Complete Posting of Blog on May 25, 2009

On May 25, 2009, I posted a blog that was incomplete. If you wish, you can go back to that posting, and read the opening paragraph which ended with the sentence .... is a story by itself. Here is the complte story of how it was that the Times Union Newspaper printed a story with the headlines: "LIFE DANCING WITH THE CALABRIAS: HOOFING TOGETHER FOR 53 YEARS AND GOING STRONG."

Here is the story itself. Several months earlier, Angela and I offered to teach four classes in social dancing to raise money for the Unitarian-Universalist Society fund drive. We were able to sign up four couples and the net result was $320. for the fund drive. One of the couples in the class, who had taken the lessons and were impressed by the way we taught the class and what we taught, had a friend, Brain Ettkin, who was a reporter for the Times Union Newspaper in Schenectady. They suggested that he interview us as an interesting couple to write an article about. Brian contacted us and came over and spent three and a half hours interviewing Angela and I. Subsequently, he wrote a well written story about how Angela and I met and how we have been dancing together since the time we met.

On Sunday, May 24, the article appeared in the Entertainment Section and there was a picture of Angela and I in a dance pose which took up half of the front page (8" by 12") The size and the pose of the picture did capture your immediate attention along with the message: Life Dancing with the Calabrias: hoofing together for 53 years and going strong. To complete the story, two other narratives were included along with a picture of Angela and I in a different pose. In the second page, there is a headline: "Amazing Grace, Schenectady couple have danced together for half a century," while on the third page, the headline reads: "GRACE: Couple enjoy dance's sensuality."

The response we read was astounding. Everywhere we went on May 24 and for a solid week including today, when I am writing this blog, people have approached us to congratulate us on the article. Since the article appeared, I have felt like a celebrity. Now, I have a little sense how Hollywood celebrities must feel when they are in public pursued by their fans.

One final note on this experience. A photographer from the paper came over and, in addition to the three pictures included with the article, the photographer took us in action doing our version of the Argentine Tango. So, if you are unable to see the article, let me know and I will send you a copy of the article.

Before bringing this blog to a close, I want to make a final comment with a message. I feel sobbered (not that I have been drinking as I write), by this awareness. "You never know for sure will when where whatever you do can lead to some consequence that may surprise you". In my case, I had no clue that by teaching that one set of classes would result in earned us enough to it was amazing - I am surprized come off a cheap ou never can be sure how any know where any action on your part will lead to. Our initial action was to teach four classes in social dancing. That experience ultimately ended up with the Times Union article.