Perhaps you too are a native Clevelander, and perhaps you too have frequently driven by the Cleveland Public Power building on Marginal Road, right in between the Shoreway and Lake Erie. If you have, you are guaranteed to have seen it: the Wall of Whales. Or, more colloquially, the whale building.
Well, it wasn't until this very evening (coincidentally enough) that I found out that the whale building was the work of a specific artist, Wyland, who specializes in environmentally conscious, marine life artwork. The Wall of Whales on the side of the Cleveland Public Power building features swimming whales, dolphins and scuba divers in an incredibly blue ocean. He's also done manatees, turtles, fish, rays, people (in the water) and lots of different kinds of whales.
Now, we could be cynical, and point out that there is just no way that you're going to get whales in Lake Erie (sigh), but what I find more odd is why Wyland paints whales! And other maritime fishes and mammals, of course. Well, for starters, it's Whale Wall #75 - Wyland is currently painting his 95th mural of whales. These murals are for one major purpose: to raise environmental awareness about the undersea world, through the work of the Wyland Foundation. (In fact, the 95th mural is in Key Largo, Florida, and will be dedicated on Feb. 12.) All of Wyland's murals are painted in life-size dimensions, and in a wide range of sizes and locations. Power generating stations, museums, boats, department stores and piers - nothing is too weird to show us what's under the sea. I think this is beautiful, and I'm proud that Cleveland and Ohio are part of a larger, environmentally loving tradition.
Sadly, I could not give you the Ohio 5 interview that we all wanted, because Ms. Mooney foolishly decided to have a baby instead, which ate up all of her time. But that's not going to stop me from talking about her, because she is so funny, and more importantly, she's a transplanted Buckeye.
That's right, Megan Mooney is from Ohio! Don't you get that special little glow when you learn that someone you like/appreciate/think is brilliant is from your area? I always do. And mwa-ha-ha - just to put the cap on it, she's from Cleveland! She even went to John Carroll. Love it. I like to picture her originally thinking that the Improv was the pinnacle of comic existence, and now that she's a professional comic living in Los Angeles, she occasionally thinks back and says, "Are you kidding me?"
Let's see, Megan's done college tours, she's done Comedy Central specials, she's done the US Comedy Arts Festival, and in September 2007, she'll be performing on a cruise! (Is it just me, or do all celebrities now occasionally go on cruises to do whatever they do? It's probably just me.) And supposedly her website promises that she'll come to your college if you ask her. By the way, a tip: if you click on the contact button, an email will pop up addressed to her with a subject that already says "You're Hot, Megan!"
Megan, if you're reading this, I'm sorry we could never do the interview! But I wanted to brag about you anyway. Go, Mooney!
I do not like guinea pigs. Or hamsters, or mice, or rats - really, anything with little grabby, claw-like hands. Yeah. They're quite gross. So the thought alone of a guinea pig rescue house is weird, but now I'm also visualizing it and it's creeping me out...
My distaste for their job makes me believe that Karen and Steve Oehlerts of This Little Piggy and Me are quite brave. TLP&M is a rescue and adoption house for guinea pigs, located in Forest Park, Ohio, near Cincinnati. It's a not-for-profit, run out of their actual home (bless their hearts, the place probably is starting to smell a bit ripe), and is dedicated to the rescue and adoption of the little animals into good homes. Such good homes, in fact, that adopting parents have to sign a contract starting they won't feed the guinea pigs to another animal or eat it themselves. And now I am thoroughly grossed out.
The Oehlerts bought a pregnant guinea pig back in 2003, and had to start giving away babies. Karen became known as Guinea Pig Lady, people began calling to have the guinea pigs taken in or to ask where they could find some, and the whole process was born. In 2006 alone, they had 193 adoptions. I am amazed that so many people want guinea pigs, but thank goodness the Oehlerts are there to help!
Seriously, I have made tonight's viewing of Miss America into an event! I made dip (so that way even if the girls on tv can't eat something good, I can), I am wearing comfortable pants with a brand-new top (so I look good too), and I have prepared to be entertained inadvertently.
Honestly, I am all for these girls, because, let's face it, I don't have the energy to have a talent and perform it! On stage, live and in person, in front of judges! My only talent is baking, and that's not really a talent - I can read a recipe and buy groceries, and somehow put the two together. But I certainly can't do it onstage!
Plus, I can't do anything with Mario Lopez staring at me.
But come on! Miss Ohio is on, and she's looking pretty! (She's a Cleveland girl, buddy. We can win stuff.)
FINAL RECAP: Well, Miss Ohio didn't even place! I am wildly disappointed. And there wasn't even a Midwestern representation after Miss Pennsylvania got booted out. Miss Georgia won the night, I am sorry to say - her interview answer was terrible, and I think the judges should be slapped for it.
