borrows heavily from King. 

And speaking of SK, I made another video, but it hasn't gained much traction with the algorithm. Oh well. It's a run-down of all the different types of fan art there are out there, specifically fan art of THE SHINING. 

Now I'm off to read about Hitler's failed career as a painter, duels in 19th Century California, and August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, Act Two. 

Today's Progress: 

-- Completed a new Stephen King Video ( 2.7 out of 65 STEPHEN KING BOOK CLUB)