Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. During her lifetime she was mostly unknown as a poet, but after her death, her sister found a great cache of Emily’s work and she became one of America’s most beloved literary voices. Her work flouted almost all poetic conventions of her time— the short lines with their free-spirited punctuation and slant rhyme make them still seem fresh and modern today. There are several collections of her poetry in the library catalog.

There are also several biographies of Emily Dickinson:

White Heat: the friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson by Brenda Wineapple

My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: the life of Emily Dickinson by Alfred Habegger

Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and her family’s feuds by Lyndall Gordon

A Summer of Hummingbirds: love, art and scandal in the intersecting worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Martin Johnson Heade by Christopher E. G. Benfey

She is also the main character in the novel I Never Came to You In White by Dickinson scholar Judith Farr. And she appears in several children’s books; like Emily by Matthew Bedard, The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires and My Uncle Emily by Jane Yolen.

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, born Ada Byron, and commonly known as Ada Lovelace, was born December 10, 1815. She was the only legitimate daughter of the poet Lord Byron. As a teenager she became interested in mathematics and particularly Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a very early mechanical computer. In her twenties she published her notes on the computer, including an algorithm that is considered to be the world’s first computer program.

The Calculating Passion of Ada Byron by Joan Baum is a biography of Ada Lovelace. She appears as a character in the novel Lord Byron’s Novel: the evening land by John Crowley; and was the inspiration for the character Thomasina Coverly in Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia.

Hello! I have worked at the Playhouse both on and offstage, as actor and teacher since 2009. This year, I became the outreach coordinator both for the education program and for the greater community.

Perhaps because I work so closely with the young adults in our education program who are finding out how theatre will fit into their college lives. Or I see how valuable our volunteers are, especially those who are consistently interested in building their theatre skills. Maybe I just want to find a way to draw more interesting, talented people into the crazy world of producing, creating teaching and taking part in theatre.

Whatever the reason, I felt we needed to figure out some way to provide a practical training ground for people who are interested in delving deeper into the theatre world.  So this fall, we designed an internship program! It has long been a goal for the Playhouse, as a way to give back to the community that has so much developed and untapped talent. Why not help foster that talent??

As a way of announcing this exciting program, which is taking applications NOW, I put together a list of reasons why you might want to check it out.

1. You’ll get to teach, build, crew, manage and create. We want to provide a training ground for you within the successful world of community theatre and give you the tools to thrive in the ‘real theatre world’. In other words, we offer a very hands-on experience for our interns, where each day will consist of DOING the things that interest you.
   
2. You have the opportunity to work with a great staff.  So much of what we learn depends on the environment that surrounds us.  At the Playhouse, we love to jump giant hurdles and rise to the occasion and love to collaborate with anyone who has the same passion for working hard.
3. You just might have the opportunity to continue working with us.  If you haven’t heard, the Playhouse Children’s theatre program has a pretty intense summer- We put up 3 to 4 fully produced shows, plus summer camps, all within 2 months! As you can imagine, we need strong leaders behind the scenes to help make this fly. We would like to be able to give first dibs on these paid positions to qualified interns who are ready for their next challenge.
4. Duluth is saturated with talent in all forms, and you will get to network and make connections with some of this incredible talent.
5. Its FUN! No, really. For all the talk of hard work and challenges,  I dare you to find a more fun working environment. It’s taxing, and sometimes we put in long hours to complete big projects, but the payoff of creating something we’re proud of is incredible.

We’re offering internships in theatre education, stage management, scenic and stage crew, and sound design. These positions start February, 2013 and applications are due January 1, 2013. Feel free to check out our website for more information. It’s coming up quick so make sure you check it out, and contact me at sdiener@duluthplayhouse.org if you have any questions!

Written By: Sarah Diener

This site is a treasure!

This will end in tears: the miserabilist guide to music, by Adam Houghtaling (a singer, songwriter and music editor for AOL travel guides) explains how and why sad music makes us feel so good. Exploring songs from all genres Houghtaling delves into the cultural, scientific, historical and artistic nature of sad songs. At 416 pages, with extensive playlists, this book will keep you singing the blues all winter long. Enjoy! — Erin

Under federal law, cancelled debt is generally considered taxable income. Since 2007, however, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act has exempted home owners from paying taxes on the amount of money their mortgage lender forgives as a result of a loan modification, short sale, or foreclosure. The act is due to expire at the end of the year, but the bill would extend the relief through 2014.

“Over a quarter of all transactions still involve distressed properties. That is why you must take action now,” the association said in an e-mail sent Sunday. “Homeowners shouldn’t be forced to pay a tax on money they’ve already lost with cash they never received.”

The organization asked its members to contact their elected representatives and tell them to complete their “unfinished business” after the election. Legislation aimed at extending the act has been introduced in both houses of Congress with bipartisan support in all cases. Senate Bill 2250 has 19 co-sponsors and awaits action in the Finance Committee. In the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Resolutions 4202 and 4336 are identical versions of the Senate legislation, and have 47 and 34 co-sponsors, respectively.

