Went on a fantastic bike ride this morning. Thirty-five miles in just under three hours (really good time for me), on my favorite scenic trail that runs along the river. I left uber early and was home before most people had finished their first cup of coffee.
A great way to end Week 8.
Kid's Tour -N- More Recycling Mural: Interview with Chaz O'Neil
This year the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, Kid's Tour -N- More is featuring an interactive Recycling Mural. Fair-goers are invited to glue various, recycled caps and lids to a mural in the shape of the universal recycling symbol.
We interviewed Assistant Director of the exhibition Chaz O'Neil for more on the mural:
OSFFAE: Hey, Chaz! How's it goin'?
Chaz: I'm good, thanks.
OSSFAE: That's great. So, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Chaz: Yeah. My name's Chaz O'Neil. I'm a graduate of Otterbein College. Art Major. I've been working with the fair for five years. I'm assistant director of the show this year.
OSFFAE: That is awesome, Chaz!
Chaz: {Chuckles} Thanks.
OSFFAE: Sure. So... Could you tell us about this HUGE mural?
Chaz: Yeah.
OSFFAE: Would you care to share how you came up with the idea for this mural?
Chaz: Well, it was kind of a collaborative effort.
OSFFAE: Don't be modest, Chaz. I heard it was totally your idea. Haha! Just kidding.
Chaz: Haha! No, I suggested the design but, the fine arts staff and I kind of collectively came up with the whole scheme of it.
OSFFAE: Okay. What was the inspiration for the mural? It seems like the theme we've adopted has something to do with recycling...? I'm assuming... based on the rather large recycling symbol.
Chaz: Well, our goal is to promote recycling awareness. We're using recycled materials and we've collected a few thousand bottle caps.It's an interactive piece, and we're allowing fair-goers to contribute by helping to glue the caps to the mural. It's kind of like a free-for-all as you can see.
OSFFAE: Yeah, it's pretty wild, but it looks so cool thus far.
Chaz: Yeah, and, it especially gives the kids an opportunity to get involved and to be creative, and also to learn a lot. The mural is just our way of giving back to the community on behalf of the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition.
OSFFAE: Well, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
Chaz: Me too.
Want to contribute? Stop by the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition while your enjoying the fair!
Day 4 at the Ohio State Fair!
We are excited to welcome you all to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2010! We are pleased to present to you our exhibition, along with various other entertainment throughout the day. Today's schedule is as follows:
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits And Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am- 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's Body Art
10am- 4pm-- Street Art Demonstration
10am-- Mural Demonstration with Andrew Neyer
11am- 1pm-- John Lafollette
4pm- 6pm-- The Music of Brian Griffin
4pm- 8pm-- Body Painting Demonstration
6pm- 8pm-- Mixed Bag with The Recreational Folk Dancers of Columbus
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits And Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am- 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's Body Art
10am- 4pm-- Street Art Demonstration
10am-- Mural Demonstration with Andrew Neyer
11am- 1pm-- John Lafollette
4pm- 6pm-- The Music of Brian Griffin
4pm- 8pm-- Body Painting Demonstration
6pm- 8pm-- Mixed Bag with The Recreational Folk Dancers of Columbus
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
Day 54
The weather was gorgeous today--like springtime. Gloriously sunny, not too hot, not too humid, slight breeze. After being cooped up in an office all day, I just couldn't work out in front of a TV; I had to be outside. So I went for an hour-long walk after dinner and it made me so happy! I loved being outside, hearing the cicadas, feeling the air on my skin, moving my legs, having a route and destination, not feeling uncoordinated.
Tomorrow (fingers crossed): Bike ride!
Tomorrow (fingers crossed): Bike ride!
Day 3 at the Ohio State Fair!
We are excited to welcome you all to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2010! We are pleased to present to you our exhibition, along with various other entertainment throughout the day. Today's schedule is as follows:
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibition and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am and 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's Body Art
11am-- Mural Demonstration with Andrew Neyer
2pm- 3pm Wexner Center For The Arts presents 2010 Ohio Short Film And Video Showcase, Youth Division
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibition and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am and 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's Body Art
11am-- Mural Demonstration with Andrew Neyer
2pm- 3pm Wexner Center For The Arts presents 2010 Ohio Short Film And Video Showcase, Youth Division
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
Day 53
Woke up with stiff/sore muscles today from my self-led power movie workout yesterday. Super.
Still with my austere diet but I didn't work out today. Met up with someone after work for what turned out to be a longish get-together. By the time I got home, it was 8pm and I was starving. Eating trumped exercise and here I am blogging about it with a British crime drama on PBS in the background.
Week 8 will be over soon and will I have anything to show for it?? Is my butt more lifted than it was when I began? Have the dimples disappeared from my thighs? I'm glad I'm healthy, and exercise is always beneficial, but that feels like a weak salve for my frustration right now. I'm going to Greece in five weeks. I won't look like the Beach Beauties by then, but it would be nice to look a little more toned while I'm snorkeling in those pristine Mediterranean waters.
Still with my austere diet but I didn't work out today. Met up with someone after work for what turned out to be a longish get-together. By the time I got home, it was 8pm and I was starving. Eating trumped exercise and here I am blogging about it with a British crime drama on PBS in the background.
Week 8 will be over soon and will I have anything to show for it?? Is my butt more lifted than it was when I began? Have the dimples disappeared from my thighs? I'm glad I'm healthy, and exercise is always beneficial, but that feels like a weak salve for my frustration right now. I'm going to Greece in five weeks. I won't look like the Beach Beauties by then, but it would be nice to look a little more toned while I'm snorkeling in those pristine Mediterranean waters.
Day 52
Still annoyed at BBL, fitness program, that skirt, etc.
A new release from Netflix was waiting in my mailbox when I got home and I really wanted to watch it before I had to leave for some church meetings at 7. I changed into my workout clothes but instead of doing Sculpt (about 50 minutes), I did my own strength-training workout with my hand weights while watching the movie. I did some leg exercises I learned when I was in physical therapy for my formerly-gimpy knee--including one-legged squats--a bunch of arm exercises, and some core/ab exercises. I've done Sculpt so many times that I have several of the segments memorized so I was able to recreate those, probably doing more reps than Leandro does. I did not do The Plank.
All told, I exercised for about 40 minutes, at which point I had to eat and shower before going out. Awesome.
Spartan eating regimen again today. I'm determined to get into that annoying skirt....
A new release from Netflix was waiting in my mailbox when I got home and I really wanted to watch it before I had to leave for some church meetings at 7. I changed into my workout clothes but instead of doing Sculpt (about 50 minutes), I did my own strength-training workout with my hand weights while watching the movie. I did some leg exercises I learned when I was in physical therapy for my formerly-gimpy knee--including one-legged squats--a bunch of arm exercises, and some core/ab exercises. I've done Sculpt so many times that I have several of the segments memorized so I was able to recreate those, probably doing more reps than Leandro does. I did not do The Plank.
All told, I exercised for about 40 minutes, at which point I had to eat and shower before going out. Awesome.
Spartan eating regimen again today. I'm determined to get into that annoying skirt....
