Scratch & Sniff

Tuesday's Think Kit prompt - "Scents have the power to take us all kinds of places. What smell takes you somewhere else? Where'd you go?"

Smells are important. Especially the smell of blueberry muffins on Christmas morning that wafted through my home growing up. It's a rather innocuous smell but one that's really left an imprint on me.

This smell is so engrained in my being. Mom somehow finds time to make a couple dozen boxed blueberry muffins to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Ford Christmas, all while doing the things great moms do on Christmas morning. This took decades of conditioning and because of that, whenever I smell blueberry muffins I'm no longer completely here. I'm partially there.

I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

I'll be blogging from my phone, more times than not this Think Kit. Please excuse typos or editing lapses because this screen is apparently still too small for those sorts of things.

My Mentors

For this Think Kit blog post, we're prompted to discuss our mentors. In my case, my mom and dad immediately come to mind. At this point in my life, my parents are some of my best friends and both have always been mentors.

My dad and I have such interesting conversations and share similar viewpoints on so many topics. This is perhaps favorite part of my relationship with my dad. We can talk politics or current events and not talk at each other or over each other let alone get into any irreconcilable arguments.  The mentoring has been subtle, but very influential. I am pretty lucky.

My mother has been a spiritual mentor since I have been a child. She may scratch her head a bit upon reading this as we have not always seen eye to eye on on some things. But her patience and persistence has given me the space and the time to get to a place I want to be.  Rest assured mom, your influence is present!

My mother, as an elementary school teacher, has been a reliable mentor with respect to my children's education.  One thing I've discovered is that no one, including me, truly understands elementary class room dynamic outside of the teacher in the room, educating and nurturing children. I've been fortunate to have my mother to mentor me as my children enter school.

While I haven't chosen same profession as my father, he has still served as a mentor and guide as I grew up trying to find myself in the work world. I have historically struggled with this and still struggle a bit today. My dad has always been there to listen and provide some very sage advice. He is very good at this as I have witnessed countless others that are in his profession, people my age and younger, call upon him for input or guidance. 

From these perspectives my mom and dad are truly friends and mentors to both me and my brother. I guess that is likely a good recipe for an adult and his parents.  I very much appreciate and cherish these mentors.

I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

2015, the year of the Ford homestead acquisition

I believe 2015 will be marked in the history of the Ford family as the point in time where we doubled down on our commitment to Indianapolis. We made a strategic move with the purchase of a  house up the street. Moving five houses up to this property will enable us to dabble with that we just couldn't experiment with in the old house. We will watch this city grow from this new house and from here, will play our part to make it a great place.

We found this house on a different corner of the same block on which we are currently living, so we are really setting ourselves up to be the old-school family living on this particular block for decades. We do love the old house and had many, many good time there. We lived there for 12 years and saw three children born there. The memories and connection to the old house is undeniable.

The house that we've just moved into, as of 12/31, has more bedrooms, more entertaining space, and a much larger backyard. Living in this house allows us to continue living in the city and in the south east corner of Meridian-Kessler while respecting the fact that we have three children who need to get out and have some space to play. As a farmboy I can appreciate having a little bit extra breathing room, but I am essentially a city slicker now so this house in this property or a good compromise.

Later this month, I'll be posting on the rehab work on this old house we facilitated. Wow, how things changed between us closing and move in. It's exciting!

TL;DR -- The thirty thousand foot view  story of 2015 is that we bought an old house on a big lot that we'll be using as our vantage point to experience Indianapolis for the next couple of decades.

Write an opener for your autobiography they say

Think Kit is back and it is welcomed! Let's jump right in.

If I were writing this current volume of my autobiography, the first line summarizing my glamorous life would read something like this, "I'm not sure how much of my life is grounded in reality these days." Sure my day job, some aspects of parenthood, and paying bills keep me grounded but beyond that, my head is elsewhere.

The prologue would suggest that perhaps it's some sort of halo affect from being around a couple of really imaginative kids. Maybe their unadulterated imaginations and dreams create some sort of wake that I'm subconsciously riding. Whatever it is, I truly enjoy it. 

