Volunteer work for December

December was a fun month for volunteering !

First volunteer outing was with the Indpls International Film Festival group. We held an early screening (a week before the theatre release) of True Grit. This is a remake by the Coen Brothers. Apparently it more closely follows the book than the original, and had quite a few funny moments. Even better, Nathan (my oldest nephew) is an extra in a couple of scenes near the end.

Second volunteer outing was with the Carmel First United Methodist Church / Angel Tree. Basically, there is a parent in prison who requests through the prison chaplain or the church, that their child / children be given a gift on their behalf. I had the pleasure of going with 3 other church members - a couple named John and Jackie, and another gal named Sue. We had 8 stops on our route, with one being particularly rewarding. There was a darling little boy - maybe 4 years old. When the gifts had been given to his mom to be put under the tree, he threw his arms around John and gave him a big hug. Totally made Christmas beautiful and special. Hope everyone out there had an incredible moment like that during this special season.

Pokagon State Park

This is the view looking down from the top of the tobogan run at Pokagon State Park. The run is iced ... mildly bumpy ... but fun ! As you crest the 2nd hill, look to the left - there's an electronic sign that gives your speed. We reached 37 mph with 3 adults on one of the larger toboggans.

Carters Toy Museum

Check out this nostalgic walk back through childhood. Carter's Toy Museum in Zionsville offers
case after case of toys that we all played with growing up. So much fun to see these items again. They are primarily in glass "no touch" cases. However, there IS a small carousel and a very small area with a couple of bumper cars for kids. At $5 per adult, it is worth the money. And the ice cream shop next door is both a fun / retro soda fountain and serves up great ice cream treats !

http://www.carterstoymuseum.com/

Heartland Film Festival

Volunteer work for October was at the Heartland Film Festival. As a movie lover - especially of small budget film - it was exciting to be given tickets to see festival films in exchange for volunteering. I worked the Hospitality Suite.

The suite offers help for anything and everything the filmmakers and / or actors need, as well as a place to relax. That included running people to a med check on a Sunday night (and no, there are not a lot of immediate care facilities open on a Sunday night), arranging for transportation, helping with hotels when flights were cancelled, etc.

Corbin Bernsen, the gentleman who is head of CastleRock Entertainment, Quinton Aaron (who starred as Michael Orr in "The Blind Side") and others were there.

The stars of the festival for me, however, were the filmmakers who have been so dedicated to the process and their projects. One man spoke of the fact that he and his wife have spent so much money they've not been able to afford to have a family. They asked people to support film as an art and a method of storytelling. I never really thought about film as THE storytelling mechanism of this generation and those to follow, but it is true that the format of film has replaced reading or oral story / passing of history and legends.

Overall, a good experience.
www.trulymovingpictures.org/heartland-film-festival

France

Spent 9 beautiful October days in France. Road a bullet train (Paris to Dijon), went to the Palace of Versailles (opulent) and walked the beaches of Normandy (D-Day landing beaches). The bullet train runs over 200 miles an hour. I'm sure we did not go that fast, but it was quick, quiet and so smooth. We ended up sitting in what I think was first class due to ticket issues as a result of the transportation strike... lovely. They brought around juices, menus to order lunch were proferred, the seats were larger.... very nice experience.

The French people were so much more pleasant than my first experience there. A lovely surprise. These are experiences I would love for everyone to be able to have.

Benjamin Harrison Home

http://www.presidentbenjaminharrison.org/

We visited the Benjamin Harrison Home this month. Tour cost is $8 / adult, $7 if you are a Triple A member. Tour is approximately an hour and 45 minutes.

Interesting factoids:

1. Benjamin Harrison and William Henry Harrison are the only grandson / grandfather Presidential combo

2. William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia 30 days into his time as President. He wanted to prove he was not too old to be Pres, so he did not wear a coat to his inaugaration (on a cold, rainy day) and gave a 2 hour speech. This really does bring up the question - did he actually have good enough judgement to be President? Perhaps the country was given a break? Ironically, Benjamin Harrison also died of pneumonia.

3. Benjamin Harrison is the guy who had electricity put into The White House. However - he was nervous about it, so he had the servants actually flip the switches to turn lights on and off. Nice.

4. He was a progressive person. Went straight from chamberpots to indoor plumbing (skipping the outhouse option) in the house here in Indianapolis.

5. Benjamin's first wife (Caroline???) was a very good painter and started the tradition of designing the Presidential china pattern. Hers / the Harrison's china had a pattern of ears of corn around the outer rim. Not for Indiana though - the ears of corn represent the economy of the time (agrarian).

Check it out !

September Volunteer Work:

Indianapolis International Film Festival.

Needs work. Small. Lots of "gritty" films.

