2005 Newsletters

The SSQQ December 2005 Newsletter
Written and edited monthly by Rick Archer

This is the December 2005 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter.

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A SECOND ISSUE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

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This is the December 2005 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter written by Rick Archer.


THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTER AT A GLANCE

STORY ONE: THE BISSONNET SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT
STORY TWO: SSQQ CLASS HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER - Semester starts on Sunday, November 27.
STORY THREE: THE DECEMBER HAPPY HOLIDAYS SWING DANCE - Saturday, December 10, 9 pm
STORY FOUR: THE DECEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY - Friday, December 23, 9 pm
STORY FIVE: THE 2006 SSQQ NEW YEARS EVE PARTY - Saturday, December 31, 9 pm
STORY SIX: THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 HALLOWEEN PARTY ARE READY!
STORY SEVEN: THE STORIES AND THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 RHAPSODY CRUISE ARE READY!!
STORY SEVEN: THE PICTURES FROM THE TWO TONS OF STEEL WESTERN DANCE ARE READY!
STORY EIGHT: THE SSQQ LOGIC PUZZLE WINNERS FOR NOVEMBER 2005
STORY NINE: THE 2005 DECEMBER LOGIC PUZZLE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER!
STORY TEN: JOKE PICTURE OF THE MONTH
STORY ELEVEN: BEST NEW JOKES AND HALL OF FAME JOKES
STORY TWELVE: SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE: A NEW ENGAGEMENT AND A WEDDING!
STORY THIRTEEN: THE SULTAN'S PALACE
STORY FOURTEEN: SPEAKING OF DISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET…
STORY FIFTEEN: PART-TIME HELP WANTED - SATURDAY HALL MONITOR
STORY SIXTEEN: COMPLAINT OF THE MONTH 1) REGISTRARS ARE RUDE.
2) WHAT ABOUT DISCOUNTS FOR PEOPLE WHO TOOK CLASSES BEFORE 2001.
3) WHY CAN'T VISITORS DROP IN?
STORY SEVENTEEN: BRYAN SPIVEY WRITES ABOUT HIS DANCE COMPETITIONS
STORY EIGHTEEN: COMPLAINT OF MONTH: PARTNERS WHO ARE UNPLEASANT

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STORY ONE: THE BISSONNET SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT

I apologize from the bottom of my heart about the inconveniences many of you have tolerated regarding the studio's parking situation. The surgical center next to Charlie's BBQ is putting up a hospital and needs to keep an area of our parking lot clear for safety reasons. Hopefully the construction will be completed by the end of December.

My landlord told me the parking lot should be repaved in early 2006 as soon as the construction ends.

I would like to discuss parking at the studio. As you know, signs are popping up in front of practically every business threatening to tow your cars. To date no cars have actually been towed or threatened to being towed that I know about. However I know there is at least one trigger-happy shop manager who might actually go through with towing a car.

Some of you with a law background might be able to advise me better, but here is the situation as I understand it. My lease guarantees an SSQQ customer has the right to park anywhere in the parking lot. I have been told this means that none of the shop managers have a legal right to tow the car of an SSQQ customer. Am I right or wrong?

That said, I also see the shop owners' point of view. They need those spots in front of their business to stay open.

The babysitting service is open as late as we are. They have to have a spot for parents to pick up their children safely. Radio Shack has to have spots for people to drive in to buy batteries and drive off. Charlie's Barbeque does a thriving late-night take-out business. They need spots for their customers to pick up their order.

The honest truth is SSQQ students have the power to blanket the entire parking lot with their cars. If this stifles the other businesses, it is not a good thing.

For example, if someone comes late and sees a Radio Shack spot open, they see a convenient spot, park there, lock their door and leave. This makes it difficult for Radio Shack customers to reach them.

I have a favor to ask of all of you. SSQQ needs to be a "good neighbor".

Please don't park in front of any store that appears to be open for business. Please respect their need to keep the spots directly in front of their stores available for their customers.

Unfortunately the landlord has begun to see our business as a huge nuisance. They don't see any problem with towing cars. They apparently have given at least a couple store owners the impression that they have the right to tow any car they wish. Again, someone may need to inform me what the law says about this.

I don't like people who tow cars.

It is a cruel action that carries a punishment far more severe than the transgression. However someone in a bad mood might go through with it. I doubt it is "legal", but the tow truck guy won't care. Whoever loses their car will be greatly inconvenienced and very upset.

I will speak with the store owners to reach an accord. I will ask each store manager to please not tow any offending cars before first reporting the problem to us. This means if they come into my studio and ask you to please move your car, please cooperate.

I realize no one enjoys parking on First Street, but it really isn't that long a walk. I walk the same distance to see movies at the Marquee on Silber. Please help SSQQ be a good neighbor.

Thanks, Rick Archer
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STORY TWO: SSQQ CLASS HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER

The December 2005 Dance Semester will start on Sunday, November 27. http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/schedule.htm

Here are the special classes for December:

SLOW DANCE AND FOXTROT FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES! (SUNDAY, 4 PM)
Christmas and New Year is the only time of year many people dance at all.
As New Year's Eve and the office Christmas parties approach, this is the time to master the lost art of formal dancing! This course prepares you not only for Christmas parties but the fancy New Year's Eve parties as well.

When Sinatra's "New York New York" comes on at Midnight, you will be ready to Foxtrot. And when Holiday Slow Dance standards like Nancy Wilson's "What are You Doing New Year's Eve?" and Bing Crosby's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" play at your Holiday Parties, you will be ready to hit the floor and dance without a self-conscious bone in your body. You might even be surprised to see you are enjoying yourself out there!


SUPER-ADVANCED TANGO (SUNDAY, 4 PM)
It is time to learn sophisticated patterns to the legendary Dance of the Dark! As we have gotten to know Dakota Wilhelm better, we have begun to realize Dakota is a gifted Ballroom instructor. Indeed as his students will quickly attest, Dakota is a master teacher of Tango.


INTERMEDIATE LATIN CHA CHA (SUNDAY, 4 PM)
Cha Cha is one of the most versatile dances imaginable. Cha Cha is extremely popular as a western dance in Houston nightclubs to romantic polka music such as Neon Moon, for popular music and disco music such as Santana's Smooth, in the Latin clubs, and for oldies such as the Drifters' Under the Boardwalk. Fun, sexy, easy to learn, and very useful for many dance occasions, find out why Cha Cha developed its reputation as one of the great dances!


SUPER-ADVANCED LATIN HUSTLE (SUNDAY, 7 PM)
Latin Hustle (also known as Hustle) is a popular partner dance used to Disco and Smooth R&B music. It uses the same timing as West Coast Swing but its patterns are similar to East Coast Swing and its style is similar to Salsa. Scott Ladell's Sunday night Hustle program at SSQQ is a long-time studio favorite.


ADVANCED SWING/JITTERBUG II (MONDAY, 7 PM)
Patty Oh's Advanced level II cover double turns, famous Swing and Lindy footwork patterns, and all sorts of intricate patterns. Please note this a different course than the usual Advanced Swing class, so there are new moves to learn!


CAROLINA SHAG (MONDAY, 7 PM)
Taught by Gloria Sanchez, the Carolina Shag is an interesting cross between East Coast Swing (what we call Swing at SSQQ) and West Coast Swing. The Shag is famous in the Carolina's. Featuring fabulous footwork, the Shag fits a wide variety of music, but basically it works to slower Swing songs. No pre-req, but it might help to know this dance is tricky!!


WEST COAST SWING TECHNIQUE II (MONDAY, 7 PM)
Bryan Spivey's WCS Technique class on Monday night will start with everything you learned in the first four months of SSQQ Whip/WCS and cover the WCS aspects again in fine detail. Not only will the ladies learn their ball-crosses and passing steps all over again, they will learn more about the "And 1" WC Basic, they will learn six variations on their passing steps, six variations on their anchors, when to hijack, how to hijack, plus flicks, dips, lunges, and every other footwork trick in the book.


ADVANCED SALSA 12 (TUESDAY, 7 PM)
Steve and Danielle's Elite Tuesday Adv Salsa class covers the most difficult Salsa moves. Please be aware the pace of this class is very swift.

Salsa first exploded onto the scene in 2000 with Ricky Martin singing "Living La Vida Loca" against the backdrop of the Bush-Gore struggles down in Florida. Since then Bush has been re-elected and Salsa has grown to become the most popular single dance style in America today.

Steve and Danielle spend so much time dancing in the clubs and practicing at the studio that they have come up with their own style of exciting and complex Salsa patterns. Since their students are mostly very experienced dancers, Steve and Danielle work hard to stay ahead of this talented group. As a result, Salsa dancers from around Houston flock to the studio on Tuesday to see if they can the challenge of this "Honors" Advanced Salsa program. Indeed, the Tuesday Advanced Salsa class has become so popular our biggest room regularly fills up with classes that approach 100 students. If you can handle the heat, this class can't be beat.