Clearly, this movement is way bigger and more permanent than I imagined. I thought it'd be like how for a while all girls knew how to knit - like all girls were going to want to be in a roller derby team? Well, the fad is not ending, and there's an Akron team starting up!
The team is called the Rubber City Demolition Dolls (so fitting, and feisty), and they want roller girls, coaches and volunteers! According to the flyer I was given, all derby girls must be over 21, be willing to learn, be dedicated, and have health insurance. And from what I know about derby girls, I'm pretty sure that that need for health insurance is pretty valid. Check them out! At the least, hopefully soon, Akron will have another rip-roaring event to go to on a Friday night.
I do not often to go to Akron, even though I do have family that lives near there - thankfully, it's not like they're on campus! And I have to say, I remembered Saturday night why I don't go to Akron more often: it takes forever to get there. Seriously! It's something like 45 minutes to an hour away from Cleveland, but let me tell you, it felt much longer.
But I had a big plan! Sidekick Girl had gotten hired to do a gig at Max McQ's bar, billiards, poker and apparently stand-up comedy club, and as a valiant friend, I wanted to support her. So I also dragged along another friend Kathleen, and we all sucked it up and bundled up and headed out to Akron. Max McQ's, I found out, is in a quaint area of Akron called the Valley, and I'm not going to lie - I still don't really know what that means. What does it mean? How much of a valley are we talking about here? I think it's because it's part of the larger Cuyahoga valley region, but I can't find this out for sure. Any Akron residents reading, please enlighten me. But surprisingly, Max McQ's had great martinis (and the drinks were so big, they were called maxtinis on the menu), and the comics worked hard against the poker game in one part of the room, basketball games on tv, and the lure of the pool tables next door. Rough.
So after a rousing hour or so of comedy at Max McQ's, we were still alert and looking for fun. So we did what all twenty-somethings in Akron do: we went downtown, towards the University, and hit the street of bars! We ended up at Thursday's Lounge, which had dancing. And while it took a really long time to fill up (what else was going on on a Friday night in Akron?! I kid!), the DJ had great choices and it was nice to kind of just get and shake it up while not wearing a giant winter coat.
Akron, I apologize. I assumed that with an hour's drive, there was nothing fun there! I was so wrong.
I honestly really like winter. I like snow, I don't mind being cold, and if it wasn't for how dirty my car gets, I wouldn't mind if it was winter for a lot longer! The only problem with winter is what to do! It's so cold, so why go outside unless you have to? Sometimes you've made a New Year's resolution for yourself (bad idea), and then you feel even more like you need to get out of the house! "I said I was going to take a cooking class/go to Pilates/learn how to identify flowers, how can I do that in the house?" That's one of the many reasons I don't make New Year resolutions.
So! Let's think of some things to do. How about that Pilates class? If you're in Cleveland, you can hit up a couple of different places, and I'm going to be attempting a class at Studio 11 in Tremont. How about some other kind of class? I've been recently thinking about getting into web design (nothing like working for a blog to make you frustrated when you look at how other websites are designed!), and so I gave a quick glance over the Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College open class schedules. Never underestimate community classes! They're not any more expensive than anything else, and you learn something! And the favorite winter pasttime of all twenty-somethings, going to a bar. I've recently taken a shine to a restaurant/bar near my house called Melt - their food specialty is grilled cheese sandwiches. I kid you not. But their mojitos are pretty good too!
And all of that gets you out of the house. What do you do to get out of the house?
Because we've grown so close over the years, I have no problem in admitting to you, Blogging Ohio, that this will be the first time in almost nine years that I've been single on Valentine's Day. Quite honestly, I'm a-ok with it. I think I'm going to buy myself a plant, maybe one of those tiny rose bushes, and buy myself a burrito. Maybe I'll make some guacamole - anyway, it'll be a decent time, without all the trappings and over-expense of the couple's version of Valentine's Day.
But! If you are a hopeless romantic, or you happen to be dating someone, and you want to go out, now is the time to start planning! It's only a little more than two weeks, and this is something that you really need to be on time with. I remember one time, my significant other and I had completely not prepared for Valentine's Day, so we went out to a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant, and strawberry daiquiris in honor of the day. But, really, you should plan better than I do. So I will be giving you several suggestions for three kinds of Valentine's Day restaurants in Cleveland.