The opening summary of this autobiographic volume would also mention the media I consume, particularly what I read and my music.  I've recoiled at the tone, presentation, and general content of the non-fiction I typically read (news, political analysis, etc.). This leaves me with fiction. As a reader, you know how easy it is for the medium to transport you from where you're  currently sitting.  Additionally, the music I predominantly  listened to in 2015 sends me miles away. It's a random combination of genres that feels like a mix between NPR's Hearts of Space and Indy's 91.9 on the fm. All of it creates a contemplative state.

 I welcome this shift away from reality. It feels like a spiritual Renaissance, of sorts.   After years of preoccupation in practical matters,  things have balanced back out and can be summed up by my opening quote mentioned above.  I do enjoy the way my story is shaping up.

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I'm blogging this month as part of Smallbox Design's community project Think Kit (thinkkit.org).  It's my 3rd or 4th year doing it and it's real entertaining for me, and sometimes my audience.

I'll be blogging from my phone, more times than not this Think Kit. Please excuse typos or editing lapses because this screen is apparently still too small for those sorts of things.

Think Kit Day 5 - Aloha, Audrey!

We know enough good people out there not having kinds and felt compelled to expand our population footprint to compensate.  Just kidding on the motivation. We brought a third Ford girl into the world and I know she's going to be as a strong and amazing as our other two.  Aloha, Audrey!

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “What did you say goodbye to this year? Was it a bad habit? A '94 hatchback? Or something less tangible? How did you feel the day after? The week after? 

Or! What did you say hello to this year? Did it enrich your life...or detract? A new favorite possession? A tattoo? Did you decide that your life was missing something, or did you just fall into new-ness?"

Think Kit Day 4 - Words By Which I'm Living

Spend money on experiences, not stuff.  

Here we have an influential statement that left its mark this year. I don’t really know from where I picked it up.  A simple Google search confirms this is not a new concept.  Nonetheless, it’s a statement that has validated a number of decisions we’ve made in recent past while informing future decisions.

It’s not full proof, but it’s still sound advice.  If you downplay or even shun consumer culture with this as your mantra it feels like you’re really buying into an information culture.  You run the risk of coveting the photos or the curated online persona.  It seems the phrase is not really an exercise in non-attachment, as you create an emphasis on the pictures, the videos, the journal entries about the experiences.  Is this bad?  I guess it depends on your attitude and preference toward non-attachment.

So while my 2014 self can't claim that this mantra is a true exercise in non-attachment, spending money on experiences and not stuff has created clarity in thought and less clutter in the home.  It feels like the right move.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “Whether you asked for it – or not – what good advice did you get this year? Did it come from an unexpected source?"

Think Kit Day 3 - It only took me 6 months at my new job to spill beer on the ceiling (VIDEO)

You want a laugh?  I give you, "Employee Beer Explosion (no sound)."  It's a masterful short piece that captures surprise and humility, all in the time span of a few minutes. I'm six months into my new job and I've got a project team member who is giving up a Friday night to do some after hours work that popped up at the last minute.  So, I thought I would give him a six pack of some local IPA flair as a thank you.  Well, take a look at the security camera footage my kind hearted co-workers obtained, edited, and shared throughout the building while I was home showering and changing.

No glass was broken, merely my pride!  It was a pretty good laugh all in all, even at the time it all occurred.  Ah, the memories.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “share a side-splitting story from the last year. What made you laugh out loud until tears formed? What made you giggle every time it was referenced? Whether it's a story, an image, a video – we want to hear about the banana peel on the floor, your best practical joke, or gems from the mind of a three-year-old. Whether it's sassy, sarcastic, or just plain silly: make us laugh!”

Think Kit Day 2 - From Paper to the Cloud

I'm going to avoid diving deep on a couple of social or local issues.  It's day two, after all. Everyone is expecting it and I won't be able to resist the urge to through the end of the month.  That being said, I've another mind shift that occurred this past year. It's a small change that contributes to larger scale success. I've gone paperless at work.  I've seriously printed two documents in an entire year while at a job with perhaps twice as much information flowing my way.  Prior to that, I would drown in a sea of paper and lost so much informational value in the unbelievable amount of reports, notes, plans, etc. that would accumulate on my desk.  Granted I moved from a large financial services organization to a small, tech savvy consulting firm but it was still project oriented technology work - and a lot of it thus leading me to believe that the system is a primary contributor.  