DEATH VALLEY 12 (WEDNESDAY, 7 PM)
Sharon Crawford once taught every Death Valley level ever offered. Now Sharon misses teaching Western Swing and decided to kick some butt for old times sake. Please participate and give her someone to pick on!

ADVANCED SALSA 6 (THURSDAY 7 PM OR SATURDAY 430 PM)
Take both the Thursday and the Saturday Advanced class for the price of one!

Don't forget a parallel to this course will also be offered on Saturdays at 4:30 pm!! Take both the Thursday and the Saturday Adv class for the price of one!

One common question about the advanced Salsa classes is "which one do I take first?"

Just like with the four Intermediate Salsa levels, you can take Advanced levels in any order you wish. However there is one important note: The pace and the patterns of Advanced Levels 1 thru 6 (offered on Thursdays and Saturdays) are easier than the difficult Advanced Salsa class on Tuesdays.

In other words, the Thursday/Saturday class will be difficult, but with two chances a week to practice the material, it should be easier than Tuesday.


MARTIAN WHIP 12 (THURSDAY, 7 PM)
Martian Whip is our elite Whip/West Coast Swing class. Taught by State Champions Bryan and Lisa, this class covers complex and challenging West Coast patterns each week. Please note the pace is swift. If you are not an advanced WCS dancer, consider the Monday WCS Technique class as an alternative.


ADVANCED TWOSTEP AND POLKA (FRIDAY, 7 PM)
Rick and Cher
Prerequisite: Couples Only, Must have completed Beg Twostep/Polka

Intermediate Twostep and Polka was not been offered as a 4-week group class in several years until we featured it in November 2005.

The class was such a hit we decided to offer an "Advanced" follow-up. Please note all men are welcome to take "Advanced Twostep" even if they did not take Intermediate. In an odd twist, "Advanced" is probably easier than "Intermediate". We will explain

This is a great class for men to take!! It features advanced training on many useful Twostep/Polka patterns such as Crossovers, Conversations, Zigzags, Parallels, Lariats, and much more. In particular we will focus on "Synchronized Polka" patterns that are usually just offered in Crash Courses.

The Prerequisite for men to take this class is that they must have completed our Beginning Twostep class and they MUST bring a partner. To make it easier to find a partner, we will make a special offer. Any lady can take this class for Free as long as she has a partner!

Here is how it is done. Men can register themselves Online or Walkin and pay the regular $46. Then on the Friday night of the class they will need to bring their lady partner with them and let her register at the desk. She will not be charged any money.

We will still be switching partners, but this way the men can be sure they will not only learn some very valuable patterns, they will always have ladies to practice with.

This class is not likely to offered again in the near future. In other words, this is a good time to take this special class.


GHOST TOWN 11 - POLKA PATTERNS (FRIDAY, 7 PM)
Scott Ladell developed this class himself. As you know, most Western Swing work better to Twostep so we tend to neglect the Polka rhythm. To catch you up to speed, this entire course is taught in Polka rhythm.


INTERMEDIATE HIP HOP II (SATURDAY, 315 PM)
Kevin Coleman's Hip Hop/Freestyle class has become a huge hit here at the studio.

Kevin's Intermediate class will cover steps that involve coordination of the feet to the shoulders and the arms. The main thing required is that the person can walk and move any part of their upper body at the same time. It will be somewhat of a choreography-style class.

Please note this special class is not offered on On-Line Registration. You simply show up at 3 pm and register at the door


RHYTHM AND BLUES TWOSTEP (SATURDAY, 430 PM)
Willie Bushnell
Also known as "Swingout", Rhythm and Blues Twostep is a popular dance used in African-American nightclubs. R&B Twosteppin' is a partner dance similar to Zydeco. The man and woman first dance in closed position, then the man "swings her out".


BEGINNING HIP HOP II (SATURDAY, 430 PM)
Kevin Coleman
Hip Hop has become the dominant form of Club Dancing in the 2000s. Tricky footwork combined with eye-catching arm motions are difficult to learn without a good teacher. This is a beginner class so expect a relaxed pace! And if the class seems a little too easy, you are welcome to step up to the Intermediate class that precedes this one at 3:15.


(Note: For more details and lengthy descriptions of all the classes above and more, please go to DECEMBER EXTRA ON THE SSQQ WEB SITE:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/extra.htm )

If you miss the first week of classes, don't worry about it. YOU CAN SIGN UP IN THE SECOND WEEK without any problem since we spend the first hour reviewing what was covered in Week One.
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STORY THREE: THE DECEMBER HAPPY HOLIDAYS SWING DANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 9 pm - 11:30 pm, $7
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party23.htm

CRASH COURSES 7-9 PM (to register, just show up and register at the door)

BEG SWING JITTERBUG - Linda
SLOW DANCING! - Jill (cpls only)
LATIN HUSTLE - Scott
PATTY OH'S FAV ADV SWING PTNS - Patty Oh
LINDY HOP - Gloria
SWING CHARLESTON - Maureen
FLOATING ON AIR (HIP HOP) - Kevin

ABOUT THE PARTY: Swing Dancing in the main room, requests in Room 4. Dress Suggestion: Wear Red and White and dance all night!!
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STORY FOUR: THE DECEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 9 pm - Midnight, $7
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party24.htm

The SSQQ Christmas Party is unusual in that much of our music has a Christmas twist to it. Thanks to the many Western performers such as Garth Brooks and George Strait, there are many Christmas songs that are excellent Twosteps and Polkas. You simply have not had the full Christmas experience until you dance a Twostep to George Strait's rendition of "Frosty the Snowman"!!

And there is a lot of Christmas Swing music as well including Big Band versions of classic Christmas songs like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and so many more. We play normal dance music as well, but the emphasis is on dancing to Christmas songs.

Down in Room 4, we play non-stop Whip music the whole way through.

There are many Waltzes played at the SSQQ Christmas Party. It turns out there are many Christmas Carols that turn out to be Waltz-tempo such as "What Child is This?", "The First Noel", "Silver Bells", "Away in a Manger", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", and several others. If you like to Waltz, you will love this party!

As a nice touch, George Grega has offered to provide his special lighting that was so popular at the Halloween Party for this year's Christmas and New Year's Party. George owns a company that specializes in providing every service imaginable for large events such as stages, lights, amplifiers, you name it. His company did the lights at our Halloween Party in case you were there.

If you think you might need his services, check out the story about his company on the ssqq web site at http://ssqq.com/information/gregagtgevents.htm

For a nice Dress suggestion, wear clothing with Red or Green or a Christmas Theme shirt/pullover. But you know what? Wear whatever you wish. We run this party right before Christmas. Some of you may be so sick of the Holidays already you are ready to scream. That said, this is low-pressure party that cheers everyone up.

Come see your friends and make some new ones!!
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STORY FIVE: THE 2006 SSQQ NEW YEARS EVE PARTY
Saturday, December 31, 9 pm - 1 am $20
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party25.htm

The SSQQ New Year's Eve Party is all about dancing!

Our 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.

There will be a complimentary buffet.

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.

What is the music at our New Year's Party?

Since everyone is supposed to dress up, we pretend like it is a night on the town in the 40s and play Swing and Ballroom dance music in Room One.

The music in our Main Room will consist of a great deal of Big Band Swing music and Foxtrot. 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 sadness and beauty. In addition there will be a healthy dose of Cha Cha, Tango, and Salsa music.

Western and Whip 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 2006!
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STORY SIX: THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 HALLOWEEN PARTY ARE READY!
http://www.ssqq.com/halloween/halloween2005home.htm


I am greatly pleased to announce the Halloween Party pictures are now posted. Although I do not know the names of all our costume winners, I can at least acknowledge the ones I do know.
1. Christina Lozano and Steve Gabino for Dorothy and Scarecrow (Wizard of Oz)
2. Nick and Leslie Tenaro as the most electric couple we have seen in a long time!
3. Rose Gammill and Alan Arnett for Camelot costumes
4. Keith Whitley (forgive if I got the last name wrong) for a great Zombie.
5. Karen Fess and Wil Uecker as Mardi Gras.
6. Marcia Thomas and Tim Crist as the Egyptians
7. Susan Waring for her awesome stoplight costume!
8. Jim Colby and Marlane Kayfes as Pirates.
9. Lanny Hutto and Jaime Mabry as Green Eggs and Ham. Very cute!
10. Letty and Patrick Dougherty as Romans
11. Mara Rivas and a friend as the sizzling Go-Go Girls.
12. Lisa Palmer and Bryan Spivey as Indian and Cowboy.
13. Stan Romney and friend Deborah as Popeye and Olive Oyl.
14. Marge Galle wearing a beautiful Russian dress.
15. Maureen Huddleston as a fetching Trick or Treat.
16. Aksana Almaguer as a Grapevine and friend Rusty
17. Brian Watson as a Space Storm Trooper
18. Mike Flowers with a great mask!