August

Hey Everybody,
So August was pretty lame. Okay, what I really mean, is that I was pretty lame in August. Did not get any volunteer work done. Ridiculous. Not one day or even a part of a day doing any kind of volunteer work. I am not proud of myself for that.

And only did two new - and minor - things this month

1. Paul and I saw the International Space Station fly over. I know - that is some super passive activity. In fact, it really does not qualify as doing something new, but it was new to me / to us. And truth be told, it was kinda cool to know that we were watching it fly by. It came from the west and was headed east / northeast. It had flashing white light(s) - but no red ones, which is really the only way I think you can tell it apart from an airplane at night - which is the way we were viewing it.

2. I learned how to preserve the harvest. My wonderful Mom (Jan) came over and patiently and lovingly taught me how to make / can pickles. We made Bread & Butter pickles. What I've eaten so far were quite good, so if anyone wants the recipe, let me know. Heck - if anyone wants to learn how to can pickles, let me know and I will try to come teach you.

Much more fun and interesting things coming up in September and October.

Peace out.

Blog Alert

Nearly one year of the blog. 365 days of focusing on doing something new every month. Low points - first root canal, first colonoscopy. High points - nearly everything else. Original plan was to shut the blog down at the end of August - close the 365 days and walk away from the lesson.

I've changed my mind though. I knocked many things off my list of "would like to do's" and in the process added many new things. So I'll continue to work on the list and do something new each month, but I am also going to try to focus on giving back. I'm hoping to do some type of volunteer work every month.

July volunteer work was for the Indianapolis International Film Festival. The Indpls Film Fest is 100% volunteer organized and staffed - which is pretty impressive. It's people who love film - especially independent film.

The difference between IIFF and the Heartland Film Festival is that Heartland is focused more on qualities like being uplifting, on having a positive ending, etc. The films at IIFF are more "gritty" with endings that don't tie up in a box with a neat little bow at the end. If you like a variety of films and want to see those little pictures that may not have the luxury of national distribution, check out the Indy Film Fest next year. Ticket cost in 2010 was $10 / film or you can buy an All Access Pass (which was a heck of a deal).
Find details here: http://www.indyfilmfest.org

Niagra

Went out for a drive and ended up at Niagra Falls on the Maid of the Mist. $13 per adult. Boats carry about 300 people each. The boats look over-crowded from shore - makes you feel like you might be on the 6:00 news (due to boat capsizing), but once onboard does not really feel that crowded.

Best location for a good view - the bow of the boat. There are several areas to view the falls without actually going on the boat... but yes... go on the boat anyway!

Long drive... about 8 or 9 hours with a couple of very brief stops. But a good overnight outing.

DeBrand

Visited DeBrand Chocolates - great way to start July 2010.

The factory is located off Exit 116 in Fort Wayne, IN. The tour is $5 per person, and you get a $5 off coupon for each $10 in merchandise purchased, so it's not terribly pricey. Good thing, as the tour itself is somewhat underwhelming. Basically it is a walk down a hallway with a look into each of three kitchens.

The upside is that there are samples at each of the three kitchen stops. Sample type is dependent upon the products they are making that day.

Even if you don't do the tour, it is worth a stop off the highway for a quick chocolate and a coffee or one of the amazing looking desserts in their french-style cafe. Yum !

For more info.: http://www.debrand.com

With Peter Sagel - Chicago - June 2010

Went to see the recording of the NPR show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on June 10. What a great time! Of course, I elbowed my way to the front of every line. Hey, it's general admission seating... gotta do what ya gotta do to get the best seat in the house. No really, we were LITERALLY the first people in line and going through the door.

The panel included Charlie Price (not so funny) and Paula Poundstone (still dressing like she's in 1980 - big hair and big shoulder pads - but very funny). Don't recall who the third panelist was. The entire show was such fun. Carl Kassle is just as I pictured - an older gentleman who keeps things on track, basically. Peter Sagal is AWESOME ! He's a super quick wit.... funny, funny, funny - an intelligent funny. Excellent evening. I rate this 2 thumbs up - especially if you are already going to be in Chicago (downtown) on a Thursday evening. Just buy tickets well in advance - these shows sell out the day tickets go on sale.

Snow Peas in June

Hurray for Snow Peas - these are Snow Wind peas - and my first attempt at growing peas. Though we put stakes and ran line for the peas to climb, apparently they grow significantly taller than we anticipated. The good news is - they will just turn south, creep down the lines and then grow north again. They have blossoms, and then out of nowhere (it seems) the pods are there. Beautiful peas. It amazes me that a $1.69 pack of seeds that had been sitting in the drawer in the kitchen for "many moons" could produce this row of goodness.

Gosh, I sure love working in the garden - seeing this food grow up from a small seed or plant. All it needs is a bit of water, a little sun, and some TLC (that means weed pulling!). Lovely.