I've perfected my cocktail. It's all about Evernote, Box, and Trello (apps I've blogged about before). This trifecta of applications has replaced mounds and mounds of paper that I would have printed in a previous life.  These are popular, cloud based document and information organizing tools that only become easier to leverage as they evolve.

Through the tagging, the sharing, and the synching in the cloud I've found peace of mind and a less stressful and more effective work scenario.  These tools aren't new and neither are the concepts. What's new is my dedication to them this past year and as a result, a significantly smaller amount of paper consumed.

This is actually an important development, whether you work in a fast paced environment that's where the information flow never stops or you have a need to manage multiple detailed initiatives.  Abandoning paper for the cloud is a very operational shift.  It's a seemingly benign change that really impacts my larger game. I'm consciously looking to cultivate a "get things done" reality and abandoning paper has helped pave the way.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “What did you change your mind about this year? Was it a big deal – the way you feel about an issue? Or something small ?”

Think Kit Day 1 - Being a Hype Man for Indianapolis Through My Year in Pictures

I'm using my year in photos post to hype up a few things I like about my city. As an added benefit for friends and family (28% of which would be interested in seeing pictures of my family), you get some pictures of my awesome family.  Besides, the only way to make family photos interesting to strangers is to frame them up against some of my favorite aspects of our great city.

Downtown Carriage Ride

For Margot's birthday, we took a horse drawn carriage ride around the downtown area.  The ride was a first for us.  For as much time as I've spent near the circle, that was a nice angle to experience the area.

Victory Field

What a great minor league park we've got.  The outfield experience is ideal for our group of friends and family.

Pappa Roux

This is a two for one photo.  I get to promote this east side restaurant as well as give you a glimpse into my awesome dad time.

Downtown Comics

Great selection and great staff.  Note my use of My Little Pony comics as a gateway drug.

Holliday Park

We own a bunch of city parks on the north side.  And Holliday park could have topped the list this year.  We love it for its nature center, playground, its "ruins", and the river front.

My Street

We've lived in the south east corner of Meridian-Kessler for over ten years now.

St. Joan of Arc's French Market

Year after year, this is our favorite festival on the summer circuit.

100 Acre Wood (and all the outdoor IMA grounds)

What a great way to spend a random weekend afternoon.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “Share your year in photos. Was there a moment of unrestrained happiness? An unexpected encounter?”

Think Kit Dec. 31st - Looking Toward 2014 By Continuing The Best of 2013

As 2013 ends, I feel I've settled into a great groove.  Taking time to reflect really pays off. I find activities I like and make them habit while looking for new experiences.  So while I obviously can't describe the unknown events and activities that will highlight 2014, I can list a few things I've done in the past that I know I'll be doing again this coming year.

• Camping with my girls
• Indy's summer festival season
• Afternoons spent biking along the canal path to the IMA grounds, Butler's campus, Broad Ripple, and so forth
• My 36th consecutive year at our family's little lake house up on Lake Tippecanoe
• Quality music shows that will pop up throughout the year (e.g., Neko Case)
• Reds v. Pirates baseball games with my family
• Settling into my first year at Apparatus
• Quiet summer evenings at my family's farm

What I enjoy about this is list of things I'm looking forward to in 2014 is that I use them all as an exercise in self-awareness.  I contemplate the people around, my geographic position, and how I affect and am impacted by them. Much of this list is family oriented because that's who I am at 35.  These activities are all accompanied by moments where I stop, take a deep breath, and look around. It can be a very intoxicating and rewarding experience and I will ensure this next year will see it in abundance.

So here's to 2014, the year where we all take some time to recognize the moment, focus more on ourselves, and respect and honor our fathers and mothers.

Dec. 30th Think Kit - Knowledge Is Power in the Fitness Game: All Hail the FitBit!

