------ In The City (Fill in the blank)

Sex?  

Crime? 

Business? 

Overcrowding?

No, no, no and no.

Give up?

How about eagles?  American Bald Eagles?

Yup.  Whodathunkit?  There is a colony of 12 American Bald Eagles in Syracuse, New York, of all places.

See them here.

They're the revered bird of the Onondaga Nation, and they're back at Onondaga Lake.

Onondaga Lake abuts the city of Syracuse and was once the most polluted body of water in the country.  The Solvay Process dumped industrial waste into the lake and along its shoreline for decades, turning it into a putrid and stinking morass, and essentially killing it.  City sewage compounded the problem.  It was surrounded by oil tanks, and the asphalt smell was the punch line of many jokes about the village of Solvay on its banks ("Evening in Solvay" perfume, for example, was often listed as a gag door prize at parties).

There is a lot that can never be cleaned up, such as the mercury that is embedded in the lake bottom, but there has been a concerted effort to improve things.  The oil tanks have gone, and the piles of pollutants and refuse have been removed.  A new sewage treatment plant has significantly reduced human pollution.  A fancy mall sits on the site of the old oil tanks and there are plans afoot to build housing and more shopping (some under glass with year-round golf, of all things).  

Whatever has been done so far has helped a miracle to occur.  Maybe it's time to just stop and forget "progress."  I think what's happened here now is an excellent height to reach.

I wonder what the people of the Onondaga Nation think.  Many of them live not too far away, south of the city.  The bird they revere has returned, in numbers not seen for a century or more.

Isn't it wonderful?

What a mess...

was my garage. David was a trooper, helping me to destroy and recycle the myriad carboard boxes ("Save the box in case you have to send it back, or to transport it when you next move" was the mantra, and of course the things that came in those boxes are long gone). The recycling truck will be busy -- we filled the recycling bin and two trash cans with cardboard, plus one trash can with trash. Once those are gone, there should be room for the car.

Once the boxes were flattened, we hit Home Depot and bought 24 feet of shelves and installed them. That got a lot of stuff and all my toolboxes off the floor. There are still some boxes to go through, but by and large, I'm done. I may go back and get more shelves for the other side of the garage when spring comes. There were already three shelves that cover the entire width of the garage at the back and they could use some neatening up when it gets warmer. That cold concrete slab just sucks the heat out of your body through the soles of your feet, so doing much in the garage will have to wait -- the space heater we had out there didn't do much good.

The garage door was replaced this afternoon and it looks great. It's a paneled door. One young man did mine and my neighbor's in under three hours in the bitter cold -- all by himself. I spent my time digitizing the three choruses from Schubert's Rosamunde, a much warmer occupation.

Saturday night I went with a fellow chorus member to see a lovely musical, I Love You Because, at Alex's theatre. It was really a great show and got a standing ovation. Good singing, good acting, good musicians, good play. It was funny and sweet and very enjoyable.

Sitting behind us was a couple that used to be in the chorus, and who, in fact, let us all watch their courtship many years ago. Their oldest son is a year older than Alex, and they used to bring him trick or treating at our house when the kids were small. They loved seeing Alex as the mature young woman she has become and we had a great time catching up.

Yesterday David and I went to Dayton for a family get together. His sister April is still here, waiting for all her papers to arrive so that she can go back to the UK to work for the next 8 or 9 months, and she is staying with their mother. We took them out for pizza and met David's two other sisters and one brother-in-law at the restaurant. Such a family -- in your face, opinionated, funny.

David and I and perhaps his recently widowed sister Debbie are planning to go to visit her in April.

We came back here for the night, and David left very early this morning to get home to vocalize. He sang at a funeral this afternoon for the mother of another former chorus member while I waited for the garage door to be installed. He just called a while ago to say that it went well and that he was heading home for a nap before going back to work tonight.

I'm enjoying a peaceful day after the crazy and busy weekend, and I may just take a nap. It's back to work tomorrow.

I hope to be able to walk across the street to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center to watch the inauguration (they're broadcasting on a big screen in their auditorium), but in case there are business things happening, I'm taking a portable TV to the office just in case.

One of my co-workers, Babacar, a naturalized US citizen from Senegal, was given inauguration tickets by our newest Congressman, Steve Driehaus, and flew to D.C. yesterday. He was so excited to be a part of the event. He's promised to wave to every camera he sees -- so if you see a 6'5" black man with glasses with a big grin on his face, it's probably him.

The way he came to know Congressman Driehaus is a great story. About a dozen years ago, Babacar and a Senegalese friend were eating at a restaurant in northern Kentucky, just across the Ohio River. At a nearby table was a man (Steve Driehaus). He was with two women. Babacar's friend made some cute comment to Babacar, in their native language, Wolof, about how lucky that guy was to have two women to eat with.

Driehaus responded to the remark -- in Wolof -- and of course, Babacar and his friend nearly fell off their chairs. It turned out that Driehaus had served in Senegal in the Peace Corps and knew Wolof well. Babacar and (now Congressman) Driehaus have been friends ever since. It really is a small world, after all.