Day 51
I'm very frustrated with Leandro and my whole fitness quest right now. How is it possible that I've been working out so much for nearly two months--more than I worked out previously--and yet this morning when I put on one of my "weight gauge" skirts to wear to work, it was unbecomingly tight through the hips? This skirt fit me better when I bought it several years ago--BEFORE I lost 10 lbs in 2008! How is that possible???
I ate a spartan diet all day and when I got home, I shunned Cardio Axe and Bum Bum in favor of doing three workouts from the "10 Minute Solution: Carb Burner" video, which I got via Instant Play on Netflix. I did a couple of these a few weeks ago and liked the instructor and the workouts. They each last only 10 minutes, including a mini-warm-up and mini-cool-down. The moves get your heart rate up quickly and before you know it, the workout is over. As I said, I did three of these today, all incorporating many lunges and squats (homage to Leandro).
I enjoyed the carb burner workouts so much, I thought I'd try more of the 10-minute thing. (It's an entire series.) So I did two from the "Rapid Results Pilates" video: Super Toned Buns & Thighs, and Waist Slimmer. Enjoyed them both. The Waist Slimmer was particularly challenging!
A total of 50 minutes working out, which is just a few minutes short of what I would have done with Cardio Axe and Bum Bum. Awesome.
I'm still annoyed.
I ate a spartan diet all day and when I got home, I shunned Cardio Axe and Bum Bum in favor of doing three workouts from the "10 Minute Solution: Carb Burner" video, which I got via Instant Play on Netflix. I did a couple of these a few weeks ago and liked the instructor and the workouts. They each last only 10 minutes, including a mini-warm-up and mini-cool-down. The moves get your heart rate up quickly and before you know it, the workout is over. As I said, I did three of these today, all incorporating many lunges and squats (homage to Leandro).
I enjoyed the carb burner workouts so much, I thought I'd try more of the 10-minute thing. (It's an entire series.) So I did two from the "Rapid Results Pilates" video: Super Toned Buns & Thighs, and Waist Slimmer. Enjoyed them both. The Waist Slimmer was particularly challenging!
A total of 50 minutes working out, which is just a few minutes short of what I would have done with Cardio Axe and Bum Bum. Awesome.
I'm still annoyed.
Community Street Art Project
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The Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition would like to thank the Greater Columbus Arts Council on behalf of the Community Street Art Project. This program has been brought to you, and made possible by the Franklin County Neighborhood Arts Grant funded by Franklin County Board of Commission.
The Community Street Art Project provides an opportunity for local artists to collaborate with community summer camps/programs in the Columbus area, teaching children basic design concepts and techniques, promoting the Ohio State Fair in doing so.The final street painting project will be presented July 30th to August 1st and again August 6th to August 8th.
For more information on GCAC and the Franklin County Neighborhood Arts (FCNA)grant please visit:
www.gcac.org
Day 2 at the Ohio State Fair!
We are excited to welcome you all to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2010! We are pleased to present to you our exhibition, along with various other entertainment throughout the day. Today's schedule is as follows:
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am- 4pm- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm Desdemona's Body Arts
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude and Status Dudette
10am- 4pm- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm Desdemona's Body Arts
And, don't forget to vote for our 2010 People's Choice Award!
Legair Brand at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition
Coming Soon to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition!
The Cox Fine Arts Center presents...
A Legair Brands Fashion Show, featuring Arthlene Laudat Legair of Legair Brand, Ltd.
The Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition is proud to present Legair Brand Ltd fashion on Sunday, August 1st, 2010 at 5pm and 7pm.
Admission is free!
Please come and support another local artist, and extraordinary designer Arthlene Laudat Legair.
For More information please visit the Legair Brand, Ltd website and facebook page!
legairbrand.com
http://www.facebook.com/alegair?v=info
*** CASTING CALL INFO!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/note.php?note_id=443972562596&id=1606112323
Today at the Ohio Stat Fair Fine Arts Exhibition!
Opening Day at the Ohio State Fair!
After last night's very successful Opening Ceremony, we are excited to welcome you all to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2010! We are pleased to present to you our exhibition, along with various other entertainment throughout the day. Today's schedule is as follows:
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude & Status Dudette
10am- 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's BodyArt
2pm- 3pm-- The Wexner Center For the Arts presents 2010 Ohio Short Film And Video Youth Showcase, Youth Division
Once again, welcome to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition!
After last night's very successful Opening Ceremony, we are excited to welcome you all to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2010! We are pleased to present to you our exhibition, along with various other entertainment throughout the day. Today's schedule is as follows:
9am- 9pm-- Fine Arts Exhibits and Children's Tour
9am- 9pm-- Carole E. Kerber- Status Dude & Status Dudette
10am- 4pm-- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Short Films Screening
10am- 9pm-- Desdemona's BodyArt
2pm- 3pm-- The Wexner Center For the Arts presents 2010 Ohio Short Film And Video Youth Showcase, Youth Division
Once again, welcome to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition!
Shining a Light on Che' Marie
We would like to extend a special thank you, and shine a light on songstress Che'Marie.
It was our great pleasure to present songstress, Che'Marie, as the entertainment for our Opening Ceremony last night. However, she did much more than entertain. Most were captivated by her melodious nature, and charmed to stay for a listen. Her soulful style and poetic voice are undeniable, and it was an honor to serve as a unique platform for a truly revolutionary artist.
Che'Marie Guy is a native of Chicago, Illinois, but has been a Columbus resident for over ten years. As part of the Fly Mental family she, along with her label mates, represents a "No box, no limits..." mentality. For more information, and booking, check out the Fly Mental website and facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/FlyMental
Steve Carmona- Booking Agent, Fly Mental
stevencarmona@gmail.com
***FYI: THE VENUE FOR THE FLY MENTAL "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" LISTENING PARTY HAS BEEN CHANGED TO THE RIVER CLUB 679 W. SPRING STREET
2010 Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibiton Awards
Tamara Jaeger –Two Women in Tea Room
2nd Best of Show
Ardine Nelson –City Center Mall # 871
3rd Best of Show
Lynda McClanahan – Buckeye Necklace, In Love With & Grandmother Holds a Mirror
Amateur
Best of Show
Sarah Ockuly – Siren
2nd Best of Show
Eunsil Drew – Young Man
3rd Best of Show
Christian Pierce – Texture #1 and Texture #2
Film
Best of Show
Matt Meindl - Inside Out/Side One
2nd Best of Show
Christopher Westfield - Storybook Ending
3rd Best of Show
Eric Homan – Garage Sale
Juror’s Choice Award’s
Professional
Josh Foy – In the Red
Dale Johnson – Ship of State
Paul Wilbur – Danielle With Rat
Amateur
Ruth Finley – The Book of Ruth: Ruth and Naomi
Virginia Kistler - Untitled
Richard Sharpe – Chromatic Crossword
Film
Beijing Charlie - technEart@dada.wave
Michael Drap Cortlander - Game Night
Christopher Westfield - Outside Candy
OHIO ARTS COUNCIL AWARDS
Professional
Ohio Arts Council
Awards
Simona Aizicovici – Waterfall
Laura Alexander -Tempest
Diana Bjel - Prayer
Helen Hoffelt - Untitled II Frozen in Time Series
Julie Byrne - Be Kind
Jonah Jacobs - Polyp #1
James Pate - KKK - Kin Killin Kin
Daniel Schreiber - Pig Goblets
Doug Taylor - Green Room
Ryan Walters - Verb
AMATEUR
OHIO ARTS COUNCIL
AWARDS
Bryan Heyward - Who's Foolin' Who?