A shot of my dashboard

I need to exercise more.  I've mentioned this in earlier posts.  Almost three years ago, I made a conscious effort to exercise more and for a long stretch of time, I was in the best shape of my life. However I have a hard time finding a long term, permanent rhythm.  I'll exercise regularly in spurts. For eight months, I'll exercise three to four days a week.  Then, I'll fall out of my routine and that sedentary inertia sits in.  So, I'm looking for a different perspective to take a fresh first step toward a constant emphasis on fitness.
Knowledge alters my behavior.  It's not a universal rule that we all live by, but it applies to me.  I look at nutrition labels at the grocery store, calorie counts on menus, and so forth. For awhile I kept a food journal.  All this information influences my decisions, however actively tracking exercise is kind of challenging. So, I was therefore excited to get my FitBit for Christmas.

My FitBit is a super cool little gadget that tracks my calories, steps taken, active minutes, and my sleep patterns.  Yes, I'm a tech geek and am enamored with it as it synchs wirelessly to my computer.  I can track my progress not only on my wrist but in greater detail on a dashboard accessible on my phone or on my computer.  Yes, the hard part is staying on track diet wise and calories exerted.  However, with my new fitness gadget I'll be able to track my behavior and adjust accordingly.  I can, for example, see that I'm not burning enough calories in a day or am not getting enough sleep.  This is a new step toward a goal that I've worked toward for years.


This post is in response to Think Kit blog prompt,  "What's one step you can take to support a goal you have for 2014?" 

Think Kit Dec. 29th - What Does Random Conversation And Being Hard of Hearing Get You?

Allison and I make up phrases with some regularity.  We stumble upon them actually through a combination of random conversation and me having a hard time hearing voices at certain pitches.  I also have a tendency to mumble when I'm not paying attention.  As a result, incoherent nonsense is born. And thanks to smart phones that promote instantaneous documentation, many of these phrases have been recorded.  Here are three that I've pulled from my phone.  The only thing that these three phrases we coined have in common is that they have no layered back story.  We do attempt to create definitions for these terms after they're created, but there's no real meaning here.  

The Nimoy Scaffold - We think this to be in the stable of old tyme grifts like the pigeon drop, the ear wigger, or the Albany ham scam.  Ok, I don't know if these are real grifts.  I just pulled them from that Simpsons episode when Homer and Bart become failed con men.  But the Nimoy Scaffold is the quickest way to fleecing you and you won't even see it coming.

Popcorn Snake Juice - I make a mean batch of old school popcorn.  It's been perfected years ago and I believe I stated that as such.  I believe that framed our conversation to focus on how you top perfection.  I think this was a topping or flavor we would create and market that would define the next level of my already perfect stove top, brown paper bag popcorn.

It was as soft and mushy as the moon - I have no idea.


This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox. Today’s prompt: “What word(s) did you learn OR make-up this year? How did you learn it/make it up? Did you start using it?”

Think Kit Dec. 26th - My Self-Portrait: Channeling Calvin and Hobbes' Dad

Watterson family, please don't sue me.

I'm not really a big fan of these visual Think Kit prompts as I am not an artist.  So, don't expect much in the way of originality. If you recognize this self-portrait as Calvin's dad, you'd be correct.  I found a favorite Calvin and Hobbes strip with Calvin's dad and intentionally copied it, adding a little more hair and a beard to make it resemble a self-portrait.

I deliberately chose to copy Calvin's dad as my self-portrait for a number of reasons.  First, I grew up reading the strip and it left a lasting impression.  Bill Watterson's comic was a favorite of my grandfather Ford.  I remember the collected books and newspaper clippings around my grandparents house.  I'm really lucky to have this strong association.

I also chose to copy Calvin's dad because I want my kids to have the life of Calvin and Hobbes.  I'm going to ensure there's uncontrollable imagination and years-ahead-of-its-time awareness and wit.  I'm going to nurture yet be a gentle disciplinarian, like Calvin's dad.  My children are going to need cleverness and intellect to keep them engaged and ensure their success.  This is who I am consciously visualizing myself to be, Calvin's dad.

Think Kit Dec. 25th - An Image Capturing My Peace

This image represents the confluence of peace we feel with some regularity. Peace to me is the intersection of the fauna and family. Merry Christmas.