And then there was one mysterious guy who kept his mask on all night long. He had quite an act. He would ask ladies to dance. Just when he saw the photographer about to shoot his picture, he would pull out a rubber knife and try to stab them with it. Their instincts would kick in and they would scream just as if it was a real attack. The photographer enjoyed this game, so he followed the guy around all night.

My guess is our Jack the Ripper would not dream of revealing his identity, but he definitely had the time of his life scaring the ladies.

This year's Halloween Party was definitely one of our finest ever. We had 300 guests and every one of them left smiling.

My many thanks to all of you who were in attendance!
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STORY SEVEN: THE STORIES AND THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 RHAPSODY CRUISE ARE READY!!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/rhapsody2005.htm

After a great deal of waiting, I am pleased to announce the pictures and stories from the SSQQ September Rhapsody Cruise are now completed. There are 14 pages of pictures, plus stories about the Usual Suspects and our favorite activity of hot tub stuffing.

In addition there is a story about Marla's six-month struggle trying to make our trip successful that I would like for you to read. It should raise some eyebrows.
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STORY SEVEN: THE PICTURES FROM THE TWO TONS OF STEEL WESTERN DANCE ARE READY!
http://ssqq.com/information/twotons00.htm

I am also pleased to note that the pictures from the Two Tons of Steel Western concert have been posted.

The four men who comprise Two Tons - Kevin Geil, Dennis Fallon, Ric Ramirez, and Chris Dodds - could not have been nicer guys. They were consummate professionals all night long.

Kevin, the lead singer, made me laugh when he mentioned how confused the band was playing here at SSQQ.

Kevin said they weren't used to air-conditioning, they weren't used to no smoke, and no one had screamed at them to play a song or thrown a beer bottle at them all night long. Where in the heck were all the rowdy people?

If they weren't sweating, coughing, and miserable, they barely knew how to play!

SSQQ was probably the easiest venue they have ever played in. Our guests certainly appreciated Two Tons. Every song was danceable and the floor was crowded all night long.

My thanks to all of you who came out to support the band!
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STORY EIGHT: THE SSQQ LOGIC PUZZLE WINNERS FOR NOVEMBER 2005

Two months ago it just the same old people solving the Logic Puzzle and I fussed because no one new was giving it a try. Well, a bunch of people made me eat my words! We had 7 first-time winners! Wow!

However there was ONE discouraging word. I called out OJ Bowman who spends too much time chasing men and not enough time exercising her brilliant mind. By the way, Dr. OJ should not be confused with the football player. She is still mad at him for ruining her catchy name. She is a professor at Texas Women's University in the Medical Center and is one smart cookie. Dr. OJ even confided in me she made a perfect score on her SATs!! And she can't even solve a simple logic puzzle??? Very sad. I guess everyone has a weakness (Mine is making electric trains work at Christmas time).

And now a round of applause for our 12 wonderful puzzle solvers!

2005 November: Halloween Magazine Mixup

1. Margaret Erlandson (First Time Winner!)
2. Lisa Ross (First Time Winner!)
3. Karen Babb (Tenth victory, second in a row)
4. Randy Piniola (First Time Winner!)
5. Clive Metrick (First Time Winner! And solved it twice!)
6. Melinda Grooms (First Time Winner!)
7. Anita Leung (9 months in a row!)
8. Alan Smith (First Time Winner!)
9. Penny Gunderson (First Time Winner!)
10. Susan Arevalo (25 months in a row!)
11. Ann Faget (26 months in a row!)
12. Ritesh Laud (19 months in a row!)


Maybe we will have better luck with the December logic puzzle.
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STORY NINE: THE 2005 DECEMBER LOGIC PUZZLE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER!
http://ssqq.com/archive/logicpuzzle12.htm

Difficulty Level: Medium

Way up at the North Pole, Santa and his elves live a relatively normal life for much of the year. Santa in particular is a best friend with four elves: Fritz, Olaf, Andreas and Hans.

These five men live in Winter Wonderland, a ritzy North Pole subdivision. As friends, they do everything together. They are also very close to the reindeer. Each of the five keeps one of the Reindeer in his cottage with him for company: Prancer, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, and of course Rudolph.

Your job is to sort out the clues to decide which of the four elves or Santa keeps Rudolph in his hut!!
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STORY TEN: JOKE PICTURE OF THE MONTH

Crista Reuss contributed this month's Joke Picture.

It explains beyond a shadow of a doubt why husbands should not take phone messages for their wives.

Enjoy! http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokepicture.htm
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STORY ELEVEN: BEST NEW JOKES AND HALL OF FAME JOKES

Please forgive, but I have been a little swamped lately so I didn't post any new jokes this month. I will catch up in January.

For a look at the best new jokes to date, visit:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokesnew.htm
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HALL OF FAME JOKES

Newcomers to SSQQ may not be aware of how wonderful our Joke page is. Over the years Newsletter readers have been sending in their favorite jokes. I dutifully collect them, edit them, and save them. We are now up to somewhere around 700 jokes.

This month I was busy, so no jokes were added to our Hall of Fame. However do not despair because I did find the time to publish 27 clean jokes and 23 dirty jokes from our December collection. You can read this month's Hall of Fame jokes at:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokes.htm

And if you have a great joke, send it in!
Email to dance@ssqq.com
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STORY TWELVE: SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE: A NEW ENGAGEMENT AND A WEDDING!
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/romance.htm

SHERILYN BERTHET AND JOHN EDWARDS GET ENGAGED!!

Sherilyn Berthet and John Edwards met through church and SSQQ Swing classes. They grew closer on this year's SSQQ Alaska Cruise and announced their engagement to me the night of the SSQQ Halloween Party. They will be getting married on Saturday, December 31, at 4:00 pm.

They would love for their SSQQ friends to join them. Please contact them at sberthet@hotmail.com
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LINDA MALIN AND BILL HOLDEN GET MARRIED IN OCTOBER!

Bill Holden and Linda Malin have been engaged for two years. I have teased this poor couple so many times about when they were going to get married that they practically stopped talking to me. However during Alaska Cruise in July this year, Linda hinted she thought the moment would finally arrive in October. So I saw them in Sharon's Cha Cha class the other day and "asked".

Linda smiled and nodded "yes".

Congratulations to both!
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STORY THIRTEEN: THE SULTAN'S PALACE
http://ssqq.com/archive/sultanpalace.htm

Last month Gary Richardson contributed pictures of a fabulous Arabian Palace located in Dubai.

Included with the pictures was a political statement which accused the wealthy Arabs of soaking the American people for oil money so they could buy Silver-plated Audis (Saudi Audis, get it?)

Two weeks after I published these pictures, I got an angry email from a woman who claimed to live in Dubai.

-----Original Message-----
From: Caitlin Rieckhoff
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 4:19 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Beautiful Hotel

Hey, Somehow I wondered across your site and landed on the place where you claim the Emirates palace hotel was a Palace for the Sheikh. Well that's bullshit, I live in Abu-Dhabi, on the corniche, and the Emirates Palace is actually a real hotel, when it first opened
Me and my friends rented a room in it to party in.

I'm really disapionted in your site.

Caitlin Rieckhoff
………………..

So I checked out her claim and was embarrassed to discover she was absolutely right. Somebody had stolen the picture's from the hotel's website and used them for a dishonest email spread around the world…. And I was stupid enough to fall for it.

I corrected the web site. http://ssqq.com/archive/sultanpalace.htm
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STORY FOURTEEN: SPEAKING OF DISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET…

Recently a friend of mine sent me this wonderful story:

"His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around."
………..

Since stuff this cool only occurs in movies, I immediately visited http://snopes.com/ , my favorite urban legend page. Type in "Fleming" or "Churchill"

The verdict? Total nonsense.
My point? Don't believe anything on the Internet that sounds good. Check it out.
……….


STORY FIFTEEN: PART-TIME HELP WANTED

1. SATURDAY HALL MONITOR (two Saturdays a Month). Like police work, the Hall Monitor job is occasionally unbelievably busy and stressful, but most of the time boring and pretty relaxed. The pay is fair and classes are free. Inquire to Marla Archer at marla@ssqq.com

…………………..

STORY SIXTEEN: COMPLAINT OF THE MONTH

1) REGISTRARS ARE RUDE.
2) WHAT ABOUT DISCOUNTS FOR PEOPLE WHO TOOK CLASSES BEFORE 2001.
3) WHY CAN'T VISITORS DROP IN?
 

