Paul Sizemore » Fun

My Five Favorite Things – 2012 Edition

Paul Sizemore — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:54:57 +0000

I go through an annual exercise of picking my five favorite things that I own. The reasons can be practical, sentimental, or simply because I like it. In my selection, I try to stay away from selecting things that can be easily replaced, like my phone. The exercise is to find out more about myself, and what are the things that make me unique.

Since I’m in the process of moving to DC, I now have the least amount of things than I think I ever have. As I went through my house, and looked around, it was hard to find things that I wanted to keep, and were not also easily replaceable. My list, as it stands now, is:

• my espresso machine, a Francis Francis X1
• my Devil Robot Be@rbrick 400%
• my concrete boxer
• my signed Mr Potato Head
• my Figment toy

My Figment toy is a new addition, and has just recently come out of retirement. I’ve had it packed away for many years, but it came out, and became one of my favorite things because of a game I play with it. My girlfriend and I hide him in different places, for the other to find.

My signed Mr Potato Head. It’s on loan from a dear friend. It’s one of the greatest things I have, and it’s signed by the designer, Brett Koth.

I bought my concrete boxer for my grandfather, and took it from Evansville, IN to his home in Ohio. It rode in the front seat of my convertible, with the seatbelt on. After my grandfather passed, I took it back. It’s been a good dog the entire time. Boxers are great dogs.

My Devil robot 400% Bearbrick kept burning itself into my brain until I bought it. While in NYC, I saw it at Toy Tokyo, and didn’t buy it. For close to a year I kept thinking of it, until it went on sale. That was all the reason I needed to buy it.

Coffee. Espresso. My Francis Francis X1 helps me manage my addiction to caffeine, and is stylishly retro while doing it. Still, to this day, it’s one of my favorite machines – and it has a brass boiler.

An Industrial Core to Next Frontier City

Paul Sizemore — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:36:18 +0000

In May 2010, Brookings Institute released their new report, the State of Metropolitan America, and it induced a new classification of US cities. The new study deemphasizes location, and heightens the importance of current levels on key categories.

Those categories are:

• population growth rates

• racial and ethnic diversity

• rate of obtaining college degrees

By measuring those key factors, along with other research into the city, they have classified the cities.

I have lived in Louisville for many years, and am currently moving to DC. There is a stark difference between the cities, and it’s underscored by the Brookings study.

Washington DC: The only city east of the Mississippi that is a ‘Next Frontier’ city. Labeled as such because of the hight education attainment, high diversity, and new economic channels.

Louisville: Labeled as an ‘Industrial Core’ city, due to it’s low population growth, low diversity, low educational attainment, and key economics.

Source: http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0511_metro_typology_berube.aspx

Increasing Innovation by Increasing the Pace

Paul Sizemore — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:08:08 +0000

I’ve lived in Louisville off and on for decades, and there has always been a sense of pride over the pace of life in Louisville. Louisville is a slower city, and allows the cultivation of the aspects of life not allowed to flourish in other cities. I’ve explained it as low-gravity city. You can go there and have extraordinary skills and talents, but the longer you stay, the more atrophied those skills become.

Many of us Louisville residents have heard the famous Louisville quote from Mark Twain:

“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky, because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else.” – Mark Twain

Louisville is a great place to perfect the perfect bourbon cherry lemonade recipe, spend time with family, sit on your porch during a hot sumer day, or or anything else that benefits from a slower pace of life.

As a result of the slower pace, less stress, there are stronger connections. Robert V. Levine did some research, and determined that a city’s pace of life was directly proportional to the ‘helpfulness’ of that city. So, he devised a series of experiments where he measured how many residents would help during routine accidents (like dropping papers while on the street). The complete study can be found at http://www.geser.net/gesleh/hs07hel/Levine.pdf

Out of 36 cities, he determined that Louisville was the sixth most helpful city, behind Rochester, NY, Houston, TX, Nashville, TN, and Memphis, TN.

Taking this information, and jumping to the conclusions from Geoffry West, a theoretical physicist that turned his interests and energy to defining cities, it can be determined that Louisville is lacing in one of the key components of Innovation, that of pace.

Geoffry West has determined that there are three main components to Innovation within a city, diversity, density and pace. An overview can be found in a NYTimes article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/magazine/19Urban_West-t.html?pagewanted=all

How can there be an increase in innovation in Louisville? They could build systems to artificially increase the pace of the city.

How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

Paul Sizemore — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:59:53 +0000

All too often we make resolutions we can't keep. We know we can't keep them, but they are the thing to do. We feel that somehow we will be able to guilt ourselves into doing what we only dream of doing. By Ground Hog's Day most have been forgotten, only to be replaced by the same old routine we found ourselves in months before the New Year started.

I was determined that the beginning of 2011 would be different. My resolutions were going to be about doing the things I wanted to do, not those that I thought I ought to do. No more resolutions of work, but resolutions of enjoyment & decadence. 2011 was the year of the pie. I vowed to make or eat at least one home made pie a month. I know what you are thinking, "really?" It was true, and a benchmark, to see how hard it would be to keep an 'easy' resolution.

In order to keep it, I had to bend the rules a little. Passover fell at the end of the month, and I, in order to observe it, decided to bake a pie immediately after it was over.