Hope for Antioch College

From today's Dayton Daily News!

Another step taken towards a new Antioch College
By Dave Larsen
Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

DAYTON — A newly independent Antioch College moved one step closer to reality on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with the approval of a letter of intent by the boards of Antioch University and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation.

"This letter of intent seeks to protect the interests of Antioch University while creating the prospect for a newly independent and viable Antioch College," said Richard Detweiler, president of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. "This letter of intent, while not binding on the parties, establishes the framework to negotiate a more detailed and comprehensive definitive agreement."

Detweiler is the mediator and chair of a task force of alumni and trustee representatives that has worked since August 2008 to create a new, fully independent Antioch College.

The letter of intent, dated Jan. 9, between the Antioch University Board of Trustees and the Board Pro Tempore of the Antioch College Continuation Corporation outlines the terms and conditions under which the two boards intend to enter into one or more definitive agreements.
Under the basic terms and conditions of the transaction, Antioch University would license the right to use the name "Antioch College" to the independent college.

The independent college would acquire the right and title to assets including the Antioch College campus in Yellow Springs, the real estate comprising Glen Helen Nature Preserve, the "Antioch Review" periodical, the Coretta Scott King Center assets, and the real estate associated with the university's power plant.

Antioch University would retain assets including WYSO-FM (91.3) radio and its associated FCC licenses, the Antioch Education Abroad program, and the Kettering Building at 150 E. South College St. in Yellow Springs.

Cash provided by the independent college on the closing date would total $6.5 million, including $5 million cash at closing and $1.5 million for bonds payable.

The boards will attempt to finalize the definitive agreements within 90 days of signing the letter of intent.

Antioch College closed June 30, 2008 because of declining enrollment and other issues.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Seeing More Clearly

The Champion Window installers came on Monday, and I was impressed. They replaced the window in the living room, the two windows in the front bedroom, and the patio door (the new one has little blinds between the panes of glass).

All that remains is the 8-foot wide window in my bedroom and the 4-foot wide window in the kitchen. That's another $1500, so will have to wait until I see that the tax refund looks like.

Champion was founded here in Cincinnati, and has become a national firm. Their reputation is pretty solid, and I saw why during the installation. The installers were polite, neat and thorough, and after the installation, explained the warranty in detail and gave me all the information I could ever want. Then they left, with a handshake and a "Thanks for using Champion."

Despite the cold outside, I've already noticed that the furnace isn't cycling on as frequently as usual, so I'm hoping that these energy-efficient windows will mean lower gas and electric bills.

I ran out the same night and bought new curtains for the living room and bedroom windows, and both rooms now have a new look. The yellow walls of the living room are now complemented with pale gold faux silk curtains with light cotton semi sheers underneath (they have a lovely lace border.). The bedroom, which has periwinkle walls, now has creamy damask balloon curtains.

The patio door will get a white wooden rod and white tabbed curtains eventually, replacing the former very 80's vertical blinds. The room is painted in two shades of yellow with white woodwork and a cobalt and gold border paper above the chair rail. I think the white curtains will look great, softening the expanse of glass in the doors, and will usually be open. There is a white wooden shelf about the door that has part of my teapot collection arrayed on it . There are 15 teapots, in shades of white, yellow, gold and blue.

Rehearsals started up again on Tuesday, and it was good to get back to music. We've begun to learn Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, and it's difficult. We have only 5 more rehearsals to learn it, so homework will be needed.

Also on Monday, I came back to work after the long break for the holidays. Things are still pretty quiet. I've got one major regulatory project mandated by the FDIC, as well as a number of small maintanance projects for an existing system. All our systems will continue to run for two years, as customers are going to be converted to the other bank's systems by geographic areas over the conversion period. Once they're all converted, we'll turn the switch and we'll all be together for real.

I'm not yet involved with any conversion projects, but I'm hoping that I will be -- which would mean continued employment for a while. This not knowing what's going to happen business is irritating. The other bank doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to approach such a massive integration of customers (they have 2.5 million accounts, we have 4 million) so we're doing most of the work, it appears. That's a good thing, and should keep some of us employed for a while. I hope I'm one of them.

Romantic Off-Broadway Musical Brings Love to OTR

Play about finding love where it’s least expected to show at Know Theatre

Know Theatre of Cincinnati is excited to announce the regional premiere of Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham’s hit Off-Broadway musical I Love You Because. I Love You Because will open on Saturday, January 17 and close February 21 with two performances on Valentine’s Day.

I Love You Because is a modern day telling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Set in New York City, the six-person cast, comprised entirely of the Know Theatre's Resident Acting Company, takes the audience on an adventure through two completely different relationships between four lovably awkward characters.

When Austin, a conservative greeting card writer, discovers that his long-time girlfriend has been cheating on him, he thinks his life is over. His knuckleheaded brother Jeff immediately runs to his rescue and encourages him to play the field. In no time, the two are on a double date with best friends Marcy, a free-spirited photographer, and Diana, a number-crunching actuary. Marcy is wild and liberal and knows just how to push Austin's conservative buttons. Diana is an actuary who tries to teach Jeff to be practical in his life.