Think Kit Dec. 23rd - The Depressing Broad Ripple Whole Foods Fiasco

Yes, this is underutilized

Posting this entry a day late as I was being a good little elf till late yesterday evening.  We're prompted to re-examine a familiar spot in our lives - in our home, neighborhood, etc.  As I was picking up some carry-out from Indy's best mexican restaurant, La Piedad, I drove past the proposed site of the new Whole Foods grocery store.  I've been a resident of the greater Broad Ripple area for over ten years, so I've come to really know this neighborhood.  While I spend a lot of time and money on Mass Ave. and Fountain Square, I spend more in Broad Ripple (and it's southern College corridor that I refuse to call SoBro).  While these other two districts provide more appealing shops, restaurants, and social scenes, Broad Ripple provides a more complete package.  What I'll refer to as the "Greater Broad Ripple Area" has appealing housing options (i.e. it's safe, charming, and relatively affordable) and well rounded commercial development (i.e. grocery stores, banks, restaurants, and I suppose that sprawl over there on Keystone).  Couple this with the confluence of the Monon trail, the canal tow path, and the surrounding parks and you've probably got the best Indianapolis has to offer. That being said, the core of the neighborhood, Broad Ripple avenue, leaves a little to be desired.

So as a 10+ year resident with an affinity for the area, I can say this WholeFoods grocery store debate is painful to watch.  For the record, I'm in favor of further development but am puzzled as to why and how another grocery store is a good fit for the "village".

It looks pretty, but it doesn't have to be a
Whole Foods?

Preserve Broad Ripple.  Really?For those of you not connected to Broad Ripple, you sometimes here this rallying cry from residents. Some feel that we're losing the small, quirky village feel that's apparently been a defining trait. I hate to break it to you folks, but you lost that character when you let all of those meat head bars infiltrate Broad Ripple avenue.  When we moved to the area a decade ago, I thought the trifecta of Rock Lobster, the MineShaft, and Land Sharks was a wasteland of boring, run of the mill bars that over saturated a strip that already boasted the Vogue, Broad Ripple Tavern, Union Jacks, a BW3s, and some random nightclub that Jermaine O'Neal used to own.  I was genuinely surprised to see Brothers show up and honestly said to myself, "really?  Another frat bar?"  And then you let in Kilroy's.  Kilroy's the frattiest bar of frat bars from Bloomington, now in the heart of Broad Ripple?  My friends I don't know what local character you think you're trying to preserve in this neighborhood, but you lost that battle years ago.  Now, when someone wants to develop a relatively under utilized stretch of road on College, you want to break out the campaign to preserve the neighborhood? Isn't it too late for that rallying cry?  As a relative outsider who really loves this area, am I the only one to see this? Am I really allowed to ask this many questions in a single paragraph?

Now don't get me wrong, there are still a number of local shops I frequent in Broad Ripple proper.  I've found a consistently excellent barber at Bogie's, we give our money to the Monon Coffee Company and BRICS, and we do a respectable amount of our grocery shopping at Good Earth. We frequent both Indian restaurants and appreciate being able buy a good IPA growler on Sunday at 3 Wisemen.  There is local charm in these shops, but they've been pushed to the back streets in lieu of a Starbucks, a Subway, a couple banks, and all those bars I mentioned above.

Progress for the sake of progress?Don't get me wrong.  I'm pro development when it's smart.  The bike lanes?  A good idea.  The parking garage?  An even better idea.  That high end housing by the Monon trail where the liquor store used to stand?  Sure.  However, I can't see how a WholeFoods can be justified.  Within a mile or so, you can find Good Earth, a SafeWay, a Kroger, a Fresh Market, Locally Grown Gardens, an excellent seasonal farmers' market, a marsh, and a Target.  Hell, there's even another Whole Foods, not more than twenty blocks north of this proposed site.  Is this really the best use of space?  Yes, the design of the related residential housing and it's integration into the tow path look really nice.  But let's find something else to compliment this area.

To make matters even more unfortunate is that the most profitable grocery store in the country is leveraging a public financing program to save money.  That seems inappropriate.  So, that's what I saw when I traveled through my neighborhood, trying to take a fresh perspective. I see a public debate with two sides that I can't seem to identify with arguing over a neighborhood I call home.

Think Kit Dec. 21st - What's My TED Talk?

