September 6. 2014: Reading Rainbow Live with the cast of Battlestar Galactica!!

Several months ago I became aware of a Kickstarter campaign for Reading Rainbow. Its goal was to bring Reading Rainbow back for “every child, everywhere”. Now, I’ll be honest, I’m a Sesame Street / Electric Company / 3-2-1 Contact kid, not a Reading Rainbow kid, but after reading up on the program, it seemed utterly worthwhile. Not to mention it was lead by LeVar Buron (aka Geordi LaForge from Star Trek: TNG) and I’m a huge ol' Trekkie. And THEN when they announced an opportunity to attend a Reading Rainbow Live event with not only LeVar Burton but with the cast of Battlestar Galactica?! I mean, I could help kids learn to love to read AND indulge my geeky heart all at the same time!?

Oh yeah, I was in.

August 9, 2014: One Day Ride Across Michigan (ODRAM)

A number of years ago, my dad did this ride called ODRAM (http://www.odram.com/) (which stands for One Day Ride Across Michigan). Like the name indicates, it's a bicycle ride across the state of Michigan. Also like the name indicates, you do that ride in one day. From Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. How far is that, you ask? Well, it’s about 150 miles. And yes, one does it in one day.

I decided I wanted to do this ride.

And finally, a couple years ago I got serious about doing it. Sadly, I was in a fairly serious bike accident while on a training ride and due to injuries sustained in the accident (namely, a broken elbow) I wasn’t able to do the ride. The following year I was hampered by a bum knee. But this year… nothing was going to stop me this year.

And yesterday, August 9th, after hundreds of miles across months of training that started with a 16 mile ride in Florida in mid-March and culminated in a hilly Harlem Valley Ride century in New York in late July, I was able to successfully complete the 150 mile trek across my home state of Michigan with my dad. We did the ride in 11 hours 57 minutes, three minutes inside of our 12 hour goal. And this in spite of a pretty significant headwind the entire way! I say that because we set the goal assuming Michigan’s westerly prevailing winds would, well, prevail and give us a tail wind. Alas, they did not prevail, resulting in an (*shakes fist at the air*) easterly wind. So to meet our goal despite that? Well, we were thrilled!

The ride was an amazing experience of camaraderie, long roads (some smooth, some not so much), farmlands, orange arrows guiding our way, Gatorade, perseverance, and fun. Many thanks to those that organized it (they did an amazing job!) and to those that passed us with a friendly word of encouragement along the way. And many thanks to my mom who drove SAG for us!

Now, here is the 150 mile, 12 hour journey in pictures.

November 2, 2013: CANstruction 2013 in New York

Date: November 2, 2013 (though this goes through 11/13)
Event: CANstruction 2013 in New York
Location: Lower Manhattan, New York City
Summary: It's art! Made of food! Then donated to charity!

Tis the season of some of my favorite events. October 31 and the Halloween Parade is quickly followed by a myriad of other New York events that mark the end of the year and the Holidays. And many of those events are charity benefits of one kind or another. This is one of those: it’s called CANstruction

I first discovered CANstruction back in 2008 and have attended the event every year since then. What is CANstruction you ask? Well, their website states, “Canstruction, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that holds annual design and build competitions to construct fantastic, giant sized, structures made entirely out of canned food. In each city after the structures are built and the winners declared the creations go on view to the general public as giant art exhibits. At the close of the competition all of the Cansculptures are dismantled food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks for distribution to community emergency feeding programs.”

It’s art. It’s engineering. It’s free to view. It helps feed the hungry.

It’s win-win-win-win.

Of course I go every year!

This year wasn’t the biggest exhibit they’ve had, but I must say I truly enjoyed the sculptures. Every year so inventive and imaginative and impressive. I love the creativity and appreciate the engineering.

In encourage everyone that can to look it up in their city – this isn’t confined to New York. Go. Enjoy. Take some canned goods to donate. A morning well spent. :) (remember, it's open through Nov 13 in New York!

Below are pictures of my favorites of the 27 sculptures they had.

