Diversity: more than just an old, old wooden ship

An Anchor Man joke? I know, pretty juvenile... but considering a white, suburb-raised 20-something male is about to talk about Diversity, I thought it seems right.

There are far more intelectual and lofty publications out in the world that deal with diversity in higher education and I don't exactly think I am going to contribute any new thoughts or idea.

Still, I wanted to share at least something about this new Master's class I am taking through Park University. The class itself is an introduction to public policy and government management. It's the starter class for the larger Master's in Public Affairs and Administration.

As we went around the room introducing ourselves we were supposed to say our name, where we are from and what our future plans were with the MPA from Park.

Out of the 12 students in the room, I was the only white male.

Now, this is nothing new. When I worked in the Kansas City's Northeast neighborhood this was pretty typical. In Brooklyn, I lived and worked in a predominately Caribbean neighborhood. Even at the Community College the level of diversity (while not ideal) is pretty high when compared to some suburbs in the region.

No, what was fascinating to me was where everyone else was from:

Five of the students in the class are from Saudi Arabia.

One student is from Azerbaijan.

One students is from Africa (I regret not being able to hear from what country specifically).

All of them had roughly the same story; they came to the U.S. specifically to get a Master's Degree in Public Affairs and then would be returning home once they graduated.

Most of them said they worked for the government in their respective countries (or worked for a type of NGO) and that they would be returning to that job when they returned home.

That is quite a move to attend a private university in the middle of the county.

I did not want to be rude or insensitive, but as a marketing guy, I wanted to just pick their brains about what drew them to Park or even Kansas City. How they found the program or even how they made the decision to up-root home and family (one guy had enrolled with his wife) to come to Missouri for two years.

I mean, I thought traveling to the Park campus just across the river was going to be a chore every week (luckily I am at the downtown campus just a few blocks from my apartment).

It is already a wild ride as we talked about how different students don't see the freedom of speech as one of those untouchable rights. Even to hear someone talk about America's "drinking problem" raised a few eyebrows (we were talking about the constitution's amendments and recent hot topics).

Buckle up, team, because I get the feeling the ride on this old, old wooden ship is going to be a lot of fun.

LEGO Brick Factor KC: building like a top 40 champ.

WOO!

With more than 200 LEGO builders from five different states competing for the title of Master Model Builder, it was an intense day of building.

Even though I did not make the cut for the final 10, I managed to get into the semi-finals with the top 40 builders from around the region. With that badge of accomplishment, I feel like I represented well this weekend.

The competition itself was a blast. It reminded me of the old high school debate days. Saturday, like back then, was filled with about an hour of intense competition and then a lot of sitting around waiting for judges and results to be posted.

It was great to have not only family and friends, but also a small contingent of blog fans come out to support me as I competed.

For Round One we were told the theme was Animals. Most every had about 30-45 minutes to think about what they wanted to build.



The only problem with planning ahead was that you did not know what bricks you were going to be dealt. Judges even mentioned that they put relatively basic bricks to see how creative the contestants could be.

For 30 minutes you have to not only build a model that will impress the judges, but you have to also interact with the crowd that is gathering at each table.



With so many red bricks in my first round draw, I thought a ROCK LOBSTER would be fun.



I finished the lobster pretty quickly. So, I started asking the kids watching my table what they think I need to add. Some said I needed sand for him to live in, other said food. The finished product.



Round Two was even more insane as the crowd was bigger and the competition included 39 other incredibly good builders. The theme for this round was to build something we thought represented Kansas City or the Midwest.

I thought I could play off the City of Fountains motif.



Of course, it would not be a KC Fountain without a bum wading around in the pool.



Like I said before, I missed the final cut but was still pleased with how I performed all day. Plus, the final 10 all had some amazingly creative models and it will be interesting to see what they put together in the final round.

I have A TON of photos from the LEGO event on my flickr page.

TMI... or follow me on twitter #Scopy2012

Well, team, we are in the throws of prepping for my very first colonoscopy. I thought I would share with you the recipe that is my afternoon:

In a shaker, add:
10 oz. Magnesium Citrate
285 grams of Miralax
64 oz. of Gatorade

Shake vigorously over rocks. Pour into a pitcher-sized Goblet. Garnish with two doses of laxatives. Drink within 1 hour. Brace for impact.

The weekend is almost here!

That's what she said...

Back when I worked at The Old Paragraph Factory, I had an editor teach me to always re-read your writing as if you were a 13-year-old boy.

The idea, or at least one of the ideas, was to catch any accidental penis jokes or sexual innuendo that might have been left in your copy.

Think of it as a 'That's what she said' rule. Don't write anything that leaves the youngest person in the room giggling...

That rule, of course, can apply to just about any copy you write anywhere. You hear that Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts email? The KPAC is advertising the massive organ it just installed in the Helzberg Hall.

Here is email I received today...

To: Wednesday Weekly
From: The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Subject: A magnificent organ, a momentous occasion

Teeheehee....

Sorry, I don't mean to bring down the Classiness of the KPAC and its ... hehe ... organ.

LEGO competition at high noon in KC

Hell's Bells, Kansas City, make way for this LEGO Champion.

Next weekend, I will swagger jack this LEGO competition from some sad 10-year-old who thinks his Cowboy Space Castle is "da-bomb" — or whatever it is the kids say these days.

In preparation for the new LEGO Discovery Center at Crown Center, the Master Builders from around the country will be on hand to watch a bunch of child-like men and women attempt to compete for the coveted job of Kansas City's first LEGO Master Builder.

It's three rounds of timed building and only the top builder will be offered the job.

Yes, I will be competing. No, I never really stopped being 12. So save your judgement for another day...