MESSAGE ONE

-----Original Message-----
From: PD
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:22 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: Class Registration

At the start of November Frank and I came to the studio to register for the Advanced class but we left after becoming so irritated once again with your front desk. I had told them that I was a repeat but they insisted I pay the full amount. I really don't mind paying the full amount but I think they just act so unfriendly.

Tonight I decided to register for December online (Intermediate WS) and I paid the full price. Then, I went to register Frank and it didn't even show him as a repeat for Intermediate Western Swing, which we took two months ago with you. I should have noticed this when I registered because I paid the last time as well - half price.

It is really unfortunate that, apparently, so many people abused your friendly staff. I still don't think enforcing policies should give them the license to be rude or act like they would just as soon we get lost. I don't see how this is any better for your business. Of course, it doesn't look like attendance is low so I guess it hasn't hurt you too much.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know and please let me know how to get the discount for Frank. Happy Thanksgiving -

Thanks, PD

RICK'S REPLY TO MESSAGE ONE

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 9:03 PM
To: PD
Subject: RE: Class Registration

Before responding to your letter, I took a quick look at what our records show so you can see what I am looking at.

By the way, you can access these records yourself. When you go to online registration, click "history" and type in your student ID.

I noticed another record for "patricia h" which had no student ID, but it was obviously you since the email address was the same. As a result any records linked to that name are inaccessible. I have no way of knowing which classes you took as patricia h

I will reply now to your concerns.

Point One: The Advanced class

You wrote: "Frank and I came last month to the studio to register for the Advanced class but we left after becoming so irritated once again with your front desk. I had told them that I was a repeat but they insisted I pay the full amount."

Rick Archer responds: If you look at the history above for both you and Frank, there is no mention of any "Advanced" class. How is the Registrar supposed to know that you took an "Advanced" class when there is no record of it?? You need to see it from their point of view. They have nothing to go by but what they see on the screen.

So I am curious, Patty, when you took that advanced class that became an issue with you last month. Maybe I can track down a record from a different direction.


Point Two:

Paying full price for Intermediate WS. The records above show very clearly that you have taken this class not once, but twice previously. There is no reason for you to pay full price.

I will tell you the registration system is not perfect. No one knows why people are occasionally denied the half price option when they try to register online, but it does happen occasionally. This is a source of great irritation to me, but I do not know how to solve it.

All I know is when the online system doesn't work, if people will speak up then my wife Marla can adjust it using walkin registration. You will be refunded or credited the money we owe you if you will simply print this email out and show it to her when you come to class the first night.

Point Three

I don't appreciate rudeness in my registration staff any more than you do. However unless you identify who it is and what they did or said, there is little I can do. If you will name the person, then I will have a word with them.

Closing

I will make one point in closing. It is very stressful standing up to people who are convinced they are right when you have nothing to go on other than what the computer says. I tell my registrars to go by what the computer says. For every person who is correct, there are others who aren't. I don't want my staff making the decision who to believe and who not to believe.

This means that if you and Frank insisted you took Advanced and the computer said you didn't, the Registrar was caught in a hopeless squeeze.

Sorry to say this, but it isn't easy to stick to your guns gracefully all the time. Sometimes people lose their patience in no-win situations like the one you have described.

MESSAGE TWO

-----Original Message-----
From: PD
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 10:17 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: Class Registration

Thanks for your quick reply. We didn't say that Frank had already taken the Advanced class - I just told them that I had taken it. I moved to Houston in late 1998 and, while it may not be evident by my dance technique, I took a class every night for at least a year, maybe two - at least three Ghost Town classes. So, the records for all of these classes in 1999 and 2000 are not in your system.

I only stopped coming when I started working on my Master's degree, which I finished in May 04. It has just been difficult to see the change in the front desk from relaxed and friendly to so distrusting. I understand your need to tighten controls since so many people were abusing the system - it just seems like they could be nicer about it. She could have said, "oh, I am so sorry - I don't know what else to do - if you just talk to Rick at break or bring me some evidence then I could give you the discount next month" - something like that instead of acting so smug. I will get the name next time and watch how others react - maybe I am just oversensitive to the new system since I was gone so long. Also, I am overly critical of people enforcing rules in a way I find disrespectful. I manage that every day at work and I have LOTS of experience in getting people to comply with policies in a way that is at least respectful, if not apologetic. You know my personality, I am not one to "push someone over the edge" - especially in a public setting!

Anyway, Frank and I will be there this Sunday. See you soon and thanks again for checking into this, PD

RICK'S REPLY TO MESSAGE TWO

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 11:50 AM
To: PD
Subject: RE: Class Registration Repeat Policy

Patty, this is the second time you have protested about my system.

I remember when you brought along Frank's very nice parents who were down from Kingwood w/o warning me. You cleverly bypassed the Hall Monitor who was doing her job by using your receipt to get into Room 2 where you then spoke to me. I of course let your in-laws join us and enjoyed having them.

But the truth is, I hate it when people don't use the system!

I really don't want a bunch of people walking in on us unannounced. And the only way to control this is to "control this".

All you had to do was email me ahead of time. I am here to TEACH and the more distractions I (and the rest of my staff) have to deal with, the more the product is diminished. This is why our receipts say very clearly: "No Children, No Guests, No Watching."

The Hall Monitors literally keep the place organized. And they take a lot of abuse in the process!! The meanness of some of our students explains why sometimes their patience (and that of our Registrars) wears thin.

Now as for the incident involving the Advanced class, now that I know more about it, I have to say the Registrar followed our policy correctly. You can read it for yourself: It is stated clearly on the Internet.

http://ssqq.com/information/information.htm

Repeating a Class

You may repeat any 4-week class that you have taken previously for Half Price.

SSQQ has kept an electronic record of each class our students have taken since 2002. You can always check your class history by going to our On-Line Registration Page. Click "History", then type in your Student ID. You will see a list of every class you have ever taken at SSQQ.

The On-Line system allows you to automatically take a class for half-price. However if you use Walk-In Registration, we will check your Class History for our record of your previous class. (Unfortunately Crash Courses are not included in this offer since we do not keep records.)

There are a lot of people who took classes in the years before we went to computerized registration. If you fall into this category and wish to repeat a class for half-price, simply email Rick Archer for permission at dance@ssqq.com

However if you show up at the studio without asking in advance and have no email authorization, the Registrars will not take your word for it. They are instructed to charge you full price.

Please don't argue with the Staff. Don't say, "Why won't you take my word for it?"

We thoroughly dislike having students ask our Registrars and Hall Monitors to bend the rules. That is not their job. They have orders to turn you down.

Exceptions are made by Rick Archer. Please email him in advance and save yourself some money.

Now, Patty, put yourself in my shoes. You remember the days when it was Mom and Pop. That is part of your frustration. Every one of our administrative changes was created to deal with problems. You have no idea how crazy things were in 2000 when I was forced to put in some of the controls you object to.

Then Bin Laden came along and solved the problem for me. Things have never been the same in the past four years around here.

I have to be honest. I have many former students who took classes in the 80s and 90s who inquire about half-price. Here are some recent examples:


"Rick, I was told to e-mail you with this question....I took many classes at SSQQ several years ago, and now I have convinced my boyfriend to take classes but he is at the beginner level. I am not in your computer files but I was wondering if I could get credit for half off the classes that I took before if I have to take them again with him. I will be in your class tonight as we are taking beginning western swing so you might recognize me.

The classes I have previously taken are:

Beg, int, and adv. western swing - I have taken a couple of ghost towns but don't know which ones so I won't worry about those.
Beg and Int Swing and Salsa
Beg. Waltz.
Merengue
Mambo

Thank you, Heather"


"Hi Rick,

I was about to sign up Greg and me for beg western swing but realized that my past Classes are not in your online database. Since I took all of the western swing, jitterbug and whip Classes in the mid to late 90's, am I still eligible for a discount for myself? (Greg is full price, of course)

Please let me know when you can. Greg and I are really enjoying your classes! Thanks! Deborah"


"Rick,

As per the repeating a class policy, in the month of October, can I take the Beginning Western Swing class and the Intermediate Swing/Jitterbug class as repeats, both at half price? These classes were originally taken by me back in 2001. The attached .pdf file contains my 2001 receipt copies. There are 5 receipts for 9 classes. They used a highlighter pen on the receipts (which did not copy), so I put a dot next to the highlighted classes. Thanks, Bill"


"Hi Rick,

I am a returning SSQQ student and took all sorts of variations of swing dance with Maureen from November 1999 thru March 2000. These dates are before SSQQ initiated computerized history.

Per the SSQQ website general information section, this email is to serve as my advance request to take Intermediate Swing/Jitterbug at half price with Maureen starting Monday, September 5th at 7pm.

