chalk talk, ditdahing in the house

(poster by Wyatt Ramsey)

It's almost musical, isn't it? All percussive, but that's what draws you in.
dit dah dit dah, ditditdit, dit dah, dit dah ditdit, dah dit dah,
dah, dit dah, dit dah ditdit, dah dit dah
Chalk Talk.
As a professor, I am quite familiar with the sounds of chalk striking a slate.
As a former member of the US Navy, I am also familiar with the sounds of Morse code. I used to even play around with it a bit, and one of my favorite expressions whilst stationed in Okinawa was "4 dits, 3 dits, 2 dits, a dah"!
I'll leave you to decipher that one.
When I first found this kickstarter project, I had thought support of it would be a fitting memorial for my recently deceased stepdad, who served this country during World War II. After all, the film was to feature a man from that long-past era, at an elementary school in the company of his young grandson for show-and-tell.
In late May of 2012, I saw the film at the Trustees Theatre, part of those screened for the "16 x 9 Revealed" showcase of senior films. What a treat to see it on the big screen! Even better, the film won two awards: Best Narrative Undergraduate Film, and Best Short Film Screenplay for an Undergraduate Film. Good work, Chris Durenberger!
I was able to see the film larger-than-life one more time, on October 29th, during the 2012 Savannah Film Festival, as one of the student films entered into the competition. How very sweet to see this tale of love lost and found gracing the silver screen once more! And to have that viewing in one of my favorite venues, the beautiful Lucas Theatre!
Soon, I thought, I shall have my reward and have the dvd in my very own home!
Time passed, people graduated and moved on, other film festivals (with other wins!) intervened. You know how life is, right?
In truth, I forgot to keep looking in the mail for it. I would let it be a pleasant surprise one fine day, I must have thought.
Recently, I have been reminded that the responsibility of making sure rewards are sent is partly mine.
When I contacted Chris, he responded right away. Yeah! He assured me he would locate the disks and speed one on its way from his left coast city by the sea to my right coast city by the sea.
Cool beans!
And today I arrived home to find it already in my mailbox!!! Not even a week has elapsed!
What a special pick-me-upper on this rainy, drear day, the second such in a row this week. How wonderful to watch, again, as the old man takes pause when he stumbles upon the faded photo in his box of medals, the photo of his love long lost. The film was as bright and fresh as my memory of the story still was.
Thanks, Chris, for brightening my day yet again!
I wish you much future success!