October 29, 2013: Elementary filming on the streets of New York

Date: October 29, 2013
Event: Elementary filming on the streets of New York
Location: Lower Manhattan, New York City
Summary: It's a Sherlock!!

Woo! I finally got to see one of my new favorite TV shows filming! And I saw my second Sherlock live this year (though both times it was from afar). Still, Elementary filming, woo!!

I was fortunate that I had a break in meetings mid-morning and was able to slip out into the streets of New York for a brief set visit (thanks to OLV for the location info!). I got there as they were putting on the final touches to the set and then as they started filming – with Sherlock and Watson and Det. Bell, woo! The viewing wasn’t great and because of lighting they soon moved a massive white screen in place which blocked the view completely. Still, I enjoyed the short amount of time there. I never tire of all the behind the scenes stuff or watching the actors work, I really don’t. :)

Below are a few pictures (both behind the scenes as well as of the actors).  Please do not take or repost without permission.

October 24, 2013: Going to see a new Banksy art work

Date: October 24, 2013
Event: Going to see a new Banksy art work
Location: Hells Kitchen, New York City
Summary: I've been swept up in the Banksy hype and I love it!!

So, I’ll admit, I’ve gotten completely swept up in Banksy. It’s SOOOOOOO New York and it’s also art. Of COURSE I’m going to get swept up in it. For those that don’t know who Banksy is, he is a graffiti artist based in the U.K. who is spending a month in New York. Every morning he posts something on his website (www.banksyny.com) indicating what that day’s art is and its general location. Many of the works have been destroyed or removed already. Also, the NYPD is after him since what he’s doing (graffiti) is technically illegal. So seeing a new work as quickly as possible is key.

Sadly, I have not been in New York for most of October so I haven’t been able to actually go *see* any. So, yesterday, I decided that the moment the new work was revealed, I’d go see it, no matter where it was.

This is my little treasure hunt for the elusive Banksy art. :)

October 20, 2013: Pumpkin Carving w/ Ray Villofane at NY Botanical Gardens

Date: October 20, 2013
Event: Giant Pumpkin Carving with Ray Villofane at New York Botanical Gardens
Location: Bronx, New York City
Summary:This guy does incredible things with pumpkins!  It's truly art!

Despite the fact that I was far from recovered from yet another West Coast swing, I had to rouse myself from my desire to spend all of Sunday on my futon to attend what is going to be a yearly event for me: going to see Ray Villofane carve giant pumpkins at The New York Botanical Gardens.

I met up with my friend, L, in a not-so-well-thought-out-plan-to-meet-on-the-subway-platform then we headed up north to The Bronx. I must admit, the sculpture itself was not quite as terrifying or (at least to me) impressive as last year. But it was still flipping amazing! And unlike last year, I got to see Mr. Villofane give a few interviews for TV as well as do a Q&A session with visitors of the garden, all of which was *very* interesting.

The idea of this carving was that a carnivorous plant was wrapping its vine around this huge pumpkin and squeezing out pumpkin wasps, which were then attacking the plant while the plant was trying to eat them. And remember, this entire scene is CARVED FROM PUMPKIN MATTER. PUMPKINS.

October 18, 2013: Nikki & Nora Premiere in Hollywood

Date: October 18, 2013
Event: Nikki & Nora Premiere in Hollywood
Location: Hollywood, California
Summary: Being a funder/supporter for a new webseries based on an old pilot, I was invited to its Hollywood premiere.  :)

I’ve been doing much traveling for work of late which has taken me away from home a little more often than I’d like. But at least on this trip out to the left coast I was able to combine business with pleasure, ending my week attending the N & N Files premiere in Hollywood.  Oooo, yeah!

This description is just one fan’s / one supporter’s experience, to be shared with other fans/supporters who couldn’t be there (and I hope it’s clear it is all said in good fun!). I apologize for the utter crappiness of the photos. My camera let me down (and maybe it had something to do with the wrong ISO setting I had it on; poo on me!) Anyway, here goes.