“It’s enormously important that we support this legislation,” NAR President Moe Veissi said in a video to members. “This is a vital, important message not just for our community of REALTORS®, but for the American consumer.”

This is a CALL TO ACTION from me and others to everyone. 

You know I don’t like to get political, however, this bill can effect the housing market for years to come.

 Make your voices heard!

If you didn’t catch the article in the Duluth New Tribune, I am excited to announce that The Play Ground is moving! We will be moving out of our current home in the Technology Village and will be moving into the previous Children’s Museum space here in the Depot. It is on the bottom floor of the Depot (where the Train Museum is)—just a short stroll down the hall and down the stairs from our main stage and administrative offices.

We are especially jazzed that our second stage will finally be in the same place as our offices, staff, main stage, box office and shop. From a management stand-point, everything Play Ground related is going to be so much more convenient. Our scene shop will finally be in the same place as all of our performance spaces; our box office will be able to more conveniently serve all of our patrons; and just in general, it will be amazing to have almost everything all under one roof.

Another awesome thing related to this new space being in the same building we operate out of is that we will be able to use it during the day—in addition to using it at night for performances. It can serve as a lounge space; we can collaborate with the other Depot organizations (Duluth Art Institute, Lake Superior Railroad Museum, North Shore Scenic Railroad, Veteran’s Memorial Hall, Matinee Musicale, St. Louis County Historical Society, The Minnesota Ballet, and Arrowhead Chorale) for daytime events; and we could host music acts, lectures, films, readings, receptions, you name it!

And in terms of theatrical productions, this space is going to rock. For one, there is an awesome atmosphere down there with the brick walls and cool architecture. Sadly, we don’t have photos yet, but once we do we’ll post them for sure! Another huge perk is that it will be able to seat twice as many people than our previous space in the Tech Village.

I personally am nerding out over how cool this new space is going to be! It’s so unique down there and I just love the atmosphere. I’ll be really excited to see what new name we’ll come up with for it too. Mostly though, I can’t wait until next Halloween—we’ve gotten the rights to produce Carrie: The Musical, which is going to AWESOME down there. Can’t wait.

Are you maybe interested in getting involved in our new space? Want to produce a show or an event down there, perhaps? Well, it’s never too soon! We’re hoping to be able to start using the space sometime this spring (fingers crossed). Feel free to contact us here at the Playhouse for inquiries about booking the new space—or even if you just have general questions. Shoot us an email at phoffice@duluthplayhouse.org or give us a call at (218) 733-7555.

Written By: Mallory Cleveland

Director of Sales & Marketing Kelly Mero and Photo Editor Jeff Kida

The Arizona Highways team spent part of the day at the Cronkite Award Luncheon where we watched award-winning sportscaster Bob Costas receive the 2012 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. Talk about a great couple of hours. Mr. Costas was a fantastic speaker and told some absolutely brilliant stories… what a treat!

Thanks again to everyone who made this event possible… it’s always a pleasure to attend this annual luncheon.

Below are some photos from our afternoon (and yes, we do dress up from time-to-time — shocking!).

Enjoy!

But the one cuisine of which I’ve made a practice…the one that I can profess superior understanding…the food that is programmed on my DNA… is deli. That’s right, Jew food. Old-school, East-Coast, Matzoh Ball soup, pastrami, latkes – deli.

It starts, as many of my stories start, on the milk crates in my mom’s restaurants. Where I used to sit in her kitchen, as a young boy, during summers, sick days and other days off. She had what we called a ‘coffee shop’ that I’ve explained is most like a diner, but has a lot of overlap with the world of deli. She house-made her corned beef, she had a mean matzoh ball soup on occasion, she fried up the matzoh brie and the blintzes. It wasn’t true deli, but it hinted.

Moreover, we were east coast Jews, so we ate lots and lots of latkes (and other such curios). I had a lot of family: grandparents, great aunts & uncles, cousins – old people. And old people love deli. So, anytime we gathered, we ate bagels, lox, lox-eggs-onions, smoked fish of all varieties, kasha varnishkes, pastrami, brisket, stuffed cabbage, gribenes, kishke, kreplach, kneidlach…

My closest friends and family don’t quite know the extent of my passion. I make matzoh brie weekly, I do matzoh ball soup monthly, kasha varnishkes on occasion. My interest is tolerated and not often shared by those that know me best (matzoh brie is an acquired taste). But the obsession goes deeper for me as I frequent the delis that dot the bay area and make pilgrimages to delis when I travel. I’ve conducted extensive tours of the major cities, often comparing my favorite dishes from multiple establishments in a single weekend (blintzes and pastrami in LA, whitefish, bagels and MB soup in NY).