I look forward to your reply email authorization.

Regards, Phillip"


In closing, the Registrar enforced the rules as I established them. They did their job. If you wish to blame someone, blame me. I admit that after 28 years of listening to people constantly "bargaining" or arguing with me about stuff that isn't very important, I get worn out and more likely to say, "that's the rule and I am sticking to it." This jaded attitude explains why I avoid doing Registration myself.

If the Registrar said or did something more severe than saying, "that's the rule. Please understand I am expected to follow it," then that is another story. I do not know what was said or how it was handled. I might add when there are people waiting in line, the Registrars are under a lot of pressure to keep things moving. Taking extra time with an impasse like yours is hard to justify when people behind you are tapping their feet.

Finally, I have to say it gets old apologizing to people who fuss at the Registrars for not bending the rules.

In closing, I agree an issue such as this should be handled tactfully, but unless you elaborate on the incident what am I supposed to do? If you had any idea how badly some people talk to these women, you might be sympathetic.

Personally, the simple thing to do might be to discontinue half price options before the dawn of the On Line system. Do you think that would be a good idea or a bad idea?? If it makes nice people like you angry, maybe we should do away with it entirely.

MESSAGE THREE

-----Original Message-----
From: PD
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 4:47 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: Class Registration Repeat Policy

Yes, until I came back recently, all I knew of SSQQ was the Mom and Pop style. I have not worked in "retail" since high school so maybe I am underestimating the rudeness of some people. We were actually late so there was no one standing behind us. I wish I did remember exactly what she said but it was more of an attitude I felt of "get lost". Maybe registration is so difficult that is how they start to feel or maybe I am oversensitive. I just don't understand why it should be like this - if you like, I would be glad to observe it for you for one month and see if I can make suggestions.

I didn't realize Frank's parents were going to want to come with us that night and I did not know there was a need to email in advance. Once I found that out, I emailed you about my mom to keep that on file in case she comes in town.

I think it would be a very good idea to discontinue half-price prior to the online system. It is a policy that seems too time-consuming to follow. If I am not the first to complain then it should definitely be discontinued as soon as you can because the frustration is not about the money. Your prices are VERY reasonable and no one should mind paying again if it has been that long. It just creates some kind of tension on both sides that is not worth it - policies are always better when people feel like they are simple to follow or enforceable and applied equitably.

Anyway, that really does seem like the best idea - just tell everyone that classes taken prior to the online system don't count.

Good luck - PD

REPLY TO MESSAGE THREE

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 12:02 PM
To: PD
Subject: RE: Class Registration Repeat Policy

This letter is no longer business, but personal.

I appreciate your candor, Patty. I have little doubt someone was rude to you, but there isn't much I can do about it unless someone speaks up. Just be aware my wife Marla will be watching her staff with an eagle eye.

I miss the Mom and Pop days a lot. Big is not always better. There is no doubt a little bit of the original spark is gone. Not completely, but a little.

Unfortunately it all starts with me. I am the heart of this organization. I keep the energy pumping and the people on their feet. But I have just gone through the toughest year of my adult life. You cannot believe all the stuff that went wrong!!

And most of it was senseless, needless, unnecessary. But shit happens. That is the way of life. I suffered through the loss of my two most important employees, a horrible custody fight for my child, Hurricane Rita which shattered both my business and my studio's dance cruise, the loss of several key instructors, the loss of my online registration creator, the emergence of the most serious competitor in twenty years, the appearance of a difficult landlord, and to top it all off a recent frightening cancer scare for my wife (fortunately past us now). Sad to say all these problems drained me dry. I simply can't stay on top of things when I am staggering trying to patch holes.

Fortunately it looks for the moment knock on wood (which I just did) like the worst is behind me. The coast for 2006 appears clear. And when adversity doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. Now I am ready to write the next chapter.

I intend to try to bring back the heat in 2006.

Wish me luck.

MESSAGE FOUR

-----Original Message-----
From: PD
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2005 9:39 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: Class Registration Repeat Policy

Thanks for sharing that - you always appear so "on top" of everything that I really had no idea. Even with the cruise which I thought was terribly disappointing (I thought of your missed cruise when the hurricane first happened) you retained your sense of humor. I should have realized that since it is your studio you have pressure to do this whether you really feel that way or not. I do the same thing at work and it is not MY school. I am really sorry about all you have had to go through in such a short period - that makes it much harder because you don't have time to recuperate between what can feel like catastrophes. Now, I feel really bad that my complaint caused even more irritation for you. Frank and I have been sued twice by his son's mother - we are back in court now the second time and, even though it is not nearly as terrible as what you went through (full custody battle), it is still so stressful for us and completely unnecessary. I remember thinking once that your divorce was probably so easy because of Samantha's age. Good grief!

However, I am glad this policy will be changed. This will take pressure off your staff and your students both - a win, win. Yesterday we went to the YMCA and I noticed THEY charge more for dance classes than SSQQ! So, as my very first email stated, it is just not about the money. Once it is the policy, if anyone minds then your staff should recommend that instead of taking dance classes they should take a second job - just kidding.

While you are changing policy, you may want to consider just stating that the half price discount will only apply to classes taken within the past five calendar years. You could make it effective January 1, 2006 as part of your New Year's resolution. This would automatically take care of the classes prior to the online system because you have had the system for five years now - so, any class prior to 12/31/2000 would become a non issue. Some people wouldn't even make the connection to the online system. This would also allow you to drop data from your computer database older than five years without having to worry about it. Of course, you wouldn't want the administrative burden of dropping data monthly so you could just drop at each calendar year. The funny thing is that it might eventually encourage people to take more classes each November and December before they lose their discount. That is how we all tend to think. At my school, we charge families a "new family" fee if they are gone more than three years. Time goes by fast and you may want to just put in this one policy now instead of having to change it again later. I think people dislike change more than they mind paying an extra $12 - just a thought. I wouldn't make anything effective in December because people are so touchy and depressed during the "holiday" season.

I do wish you luck because you still have the best studio in town, if not all of Texas, and I am sure it will stay that way as long as you are around.

(Editor's Note: The SSQQ computerized On-Line Registration System went into effect in August, 2001. This means we have records for everyone for over four years.

Starting in January 2006, I think it is time to end the half-price option for repeating classes not listed in your course history through the end of 2001. Our classes are not terribly expensive anyway.

As the letters above indicate, people get angry at the Registrars over the issue, the Registrars are accused of being rude over the issue, and quite frankly dealing with the issue has become a major headache.

If you are convinced you took a class since January 2002 that isn't in your history, you are welcome to email me (Rick Archer) and I will take a look.
………………

STORY SEVENTEEN: BRYAN SPIVEY WRITES ABOUT HIS DANCE COMPETITIONS

-----Original Message-----
From: bryan Spivey mailto:bubbamotion@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 12:16 PM
To: rick archer
Subject: competition results

The recent Dallas dance festival was a fun one. There are 2 Dallas dance competitions - one for WCS/whip (exclusively WCS/whip circuit) and another for the country circuit (UCWDC).

Cher Longoria and I competed at the most recent one - the UCWDC Dallas Dance. At the UCWDC events, you have the opportunity to dance WCS the country style - with a hat and boots and you also have the opportunity to dance WCS like the WCS circuit does, which is great because it gives students an opportunity to try and get out on the floor if they ever want to. PRO-AMS are also the best way to go because your partner is a professional dancer and it is his/her job to make the student look good.

Cher and I competed in both WCS circuits and did very well! She got 3rd overall out of 12 couples in the WCS circuit and she placed 2nd out of 14 in the UCWDC circuit. And yes I had boots and a hat on!! Can you believe it...I guess I am becoming a Texan!

Allison Crunk and Susan Arevalo also danced with me in the WCS circuit placing 3rd and 4th respectively. Scott Ladell danced with all three ladies in the country portion of the event and did well too.

SSQQ is definitely starting to make a name for itself in the competition arena. This year I have gotten 2 top teacher awards and numerous PRO-AM victories with many of the ladies/students here at SSQQ.

Sometimes talking about competitions can be intimidating, but even I had to go through the ranks as a novice. I did and took the competition by the horns by winning 3 out of my 4 PRO-AMS. This was an extremely exciting experience for me and I have been enjoying it ever since. I finally got my mother to compete with me at a local country competition winning both her age group and level the first time ever out there...like mother like son! :O)

I see the talent everyday when I step through the doors at SSQQ. I would like to extend my services to any students who really want to try this competition thing or just learn to be a better social dancer. My professional training comes from some of the top names in the WCS circuit and they are regarded as some of the best!

I also want to hold a workshop on a Saturday that helps answer any question about competition and how to view it differently from social dancing. I'm a certified judge and can answer any questions anyone may have about the competition environment.