Paul Kramer - Tower Over the Thames
OHIO ARTS COUNCIL
PURCHASE AWARD
Robert Colgan - Last Winter
People’s Choice Award (TBA)
Greater Columbus Arts Council
Professional
Jules Knowlton – Circus
Lexie Stoia Pierce – Noise
Amateur
Melissa Ayotte – Waiting
Luciano SerragLio – Bridge of Sighs
FILM
Jennifer Deafenbaugh - Strawberry Jam Session
Sean McHenry - Stauf’s Mission
ARTS COUNCILS AND SPONSORED AWARDS
City of Upper Arlington
Rachel Heberling – World Champion Typists
The Collage of Women Artist
Pam Adams – Still Water River
Ryan Walters – Verb
New Albany Arts Council - $100.00
James Cox – Lincoln Theatre
Hazen /Taft - $100.00
Monica Achberger – Peonies in Vase
Westbridge Camera Club
Ellen Libertini – Irish Heather
Sydney Schardt – Circles of Confusion
Raven’s Glenn Winery and Italian Restaurant
Lloyd Greene – Santigo Fisherman, Atitlan
0-for-Three
It’s no secret that I have quite possibly the most one dimensional skill set in the history of basketball. Sure I can’t exactly do anything on the basketball court that requires any athleticism whatsoever, but there’s no denying that my jumpshot is as pure as a Colombian eight ball. Call me crazy, but if the objective of a sport is to put a ball through a hoop, I don’t exactly see the point in practicing irrelevant things like “defense” and “passing.” Besides, from Dominique Wilkins’ dunks to Wilt Chamberlain’s ungodly amounts of sex, there are plenty of examples of basketball players who are famous because of their greatness in just a single skill set. Anyway, because I place such an emphasis on my ability to make it rain, it seems like every time I step outside my house, someone wants to talk to me about how well I can shoot. I really can’t go anywhere without everyone asking me how I got so good at “shooting the three ball” or what it’s like “to consistently knock down the three ball.” After hearing a lot of talk about how well I shoot “the three ball”, an obvious question finally hit me the other day – didn’t some kid from my high school used to claim that he had three balls?
Ever since I graduated from tOSU about a month ago, my life as an aspiring underwear model/professional wrestler has basically consisted of playing FIFA (I can’t stress enough how much I love/hate this game. I would devote an entire blog entry to things like how Lionel Messi on FIFA 10 is easily the worst highest-rated-player-on-the-game in the history of sports video games (he’s like the antithesis of Roenick on NHL ‘94 – it’s unbelievable), but 98% of you would have no idea what I’m talking about, so I’m going to stick to writing about things with greater mass appeal, like my high school classmate’s testicles, instead. Wait, did I just do a parentheses inside parentheses in the middle of a sentence? You bet your ass I did) and half-remembering weird bits of trivia. Even though FIFA constantly frustrates me for a variety of reasons, nothing in life is more annoying to me than half-remembering things. You know what I’m talking about. You can remember things like how there used to be an old guy on the Cubs and Cardinals in the 90’s who didn’t have any ear holes on his batting helmet, but you can’t remember that his name was Gary Gaetti and he was awesome. That kinda thing.
In instances like the aforementioned one, you more than likely spend a few minutes (or days if you’re me) trying to figure out exactly what the hell that guy’s name was, before you finally give up, Google it, and then eventually move on with your life. When I was reminded about the three-balled kid, though, I didn’t have the luxury of Googling it, because Googling “kid with three balls” is simply not a good idea for a variety of reasons. This meant that my only real option was to ask a few friends from high school, but none of them could remember either. Now that it’s been almost two weeks and I still don’t know what that guy’s name was, it’s starting to consume me. Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired, but when I half-remember something, I can’t stop thinking about it until I fill in all the missing details. In this case, I can’t stop thinking about a guy with three testicles, which is a problem I would be completely fine with never having again in my life. I need this fixed and I need it fixed now.
Because I’d prefer to stop thinking about this as soon as possible, I’m turning to the Trillion Man March for help, even though I completely understand that just about all of you didn’t go to my high school and therefore have no idea who I’m talking about (although, there’s a chance you went to college with him or something, since I don’t know what happened to him after high school). But for the handful of readers who did go to BHS, here’s a list of things I know about him:
- He claimed to have three testicles. But you knew that already.
- He “played” football, much like I “played” basketball at OSU
- A friend told me that he remembers the kid put tape over his nipples for football practice because he had them pierced (so I guess you could say he was pretty badass)
- His last name was “____berry”
- He had a very punchable face
That’s all I got. If you know who I’m talking about, please send me an email as quickly as you can, so I can go back to living my life. Again, I understand most of you don’t care about this, but think for a second what it would be like to not be able to remember that kid’s name from your high school who had a rattail and kept a samurai sword in his locker all year without the teachers knowing (if you went to my HS, his name was Charles Crum). That’s what I’m dealing with. If you were to make a movie about my high school experience (and you absolutely wouldn’t because it consisted of playing Jenga on Saturday nights with my family while the rest of the cool kids were in a cornfield on the outskirts of town trying to touch cheerleaders in their naughty places), this kid would be one of the characters, yet I can’t remember his name. It means nothing to any of you, but for a guy like me who prides himself on having a great memory, especially for trivial things, this is a very big deal. So email me ASAP if you know who the kid is, because this is becoming a much bigger deal than it needs to be. It’s become such a big deal, in fact, that you could even say it’s driving me nuts.
UPDATE: Many of you have emailed me to suggest that I look in my high school yearbook to find Mr. Threeball. While I can't say I thought of that, it wouldn't matter anyway because for whatever reason I didn't get a yearbook in high school. I regret this decision already. I'm calling everyone I know who might have the yearbook to sort all of this out. Thanks for your concern.
___________________________________________________
I know, I know. This post sucked. I didn’t write it for you, though. I wrote it because I have an enormous character flaw of not being able to let things go and I’m desperate. Sorry. To make up for this letdown and at least give you some sort of reward for reading through all of that, here’s a video of Club Trillion fans from Columbus that makes my Mr. Rainmaker video look like it was easier than a Michigan cheerleader. It was sent in to me by John Jones, who made the video with his friends (and claimed that a few of them are wearing Club Tril shirts in the video). There’s your shout-out, John. And here’s your video.
Proud To Be An American But Even Prouder To Be A Buckeye,
Mark Titus
Club Trillion Founder
Day 50: Start of Week 8
Week 8! Can you believe I've been doing this little Brazil Butt Lift experiment for nearly two months now? Ah, how time flies....
Today's accomplishment: 50 minutes of Sculpt. Actually, it was more like 45, since I skipped the cool down at the end and did my own stretches for a few minutes. Some of the stretches Leandro does in that cool down feel seriously unnatural!
The Plank is still tough but I can do most, if not all, of the other exercises in this workout with at least a moderate degree of proficiency and form.