I want to challenge myself this next year to developing a big idea or two. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I'm prone to contemplating and subsequently writing about wide reaching concepts.  This week alone, I've written about collective consciousness and buying a small rural town as a community building exercise.  Maybe I develop one of those ideas into my own TED talk, of sorts.  Hell, I just watched an entertaining TED talk from a pick pocket, so I'm sure I've got one in me.

This mantra would guide me towards a more deeply developed idea.  Much like a thesis or research paper, I would research and contemplate, act and react, write and re-write while developing my 'talk'. Maybe I take one of my existing ideas or projects and continue elaborating to the point where I could talk at length about the idea and its underlying foundation.  I plan to continue my Visualize Indy project into 2014.  Maybe I could fine tune my rationale as to how communities can benefit from data driven dialogue.  Or explore the impact of multiple ideas distilled into summary level data points (i.e. the infographics) and the impact that could have on a community. I could pick up where my Masters thesis left off with and explore the hegemony created by corporations and citizens.  Perhaps, I take one of my half baked ideas off the shelf and clean it up for public consumption.  I have scribbled notes on food systems, our binary culture, and so forth.

While the actual presentation aspect of my mantra is intended as metaphor, I'm not opposed to live presentation.  I actually kind of like public speaking. Hell, a few years ago I even taught it at IUPUI for four or five semesters.  So, look for me later this coming year with a large homemade sign on monument circle ranting and raving about my big idea.

Think Kit Dec. 20th - My 2013 Top Ten Indianapolis Restaurant / Dining Experiences

Revolucion in Fountain Square - now with bonus
Tiki bar in the rear.

I'm a pretty non-judgmental restaurant diner.  While my list of top ten Indianapolis restaurant dining experiences is filled with foodie level establishments, I'm known for eating White Castle, truck stop 'food', and damn near everything at the State Fair.  So for those of you that feel this is a privileged, food elitist's top ten list, yes you're right but know that my life isn't always pricey farm-to-table grub or food served on comically small plates.  Well, enough with the identity crisis, let's bring on the list. 

1. Bluebeard | It's a random assortment of dishes and I'm not joking when I say that there hasn't been a single tiny plate that I haven't licked clean.
2. Black Market | A 'farm to table' styled restaurant.  The starters are pretty good and when I haven't had the daily special, I've eaten the duck and the pork chop - both are excellent.  and have a pickle as a pre-appetizer appetizer.
3. Bakersfield | I've found that I really like the limited menu restaurants. To me, it means you're focusing on a few items to perfection.  This is a taco and liquor joint and man is it great.  They make their own margaritas from scratch.  I don't exactly know what a 'from scratch' margarita is, but you really can taste the difference.
4. Cafe Patachou | Our Patachou is on 49th/Penn and we always walk or ride our bikes, which is helpful because I'm a huge fan of their broken yolk sandwiches. I can't speak to their lunch menu as we only dine there for breakfast.
5. Taste | Another breakfast/brunch joint in the neighborhood.  I've had the truffle egg toast more than any other item on the menu.  Plus, their smoothies are pretty good.
6. Siam Square | Standard issue Thai cuisine in Fountain Square.  I run up and down the menu and I haven't ever really been let down.
7. Good Morning Mamas | The only bad part about Good Morning Mamas is that I'm not a huge fan of their coffee. Their Loco Mocos are good. The '1940s' comes with fried spam.  Don't judge it before you've tried it.  Also, their eggs Benedict is top notch.  
8. India Garden | We eat Indian food like it's going out of style.  Vegetable malai kafta with a side of garlic naan is my go-to dish. 
9. La Piedad | The most inexpensive, consistently delicious mexican food in the city.  It's low key without a hint of 'pinkies up' while you eat.
10. La Revolucion | Me and the Rev have a really good relationship together.  I recommend this place to as many people as possible. I take my out of town guests there and it never disappoints.  While technically more a bar than a restaurant, they serve four different tacos and I've only had the beef and the pork varieties.  If you're going out in Fountain Square, get started here.

Think Kit Dec. 18th - The Passive Aggressive Nicing

Today, Think Kit encouraged us to "nice" someone. I've talked about the Smallbox coined term in previous posts and was even the recipient of a Nice grant earlier this year.  So, I won't belabor the point more than say that nicing is an unprovoked act of kindness toward someone you encounter in your life.