Lisa and I also thought about holding a spring show probably in March or April to give the students the opportunity to showcase their ability to dance. The show would be a copulation of any dance done to entertain a crowd much like Lisa and I did a couple times at your big events when you had a band. The spring show does not have the pressure of being in a competition; there is no 1st or last place! It is primarily an opportunity for students to showcase their new talent. I know that Lisa and I will have something, Cher and I will have something, my mom and I will have something and Lisa and Robert Goins are thinking of something as well too. I would like to see everyone get involved with this so we can have the opportunity to display what we have been working so hard on. We have mentioned it to a few and have really gotten some positive feedback, so I think this would be a great new addition to SSQQ.

Take care,
Bryan

(Editor's Note: Bryan Spivey is well on his way to becoming Houston's next superstar Whip and West Coast Swing dancer. I fully expect to see him in the national spotlight in the years to come.

If you are a lady and you are interested in competing, Bryan will do a great job. Just give him a call (832-457-0014 cell) or email him at bubbamotion@yahoo.com )
………..


STORY EIGHTEEN: COMPLAINT OF MONTH: PARTNERS WHO ARE UNPLEASANT

-----Original Message-----
From: C
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 11:57 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Changing partners

Rick,
Hi, I'm new to SSQQ and am enjoying the Salsa lessons very much. I don't mind switching partners until it comes to a man who has body odor. I'm sure I'm not the first person to complain about this. Most of these foreigners don't wear deodorant, I know that. But if they want to be Americans they should act like Americans and take of personal hygiene. Saturday evening if I was going to have to dance with this one guy in particular one more time I think I would have thrown up. Thank God Dokata ended the class. I don't know how you handle this or maybe I should just slip away to the restroom and join in later. I try to smile and be sweet, but my kindness is about to wear out. Thanks for any advice/suggestions you can give me.
C

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 3:17 PM
To: C
Subject: RE: Changing partners

Confronting someone who is unpleasant is a deeply embarrassing situation. The simple way to handle it is to tell the person they stink. That would solve the problem. However you did not want to do this, which I might add is how most people handle the problem. Now you understand one of the reasons we change partners.

Most people find it is easier to tolerate the situation than to handle it directly.

For example, I dance with one woman who has sweaty palms. My hands are dripping wet when we are done. Another woman comes to class directly from exercise class and reeks. Yet another woman appears to have warts all over her back. I tremble when it is my turn to put my hand on her back. Another woman comes to mind who is so tense she simultaneously pushes against my shoulder and presses her elbow down on my arm. My arm aches the entire time I dance with her. And yet another woman who has to be the worst dancer on earth cannot wait to dance with me at practice. She attacks faster than a blood-starved mosquito. And despite my misgivings I always dance with her when she asks.

Let me add that just because they are unpleasant to dance with doesn't mean they are nice people. Everyone of the ladies above is a great person which is why I don't mind that much.

In other words, I deal with it.

-----Original Message-----
From: C
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 3:43 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: complaint of month Changing partners

Thanks, I'll just deal with it.
………….

And that's a wrap for December.

Thanks for reading this month's issue of the SSQQ Newsletter!
Rick Archer

Rick Archer
dance@ssqq.com (email)
 

This is the December 2005 issue of the SSQQ Newsletter.
It is written by Rick Archer.

THE MINI-DECEMBER NEWSLETTER AT A GLANCE

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT SSQQ

STORY 1: THE 2006 SSQQ CRUISE SCHEDULE
                 1. PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN LATE MAY
                 2. NEW ENGLAND IN LATE SEPTEMBER
STORY 2: A RECAP OF THE PREVIOUS EIGHT SSQQ CRUISE TRIPS
STORY 3: THE DECEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY - Friday, December 23, 9 pm
STORY 4: THE 2006 SSQQ NEW YEARS EVE PARTY - Saturday, December 31, 9 pm
STORY 5: THE JANUARY 2006 DANCE SEMESTER BEGINS ON SUNDAY, January 8.
STORY 6: PICTURES FROM THE 2005 HALLOWEEN PARTY!
STORY 7: STORIES AND PICTURES FROM THE 2005 RHAPSODY CRUISE!
STORY 8: PICTURES FROM TWO TONS OF STEEL WESTERN DANCE!
STORY 9: THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS CAROL PICTURE PUZZLE
…………….

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT SSQQ DANCE STUDIO

Hi Everyone.

This is a special "Mini-Newsletter". I am putting out this issue to announce the SSQQ Christmas and New Years Parties plus our upcoming Cruise Schedule for next year.

We will be closed for the first week of January, which is when we will be refinishing our dance floors. I intend to put another newsletter out that week so keep your eyes pealed for the January SSQQ Newsletter shortly after our New Year's Party.

In the meantime, you can see the January 2006 SSQQ Dance Schedule at:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/schedule.htm

You can read the January Extra with descriptions of the classes at:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/extra.htm


STORY ONE: THE 2006 SSQQ CRUISE SCHEDULE

Marla and I are pleased to announce two upcoming cruises for 2006. Here are two brief recaps of the details:

1. PACIFIC NORTHWEST MAY 21 - 27

Sail the Radiance of the Seas as we take a jaunt up the magnificent Pacific coast. Leaving out of San Diego, we first visit San Francisco, then stop at Astoria (Oregon), Victoria (British Columbia), and finish at Vancouver.

Inside: $610 Oceanview: $765 Balcony: $855

Round trip air fare and ground transportation available through Royal Caribbean for $569.

Come a day early and visit the marvelous San Diego Zoo with Rick and Marla, explore the awesome John Muir redwood forest, visit Alcatraz, take a ferry across the bay to Sausalito or simply leave your heart in San Francisco, gaze in wonder at the incredible Pacific Northwest rainforest as we visit the blast zone at Mt. St. Helens in Astoria, and finish the trip in style as we visit the lush and exotic Gardens of Victoria!

2. NEW ENGLAND SEPTEMBER 23 - 30


Sail the Jewel of the Seas as we visit New England to see the stunning beauty of the Autumn leaves! Leaving out of Boston, we first visit Martha's Vineyard, then Portland (Maine), Bar Harbor (Maine), Halifax (Nova Scotia), St Johns (New Brunswick), then return to Boston.

Inside: $1035 Oceanview: $1185 Balcony: $1335

Round trip air fare and ground transportation available thru Royal Caribbean for $465.

Trees swayin' in the Autumn breeze, breathtaking vistas of red, yellow, and orange leaves, the magnificent lighthouses of Maine, the marvelous history of Boston, lobsters, clam chowder, Acadia National Park at Bar Harbor, the stunning Canadian landscape and seascape, plus the quaint charm of New England is yours for the taking in this wonderful trip to a part of the country many of us have always dreamed of visiting, but never had the chance to do.

SSQQ CRUISE INSIDE SCOOP: A RECAP OF OUR PREVIOUS EIGHT CRUISES
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/

1. JAMAICA 1998
Our first cruise trip was a quiet little jaunt to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel that sailed out of New Orleans back in 1998. That trip took 30 guests. I don't remember much about the trip other than it was a century ago.
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/jamaica.htm


2. VERA CRUZ 2001
We hit it big in 2001. We took over 100 people on what was supposed to be an exciting excursion to Cozumel and Cancun. However the threat of a hurricane diverted us to Vera Cruz, which wasn't exactly the most scintillating destination we have been to. Personally speaking, I could have cared less since this was the trip I met Marla on. We have never been apart since, a true testimony to power of romance aboard the high seas!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/caribbeanhome.htm


3. RHAPSODY 2002
Although I was completely distracted by the smile of my future bride, the rest of our group wasn't very happy about being stuck with Vera Cruz. So I politely asked Carnival if they would extend returning members a discount in 2002. Carnival completely brushed me off, so in 2002 I switched our trip over to Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas sailing out of Galveston.

Although the Rhapsody trip was longer and more expensive, we still managed to take an impressive group of 90 people on the 2002 trip. This was the first trip Gary Richardson and his wife Betty came on. His incredible gift for photography resulted in some great pictures from the trip. This was a trip that rocked!!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/rhapsody2002.htm


4. JUBILEE 2003
In 2003, we decided to give Carnival another chance. After all, they were less expensive and we wanted to schedule a trip over July 4th, which as most of you know is the most expensive time of the year for cruising. This was the first trip that Marla organized herself. She did a great job!

The time was right, the price was right, and the economy was good… we got a group of 144!! We could have taken well over 150, but a dozen last-minute shoppers had to be turned away because the ship sold out.

The trip should have been sensational, but it turned out the ship we went on - Carnival's Jubilee - was just one trip from being put out to sea so to speak. In other words, Carnival was preparing to send the ship to the poorest country it could find because the ship was complete junk.