I just found a teeny tiny spider on my kitchen counter next to the computer as I was typing this. It is now a teeny tiny dead spider, washed down the drain.
Time for dinner!
Today's accomplishment: 50 minutes of Sculpt. Actually, it was more like 45, since I skipped the cool down at the end and did my own stretches for a few minutes. Some of the stretches Leandro does in that cool down feel seriously unnatural!
The Plank is still tough but I can do most, if not all, of the other exercises in this workout with at least a moderate degree of proficiency and form.
I just found a teeny tiny spider on my kitchen counter next to the computer as I was typing this. It is now a teeny tiny dead spider, washed down the drain.
Time for dinner!
Shipwrecked, Art Market and More!
Liam Cronin (left) and Dwayne Blackaller star in the comedy Shipwrecked, An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont, by Donald Margulies. Presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company, the play is performed at The Green Room, a new theatre venue at South Campus Gateway. The show, sure to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages, is based on the true story of a shipwrecked British explorer in the late 1800s, whose adventures – along with his trusty dog Bruno – included high-seas tales of giant sea turtles, flying wombats, a man-eating octopus and Queen Victoria herself. With a focus on the power of storytelling, Shipwrecked runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through Aug 15. Tickets are available at the door or – at a discount – online here.The Green Room is sponsored by the Arts Initiative at Ohio State and Campus Partners. The new space, a former storefront in the Arts in the Alley area that also houses three galleries, is the summer home to Whistling in the Dark, which is breaking ground by bringing "sustainable theatre" to Columbus. The company strives to be eco-friendly and cost efficient wherever possible.
Notable News
The Arts Initiative is proud to support the International Kids' Guernica Peace Mural Exhibit, on view through Aug 6 in the former Long's Bookstore at 1836 N High St. The mural exhibit is part of an international children's art project to create peace murals on Picasso's "guernica" size canvas (11.5 x 22.5 feet). The project was started by Art Japan Network in 1995 to design artwork on a global canvas expressing the spirit of peace. Over the years, more than 160 murals have been created in 40 countries. Twelve existing murals from around the world are on display in the space. And, this week, 25 local children from the Somali-American community are working with OSU students to create a new mural. For information, call 688-4703.
This Saturday (July 31), Arts in the Alley at South Campus Gateway presents a Summer Art Market while the Ohio Art League Gallery hosts a food-related art exhibition from Couchfire Collective called Too Yummy! The Art Market will feature live music and artwork from 16 local artists for sale in the alley from 2 to 8 pm. Opening reception for the Too Yummy show is from 6 to 9 pm and celebrates all things related to food and drink (the show continues until Aug 1). Across the alley at the Shoebox gallery is the opening reception for the Intern Show featuring artists Michael Price and Chelsea Boyd. Stop by and join in the fun on Saturday!
On Thursday, Aug 5, Arts in the Alley will come alive from 6 to 9 pm with opening receptions for three new exhibitions, along with refreshments and live music. In the Arts Initiative space, artists Nick Stull and Spencer Mustine present paintings in their show, HumanScapes: A Sense of Place (above). The Shoebox gallery hosts the ARTillery invitational, with works by Ron Abram, Aby Algueseva, Waylon Bigsby, Allison Buenger, Molly Burke, Sarah Fairchild, Brittany Ference, Giovani, Joey Monsoon, Beth Nash, Tristan Seeger, Kristin Patton and Elaine Quave. And the Ohio Art League gallery opens It's Complicated, with works by Clare Fox and Tara Polansky.
Days 47 & 48
Day 47 saw no proper workout, unless you count swinging with my 5-year-old nephew at the park and racing him home (and that kid can run!). It was a bit of exercise, anyway.
Day 48 (today): I got up early and went for a bike ride. I rode nearly 20 miles, beating previous times on the same route to finish in under two hours. I think it took me 1:45, or thereabouts, including a 10-minute rest at the turn-around point. The trail I rode on is a beautiful paved trail that winds along the river, through groves of trees and past stately homes. It's very hilly, though few of the hills are very long or steep, which keeps it interesting and really gets your heart rate up. At the end of the ride, I felt FANTASTIC!
This post marks the end of Week 7!
Day 48 (today): I got up early and went for a bike ride. I rode nearly 20 miles, beating previous times on the same route to finish in under two hours. I think it took me 1:45, or thereabouts, including a 10-minute rest at the turn-around point. The trail I rode on is a beautiful paved trail that winds along the river, through groves of trees and past stately homes. It's very hilly, though few of the hills are very long or steep, which keeps it interesting and really gets your heart rate up. At the end of the ride, I felt FANTASTIC!
This post marks the end of Week 7!
Wilson: Learning to Live with Crime
Learning to Live with Crime
American Crime Narrative in the Neoconservative Turn
Christopher P. Wilson
Since the mid-1960s, the war on crime has reshaped public attitudes about state authority, criminal behavior, and the responsibilities of citizenship. But how have American writers grappled with these changes? What happens when a journalist approaches the workings of organized crime not through its legendary Godfathers but through a workaday, low-level figure who informs on his mob? Why is it that interrogation scenes have become so central to prime-time police dramas of late? What is behind writers’ recent fascination with “cold case” homicides, with private security, or with prisons?
In Learning to Live with Crime, Christopher P. Wilson examines this war on crime and how it has made its way into cultural representation and public consciousness. Under the sway of neoconservative approaches to criminal justice and public safety, Americans have been urged to see crime as an inevitable risk of modern living and to accept ever more aggressive approaches to policing, private security, and punishment. The idea has been not simply to fight crime but to manage its risks; to inculcate personal vigilance in citizens; and to incorporate criminals’ knowledge through informants and intelligence gathering. At its most scandalous, this study suggests, contemporary law enforcement has even come to mimic crime’s own operations.
Hoeveler: Gothic Riffs
Gothic Riffs
Secularizing the Uncanny in the European Imaginary, 1780–1820
Diane Long Hoeveler
Gothic Riffs: Secularizing the Uncanny in the European Imaginary, 1780–1820 by Diane Long Hoeveler provides the first comprehensive study of what are called “collateral gothic” genres—operas, ballads, chapbooks, dramas, and melodramas—that emerged out of the gothic novel tradition founded by Horace Walpole, Matthew Lewis, and Ann Radcliffe. The role of religion and its more popular manifestations, superstition and magic, in the daily lives of Western Europeans were effectively undercut by the forces of secularization that were gaining momentum on every front, particularly by 1800. It is clear, however, that the lower class and the emerging bourgeoisie were loath to discard their traditional beliefs. We can see their search for a sense of transcendent order and spiritual meaning in the continuing popularity of gothic performances that demonstrate that there was more than a residue of a religious calendar still operating in the public performative realm. Because this bourgeois culture could not turn away from God, it chose to be haunted, in its literature and drama, by God’s uncanny avatars: priests, corrupt monks, incestuous fathers, and uncles. The gothic aesthetic emerged during this period as an ideologically contradictory and complex discourse system; a secularizing of the uncanny; a way of alternately valorizing and at the same time slandering the realms of the supernatural, the sacred, the maternal, and the primitive.http://www.ohiostatepress.org
Day 46
Family time and shoe-shopping were more important to me than exercise today. I'll have to make up for it over the weekend.
