My Year in Nifty

by Toni L.P. Kelner

Like most of us living by the Gregorian calendar, when the end of December approaches, I find myself reflecting on the events of the previous year. And when I add it all up, I have to say it was a nifty year. I saw and did some pretty nifty things. Now these weren't necessarily earth-shattering accomplishments or life-changing events. They're just things that I'm really glad to have done or seen. So, in no particular order, here's my Nifty List for 2010.

 

Nifty Event

I'm an enthusiastic short story writer, so when Carolyn Haines invited me to submit to her anthology Delta Blues, I enthusiastically agreed. The fact that it was for noir stories about Mississippi Delta blues didn't bother me, even though I'd never been to Mississippi, didn't listen to the blues, and had never written a noir story. So just writing a story that Carolyn liked enough to include would have been nifty enough. But it got a whole lot better.

Carolyn and Ben LeRoy of Tyrus Books decided that what we really needed to do to debut the book to appropriate fanfare was to make a band out of the contributors. Fortunately, many of the contributors are legitimate musicians. I am not. This did not stop me for immediately volunteering to join the band.

So in March, Blue Muse and the Boomettes actually performed at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, MS. And there I was, singing on stage as a Boomette. That's right. I sang in public, and even moved in a marginally rhythmic way. And to my everlasting triumph, I did not fall off the stage.

And you don't have to take my word for it. We've got videos on YouTube!

 

Nifty Tour

In August, my husband, daughters, and I went to England. Now that itself was pretty nifty. We rode a double-decker bus, visited the British Museum, sat in Sherlock Holmes' chair at 221b Baker Street, and gawked outside Buckingham Palace. But the part of the trip that I really think was the most nifty was taking a Doctor Who tour.

Of course, you have to be a fan of the BBC series Doctor Who to appreciate an excursion like this, but believe me, we Kelners are big fans.  So we spent the entire day on a bus trip to Cardiff, Wales, where we got to see sites shown in the current series.  We also went to the Doctor Who exhibition in Dahl Plaza, which Torchwood fans may recognize as the entrance to the Hub.  Along the way, we watched episodes on the bus and competed in a trivia contest and just had the best time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

So if you're a Doctor Who fan with some spare time in London, taking a Brit Movie Tour is a really nifty thing to do.

 

Nifty TV Shows

For many years, I really haven't watched that much current TV. In 2010, that changed. We added four new shows:  Glee, Castle, Sherlock, and Big Bang Theory. Singing outcasts, a sexy mystery writer, a new take on an old favorite, and geek culture. Put 'em all together and it's a nifty bunch of shows to watch.

 

That's just a sample of what happened during my nifty year. I saw some nifty movies and other nifty TV shows, plus took some other really nifty trips--I haven't mentioned riding the Angels Flight funicular in Los Angeles, for instance. But that's enough about me.

What about your year?  What nifty things did you see and do? And what nifty plans do you have for 2011?

Because I think this is going to be a nifty year, too.

Comments

[Karen in Ohio]

What a cool trip, and congratulations on becoming a Boomette! I've always wanted to be a backup singer.

2010 was a wonderful year for me, partly because of lots of travel (mostly in a car). I made it to six more US states, and now have only Alaska to visit. And I added a new continent to my "have been to" list: South America, in the best trip ever to both Macchu Pichu and the Galapagos.

This year, maybe not so much travel (although I'd love to visit Alaska--maybe for my upcoming 60th?), but hopefully conquering other new frontiers.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Oh, fabulous! And you are truly the genuine article, Toni. YOU'RE the nifty one! Congratulations..and may 2011 be even...niftier.

[Toni L.P. Kelner]

Karen, I was surprised by how hard it is to be a backup singer. By the time we finished our set, I was wiped!

Good luck on those travel goals! Alaska is beautiful.

Hank, right back at you. You're all about the nifty.

[Mary S.]

Karen, wow, Macchu Pichu! That must've been one incredible trip.

Toni, what a fun trip for the family. If I ever go back to the UK, Doctor Who and the Torchwood plaza will definitely be on the agenda. Glad you all had a good time.