While the individuals in the relationships contrast vastly, their love develops in interesting and comedic ways. The musical tells the story of two unlikely relationships that somehow make sense, and how each of the characters learn how to let themselves fall in love again.

Director Jason Bruffy believes that Cincinnati will fall in love with I Love You Because. "It's a wickedly funny musical with enough heart to make the cynic in all of us melt," says Bruffy. "It's a perfect musical for a romantic date or a date with friends!"

I Love You Because debuted in 2005 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and became an immediate hit. Since then it has played across the country and internationally at Broadway Overseas Theatre in Korea (December 2007), and Royal Holloway Music Theatre Society in the United Kingdom (March 2007). Know Theatre will host the Midwest regional premiere of this internationally acclaimed musical.

I Love You Because will be directed by Artistic Director Jason Bruffy and will feature resident actors Fang Du, Courtney Brown, Daniel Hines, Jenny Guy, Ayla Ocasia, and Babs Ipaye. I Love You Because is sponsored by The Court Family Foundation.

The opening night party on Saturday, Jan. 17th will be sponsored by Rick Robertson and Tim Conway. Food will be provided by Mixx Ultra Lounge and wine will be provided by City Cellars. The opening night party starts at 7:00 pm, performance at 8:00 pm with reception to follow.


Tickets for the entire season are $12 thanks to a generous partnership with the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation, and can be obtained online at knowtheatre.com or by calling the Know Theatre box office at (513) 300-KNOW (5669).

Synopsis:

Set in New York City, this musical comedy follows Austin Bennet, a young greeting card writer, whose life is turned upside down when he finds his girlfriend with another man. Forced back out into the treacherous New York dating scene, Austin meets Marcy, whose spontaneity is matched only by her ability to drive him insane. It's a comedy that explores the rules and nuances of dating and reminds us that true romance is learning how to love someone, not in spite of their differences, but because of them.

Bios:

Joshua Salzman (music) and Ryan Cunningham (book and lyrics) met at the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Their thesis musical, "I Love You Because", went on to be professionally produced Off-Broadway, earned a Drama Desk nomination for the team, spawned a cast album on PS Classics, and garnered a licensing deal with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, resulting in productions both nationally and internationally. They continue their collaboration with many projects; "Queen Esther", a family musical comedy based on the story of Purim, commissioned by the Kauffman Center; "Next Thing You Know", a song cycle currently in development with director John Simpkins; and as contributing songwriters on the Disney Channel's "Johnny and the Sprites." Their song "Just Not Now" from "I Love You Because" was featured on Lauren Kennedy's new solo album "Here and Now". Ryan and Joshua are both members of the BMI Advanced Writing Workshop, ASCAP and the Dramatist Guild.

Creative Team:

Director: Jason Bruffy
Musical Director: Michael Flohr
Lighting/Set Designer: Andrew Hungerford
Sound Designer/Engineer: Doug Borntrager
Stage Manager: Marcie Schellenberger
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Collins

Cast:
Austin- Fang Du
Jeff- Daniel Hines
Marcy- Courtney Brown
Diana- Jenny Guy
Man- Babs Ipaye
Woman- Ayla Ocasio

Graduation Day

On December 19, 49 graduates of the Cincinnati Police Academy threw their hats into the air and you could see the relief on their faces, as well as their pride. They had just completed 26 grueling weeks at one of the most rigorous police academies in the country, and this time, every single person who started the program finished, which is unusual.

At the academy, they learned about law, self-defense, cultural differences, mental health issues, marksmanship and probably completed thousands of pushups apiece. They ran several thousand miles. Two of the class members lost over 50 pounds apiece (one of those two lost 83 pounds!). The class valedictorian had a degree in Biology (with a minor in Chemistry) and a large number had bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice or Criminology. There were many with military service (including Iraq and Afghanistan) and one man had 24 years in the U.S. Army. One was a brand-new US Citizen (from France) with family members service in police organizations in France and the Netherlands. She had only been here ten years, but in the time learned English, got a GED, took college classes and earned her citizenship.

David was dethroned as the oldest-ever CPD rookie. Louis Arnold, 56, the father of a Cincinnati Police officer was in the class. David was 54 when he graduated, 53 when he started the Academy.

Although he no longer has that age-related distinction, he is now a Field Training Officer and he will train some of the new grads as they complete their 6 month probationary period, taking them along with him on patrol for two of the six months.

David started off the ceremonies with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. I didn’t get the first couple of words, but the rest is on the video above.

A local TV station covered the event and included a video on their website:

When you look at that video, I appear briefly (right after the announcer’s picture disappears) as the blonde in the gray sweater in the front row of the audience (with my back to you). So now you know who I am!

Winter Wonderland

In mid-December we had a delightful weekend in Kentucky at the Pine Mountain State Resort Park. The storm that came up from the south the day before we arrived gave the south side of the mountains a glorious snowfall, while on the north side it was warm enough for David to get in 18 holes of golf.