Day 45
I try to put on a positive face on this blog but I gotta tell ya, this whole experiment has got me pretty discouraged right now. I'm never going to look like the Beach Beauties. Never. If I ate only lettuce and tofu (with a Vitamin C supplement to ward off scurvy) AND exercised for about three hours every day, I might come closer than I am now, but I bet I'd still have a little tummy and a plump tush. That's an unmotivating thought. Ok, ok, so it doesn't get me off the hook for trying, but it's very frustrating to really work at something only to be thwarted by a non-responsive body.
I got a late-ish start on the workout today and consequently skipped the cool down section of Bum Bum and only did the first 30-35 minutes of Sculpt, meaning I missed most of the ab exercises. Since the ab exercises cause me to see my own poky tummy while I'm crunching it, I'm ok with missing those.
What good does it do me to master The Plank if my hips still have a girth of 41"??
OY. I'm going to bed.
I got a late-ish start on the workout today and consequently skipped the cool down section of Bum Bum and only did the first 30-35 minutes of Sculpt, meaning I missed most of the ab exercises. Since the ab exercises cause me to see my own poky tummy while I'm crunching it, I'm ok with missing those.
What good does it do me to master The Plank if my hips still have a girth of 41"??
OY. I'm going to bed.
Day 44
No exercise today. Other activities and circumstances had a higher priority.
Leandro darling, I'll see you again tomorrow.
Leandro darling, I'll see you again tomorrow.
Harlem & Me
I remember when I was ten-years-old and I played basketball with my brother in our driveway whenever I could find time between flirting with girls on AOL and being very sexually confused thanks to a curvy Lorrie Morgan kinda looking like Macaulay Culkin in her “Something In Red” video.
“Get down on your knees and tell me ya love me.”
After I would give my brother a steady dose of buckets and rainmaking with a few games of one-on-one, we would seemingly always decide to team up and act like we were the Harlem Globetrotters playing against a ghost defense. This pretty much just consisted of us throwing behind the back passes to each other, but for those 30 minutes, we thought we were the best athletes in the world. Why did we do this? Because we were suburban white kids, which meant that playing for the Globetrotters was an unattainable fantasy. I was so convinced that there was a rule banning white players from joining the Globetrotters that I specifically remember thinking that “Harlem” wasn’t a neighborhood in Manhattan, but was instead a word used interchangeably with “African-American”. At the time, I still thought I had a chance to play in the NBA, so when it came time for me to play out a basketball dream sequence in my driveway, I always chose the Globetrotter routine because it was the one thing I knew that I would never do. Until now.
I’m sure most of you have probably heard, but I was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters about a month ago, which immediately prompted a couple of questions from just about anyone who heard the news:
- The Globetrotters have a draft?
- The Globetrotters have white people?
Apparently the answer to both of those questions is yes, although they both seem to be a rarity, as I was told that this is just the fourth draft they’ve had and I would be only the third white guy in their 84 year history. As exciting as the news of being drafted was, the story behind how I found out couldn’t be more boring. Unless, maybe, Ben Stein read it to you or something.
I found out about being drafted when I checked my voicemail after I got done rehabbing my shoulder one day. A guy claiming to be with the Globetrotters informed me that I had been selected for their draft and he left a number for me to call. I naturally thought it was a prank, but I called back anyway and realized rather quickly that it wasn’t a prank at all. He asked me for my address so he could send me a jersey (and a headband), and then told me that the next step is for me to come to training camp in New York in late September. That really is all I know. I haven’t heard anything since and I have no idea of specific dates this training camp is supposed to take place, but when I find out more details I’ll be sure to let the Trillion Man March know. I told you it was boring.
Even though I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to do next, I’m taking this opportunity very seriously, which is why I’ve begun continued mastering the half-court shot (hit four in a row the other day) and I carry a bucket of confetti with me at all times. I already know that from the onset I’ll be faced with tons of pressure to turn the team around from their dismal 99% winning percentage, but as the franchise player it’s a challenge I’m ready for. My theory is that their terrible winning percentage is a reflection of their entertainment-first attitude that features a little too much goofing off. That’s why on the first day of training camp, I plan on getting into the triple threat position right before I punch one of my teammates square in the mouth. Doing this will have a two-pronged effect. First, it will stress the importance of fundamentals to my teammates. But most importantly, it will also send the message that even though I may look like a marshmallow in a bag of charcoal, I’m not there to screw around. ___________________________________________________
Your awesome YouTube was sent in to my by Thomas from Bethesda. There’s your shout-out, Thomas. And here’s your video.
Proud To Be An American But Even Prouder To Be A Buckeye,
Mark Titus
Club Trillion Founder
Day 43: Start of Week 7
Dear Readers,
Due to a series of incredibly unbelievable events, Leandro was unable to make my workout session today. He didn't show up for Cardio Axe nor for Sculpt. Instead, he sent special guest trainer Ana Caban, who treated me to a session of Cardio Pilates--30 minutes of core-strengthening Pilates moves followed by a 15-minute cardio workout.
The Pilates portion was a good reminder of how rotund my mid-section still is and yet how much stronger it is now than it was six months ago (which is probably the last time I did this workout), likely thanks to Leandro's Tummy Tuck. Although lacking in Leandro's cute Brazilian charm, Ana is an excellent instructor, moving methodically through the moves and explaining each one well. I particularly appreciate this cardio segment because it's not at all complicated. It features a series of basic moves, repeated over and over. In other words, heaven for the uncoordinated follower.
After Ana left, I did 20 one-legged squats on each leg to help firm up my bum bum.
Thanks, Ana, for a great start to Week 7!
Due to a series of incredibly unbelievable events, Leandro was unable to make my workout session today. He didn't show up for Cardio Axe nor for Sculpt. Instead, he sent special guest trainer Ana Caban, who treated me to a session of Cardio Pilates--30 minutes of core-strengthening Pilates moves followed by a 15-minute cardio workout.
The Pilates portion was a good reminder of how rotund my mid-section still is and yet how much stronger it is now than it was six months ago (which is probably the last time I did this workout), likely thanks to Leandro's Tummy Tuck. Although lacking in Leandro's cute Brazilian charm, Ana is an excellent instructor, moving methodically through the moves and explaining each one well. I particularly appreciate this cardio segment because it's not at all complicated. It features a series of basic moves, repeated over and over. In other words, heaven for the uncoordinated follower.
After Ana left, I did 20 one-legged squats on each leg to help firm up my bum bum.
Thanks, Ana, for a great start to Week 7!
Day 41
I took a break from BBL today to pursue other forms of exercise better suited to a beautiful summer day. To wit, this morning I went kayaking on the river for an hour--excellent arm and shoulder workout! The sun wasn't too hot and there was a light breeze on the water. It was such a pleasant way to spend part of the morning.
In the afternoon I met some friends at the pool where we engaged in a summer ritual we call Pool Talk, wherein we tread water and catch up on each others' lives. Today pool talk lasted about 45-50 minutes--that's 45-50 minutes of very beneficial exercise, with all the benefits of a therapy session with your friends thrown in. Ha.
Today marks the end of Week 6.