Today, I niced people by not talking. I listened and asked questions to get people to talk about themselves.  As a result, I heard stories of joy, sorrow, and disappointment from people I respect and consider friends.  I listened to stories of job woes, marriage engagements, divorces, Ph.D. dissertations, and stories of random acts of cuteness by friends' sons and daughters.  It was cathartic.

My act of nicing was not a deliberate act and is probably as effective as its original incarnation. However, it's still meaningful.  There are numerous editorials out there that elaborate on how we just talk at each other and don't ever listen to on another.  So, consider this my act of trying to break this modern stereotype, if just for one day.

Think Kit Dec. 17th - A Stand Out Moment: Hoosiers Watching Hoosiers

I'm very fortunate to have many stand out moments in my life.  It's not that I lead some rock star life (though my life for years now, has been great).  It's more that I'm able to really make something memorable out of a somewhat mundane experience.  Take for instance, watching Hoosiers at the IMA's summer nights series.  

The IMA summer nights movie series, for the uninitiated, is great in part due to the classic movies they play.  Classics like Gone With The Wind, Aliens, and The Breakfast Club are examples of movies that have played to audiences over the years.  These movies are the absolute classics of my generation.  That's the great thing about modern movies.  Old movies are not lost on the newer generations. Each generation ahead of us is lucky to have yet another generation worth of classic movies to enjoy and add to their personal library.

The annual event at the IMA is also memorable because of the venue.  You're watching movies in quality Indiana summer weather, i.e. heat and humidity.  The outdoor amphitheater itself is relatively secluded and quite.  Because of its popularity and first come, first serve seating you have to get there early.  This only means that you have to bring a lot of food to picnic with and drink lots of SunKing to wash it down.

But what is probably the most appealing aspect of this annual movie season is the audience it draws. These movies attract the super fans, the fans that know every line and are there to watch the flick for the hundredth time. Hoosiers is no different.  Allison and I had shipped the kids off to my parents farm, had our delicious spread of food before us, and reveled in the nostalgia. While I obviously didn't grow up in the period of the movie, Indiana basketball was engrained in my person.  Because of my parent's ties to the school system, we attended every home Jay County boys basketball home game.  I'd been to the largest and second largest high school gyms in the world numerous times, New Castle and the now shuttered Anderson Wigwam, and didn't think much of it.  The final game of the movie is based on a game against the 'big city' Muncie Bearcats, a neighboring rival the Patriots played annually.  I've been a part of a community that rallied around its high school basketball team.  I'm now rambling on about some alleged street cred to paint myself as some expert in high school basketball and to a point, I'm right.  But that's the beautiful thing about this one evening at the IMA, I wasn't alone.  Countless others in the audience are able to say the same story, slightly tailored to their hometown.

As you would guess, there was cheering during the movie.  lots of it.  And you know that slow clap scene in the locker room?

Yeah, we did that too.  There was the guy sitting next to us explaining the importance of Indiana high school basketball and the pertinent scenes to his woefully ignorant, likely out of state college girlfriend. We didn't mind the tourist, we were attending an evening worship service and all were welcome.  We were Hoosiers watching Hoosiers and it was a glorious night.

Think Kit Dec. 16th - Discovering the Cosmopolitan High

Over the years, I've figured out how to hack my brain to recreate this phenomena, this cognitive state that I feel interconnected with spaces and people beyond my immediate space. It feels like I'm teetering on the edge of collective consciousness.  I ask for your tolerance and forbearance as I wade into these weird, hard to describe recesses of my mind.  This is something that I discovered this year.  Or to state more accurately, I discovered how to talk about this cognitive phenomena I call the cosmopolitan high.

Cosmopolitanism?

Cosmopolitanism is based on the concept that humanity is essentially one community that transcends nations and cultures.  We are one culture with a lot of offshoots and deviations, but we're essentially all in the same club.  I first learned of this perception in an academic setting via the writings of a guy named Barnett Pearce. However, cosmopolitanism as a concept has been well traveled in many social science and cultural studies circles.  I haven't performed a literary review or anything, but I don't know that people have framed the concept as I'm doing here.  