The traditional, fancy route: If you would ask me what defines a fancy meal for me, it usually involves Italian food. So, I will first suggest Maggiano's Little Italy in Beachwood, OH. Very tasty, very classy. Also, there's a high quotient of delicious food that doesn't necessarily involve pasta, which means you won't feel too heavy! So, for a new review, let's talk about Parker's New American Bistro, in Ohio City. Their menu varies from season to season, as well as what's available from various local farmers and growers - that just sounds so tasty to me. Their menu does seem slightly vaguely French, with American touches, so very classy. Perfect for impressing a young lady with your taste.
Just after I apparently revealed my massive ignorance by not knowing that Columbus already had a soccer team, I luckily found it that it doesn't matter. As much as I do love soccer, which I do, I love another rough-and-tumble sport more. Hockey!
Not just hockey, but hockey being played in Cleveland! A hockey team called the Lake Erie Monsters! Yes! The Lake Erie Monsters are part of the American Hockey League franchise, and will be playing the 2007-2008 season at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters are actually owned by some of the same people that own the Cleveland Cavaliers, so we're keeping all Cleveland teams close together. The team will be playing as the affiliate team for the Colorado Avalanche, and they just don't know how lucky they're going to be.
Apparently, a ton of market research was done to decide upon the name the Lake Erie Monsters, a name chosen for its fun, its aggressiveness, and its obvious ties to the region. The logo is a very spiky M with a glaring eye monster eye - ha ha ha, for an actual monster! Like we have in Lake Erie! Team colors will be wine, yellow, blue and black, which to my mind is an odd combination of colors, but maybe I'll be surprised. I'm just happy they didn't try to tie in orange and brown for the Browns. Who cares, though, because hockey is back, and it'll be here this October! Yay!
InterAct Cleveland is an organization that I've never heard of, but is one that I'm so interested in that I'm thinking of joining! It's a coalition of more than sixty five Baha'i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh and Unitarian Universalist congregations, other faith communities, campus groups and community organizations. Technically, InterAct stands for InterReligious Partners in Action of Greater Cleveland. What a lovely long name for a interreligious community of people working together for social justice!
InterAct has a two-fold mission of equipping individuals to act on their faith tradition to help those living in poverty, and of working together to help those in poverty. And coming up in mid-February is the Homeless Stand Down! The Homeless Stand Down is a winter festival of resupply, reconnection and respite! It also provides hospitality, entertainment, clothes, toiletries, haircuts, medical consultations, massages and other sundries.
I really liked this statue that is just sitting in a random garden in the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District, in the Detroit Shoreway area. I have got to tell you, I have no idea who made it, or what it's of, but I was on my way to Gypsy Beans & Baking (because I go there. A lot), and I saw and thought it was fabulous!
My very dear friend decided to join the Brown Aveda Institute, and I was more than happy to be the beneficiary of it. I don't know if you've ever been to either of the two Brown Aveda Institutes in Ohio (Rocky River and Mentor), but if you haven't and you can, you should go! But let me give you some advice:
1) Don't forget that these are students! Now these students are brilliant (I've been twice now and I've never seen anyone walk away with a bad hair cut or style), but here's something about students - they're nervous. When people are nervous, they tend to work more slowly. I love my stylist friend, but it took her four hours to cut my hair and three hours to dye it. Bless her heart, it looks phenomenal, but these kids aren't fast. Don't forget that! But the time is worth it. Plus, they'll bring you water, tea, coffee, magazines, and all sorts of other goodies.
This is astonishingly good timing! I was already excited to find out that one of my favorite authors, Chris Moore, was born in Toledo, and I spent a long time trying to figure out how to talk about him, but he hadn't released a book recently. (Not only was he born in Toledo, but he grew up in Mansfield, and went to OSU!) And then I was at Costco (I can't help it, I love Costco), and I saw Chris Moore's brand new book, You Suck: A Love Story. And I said to myself, "Yes! Finally! I can talk about him!"
I have actually met Chris Moore, and he is a hilarious individual. When he came out with Fluke around two years ago, I worked at his reading, and he actually took a picture of my ankle (which was in a big ugly brace, for various reasons). He was so funny, and so sarcastic, and he had a lot of great things to say about being an author. Namely, he talked about how he went about writing a book, which was to think of a profession that he'd really like to have, and then he researched it until he learned enough about it to think of something that would make it weird.
As a native Clevelander, I really like how immediately recognizable our landmarks are. Just like Chicagoans have the weird Picasso statue that could be anything and San Franciscans have the Golden Gate bridge, Clevelanders have the giant FREE Stamp that's just down the street from City Hall and up the street from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the middle of downtown.
