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Nuvo Arts Blog Writer Chi Sherman

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Speaking of things I’ve been remiss in writing about this year – several months ago, our good friend Chi Sherman became a writer for Nuvo Newsweekly (our local alt weekly, for non-Indy residents.) She’s on the arts/writing/entertainment beat writing about all the cool happenings going on about town, and much of our new awareness of what’s going on in Circle City has been due to her articles and reviews. Among the many things we’ve picked up from her writing: we learned about the vibrant local poetry scene, various cool First Fridays events, the twin renaissances of cultural awareness in Irvington and Fountain Square, and what was going down at the Indy Fringe Festival and at the Spirit and Place Festival. We tried to keep up with her at the beginning going with her while she attended events, shows, openings and celebrations, but the schedule was exhausting, and now we just try to attend something with her once a week or so. The girl is busy.

I’ve mentioned Chi a number of times here commonplacebook.com, because she’s not just a good friend but also a respected and award-winning poet and writer in the local scene, with some chapbooks and recordings to her name and a bit of a fan club. It’s not unusual to be out to dinner or an event with her and to have people come up to her and gush about her work. It’s pretty cool the first several times it happens, but after a bit, you kinda wanna eat your dinner. 🙂

In addition to being a moving poet, she’s also downright hilarious — like Dorothy Parker funny — and never fails to make me LOL. Add her blog to your feed reader or regular schedule – you won’t regret it. And if you have tips about something you’re working on in the Arts scene – you want her to write about your stuff. Contact her at her blog, or just ask me. I’ve got pull. 🙂

Continue ReadingNuvo Arts Blog Writer Chi Sherman

Mass Avenue Movies Under the Stars

I found this event from the OutWord Bound Bookstore email newsletter interesting:

Mass Avenue Movies Under the Stars
Mass Ave Video Store in partnership with the Indianapolis International Film Festival presents their 2007 Outdoor Summer Film Series: Movies Under the Stars extending through September 27, 2007.
All movies are free and open to the public! So bring your favorites: picnic food, lawn chair, libations, and friends to enjoy a night of movies under the stars.
Mass. Ave. Video Store Outdoor Movie Garden
Mass. Ave. Video Store
922 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202
[ Google Map ]
phone: 317-951-7195
August features “International Animation”
Aug. 2nd – – Grave of the Fireflies (Japan)
Aug. 9th – – Spirited Away (Japan, 2002 Academy award winner)
Aug. 16th – – The Tripletts of Belleville (France, 2003 Academy awrd winner)
Aug. 23rd – – Award-winning Animated Shorts – only the BEST!
Aug. 30th – – The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Germany, 1926, the VERY FIRST animated feature in History!)

Similar to movies on the terrace at the IMA. Sounds like fun, and it’s downtown, so it’s a bit closer to our house. Also, the IMA is popular enough that it can get really crowded. This might be a bit more roomy for those of us who have Demophobia.

Continue ReadingMass Avenue Movies Under the Stars

Writing? What me? I never do that any more…

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down to write a real journal entry – since we arrived home from our trip, actually. I spent a lot of time organizing my trip photos, and working on a site design for one of my friends. Most of my day to day updates end up on twitter, and I’ve been so busy at work and playing so much catch-up on my blog reading that I haven’t had a chance to write much. I’ve eliminated numerous blogs from my feed reader because I just can’t keep up any more.
I’m so far behind writing little reviews of what I’ve read. I have a stack of 8 books I’ve finished and need to write about, and a giant stack of books from the library to read. I may end up doing a short post where I list the books I’ve read without actually reviewing them, because I get really bogged down and don’t have the time for it.
I’ve been buying loads of cheap crap on eBay – I’ve had an art project stewing in my brain ever since we visited Earl and Syd’s house on the trip, and I want to work on it.
Our vegetable garden seems to have done well for a first attempt. We had a bumper crop of cucumbers and have been giving them away. A few sugar snap peas. The lettuce came in fairly well early, and we had a decent crop of radishes. We learned some good stuff, too – cucumbers need a lot more room, for one thing. Next year we’ll have a little better organization, and I think we’ll do even better.
Did I mention my sister is going to have a baby? I know I talked about it on Twitter. It’s very exciting – we’re going to have a little British niece or nephew. Aren’t aunts and uncles a huge thing in English children’s literature? I expect to be a character in our own Chronicles of Narnia any day now. “Then Charlie’s lesbian aunts flew in from America…”
We have our regular work-sponsored “Fast Friday” at the track today – this year we’re doing it for the NASCAR race here on the Indy track. Because I’m obviously such a huge NASCAR fan. Right. I did enjoy Talladega Nights, though, and more recently – Cars, which we finally saw after being laughed at repeatedly the entire time by all the other drivers on our road trip. (You haven’t seen CARS? That restaurant was in CARS! Hey look, we’re in front of the gas station from CARS! It didn’t help that the movie painstakingly included lots and lots of attractions from Route 66 to support the historic restoration efforts.)
The whole “going to the track” thing is really wasted on me, though. It’s too bad I can’t trade out with some of the guys from our road trip; they love the race cars and asked all about living near the Indy 500. I didn’t tell them that I regularly turn down tickets to the race every year (my dad has had them since I was a little kid) and even sort of avoid the west side of town when there’s a race on. I did mention you can hear the cars from our house though. That’s true of most of city, though – the noise really carries. Anyways, I better go get ready; I’m carpooling to the track with Rich…