There are other, similarly documented psychological phenomena that I feel operate in the same space as this, 'cosmopolitan high'.  It feels similar to the Michelangelo effect in that there's a similar sense of large scale euphoria and big ideas when in a high ceiling room.  This cosmopolitan high of which I speak also reminds me of the Overview effect felt by astronauts that gaze upon the earth from space.  I do feel as if this chemical reaction in my brain creates a similar cognitive shift in awareness that the Overview effect creates in those experiencing it.

Initially, it seemed like there were these random things that created this certain state of mind.  It's a subtle rush that feels like I'm breaking free of geographic constraint.  It's like you're feeling you're everywhere at once. I'm a bit hesitant to get into this because my masculinity warns me that this is a bit too touchy-feely for who I envision myself to be.  I call it a high because it is fleeting and it's a feeling I crave.  Because it's not a perpetual experience, I consider it a 'high'. Yes, calling something a high creates negative connotation and I don't mean for this phenomena to be negative as it's quite the opposite.  Recently, I started a list of these triggers for my own consideration.  What I want to accomplish with this post is to present them to you in an attempt to further explain this cognitive state.

Music is a trigger

I find a catalyst for this global, worldly feeling in music. For instance, I'll experience it when I listen to our local independent radio station, 91.9.  This is a radio station that is very much not tied into a mainstream format nor is it dictated by some revenue driven guideline. The random music and segments feel very real to me and the content aired is as random as it comes. You'll find international, classical, new age, reggae, indie, and bluegrass tunes.  The diversity in music and content feels like it's not tied to any particular geographic location, laying the groundwork for this shift in perception.

This cosmopolitan high is also evoked by an array of music genres and artists. Electronic music can evoke this feeling as will Copland and Bernstein's Appalachia collaborations, for example.  The banjo stylings of Earl Scruggs and other bluegrass, folksy music stir these feelings.  I can also include Gregorian chants and bagpipe music on this list of musical triggers that make me feel interconnected.  New Age music like Enya sparks this level of awareness.  I feel like I'm all over the map here and feel that, now that I've admitted this in public, I have to hand in my heavy metal badge.

Places as triggers

There are a few unusual and seemingly disconnected situations that trigger this feeling.  I'll sometimes feel this while watching some programming on public television.  Maybe it's a similar situation to the independent radio mentioned above.  Public television is a hodge podge of programming, often with diverse subject material.   

In a perhaps more obvious scenario,  my family's recent trip to Disney World evoked this feeling.  This, is partially due to the manufactured, biased simulations of various places throughout the world at almost every park.  However, compound this fabled land with the fact there are so many people from around the globe that attend and that the staff are deliberately selected from all across the country and world and you have a sense that everything in the world is happening right here and now in the very place I'm standing.  

I also feel it at the airport, again for more direct reasons what with people traveling all over the world. It's the definition of the term, cosmopolitan.  Major League baseball games and the large gatherings of people that come together and watch their team while charting the performance on the field with the scoreboard of divisional opponents displayed in the outfield.  The Caribbean evokes this emotion.  Perhaps it's the ocean and the romantic feel of the openness of the sea.  Perhaps it's the history of the region as a realm for explorers and pirates from across the pond that fosters this experience that I can feel my way across the globe.

Church will sometimes stir this cognitive state. In particular, the church I grew up in back in Dunkirk. The library almost always does.  I have distinct memories of the Dunkirk library being a quite place of solitude that, upon entering, felt like a hub.  I would often be alone there and being the age that I was, would not dwell upon it too much taking it for granted I suppose.

Should I be pursuing the cosmopolitan high?

My wife, in all her wisdom, brought an interesting perspective to this discussion. We've spoken before about the difference between joy and happiness and how there are advantages in seeking out the former over the latter.  Joy is a consistent feeling where happiness is fleeting.  She's pretty smart like that and if she ever wanted to write, she'd likely be the primary draw to Friday's with the Fords.  That being said, I won't venture down this tangent but do understand the correlation between how I describe the cosmopolitan high with the fleeting feeling that is happiness.  I don't know that I'm going to abandon quest to bask myself in this bubble, but whether or not it is a path to enlightenment is worth further exploration.

So, this is something I discovered this year.  I have spoken it into existence.  I have exposed it to you.  I discovered the ability to describe this state of mind and am now able to deliberately ponder where it can take me.