"Red Dot Dances"

[J0nny Ling0]

Hey, anybody remember THOSE? Well, I sure do. It was one year after I had graduated and spent one year in a fairly cold, but more often RAINY part of Alaska. My assignment after graduation been: "Juneau, Alaska, Twig-start one". Obviously I wasn't limb leader material. I did in fact request Alaska when I had graduated, but, I didn't know I was to be relegated to a relatively remote part of the state. After the first year in which a really neat Twig blossomed, thanks be to God, I decided that I desparately "needed a woman". I was single, and had almost dodged a number of situations with local women, and figured that it was "better to marry that to burn". I needed a woman!

And so, one night at Corps week, when there was the most obnoxious of all "Red Dot Dances" (CW/Roa 1983), I had a unique experience. That night, LCM decided that we would divide the "Big Top Auditorium" down the middle, with "Red Dot Way Corps" on the right-facing the stage- and "Blue Dot and Yellow Dot Corps" on the left. Red Dots were unmarried and "looking", and Blue Dots were married, while Yellow Dots were engaged couples.

I went to the dance thinking that it might be nice to meet someone, because I didn't really want to spend another Alaskan winter ALONE in the rain and the wind and the cold. But when I went to this dance, it all seemed so absurd. I mean absurd to the MAX! I went to the dance wearing a pair of Tony Lama cowboy boots, Wrangler jeans, and a nice western snap shirt. I went by myself because I was somewhat of a loner.

Branded was up front playing the usual songs, and as I was watching, a really nice friend of mine in the Tenth Corps came up to me and started talking. She had been a friend on a casual basis, and had been one who cut hair for us in the Tenth Corps. At first I thought, "Oh cool, it's _____, my friend". But there was something different about her. She began to say; "So Jonny, do you like Country Western Music?" And I replied that I did. Then she asked if I liked Country Western Dancing, and I replied that I did but that I was not much good at it. Then she asked if I liked to "talk about Country Western Dancing and music", and quizzically, I replied, that; "Well, yeah, I guess so". Then she asked; "Well then, do you want to go somewhere and sit down and talk about it?" And I said; "Well sure, aren't we already talking about it?" And she said; "Sure, lets talk some more!" And it was all so strange and weird that I said; "Ya know, all of a sudden I have to go. I'll talk to you after the Red Dot Dance sometime".

And then, before I could make it to the outskirts of the tent, another female friend of mine ( a very dear friend) in the Tenth Corps came up and with starry eyes said; "Jonny, do you want to dance?" And I; said; "Why sure!" At first I thought, oh good, here is a friend with whom I can just talk! But then it seemed as if she were caught up in the Red Dot thing. You see, LCM had said that earlier that if anyone "got engaged that night" that they could make the announcement on main stage, "pass through the vale", get a Yellow Dot, and "move on into the Promised Land" of the left side of the stage with the Blue and other Yellow Dots".

Well lemme tell ya, this sweet and wonderful woman with whom I had my arms full, was a dear and sweet friend, with whom I had spent many care free hours hiking and target shooting with at Camp Gunnison. We had never had any romantic inclinations, and now this totally unnatural situation had been foisted upon us and it was WAY weird! After the song ended, she asked me if I wanted to go somewhere and "just talk", and really as much as I knew she was really a wonderful person, I just HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE! So, I politely told her that I had to go because I was tired and had to get up the next morning to work on the RV Camping crew for the opening day of The Rock.

And as I made my way to the outer edge of the tent, I saw a dear friend of mine named Carolynn Young of the 8th Corps. She was with a friend, and as I saw her and her friend, she kind of smiled a weak smile, as if to say "hi" but also to NOT say " do you want to get together and talk?" I nodded and gave the complimentary "bless you" but proceeded to the outside of the big top so I could go and get a beer which had been made available earlier. "Yeah I thought! I gotta get outa this place and get BEER!" But then, I thought that it would be rude to Carolynn to just say "bless ya" and keep moving, because as we all KNOW, that is what we did many times when we DID NOT want to stop and talk to someone who had been a dear friend in the past, but now we had moved onto a different or even BIGGER assignments...sigh..what a wheenie I had been at times..

At any rate, because I couldn't bear to "dis" this friend of mine, I did an about face and went back and said; "Well hi Carolynn, how are you? Where have you been these days?" And she replied that she had been in Montana, and that she had lived there with her friend Shannon Walls, as she introduced me to her cute friend Shannon, who was standing there with her. I told them that I had just spent a year in Alaska, and when I had said this, they were both really excited as they explained that they had both talked about "moving to Alaska" to start a fellowship there".

It was nice to meet Shannon as I told them both how unbearable the Red Dot Dance was, and how I had been "making my escape from the the big top" when I had seen Carolynn, and that I was sorry if it seemed as if I was being rude by not stopping initially.

They both agreed that it had been really weird, and that we should go and get a beer. And so we did and we had a nice evening of small talk and later on, said good night.

AND EARLY THE NEXT MORNING...When I had gone to work with the camping crew in the RV section, guess who was assigned to work with me as a "roving pair of two" in the RV section? Shannon Walls of the Seventh Corps...

And we just celebrated 20 years of marriage this past October 11th...