In the afternoon I met some friends at the pool where we engaged in a summer ritual we call Pool Talk, wherein we tread water and catch up on each others' lives. Today pool talk lasted about 45-50 minutes--that's 45-50 minutes of very beneficial exercise, with all the benefits of a therapy session with your friends thrown in. Ha.
Today marks the end of Week 6.
ASAN-OSU attends Nisonger Autism Institute
On Wednesday, June 23, Benzion Chinn, Patrick Meehan, Melanie Yergeau, Whitney Brooks, and Hillary Spears attended the first annual Nisonger Autism Institute at Ohio State, a day-long conference that focused on transition issues across the lifespan.
Melanie, Benzion, and Patrick
Attendees primarily included service providers and researchers, and to a lesser extent included parents. Out of over 100 people, Benzion, Patrick, and Melanie were the only autistic self-advocates in attendance. Both Benzion and Patrick presented on behalf of Aspirations Ohio regarding transition into adulthood.
During the institute, ASAN members distributed ASAN literature and autistic pride buttons to many in the audience; additionally, the editor of Disability Studies Quarterly distributed information about the journal's recent issue on neurodiversity, which features the work of several ASAN members and supporters.
ASAN-Central Ohio is currently drafting feedback for the institute's organizers. Other recaps of the day's events can be found at Benzion's blog and Melanie's twitter archive.
Attendees primarily included service providers and researchers, and to a lesser extent included parents. Out of over 100 people, Benzion, Patrick, and Melanie were the only autistic self-advocates in attendance. Both Benzion and Patrick presented on behalf of Aspirations Ohio regarding transition into adulthood.
Whitney, Hillary, and Melanie
During the institute, ASAN members distributed ASAN literature and autistic pride buttons to many in the audience; additionally, the editor of Disability Studies Quarterly distributed information about the journal's recent issue on neurodiversity, which features the work of several ASAN members and supporters.
ASAN-Central Ohio is currently drafting feedback for the institute's organizers. Other recaps of the day's events can be found at Benzion's blog and Melanie's twitter archive.
Day 40
Forty is a significant number in history, religion, folklore, society, and even science. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before being allowed to settle in the promised land. Rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights while Noah & Co. were in the ark. The basic work-week in the US is 40 hours. One of the punishments meted out in Biblical times was 40 lashes. Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness. Mohammed was 40 years old when he first received the revelation from the angel Gabriel. Minus 40 is the temperature at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales coincide. One of the stories in the Thousand and One Nights is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." And let us not forget the ever-handy WD-40, used to fix squeaking hinges everywhere.
Given the importance of the number 40, I count today as a major milestone in my quest for a better booty. While I haven't seen any results to speak of yet, I'm sure that this day will mark a turning point in my training (and my body's response to it).
Better booty, here I come!
PS Yes, I did work out today, albeit not as much as the schedule dictated. I sweated and squatted my little heart out during Bum Bum but had to forgo Tummy Tuck in order to meet a friend for dinner and bike shopping.
Given the importance of the number 40, I count today as a major milestone in my quest for a better booty. While I haven't seen any results to speak of yet, I'm sure that this day will mark a turning point in my training (and my body's response to it).
Better booty, here I come!
PS Yes, I did work out today, albeit not as much as the schedule dictated. I sweated and squatted my little heart out during Bum Bum but had to forgo Tummy Tuck in order to meet a friend for dinner and bike shopping.
Club Trillion 2.0
Before I would inevitably go on to write about how awesome I am as a way to mask my many insecurities, it seems like I used to begin all of my blog entries by apologizing to the Trillion Man March for taking a long time off in between posts (kind of like I’m doing now). In the past, I would take a break from writing because I was too busy either trying to pass my classes, antagonizing Evan “The Villain” Turner, or spending hours on pointless, yet entertaining websites like this (why would I write when I can make pelvic thrusts while hitting the “N” key on that site all day?). This time around, though, my sabbatical was different. I didn’t take a break from writing in May because I found more strangely entertaining websites to waste time on (not exactly true - I did come across this and this). I stopped writing simply because the blog stopped being fun for me. I was a victim of my own success and couldn’t handle the burden it all became. I was overwhelmed with pressure and I wanted to take the easy way out so I could just hang out with my friends.
Basically, I was LeBron.
It became obvious to me a few months ago that my blog was stale. I didn’t enjoy writing it anymore and, judging from the feedback I got, people didn’t enjoy reading it anymore (still can’t figure out why the people who didn’t like it continued to read). What made the blog so much fun for me in the first place was that I wrote each and every blog post without caring about what anyone thought of them. I was concerned with telling funny stories from my life, not the number of page hits I averaged per day or whether or not my blog had mass appeal. Somewhere along the line, though, all of this changed and writing became a chore. That’s why I made the decision a couple of months back to retire from blogging (you probably don’t remember, since my retirement was overshadowed by Amanda Bynes’ retirement from acting and, hopefully, using a fart machine to be a huge cockblock, cause that’s just not cool).
The primary goal behind my “retirement” was for me to gauge how much I actually enjoyed writing my blog. If I stopped writing for awhile, realized it was a huge weight off my shoulders, and I didn’t miss it one bit, I probably wouldn’t have ever started blogging again. Instead, I found that after two months of doing virtually no writing whatsoever, I started to have a weird feeling. You know the weird feeling you get when you stick your finger too far down your bellybutton and hit the right spot? Yeah, it wasn’t like that at all – I just wondered if anyone else noticed how awkward that feels. No, mine was more of a “your only contribution to society is your blog and without it you’re a nobody” weird feeling. Ya know, the kind of weird feeling that gives you a kick in the pants and reminds you that nobody cares how good you are at FIFA 10, even if you do beat a five star team on “Legendary” difficulty (like I’ve done).
With all of that being said, I’ve obviously decided to start blogging again, but in a lot of ways I’m starting a new blog rather than resuming the old one. Since my days on the Ohio State basketball team are over, I’ll be forced to make the blog more about my personal life and my weird random thoughts and less about how I check out cheerleaders instead of watching the games or how I try to make postgame handshake lines as awkward as possible. I’ll still write frequently about sports, or more specifically my basketball “career” (the story of how I got drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters is coming soon), but nothing is off limits anymore. In other words, the blog will become much more irrelevant and even more uninteresting than it already was. So you have that to be excited about.
Besides making the blog irrelevant and uninteresting, the other drastic change is my plan to write short posts more often rather than waiting two weeks to write 5,000 words. I know I’m somewhat contradicting myself with this post, but in the future I plan to make this more of a traditional blog that basically consists of posts that are only two or three paragraphs. By doing this, I allow myself a chance to write about things I think are mildly interesting but aren’t important enough to warrant an entire eight paragraph blog post. Things like my hatred of receipts or how my girlfriend and I recently got engaged (just kidding, baby! You’re definitely worth eight paragraphs!). Finally, the last major change with the blog is that I’ll no longer continue the recurring theme of linking to my Mr. Rainmaker video (see what I did there?). Sorry to disappoint.
Whether it was a guilt trip or just an overwhelming sense of boredom, something compelled me to start blogging again and I’m glad it did. After all, it wouldn’t be right for me to turn my back on the blog, considering it has done more for me than oversized sunglasses have done for ugly girls.