Continue ReadingWriting? What me? I never do that any more…

Our Awesome Realtor, Sherry Soforic

I have been terribly remiss on one aspect of my recent home sale – in all of the celebration over getting the thing finished, and the tearing out of the hair that came before it, I completely neglected to mention how awesome our Realtor is.
Spike helps sell house
Spike helping Sherry fill out paperwork to sell my house.
Her name is Sherry Soforic, and she works for F.C. Tucker. She’s been a friend of Stephanie’s forever and ever, and helped her buy her house. Stephanie’s been recommending her to friends ever since, and everyone we know who worked with her thinks she’s awesome. She also helped us find our house, and was amazing in getting us into it – through all the negotiations and figuring out how to get contractors, Sherry has been a tremendous support. She comes by it naturally; Sherry’s mom was a real estate agent in Indianapolis for decades, and Sherry’s been at it for years, too.
Given the housing market slump recently, and the number of problems and things that went wrong on the way to getting my house sold, Sherry went far above and beyond what a real estate agent should be expected to do – she’s been a true friend and a spectacular, helpful person as well. Although I’m thankful we’re done with real estate transactions, I’m disappointed that I won’t be talking to Sherry every day or every other day – she’s one of those smart, insightful, funny people you just want to have around. I highly recommend her if you are planning to buy or sell your house in the Indianapolis area – if you call her, let me know; I’d love to hear about it. Also be sure to tell her we sent you.
Sherry Soforic Szeszycki
F.C. Tucker Company
work phone – 317-846-7751
Sherry’s Charity Triathlon
Sherry is also a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, where she’s run three marathons to raise funds to fight cancer. She’s now in training for a triathlon, which I’m in awe of. She’ trying to raise $3,250.00 for this triathlon, and if you want to check out her donation page, I’m sure she’d be thrilled.

Continue ReadingOur Awesome Realtor, Sherry Soforic

Delicious Nut Sale – Update

Several years ago, I posted a memo that went around at work — It was a fund-raising notice from Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana announcing their “Delicious Annual Nut Sale” to raise money for their programs. Funny, right?

Yesterday, one of the folks from the organization found the post on my blog and wrote me to let me know that they still have nut sales going on to fund-raise for their not-for-profit work:

Just wanted to say “thanks” for posting … even in humor we hope to bring more attention to the importance of spay/neuter for dogs and cats.

By the way, we still have nuts to sell. Even malted milk balls. Delicious is right!

Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana, Inc.
P.O. Box 55917
Indianapolis, IN 46205-0917
Voice Mail 317.767.7771
Fax 866.771.0358
www.spayneuterservices.org
Available:
27 almond $7
17 clusters $8
8 malted milk $6
22 peanut $5
45 pecans $8
60 deluxe mixed $7
(sorry, no more cashews)

The also have some fun t-shirts for sale at their website.

Delicious, funny, and for a great cause – that’s quite a trifecta.

Continue ReadingDelicious Nut Sale – Update

Delicious Annual Nut Sale (Spay-Neuter Serv.)

I know this “true story” is true, because it’s an actual memo that got sent around our work email.

It’s this time of year again!

The wonderful nut assortments are once again available, benefitting Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana. Included are pecan halves, mixed nuts, chocolate pecan clusters, whole cashews, honey roasted peanuts, white chocolate pretzels, and chocolate-covered almonds.

Order deadline is Oct. 9. Please stop by my desk on 5th floor (5062).

Thanks — take it from those who ordered them last year — they’re delicious and reasonably priced!

Update – One of the folks from Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana found this on my blog and wrote me to let me know that they still have nut sales going on to fund-raise for their not-for-profit work — you can find out how to order here:

Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana, Inc.
P.O. Box 55917
Indianapolis, IN 46205-0917
Voice Mail 317.767.7771
Fax 866.771.0358

www.spayneuterservices.org
Available:
27 almond $7
17 clusters $8
8 malted milk $6
22 peanut $5
45 pecans $8
60 deluxe mixed $7
(sorry, no more cashews)

They also have some fun t-shirts for sale at their website.

Delicious, funny, and for a great cause – that’s quite a trifecta.

Continue ReadingDelicious Annual Nut Sale (Spay-Neuter Serv.)