Kinda weird, but cool huh? God works in wondrous ways... :)-->

Anybody else remember those red dot dances?

[This message was edited by Jonny Lingo on January 20, 2004 at 1:57.]

[simonzelotes]

Yeah,I remember those...I good way to avoid walking around the dance,looking like a dork,was to volunteer to work pouring beer...Then you didn't have to wait in line 'cuz you always kept your own cup full,and you could avoid deep,meaningful but mostly uncomfortable mixing w/ the ladies...

[Rocky]

Jonny,

Congrats to you and Shannon on that twenty years and may you have at least twenty more and I hope they are all wonderful.

[Lightside]

Shannon was my area leader in Rhode Island, 1977.

I think it was her interm year in the corps???

She lived in Craaaanston, what a girl....

Ask her if she remembers the patio collapse PFAL experience, a miracle of God's grace.

Congrats, 20 years, It's a miracle in these days and times.

[notinKansasanymore]

Johnny, if you think those dances were weird for the guys, just imagine how awful they were for the women. Pressure to "get a man," juxtaposed with pressure to be demure, somewhat shy, and not too Sadie-Hawkins-ish.

Wearing a dot on one's nametag which screamed "I'm looking" was not exactly demure.

"Live just, and fear not."

[ItsStillTheWord]

Was this like a Red Dot Sale I see at the mall sometimes?

Usually can get an extra 10-15% off.

Hurry-Supplies are limited.

[Dot Matrix]

Dot? Red Dot? I thought someone saw me with a sunburn!

Johnny, you know what I did when they did the dot thing? I took off the RED dot and went and got a yellow dot. I told people I was engaged before I ever was, because that whole thing was VERY weird. Girls I was friends with became competition and the guys looked at me as if I were desperate. So, I got my dot changed.

The heart behind it may have been okay, but the red dot people did seem to want to get engaged by the end of one dance....

Dorothy Thompson:

Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.

[J0nny Ling0]

Why thank you Rocky, and thank you Lightside. And yes she does remember the apartment balcony falling off the side of the what was it, second story? And with all of those people on it too! Were you on it Lightside? I have heard that story from her a couple of times. She told me that she had just stepped inside from the balcony and it fell off and onto the ground. But nobody was seriously hurt, right? Yeah, she has always thought of that as a big one in the God's Grace department..

And yes, Not in Kansas, I am sure it was way weird for the girls too. Because, all of the sudden, girls that were my friends, my buddies, all of a sudden became "possible prospectives" and some (not all did seem "desperate") or just plain didn't know how to act. That was what was weird to me. When I finally saw my future wife and Carolynn Young (now Walters), they were in the process of making their escape like me.

And Dot, I hadn't thought of the "competition thing", but I can see that too. What if you had changed your dot to a black dot? That mighta been pretty funny. Wish I had thought of that..

[Dot Matrix]

The sad thing was womem who spent an hour with a guy were talking about him like this could be "the one". Freaky.

One of the guys, I was very good friends with, was being discussed like that... I thought there is no way he is going to go for someone this determined to "get him." And he didn't even though she swore God told her she was going to marry him.

Dorothy Thompson:

Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.

[J0nny Ling0]

Lightside, Mrs. Lingo left a message for you in your private topics deal...

J.L.

[WhiteDove]

I was thinking of skipping the dot thing altogether and just going with a "Will Work For Sex Sign".

Without Coffee

I Would Have No Personality At All

[This message was edited by WhiteDove on January 20, 2004 at 14:59.]

[dabobbada]

Now, now, good ol' docvic always said any two bee..leavehers could make a go of it being as they was all like minded on the wurd.

Way II much fun for one man.

love ya,

Bob Hansen

[notinKansasanymore]

I just remembered a good thing about the last Dot dance I attended; it was the last time that I ever had a chance to dance with Harry Cox.

He was one sweet guy, and a heckuva dancer.

God rest his soul.

"Live just, and fear not."

[Hope R.]

I remember thinking that there should be black dots for people who got divorced during the year. I know, I know, that's not nice... but hey...

Once, I saw someone who had been married when she went in rez, but had since divorced. Her name tag had a different last name on it, but no dot I asked her if she'd gotten remarried. She looked at me with a bit of indignation and said "No... that's my maiden name." Like I was supposed to know that.... sheesh...

She needed a black dot

Hope R. color>size>face>

What a long, strange trip it's been!size>face>color>

[Rocky]

Some former spouses need more than a black dot! ;)-->

[WrestlenotAgainst]

Well the person I wanted to marry, was convinced to marry someone else instead, I believe. I was never told that but the whole thing leaned that way. She all of a sudden made up her mind.

No this was not a Red Dot thing, just the only person I would have married whilst in TWI. She lived out of state, but we spent hours on the phone with each other. Even slept together(not sex, SLEEP) in her tent at the last Rock. I am sure she was convinced to marry this other guy, who btw, was her WOW brother.

:(--> Guess I will never know. They are still "in."

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood"..........but hey, I love to see a good Clothesline once in a while!

[HAPe4me]

JohnnyLingo-

I have a question about the C. Young you mentioned in the first post. I sent you a private topic thingy.

~HAPe4me

A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.