The whining and complaints from that trip - all legitimate concerns I might add - would cause a prospector to go deaf if they rattled off the walls of the Grand Canyon. The condition of the Jubilee was so bad it was nearly impossible to have fun. Our dance classes were held in a room where the air conditioning was broken, the ship itself vibrated and rocked constantly, and our dance floor was so sticky it felt like we danced in rubber boots. Yuck.
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/jubilee2003.htm


5. MARDI GRAS 2004
In 2004 we learned our lesson and switched back to Royal Caribbean. But first we had to learn a lesson the hard way - our group would rather pay more money and get a quality ship like the Rhapsody than take the chance to get stuck on a floating barge disguised as a cruise ship again.

Our February trip to Mardi Gras turned out to be a great trip. We had such a great time the nightmare of the previous summer's trip Jubilee disappointment began to fade away.

But first we had to overcome a huge problem - a tugboat had capsized in the Missisippi River and several men had likely lost their lives. Consequently the river was closed so a search could be made to recover their bodies. As a result we were not allowed to dock in New Orleans. Instead we took a long bus ride from Gulfport, Mississippi, to attend Mardi Gras. To our total surprise, we had just as much fun as anyone could possibly have.

This was the trip where George Sargent, the infamous Mr. Handsome, first made his mark as the Leader of the Pack. Everywhere you looked, there was Mr. Handsome not only making the scene, but also making sure a camera was nearby to chronicle his mischief. As if that wasn't enough, Handsome would then turn to me and practically demand that I write a story about each of his adventures. Or he would lobby my significant other in search of more publicity. For example, after he beat my team at volleyball in Cozumel, he made sure to tell Marla that he figured I would NEVER write that story.

Thus began the Legend of Mr. Handsome.
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/mardigras2004home.htm


6. THE RHAPSODY WEDDING CRUISE 2004
Our 2004 September Rhapsody Trip was a wonderful trip. This was the trip where Marla and I decided to get married aboard the Rhapsody. The Rhapsody Staff remembered us from the Mardi Gras trip earlier in the year and treated Marla and I like visiting royalty. Every time we came back to our cabin there was a present here and a bottle of champagne there. The Captain invited us to have dinner with him and even invited us to a private meeting aboard the bridge the next day. In return we scheduled a Tango lesson for him and his fiancιe who by coincidence was also aboard the ship.

Marla and I were not the ones aboard this trip. In fact, we took 125 guests along for an amazing trip. Mr. Handsome misbehaved constantly and inspired others to take up the mantle of mischief as well. The was the trip that saw the birth of the Usual Suspect Mischief Team, a Merrye Olde Band of revelers that not only constantly tried to stir up trouble wherever they went, but took a camera along to chronicle their misdeeds.

Mr. Handsome developed a protιgι on this trip - Phyllis Porter. For the first part of the trip, Phyllis spent most of her energy trying to get Mr. Handsome in trouble, then taking pictures of his many misdeeds so she could run to Gary Richardson and give him her tabloid quality pictures for safe keeping. Phyllis was paranoid enough to worry about her camera being sabotaged. For her efforts, Phyllis earned the nickname "Paparazzi".

Then something very exciting happened to Phyllis. She and several of her partners in crime attended a "Beatles" concert one night aboard the Rhapsody. Phyllis was so overcome her excitement that she decided to recreate Beatlemania for all to see. She rushed up on stage and gave "John Lennon" a huge smooch right in front of everyone. Part of her figured of course she would get thrown off the stage and maybe even the ship, but to her delight "John Lennon" was very enthusiastic about her antics. Emboldened by Phyllis' chutzpah, several other ladies in our group rushed the stage as well and put on an impromptu dance performance to "Twist and Shout". As you might imagine, the crowd loved it!

That is when a light bulb inside Phyllis' head. It was more fun to get in trouble and cause trouble than it was to take pictures of other people getting in trouble. She decided to become a celebrity in her own right. Sure enough, following in the footsteps of the infamous Mr. Handsome, she began to get in trouble right and left and be sure someone took her picture along the way. Thus began the Legend of the Center of Attention, her new moniker.

As you can imagine, the entire trip was an incredible event.
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/rhapsody2004home.htm


7. ALASKA 2005
Our July 2005 trip to Alaska was another slam-dunk success.

We took over 70 people to view the stunning Alaska vistas. Every day we gazed in awe at the huge skyscraper mountains, pristine untouched forests everywhere the eye could gaze, magnificent glaciers just 800 yards away from the bow of our ship, and at rivers, waterfalls, and islands so beautiful they looked like they belonged in a travel magazine!

We also found time to dance constantly: four workshops and dancing after dinner every night. If only a couple animals had bothered to show up and the Calgary luggage fiasco could have been avoided, we would have had a perfect trip!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/alaska2005.htm


8. RITA RHAPSODY 2005
Our Rita Rhapsody Trip this past September 2005 was a classic example of people making lemonade out of lemons.

As you remember back to Hurricane Rita, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Our trip was cut in half and ten percent of our group canceled. The morale of the 80 people that did go was defeated, depressed, and half-hearted at best.

And yet we had a great trip! By the second day of the cruise, our group was laughing, getting into trouble, stuffing hot tubs, and getting drunk on margarita escapades in Cozumel. We had our Cocktail Party, we had our Formal Night, we showed off our dancing at the Captain's Reception, we had two great dance workshops, and we had the dance floor to ourselves every night of the trip.

Building on her performance of a year earlier, the Center of Attention put this downtrodden group on her back and single-handedly caused more trouble than anyone could ever have imagined.

For three days, Phyllis went non-stop. If it wasn't corrupting innocent young men from our group like Robert Frisky Business at Senor Frogs in Cozumel, it was encouraging men like Mr. Hat and the Hurdy-Gurdy man to chase wild women in bars or it was organizing hot tub stuffing orgies, or chasing every foreign man she could get her hands on (including a certain statue in Mexico).

Along with her partners in crime Gary "Mr. Hat" Schweinle and Leslie "Alpha Hussy" Goldsmith, the Center of Attention generated plenty of tabloid copy. These three were our superstars, but Phyllis was definitely the motor that made the engine run.

No more days as the "Paparazzi". Her antics made us laugh, frown, and crack up. Phyllis became the Discord Diva of the highest degree. Speaking for everyone in the group, I was very grateful to have someone of Phyllis' ability around to roil the waters.

And let me add one thing: I have to say "hats off" to the magical restorative powers of a cruise trip even if it was too short! We all returned a lot happier than when we left, that's for sure. That said, no one was ready to come home. They practically had to throw us off the ship!!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/rhapsody2005.htm


OUR NEW ADVENTURES IN 2006.

Who will go wild at the San Diego Zoo? Who will lose their heart in San Francisco? Who will explode at Mt. St. Helen's? Who will be a thorn in our side at the Victoria Rose Gardens?

And who will go crazy at "Cheers" in Boston? Who will get lost at Chappaquiddick? Will someone get photographed fondling a lighthouse? Who will love 'em and leave 'em at Acadia National Park?

WE HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK

In parting, Marla and I have a favor to ask. If you are pretty sure you want to go on one or both of the 2006 trips, it would help us a great deal if you could make your first deposit before January 17, 2006.

Due to strict new guidelines on reserving group space, we are only guaranteed rooms through January 17. What this means for us now is that we can only lock in the group space until January 17 for both trips.

If you have an interest in taking one or both of the trips, you MUST give us your credit card number for a $250 deposit for your space prior to January 17th. If you want to go, you gotta show.

You know the game: You have plenty of time to change your mind. The initial deposit is completely refundable up until final payment for each cruise.

1. THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST deposit will be refundable up until March 17th.
2. THE NEW ENGLAND deposit will be refundable up until July 19th.

The good news is that if we can get commitments quickly, Marla can lock in more space for an additional 60 days. In other words, RCCL rewards agents that make progress with matching space, but they won't let some agency tie up their space forever. We WILL lose our group space on January 18th, if we fail to place our deposits.

This means we are asking you to please help get these trips off the ground. If you want to cruise, you better not snooze.

It is our dream to put together future cruises to Hawaii, to the Eastern Caribbean, to the Mediterranean, to England, and even to the South Pacific. As we expand the base of our cruise passenger pyramid, expensive trips to far-off exotic locations become a stronger possibility.

But to accomplish these goals, for the moment we need your support for this coming year's trips quickly. I need those deposits ASAP. . . pretty please!

To contact Marla Archer, phone her at 713 862 4428 or email her at:
Marla@ssqq.com
………………

STORY TWO: STORY FOUR: THE DECEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY
Friday, December 23
9 pm - Midnight, $7
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party24.htm

The SSQQ Christmas Party is unusual in that much of our music has a Christmas twist to it. Thanks to the many Western performers such as Garth Brooks and George Strait, there are many Christmas songs that are excellent Twosteps and Polkas. You simply have not had the full Christmas experience until you dance a Twostep to George Strait's rendition of "Frosty the Snowman"!!