The FREE stamp was originally commissioned in 1982 by Standard Oil of Ohio (now part of BP America), who hired the artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Oldenburg and van Bruggen have made lots of other similar giant commonplace objects, and so for the piece in the middle of Cleveland's city center, they chose a self-inking stamp, as if from a post office. Van Bruggen suggested the word "free" to represent liberty and independence, and to have a giant positive statement in the middle of the city. The stamp, which was originally sited in Public Square, now lays on its side in Willard Park, and after quite a few city departmental squabbles, was dedicated in 1991. It is now a giant really cool piece of pop art, and clearly recognizable to any Clevelander.
I am so sorry, Blogging Ohio, but I have been involved with just a whirlwind of activity lately! This is what happens when you're a demi-wedding planner-assistant.
This past weekend, I accompanied my aunt on yet another bridal journey, this time, to Pat Catan's. Or, should I say, to Catan Fashions, the bridal gown, prom dress, special occasion dress, and mother of the bride outfit store that used to be part of Pat Catan's! Since we live near the Strongsville location, that's the one we went to, and it is enormous. The store used to be the entire Pat Catan's craft store, and now it is nothing but dresses. It is a sight to be seen! And we saw it all.
And I'm sad to say, this is the first time that I will deliver a slightly-less-than-glowing review. I have to got to say, the organization at Catan Fashions is not all it could be. Now, it was a Saturday, so we expected some busyness, but this was crazy. My aunt, my mom and I waited for almost an hour before a very pleasant young lady managed to help us. But because my aunt, my mom and I are ingenious individuals, we went about this a different way. Instead of waiting for the little bridal dress person to help us - we helped ourselves. We grabbed whatever dresses looked good to us, and tried them on! Quite a few wedding gowns, as well as some white prom dresses. Now, I don't want to diss Catan's too much, because they were quite helpful, and they had a huge selection. But, I've got to say, we were less than thrilled with the wait, and also less than thrilled with finding out that for an April wedding, we could get almost no dresses! Did you know that? Most wedding dresses take well over three months to be ordered. Terrible. But we muddled through, and Catan Fashions was a help.
Perhaps you too are a native Clevelander, and perhaps you too have frequently driven by the Cleveland Public Power building on Marginal Road, right in between the Shoreway and Lake Erie. If you have, you are guaranteed to have seen it: the Wall of Whales. Or, more colloquially, the whale building.
Sadly, I could not give you the Ohio 5 interview that we all wanted, because Ms. Mooney foolishly decided to have a baby instead, which ate up all of her time. But that's not going to stop me from talking about her, because she is so funny, and more importantly, she's a transplanted Buckeye.
I do not like guinea pigs. Or hamsters, or mice, or rats - really, anything with little grabby, claw-like hands. Yeah. They're quite gross. So the thought alone of a guinea pig rescue house is weird, but now I'm also visualizing it and it's creeping me out... 
Seriously, I have made tonight's viewing of 
Clearly, this movement is way bigger and more permanent than I imagined. I thought it'd be like how for a while all girls knew how to knit - like all girls were going to want to be in a roller derby team? Well, the fad is not ending, and there's an Akron team starting up!
I do not often to go to Akron, even though I do have family that lives near there - thankfully, it's not like they're on campus! And I have to say, I remembered Saturday night why I don't go to Akron more often: it takes forever to get there. Seriously! It's something like 45 minutes to an hour away from Cleveland, but let me tell you, it felt much longer.
I honestly really like winter. I like snow, I don't mind being cold, and if it wasn't for how dirty my car gets, I wouldn't mind if it was winter for a lot longer! The only problem with winter is what to do! It's so cold, so why go outside unless you have to? Sometimes you've made a New Year's resolution for yourself (bad idea), and then you feel even more like you need to get out of the house! "I said I was going to take a cooking class/go to Pilates/learn how to identify flowers, how can I do that in the house?" That's one of the many reasons I don't make New Year resolutions.
Because we've grown so close over the years, I have no problem in admitting to you, Blogging Ohio, that this will be the first time in almost nine years that I've been single on Valentine's Day. Quite honestly, I'm a-ok with it. I think I'm going to buy myself a plant, maybe one of those tiny rose bushes, and buy myself a burrito. Maybe I'll make some guacamole - anyway, it'll be a decent time, without all the trappings and over-expense of the couple's version of Valentine's Day.
Just after I apparently revealed my massive ignorance by not knowing that Columbus already had a soccer team, I luckily found it that it doesn't matter. As much as I do love soccer, which I do, I love another rough-and-tumble sport more. Hockey!
My very dear friend decided to join the 
This is astonishingly good timing! I was already excited to find out that one of my favorite authors, 
As a native 
I am so sorry, Blogging Ohio, but I have been involved with just a whirlwind of activity lately! This is what happens when you're a demi-wedding planner-assistant. 