May 2010 Indy 500

Met Tom Carnegie - the voice of the Indianapolis 500 - on Community Day at the Indianapolis 500 track. What a sweet guy !

This photo is me (looking particularly hefty...), Tom Carnegie, and good friend / travel buddy Peggy (PJ) Rose.

April 30, 2010

Graceland -must have been a mansion in it's day... but compared to the McMansions of today, it isn't so huge.

Jungle room - wow, the green shag carpet! Say no more.

Elvis loved the bling. I believe the order of the day was tacky. BUT - he sold a ton of records, has legions of fans, gave money money money to charity.

The tour was worth the $35'ish to get in - also to view the cars, airplanes, etc.

Bonus - here's the Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich recipe no one should be without:

2 large bananas

6 slices of white bread

1 stick (yep - a STICK) of butter

1 cup of peanut butter

Peel & mash bananas. Mix peanut butter with bananas thoroughly. Toast bread lightly and spread mix on bread. Melt butter in skillet and brown sandwiches on each side slowly until golden brown.

I might add - then call a good cardiologist, cause your arteries are gonna be cloggin' !!!

Memphis in May

Beale Streeet Music Festival - wash out.... can you say Tornado Sirens and Mud Boots? No matter... Memphis is a cool city. Picture on the bottom was taken at Sun Studio... the "Birthplace of Rock N' Roll"

Sun is where Elvis first recorded, as well as Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins (who recorded and made a hit out of Blue Suede Shoes before Elvis recorded it). Lots of musical legends recorded there in the past. More recently - U2, Paul Simon, Matchbox 20 & Maroon 5 (among others) have recorded there. Cool, tiny little place. The microphone in the picture on the left has been there since the studio opened.... hmm.... did Elvis sing into this mic???

Picture at the top is just a little guy I saw playing the trumpet on a street by a BBQ joint. The guy was great. Maybe a studio musician at some point? In a band? Don't know but he was sooo good.

April 2010 - Cincinnati

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park is located on the north / northwest side of Cincinnati. What a hidden gem. It's over 200 acres of beautifully landscaped rolling countryside, dotted with ponds. Placed around the property are 58 sculptures. Most are very large and most are contemporary - but not all.

Drive it, hike it or rent an "art cart" - a golf cart all dressed up in paint. Cost is $20 for the cart and $8 / each for entry. This would be an excellent place to take a picnic and spend a few hours.

Chicago 2010

Beautiful sunny, 80 degree day for a boat tour on the Chicago.

Super interesting to see the city by boat. At least 5 different types of architecture in the buildings around the city.

Chicago 2010

Awesome 2 day trip to Chicago. Did the Frank Lloyd Wright studio and home tour in Oak Park. Not cheap... I did the interior tour only - cost was about $27. There's also a walking / outside tour.... either self-guided or with a tour.

The home / studio is in a lovely area - street lined with gorgeous big homes sitting on expansive lawns. Ah... those were the days.

Most interesting was the drafting room - held together by a series of chains and pulleys.

From there it was a fairly short drive in to the city. Dinner at Rosebud - italian restaurant (yum).

February 2010

Do you see me smiling? Laid off 2/19/10 from Buztronics. What a crazy place. I need a job with a company that isn't filled with family members... anybody? Bueller?

First time to be laid off
First time navigating the world of the non-working and filing unemployment

Prefer to have slightly more upbeat "firsts" moving forward.

January 2010 part deaux

Awesome time in Austin, TX. Holla !!! First time to go to the Roller Derby in person. Crazy elbow throwin' girls! Inner Caverns, drive through safari - also super good times. Nathan is an outstanding / cool tour guide, friend, amigo. Good stuff !!!

January 2010

Took a side trip from Vegas to the Hoover Dam - interesting. Dam interesting (tee hee). Smaller than I pictured. Saw a mountain goat up above, just checking the tourists out. Can only imagine what he was thinking... .something along the lines of, what's the big deal - it's just a chunk of cement?

Next went on to the Grand Canyon - out onto the SkyWalk. Expensive, but cool. Walk out onto those pains of glass or plexi or whatever clear stuff it is that you walk out onto and look down through. They told us the panes cost a cool million each. Stand 4,000 feet up, above the canyon. It's just a big hole in the ground, Colorado River running through. But what a beautiful hole in the ground it is.

Pictures to follow.

January

Met Colin Powell - keynote speaker at ASI show in Orlando in January. His talk was both funny and somewhat inspiring... especially the bit where he said he was a "C" student... and look how far that got him!

December

December was not a good month for doing new things... was way too busy having fun doing "old things" like spending time with family and friends.

Only new things in December were:
1. My first "Tweet" - which was on the Buzline site (work)

and

2. Going to the ER at St. V. Carmel when I chopped the back of my hand / finger on Christmas Eve. Not a new thing I ever want to repeat. Hopefully all that hospital and doctor stuff is behind me now.