I have been brushing up on my LEGO skills and watching film from previous competitions to see what is in store during the first few rounds of speed building. I just need to be on my game and ready to win.

If you are free Saturday, Jan. 14 at Noon, swing by the Crown Center to support your hometown hero (me) and play with some free LEGO sets!

I am really going to need is a sweet cheering section... I think it might be the only way to psyche out the competition and really make them feel inferior right out of the gate. Because, let's be honest, as much as LEGO means fun play, this is no longer playtime... it's go time.

If nothing else, if I lose, I will want to drown my sorrows with good friends and a lot of booze (from a mug build with LEGO).

What's on tap for 2012

Well, there goes another year.

So, let's see what we have scheduled for 2012:

Get married, grad school, buy a house, kite festival, eat healthier, drink less, exercise more, write more, take more photos, learn more graphic design elements, produce more videos, pick up some freelance work, see middle brother graduate, watch more basketball, take a week-long vacation, cook more at home, start baking, vote, teach cats to do tricks, get a hair cut, get a colonoscopy, get a better video camera, volunteer more, backup my computer, organize the storage closets, blog more often, go skydiving, travel more...

That sounds like a good start to the year.

You win!

I am always looking for a cheap and easy way to fill the pages of this blog. So, what better time than now to tell you:

I won a design contest!

Well, technically, I won third - according to the judges - but when my artwork was reproduced in Black and White (as the instructions said it was going to be) mine was the only one that was legible...

Hurray?

Here is the deets:
The pizza place up the street from Ye Old Jr. Varsity is trying to drum up some business from the lines of people heading to the Christmas in the Park display.

People sit in their cars for HOURS to see the display. The Pizza Boss came up with the idea to hand out fliers to people waiting in line telling them the pizza joint was open and they could watch the line shrink from the windows of the game room... clever stuff, I tell you...

The Boss's Microsoft Word design skills were lacking so he threw it out to his Fans on Facebook...

"Design me a flier," he said. "And win $60 in Next Door Pizza gift certificates."

Now, my design skills aren't really what I would call... "professional" nor have I gone through any of the "training" or "education" needed to "be a graphic artist"... but I'll do just about anything for free pizza.



Like I said, it's not exactly art... and from what the Facebook folks were saying there were some REALLY serious graphic artists on the case. Still, nothing says good design like a sweet readable font choice.

Huzzah Technicalities!

And Huzzah Next Door Pizza, who I think has some of the best Deep Dish Pizza in KC.

Somedays...

... I feel like I want to set my hair on fire.



Despite our early week excitement, this whole week, though, as been dragging along. The Temple of Gonzo-KC had a bit of a medical emergency Monday night when The Librarian came down with some kind of stomach flu.

I think she picked it up from her infant niece (I say this only because I know for a fact babies cannot comprehend something as complicated as The Internets, but I could be wrong and might have to brace myself for the wrath of a drooling child upset by internet-tolls).

Anyway, if a man's engagement to a women is to be a time to learn about one another before marriage, I can definitely say my engagement to the Librarian has taught me how to effectively clean up buckets of puke.

For nearly 18 hours - every 15 minutes - she was puking, giving me only about 10 mins to rinse, clean and deodorize the trashcan we were using.

It was brutal.

What I thought was funny though was how many people kept telling me I needed to get her on the BRATs diet when she finally stopped up-chucking.

It sounded like they were nuts, but Banans, Rice, Applesauce and Toast must have been one of those health lessons I missed when I was in Jr. High.

Once we got things back to normal the work week ground to a halt and became insanely more boring.

Maybe it was the weather... maybe it's because tomorrow is payday... maybe it's because I decided to quit injecting caffeine into my eyeballs in the morning (health reasons). Whatever the case, I think this is a sign of things to come as classes end and the semester winds down. I'll have to start taking on some more evergreen projects - not necessarily a bad thing, really.

On the bright side, I found out my Attorney landed himself a cushy Lawyer-like job down in Springfield. Even got himself a high-fallutin' loft downtown... Fancy.

Now that he has ascended into the 1% I guess this means he can get all my drinks when I head south to visit the SOB.

Let's just hope all his lawyer-ing does not mean he has to back out of the wedding. If anything, I am going to need a lawyer more than ever in Vegas.

What am I thankful for?

One year my cousin put up a Thankful Tree at my Mom's house as part of a Thanksgiving activity. This is what I wrote on my leaf...

Two years later, The Librarian and I finally got to spend an entire Thanksgiving Holiday together. We were up early to make our pies and deserts and pack the cooler with libations for our moveable feast.

And now two Thanksgiving Dinners, two turkeys, one spiral-cut ham, 10 pounds of green beans, and an unknown amount of pretzel-jello later, we are passed out on the couch watching bad television.

This is what I am thankful for.

Viva Las Vegas...

Pack your best Hawaiian shirt and bring along your fanciest flask. The Librarian and I are headed to Vegas this summer to get hitched...

Wooooooo!

It took us about a week to realize that planning a wedding and reception in Kansas City was going to be like pulling teeth with a weed whacker. We took in a couple of bids from places that we thought would be reasonable. But everything we could fit into our budget was going to involve WAY to much heavy lifting and coordination from our end and was just going to sap any and all fun we were going to have.

After we started to spread the news that Vegas would be the location of our destination wedding, I started hearing from other friends and co-workers who did the same thing. They all kept telling me is was the best decision they made when it came to getting married.

Although I am a little bummed we will not get Elvis or even Barry Mannilo to do the wedding for us, I suspect the resort will have someone of equal stature to officiate Wedding-palooza 2012!

Get pumped! You can find more details about the wedding and such here.