Seriously, though, have you noticed how hard it is to tell if chicks are attractive now that they all wear sunglasses covering half their faces? Of course you have. The same problem exists when trying to determine if a girl is of legal age or not. That’s why I just stopped going to high school proms and Justin Bieber concerts altogether. What’s that? Admitting that makes me sound like a pedophile? And I’m engaged? Oh, I guess you’re right. Whoops. Let’s move on.
I guess the purpose of this post was to inform you that even though I’m bringing the blog back, I’m not exactly bringing the blog back. If you came to the blog only because you liked reading the behind the scenes stories of college basketball, this blog is probably no longer for you. But, if you read this blog because you know what it’s like to be a benchwarmer in some regard and you can’t help but laugh at jokes about farts, you might be in luck. So welcome to Club Trillion 2.0. It will feel a lot like the old blog, only now far less people will read it because it won’t be nearly as good. Ultimately I’ll get a real job where I write about things that actually matter, but until then I’m going to have some fun on my blog, because I’m an unemployed college graduate who has nothing better to do. There promises to be a few cool things within the next month, so stick around and check them out. Or don’t. It’s your call. Just know that if you stop reading, we’re all going to make fun of you on here because we know you’ll never see it. But I guess if you want to relive your sophomore year of high school when all the cool kids talked behind your back, well, that’s your prerogative.
___________________________________________________
I’m going to continue the awesome basketball-related YouTubes at the end of posts, mostly because it’s a way for me to guarantee that anyone who reads the blog will be entertained by at least one thing. So email me your favorite YouTube that has some sort of tie to basketball, but please make sure it’s awesome. In return, I’ll give you a shout-out, which is pretty much the most significant gift I can give to anyone. When I thought I was done blogging, I deleted all the old fan submissions for YouTubes to use, so I’m not going to give any shout-outs this time around, but I’ll still include a video I found on my own. In the future, I hope to use exclusively fan submissions, so send and re-send anything you come across. In the meantime, here’s Bill Walton being Bill Walton.
Proud To Be An American But Even Prouder To Be A Buckeye,
Mark Titus
Club Trillion Founder
Day 39
It's a little after 9pm and I just got home from work and a team dinner. Needless to say, I am not working out tonight. I had a very light salad for dinner and took the stairs at work today, so I don't feel too guilty. I'm getting so good at pushing off guilt trips. Ha.
Day 38: The Beach Beauties
I was eager to exercise after work today, not only because I missed my workout yesterday but also because one of my "weight gauge" skirts was decidedly snugger in the hips than it should be when I put it on this morning. Must discipline myself better with the eating in addition to working out if I want to take care of that!
After doing 50 minutes of Sculpt, I feel much better and am ready for a big salad for dinner.
And now, as promised, some commentary on Leandro's back-up dancers, aka the Beach Beauties. Although they don't speak during the workouts, I feel that I've come to know them in a way, having watched them shake their booties and crunch their abs and press their triceps over and over these past 5+ weeks. There are Sofia and Angela, who generally do the "Level 1" modifications to the exercises; Mary the Redhead, who can really twist and shimmy; Ella, with long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, who appears in every video (if memory serves), both studio workouts and the shots on the beach, and whose form isn't always too precise which is why I think she's generally put in the back; Ebony, the only woman of color in all the videos, who doesn't get much attention from Leandro because she's usually in the back; and Arianna, who also appears in every video save one beach series and whose short, spiky hair somehow makes her look tougher than the others. Arianna has the best form and the most athletic-looking body of all of them. She's also the only one who ever appears to be breathing--she actually breaks her smile to visibly exhale during the weight-lifting exercises. The others simply smile placidly the entire time, except of course when they're laughing and gyrating on the beach during Cardio Axe.
In addition to these six women, there's one other woman who appears in a couple of the studio workouts, always in the back of the group, but Leandro never talks to her so I don't know her name. There are two guys who show up during Sculpt and Tummy Tuck, smiling like crazy to be working out with all these hot women. There are also three women who are only in the beach sequences (Leandro never talks during the beach sequences; it's video only, spliced in with the studio scenes), where they always appear to be having the time of their lives--as I'm sure they are. What could be better than doing squats and leg lifts on the beach with a Brazilian flag waving in the background?
Not only do the Beach Beauties have firm butts, toned abs, and the ability to exercise without breathing, they also never sweat. I have determined that the studio must be air conditioned to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in order to produce this no-sweating effect. How else do you explain the lack of perspiration on their skin, or the fact that their heavily made-up faces don't smudge even a little, or their hair that looks no less damp after 30 minutes of serious cardio than it did at the beginning? Either they're computer-generated images, or it's very cold in that studio.
They must be CGI. No one could do The Plank without their muscles quivering like they do.
After doing 50 minutes of Sculpt, I feel much better and am ready for a big salad for dinner.
And now, as promised, some commentary on Leandro's back-up dancers, aka the Beach Beauties. Although they don't speak during the workouts, I feel that I've come to know them in a way, having watched them shake their booties and crunch their abs and press their triceps over and over these past 5+ weeks. There are Sofia and Angela, who generally do the "Level 1" modifications to the exercises; Mary the Redhead, who can really twist and shimmy; Ella, with long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, who appears in every video (if memory serves), both studio workouts and the shots on the beach, and whose form isn't always too precise which is why I think she's generally put in the back; Ebony, the only woman of color in all the videos, who doesn't get much attention from Leandro because she's usually in the back; and Arianna, who also appears in every video save one beach series and whose short, spiky hair somehow makes her look tougher than the others. Arianna has the best form and the most athletic-looking body of all of them. She's also the only one who ever appears to be breathing--she actually breaks her smile to visibly exhale during the weight-lifting exercises. The others simply smile placidly the entire time, except of course when they're laughing and gyrating on the beach during Cardio Axe.
In addition to these six women, there's one other woman who appears in a couple of the studio workouts, always in the back of the group, but Leandro never talks to her so I don't know her name. There are two guys who show up during Sculpt and Tummy Tuck, smiling like crazy to be working out with all these hot women. There are also three women who are only in the beach sequences (Leandro never talks during the beach sequences; it's video only, spliced in with the studio scenes), where they always appear to be having the time of their lives--as I'm sure they are. What could be better than doing squats and leg lifts on the beach with a Brazilian flag waving in the background?
Not only do the Beach Beauties have firm butts, toned abs, and the ability to exercise without breathing, they also never sweat. I have determined that the studio must be air conditioned to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in order to produce this no-sweating effect. How else do you explain the lack of perspiration on their skin, or the fact that their heavily made-up faces don't smudge even a little, or their hair that looks no less damp after 30 minutes of serious cardio than it did at the beginning? Either they're computer-generated images, or it's very cold in that studio.
They must be CGI. No one could do The Plank without their muscles quivering like they do.
RSC Continues Workshops in Ohio
RSC education practitioners Virginia Grainger (above, right) and Rachel Gartside -- who led an inspirational week of educational development in Stratford-upon-Avon two weeks ago for Ohio teachers and Theatre MFA students -- are at Ohio State this week to continue working with the group. They are joined by OSU's Brian Edmiston, who leads the OSU/RSC workshops and educational program in Ohio.
