Most of what’s been going on in my life and through my mind lately hasn’t really warranted a full post, but here are a few things:
Carbon Motors & Connersville
For years I gave my hometown, Connersville, IN nothing but scorn. Probably like most teenagers treat their hometown. Now that I’ve a family of my own, and make more regular trips back home, I’ve come to see Connertucky in a new light. Robert’s Park (and its harness racing track), Spartan Bowl, and the Connersville Country Club in particular are gems in a county that is smaller in population than the neighborhood I currently live in. It’s a great town, that just happened to have fallen on harder and harder times while I was growing up there. This culminated in the closing of a former Ford plant and the layoffs of 700–800 folks; causing the already high unemployment rate to skyrocket.
My town is tough though, and filled with a blue collar pride in its rich automotive history (the innovative and historical Cords were assembled in Connersville). Now the C’ville has fought off the competition to reclaim its position making innovative automobiles. Carbon Motors is coming to town. This means jobs and regained self-respect for those folks who were laid off and will now be able to use their expertise to feed their families once again.
My newfound understanding of Connersville has helped me further understand why I like Cleveland so much. As disparate as these two places are, the people have a lot in common.
Compound Fest
Compound Fest is probably my favorite event involving Cleveland music folks. It’s all day, everybody shows up, tons of local bands, and it’s free!
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Ambition
I’ve always thought that ambition is a negative trait. I’ve also never considered myself that ambitious. But lately I’ve realized that my desire to constantly improve myself, to continuously learn more and to do the best I can at everything is its own form of ambition. It isn’t directed toward something external, like money or power, which is what I usually think of as ambition’s goal. So I guess ambition is like any other tool, its goodness or badness is determined by how it is used.
Applied Anthropology
When I interviewed Ward 15 City Councilman Brian Cummins last week for BLACKHEART Cleveland, he was excited to find out that I got my degree in anthropology. He mentioned that he could see where I was applying those skills doing the weblog thing. I’ve not really thought that I’ve been using those studies in daily life, but since then I’ve been trying to see if and where else I might be unknowingly applying anthropology.