And there is a lot of Christmas Swing music as well including Big Band versions of classic Christmas songs like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and so many more. We play normal dance music as well, but the emphasis is on dancing to Christmas songs.

Down in Room 4, we play non-stop Whip music the whole way through.

There are many Waltzes played at the SSQQ Christmas Party. It turns out there are many Christmas Carols that turn out to be Waltz-tempo such as "What Child is This?", "The First Noel", "Silver Bells", "Away in a Manger", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", and several others. If you like to Waltz, you will love this party!

As a nice touch, George Grega has offered to provide his special lighting that was so popular at the Halloween Party for this year's Christmas and New Year's Party. George owns a company that specializes in providing every service imaginable for large events such as stages, lights, amplifiers, you name it. His company did the lights at our Halloween Party in case you were there.

If you think you might need his services, check out the story about his company on the ssqq web site at http://ssqq.com/information/gregagtgevents.htm

For a nice Dress suggestion, wear clothing with Red or Green or a Christmas Theme shirt/pullover. But you know what? Wear whatever you wish. We run this party right before Christmas. Some of you may be so sick of the Holidays already you are ready to scream. That said, this is low-pressure party that cheers everyone up.

Come see your friends and make some new ones!!
……………………

STORY THREE: THE 2006 SSQQ NEW YEARS EVE PARTY
Saturday, December 31
9 pm - 1 am, $20 at the door
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party25.htm

The SSQQ New Year's Eve Party is all about dancing!

Our 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.

There will be a complimentary buffet.

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.

What is the music at our New Year's Party?

Since everyone is supposed to dress up, we pretend like it is a night on the town in the 40s and play Swing and Ballroom dance music in Room One.

The music in our Main Room will consist of a great deal of Big Band Swing music and Foxtrot. 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 sadness and beauty. In addition there will be a healthy dose of Cha Cha, Tango, and Salsa music.

Western and Whip Dancing are also very popular 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 2006!
………………..

STORY FIVE: THE JANUARY 2006 DANCE SEMESTER BEGINS ON SUNDAY, January 8.
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/schedule.htm

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JANUARY SEMESTER ARE:
1. Dakota Wilhelm begins a 4-month Sunday Latin Cha Cha program
2. Rachel Koenig returns from pregnancy leave, Sunday Adv WS
3. Scott Ladell, Death Valley on Sunday
4. Gloria Sanchez, Balboa on Monday
5. Rick Archer starts a two-month Adv Monday Whip-only class
6. Bryan Spivey and Lisa Palmer, Beg Whip WCS Superclass on Mondays
7. Steve Gekas & Danielle Lam, The elite Tuesday Adv Salsa class
8. Scott, Triple Two on Wednesday
9. State Champions Bryan and Lisa, Thursday Martian Whip
10. Rick, Beg Western Waltz on Fridays
11. Kevin Coleman, Hip Hop on Saturday
12. Willie Bushnell, Zydeco on Saturday

You can read the January Extra with descriptions of these classes and more at:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/extra.htm


STORY SIX: THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 HALLOWEEN PARTY!
http://www.ssqq.com/halloween/halloween2005home.htm

I am greatly pleased to announce the Halloween Party pictures are now posted. Although I do not know the names of all our costume winners, I can at least acknowledge the ones I do know.

1. Christina Lozano and Steve Gabino for Dorothy and Scarecrow (Wizard of Oz)
2. Nick and Leslie Tenaro as the most electric couple we have seen in a long time!
3. Rose Gammill and Alan Arnett for Camelot costumes
4. Keith Whitley (forgive if I got the last name wrong) for a great Zombie.
5. Karen Fess and Wil Uecker as Mardi Gras.
6. Marcia Thomas and Tim Crist as the Egyptians
7. Susan Waring for her awesome stoplight costume!
8. Jim Colby and Marlane Kayfes as Pirates.
9. Lanny Hutto and Jaime Mabry as Green Eggs and Ham. Very cute!
10. Letty and Patrick Dougherty as Romans
11. Mara Rivas and a friend as the sizzling Go-Go Girls.
12. Lisa Palmer and Bryan Spivey as Indian and Cowboy.
13. Stan Romney and friend Deborah as Popeye and Olive Oyl.
14. Marge Galle wearing a beautiful Russian dress.
15. Maureen Huddleston as a fetching Trick or Treat.
16. Aksana Almaguer as a Grapevine and friend Rusty
17. Brian Watson as a Space Storm Trooper
18. Mike Flowers with a great mask!

And then there was one mysterious guy who kept his mask on all night long. He had quite an act. He would ask ladies to dance. Just when he saw the photographer about to shoot his picture, he would pull out a rubber knife and try to stab them with it. Their instincts would kick in and they would scream just as if it was a real attack. The photographer enjoyed this game, so he followed the guy around all night.

My guess is our Jack the Ripper would not dream of revealing his identity, but he definitely had the time of his life scaring the ladies.

This year's Halloween Party was definitely one of our finest ever. We had 300 guests and every one of them left smiling.

My many thanks to all of you who were in attendance!
…………….

STORY SEVEN: THE STORIES AND THE PICTURES FROM THE 2005 RHAPSODY CRUISE!
http://www.ssqq.com/travel/rhapsody2005.htm

After a great deal of waiting, I am pleased to announce the pictures and stories from the SSQQ September Rhapsody Cruise are now completed. There are 14 pages of pictures, plus stories about the Usual Suspects and our favorite activity of hot tub stuffing.

In addition there is a story about Marla's six-month struggle trying to make our trip successful that I would like for you to read. It should raise some eyebrows.
…………….

STORY EIGHT: THE PICTURES FROM THE TWO TONS OF STEEL WESTERN DANCE!
http://ssqq.com/information/twotons00.htm

The pictures from the Two Tons of Steel Western concert have been posted.

The four men who comprise Two Tons - Kevin Geil, Dennis Fallon, Ric Ramirez, and Chris Dodds - could not have been nicer guys. They were consummate professionals all night long.

Kevin, the lead singer, made me laugh when he mentioned how confused the band was playing here at SSQQ.

Kevin said they weren't used to air-conditioning, they weren't used to no smoke, and no one had screamed at them to play a song or thrown a beer bottle at them all night long. Where in the heck were all the rowdy people?

If they weren't sweating, coughing, and miserable, they barely knew how to play!

SSQQ was probably the easiest venue they have ever played in. Our guests certainly appreciated Two Tons. Every song was danceable and the floor was crowded all night long.

My thanks to all of you who came out to support the band!
……………

STORY NINE: THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS CAROL PICTURE PUZZLE

THE SSQQ CHRISTMAS CAROL PUZZLE

Long-time readers of the SSQQ Newsletter know that I have a pet project known as the "SSQQ Christmas Carol Picture Puzzle".

Back in 1996, an instructor at the dance studio named Marla Jennings handed me a sheet of 24 cartoon-style pictures. They represented 24 well-known Christmas Carols put into riddle-form. Quite frankly, I did very poorly on the test. My memory of Christmas Carol names was so bad I could only get about half right. Nevertheless I thought the puzzle was very creative.

Three years later marked the emergence of the SSQQ Web Site. By coincidence I ran across the original piece of paper containing the 24 picture puzzles while cleaning out my desk. For the fun of it I decided to scan them into my computer and publish them on the Internet. Everyone got a big kick out of the puzzle that year, so I ran it again in 2000.

In the years since then, this puzzle has become a world-wide favorite. It has become a permanent member of Google's Top Ten List for "Christmas Puzzles". Last year I had over 500 people who emailed me for the Answer Sheet. This year we have just passed 400 and there are 15 requests in my in-box so maybe we will top last year's total.

If you are curious about the puzzle, please visit:
http://ssqq.com/archive/christmaspuzzle00.htm

I hope you have a great time solving the puzzle and sharing it with your friends.
……………

STORY TEN: THE CHRISTMAS DANCE STORY OF FRANK JEFFERSON

-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Bennett
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 11:20 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Letter to Rick in archived newsletter

"Dear Rick -

There was a very touching letter written to you some time ago from a man (a golfer) who took dance lessons at the studio to appease his wife. However, he related in his letter that the tremendous benefits of bonding and reconnecting with his wife were a wonderful gift he received from relenting and taking classes.

By any chance, would you happen to remember the issue of the newsletter that contained this letter? (or could you forward a copy of that letter to me?)

Thanks so much. Kelly Bennett"


………………..


And that's a wrap for December.

Thanks for reading this month's issue of the SSQQ Newsletter!
Rick Archer
dance@ssqq.com (email)
www.ssqq.com (the SSQQ Web Site)