While in England, the group of 20 teachers and 10 MFAs participated in learning the RSC's active, drama-based approaches to Shakespeare. This five-day follow-up week will have the 
group shift their focus on how to teach the approaches in their own classrooms. While on campus, they are focusing primarily on Romeo and Juliet, exploring the text and its performance, the characters and their points of view, and Shakespeare's themes and language. Yesterday, they were standing in the shoes of the various characters. Below, MFA actors Kevin McClatchy and Hannah Rockey go over an excerpt of the script. 
This year's group of teachers is the second to participate in the OSU/RSC Stand Up for Shakespeare America program. The first group of 20 teachers will interact and share experiences with the current group throughout the coming year. A few of the original participants came to Ohio State this week to observe, including Danielle Berring and Tim Wangler (below).
Features
"It's great to be reconnecting with this group now that we're back at home in our Ohio mode. It helps connect what we learned in England with what I can do with my kids in the classroom."Kelly Simmons, 5th grade math and science, Linden STEM Academy
Among other things, our week in England turned into somewhat of a big blur of wonderful experiences. Coming back and reconnecting as a group helps reinforce and reconstruct some of those moments. The beauty of it is seeing how I can use the techniques not only in the classroom. . . but also in the rehearsal room as an actor."Aaron Zook, MFA acting student
Notable News
Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company presents Shipwrecked, An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont, by Donald Margulies. It premieres tonight -- Thursday, July 15, at 8 pm at The Green Room, a new theatre venue at South Campus Gateway. The show, sure to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages, is based on the true story of a shipwrecked British explorer in the late 1800s, whose adventures – along with his trusty dog Bruno – included high-seas tales of giant sea turtles, flying wombats, a man-eating octopus and Queen Victoria herself. The show, with a focus on the power of storytelling, runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through Aug 7. Tickets are available at the door or – at a discount – online here.
Directed by Kal Poole (above), Shipwrecked's cast includes Dwayne Blackaller, Liam Cronin, Doug Davis, Alison Vasquez and Kayla Jackmon. Musicians are Emily Mills and Joy Wysong. The Green Room is sponsored by the Arts Initiative at Ohio State and Campus Partners. The new space, a former storefront in the Arts in the Alley area that also houses three galleries, is the summer home to Whistling in the Dark, which is breaking ground by bringing "sustainable theatre" to Columbus. The company strives to be eco-friendly and cost efficient wherever possible.
ASAN-Central Ohio celebrates Autistic Pride Day
On Saturday, June 19, ASAN-Central Ohio marched in the Columbus Pride parade. Marchers included Noranne Cochran, Justin Rooney, and Whitney Brooks.
Before the parade, members distributed autistic pride buttons to the crowds and received a good deal of positive response from autistic people and family members in attendance. During the parade, ASAN members held signs that read Autistic Pride, Autistic and Proud, Autistics 4 LGTBQ, and Diversity of All Colors. According to Stonewall Columbus, over 195,000 people were in attendance at the event.
Stephanie Ballam, Jeffrey Strasser, and Melanie Yergeau also participated in the event planning, as well as in the creation of the signs and buttons.
To view more photos, please visit our Flickr site.
Justin, Noranne, and Whitney hold signs
Before the parade, members distributed autistic pride buttons to the crowds and received a good deal of positive response from autistic people and family members in attendance. During the parade, ASAN members held signs that read Autistic Pride, Autistic and Proud, Autistics 4 LGTBQ, and Diversity of All Colors. According to Stonewall Columbus, over 195,000 people were in attendance at the event.
Noranne talks with the crowd
Noranne and Justin hold up signs
Stephanie Ballam, Jeffrey Strasser, and Melanie Yergeau also participated in the event planning, as well as in the creation of the signs and buttons.
Designing posters and buttons for APD
Autistic Pride buttons
To view more photos, please visit our Flickr site.
Day 37
Exercise was not part of my plan today. Instead, I chose to spend time with my mom on her last night in town. Leandro will still be waiting for me on Day 38....
Day 36: Start of Week 6
Woo-hoo! I've made it to Week 6! This means I get to move on from the "Too Big" (as in, your gluteus maximus is a little too maximus) workout schedule to the "Classic" workout schedule. Awesome.
I wasn't able to work out tonight until after 8pm. Given the time, and because Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was lying on the kitchen counter calling out to me, I opted to cut my workout a little bit short. Instead of doing Bum Bum and then Tummy Tuck, I did Bum Bum Rapido for the first time ever, followed by Tummy Tuck. Bum Bum Rapido is indeed a rapido workout: 10 minutes of squats, lunges, and some killer squat-jumping-jacks that Leandro calls super jacks. Those will definitely get your heart rate up!
I determined a couple of weeks ago that the knee pain I was experiencing was a result of all the lunges in these workouts. Now, I do only a partial lunge each time but I really squeeze my butt cheek when I push up in an effort to spare my knees while still working those booty muscles. Seems to be working, at least where the knees are concerned.
The Plank conquered me once again during Tummy Tuck. Need I say more?
Stay tuned for my next post, when I deliver some commentary on Leandro's Beach Beauties.
I wasn't able to work out tonight until after 8pm. Given the time, and because Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was lying on the kitchen counter calling out to me, I opted to cut my workout a little bit short. Instead of doing Bum Bum and then Tummy Tuck, I did Bum Bum Rapido for the first time ever, followed by Tummy Tuck. Bum Bum Rapido is indeed a rapido workout: 10 minutes of squats, lunges, and some killer squat-jumping-jacks that Leandro calls super jacks. Those will definitely get your heart rate up!
I determined a couple of weeks ago that the knee pain I was experiencing was a result of all the lunges in these workouts. Now, I do only a partial lunge each time but I really squeeze my butt cheek when I push up in an effort to spare my knees while still working those booty muscles. Seems to be working, at least where the knees are concerned.
The Plank conquered me once again during Tummy Tuck. Need I say more?
Stay tuned for my next post, when I deliver some commentary on Leandro's Beach Beauties.
Jani: Decentering Rushdie
Decentering Rushdie
Cosmopolitanism and the Indian Novel in English
Pranav Jani
Interrogating current theories of cosmopolitanism, nationalism, and aesthetics in Postcolonial Studies, Decentering Rushdie offers a new perspective on the Indian novel in English. Since Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize in 1981, its postmodern style and postnational politics have dominated discussions of postcolonial literature. As a result, the rich variety of narrative forms and perspectives on the nation that constitute the field have been obscured, if not erased altogether.
Reading a range of novels published between the 1950s and 1990s, including works by Nayantara Sahgal, Kamala Markandaya, Anita Desai, and Arundhati Roy, Decentering Rushdie suggests an alternative understanding of the genre in postcolonial India. Pranav Jani documents the broad shift from nation-oriented to postnationalist perspectives following the watershed crisis of the Emergency of the 1970s. Recovering the “namak-halaal cosmopolitanism” of early novels—a cosmopolitanism that is “true to its salt”—Decentering Rushdie also explains the rise and critical celebration of postnational cosmopolitanism.
Decentering Rushdie thus resituates contemporary literature within a nuanced history of Indian debates about cosmopolitanism and the national question. In the process, Jani articulates definitions of cosmopolitanism and nationalism that speak to the complex negotiation of language, culture, and representation in postcolonial South Asia.
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