A few things that came out of the resolution was a blog, BeefandPies.com, a class, organizing Pie Day at Humana's Innovation Center, slicing the tip of my thumb off during the making of a lemon shaker pie, and most memorable, getting a cherry pitter for Hanukkah.

Cherokee Pie Class.pdf Download this file

Honoring Rabbi Slosberg and Cantor Lipp

Paul Sizemore — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:23:53 +0000

On Sunday, November 20, Congregation Adath Jeshurun hosted a dinner honoring Rabbi Robert Slosberg and Cantor David Lipp at the Louisville Marriott Downtown.

Rabbi Slosberg has been with Adath Jeshurn for 30 years, and Cantor Lipp for 18 years. Both men's service speaks to the commitment to Louisville, and out commitment to those that lead us. They both are directing the Louisville Jewish community into the future.

Rabbi Robert Slosberg : When I think of the times I've spent with the Rabbi, I think of knowing Judaism as I had never known it before. Knowing the traditions, knowing the community, and knowing myself. The evening was a fitting celebration of the thirty years he has been a part of Louisville. His views on intermarriage are on the forefront of Conservative Jewish though, and provides true leadership.

Cantor David Lipp : The Cantor has consistently taken me beyond the Shul, bringing Torah study into my life. Successfully galvanizing the community around his service to it has been one of his greatest strengths.

A few photos from the Gala: http://www.voice-tribune.com/galleries/weekly/tribute-dinner-for-rabbi-slosberg-and-cantor-lipp/
Bios of the leaders: http://www.jewishlouisville.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1634:aj-to-honor-rabbi-slosberg-and-cantor-lipp-for-their-years-of-service&catid=86:upcoming-events&Itemid=601

The Rabbi Slosberg and Cantor Lipp Dinner Gala

Wednesdays with Relic & Friends

Paul Sizemore — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:51:00 +0000

Relic has a standing engagement at the Monkey Wrench on Wednesdays and usually starts at 9 pm.

“RELIC includes Chuck Sharp singing lead and harmony vocals and playing guitar; Adam Bibelhauser singing lead and harmony vocals and thumpin’ on the bass; Dave Howard on lead and harmony vocals as well as mandolin; and Aaron Bibelhauser on lead and harmony vocals and 5 string banjo.”

Recording was made November 18, 2009 on an iPhone.

Relic
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Maiden Radio at Viva La Diva

Paul Sizemore — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Louisville Bluegrass genre is blossoming, and a new band on scene is ‘Maiden Radio.’ It’s an all girl band, and you can feel the femininity through their musical selections and performances. It was amazing to see three women on banjo, something I’ve only dreamed of until then. They origanlly performed as Maiden Kentucky, but refined their name.

Maiden Radio is: Cheyenne Mize-fiddle, vox, ; Julia Purcell-guitar, vox ; Joanie Musslemam-banjo, vox

and they performed ”Shout Little Lou Lou”

at the MERF fest’s Viva La Diva fund raiser at Jim Porter’s and recorded via iPhone.

11/15/09 9:19 Pm by Maiden Kentucky
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Bar•B•Cue and Americana on Frankfort Av

Paul Sizemore — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Wednesday night at Kentucky Bar•B•Cue Company at 1800 Frankfort Av is a great time to grab some fried green tomatoes or Shrimp and Grits (photo) or even some Sweet Potato Fries (photo). The fries are seasoned with cinnamon and sugar and make a great dessert to share.

The grits were exceptional, and were full of garlic goodness.

On Wednesday nights there’s a jam session going strong at 9 pm (photo and audio).

Audio recorded from my iPhone on Wennesday November 11, 2009 and muscians include:

• Meredith Needham
• Paul Moffett
• Kyle Ellison
• Stever Ridner
• Debbie Ridner
• Brian P. White
• Terry West

Performing ‘Down on the Ohio’ written by Stever Ridner

11/11/09 9:16 Pm
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The fear of death and stopping your heart

Paul Sizemore — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:20:00 +0000

For the past couple years my son and I have been jumping in the freezing waters of the Ohio River for Louisville Special Olympics. We are part of the Brown Bear team, organized around his school, Brown.

The first year I jumped in the water temp was around 38°, and I think my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. There is nothing like a father and son going through a near death experience together to bring them closer, even if it is voluntary. My youngest son is in the blue long sleeve shirt. This year it wasn’t too bad, the water temperature was above the air temperature, so it made for a nice jump.

I’m pretty sure we had the youngest average jumper age, we had 13 kids in the 7-9 year old range, and 2 or 3 adult jumpers.

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Swimming this summer in Kentucky & a 54′ free fall

Paul Sizemore — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Lakeside and the Quarry

I had a great time at Lakeside Swim Club this summer, but the day I decided to skip my Apple Genius bar appointment and stay at the lake was the day I roasted like a pig. I decided to stop by for a short swim and sunning before the Apple Store appointment, but when I decided to stay, I didn’t put sun screen on, and I got burnt bad.

On another day, a good friend took me to a local quarry, and I jumped from a 54′ cliff. It was awesome, and yes, I was scared, and though, can I really be this irresponsible? It took me a while to do it, to take the plunge. It was very scary; I’m still scared of heights. There was another cliff that was only about 25′, and the big concern on that was that it wasn’t clear straight down, there was a lower cliff sticking out about 6′, so you had to run and jump.

Knowing in your mind that you can do something, and taking the leap to do it are two different things.

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