2nd Ave Deli Matzoh Ball Soup

But San Francisco has always been a slight disappointment. I wouldn’t go the extreme like many who claim there is NO good deli here. Millers on Polk has decent fare (especially their egg/bagel breakfast sandwich) – the MB soup is satisfying, albeit a little busy, their chopped liver is a little dense, but tasty, the meats are solid – not anything to write home about, but it’ll do. Moishes Pippic in Hayes valley has even better soup and great Chicago-style hot dogs. They also do better pastrami, corned beef and a delightful brisket special on Fridays. House of Bagels has quite good whitefish salad and liver – their bagels are passable, considering the alternatives. Sauls in Oakland never did much for me, but again, it is passable for high holidays and occasional fare.

But then came Wise Sons. I was skeptical. Mission hipster jew-food? I went in with every expectation to be critical. On my first visit, I was somewhat disappointed. I ordered the Matzoh Ball Soup and was told they were out of the balls. I got some of the broth and noodles, but sat in sadness lamenting my missing balls. I love those balls.

Photo courtesy of Chow.com

The pastrami was redemptive. I had a reuben and was amazed by the balance of brine and fat, spice and texture. It was up there at the top of the canon of pastramis (Langer’s in LA still holds top position). Great rye, sauerkraut, dressing – there was hope.

I since returned multiple times and tested out most of the menu items. And I am here to say that San Francisco is finally not only a contender in the deli world, but a dominant force, thanks to Wise Sons. What Leo Beckerman and Evan Bloom have accomplished is nothing short of legendary. They have managed to take the recipes of old-school, proper deli and bring them into a world of local sourcing, farmer’s markets and high-cheffing.

Let’s start with the Chocolate Babka. It’s an easy target. It sits next to the cashier and taunts you: “hey, fatass, eat me. no, you won’t pass me by”. Then there are the breakfast call-outs. The semite is a tasty grilled sandwich with eggs, cheese and a crispy pastrami. Their matzoh brie is legit. I like mine cooked well, but they understand texture and salt (Evan told me he uses maldon, like I do with mine – instant props). On the weekends they have Beauty’s Bagels from Oakland (Montreal style, cooked in wood-fired oven) which are seriously the best we have to offer in the Bay Area. Pair these with the incredible off-the-charts smoked trout salad.

Photo Courtesy of Mission Local

There’s a dozen other breakfast dishes, all worth the visit. And here’s the thing…the place isn’t that crowded at 10am on weekdays. Go sit without waiting on line, like the weekend hoards do. You’re in the know now.

For lunch, it’s mostly about the Pastrami. Try the rueben, try the standard one double-baked rye. Get nasty with pastrami fries, smothered in russian dress (shut the front door!) Or go for the gusto with the Deli burger, ground with pastrami in the meat (i think about 1/3). Read the fine print to see the 1/2 sandwich and small cup of the matzoh ball soup.

They still set up at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market on Tuesday. They cater so you can have Wise Sons at your holiday meals. So stop bitching about deli and bagels in San Francisco. Those days are over. We’re a powerhouse now. I only wish I thought of it first.

Even as recently as May when I posted some of my goals for everyone to see, I was going out on a limb thinking “well in theory I should be able to attain these goals if I just keep doing the right things”.  Honestly, those were my exact thoughts when I typed the list I have reposted below.

I have added in an update for each one…it is simply amazing what can happen when you make a plan and follow it.  I have not looked at this list again since I posted it.  It was in the back of my mind, and I knew I was working on it, but I followed my own thoughts and just kept doing the “right things”.

Original post May 22, 2012 – October 14th update:

NSVs (hopefully I can do all of this in 2012):

• Shop on the “skinny” side of Dress Barn (when this was posted I was a size 18)
  • Have not been shopping for clothes in a while other than the occasional sale rack at Wal-Mart or Kmart but I will have to go soon to see how things fit.
• Climb 20 flights of stairs without having an asthma attack (when this was posted the most I could do was about 3 flights without stopping for air)
  • I conquered this one in early July and regularly do the stairs as part of my workout with our trainer.
• 50 squats on the Bosu ball (when this was posted I was just learning to stand on the ball and still needed to hold something for balance)
  • This too was accomplished in July.  I have not tried to do 50 squats without stopping, but I can easily do 30 rest for about 30 seconds and repeat without ever stepping down from the ball.
• Make it to a size 14 in jeans and / or dresses (started at 22/24 originally – size 18 when I posted this goal)
  • I am comfortably in size 14 now and can fit size 12 pants depending on how they are made (major happy dance happened in my house when I put on my first 12s that fit)
• Lose enough to have the surgery on my knee
  • I meet with my Dr. on the 24th to see how he thinks I am doing.  I have not seen him in several months and have lost about 25 pounds since he saw me last so my hopes are high.  While nobody really wants to have surgery on anything, if it means less pain and more mobility, I would do it tomorrow if I could.
• Lose 6 more inches total (this would be a total of 28)
  • Currently I have lost a total of 35.5 inches (that is basically 3 feet – holy crap that is a scary number)

Weight goals (steps):

• Make it to 50 pounds lost (212) ( I was at about 221 when this list was posted)
  • I achieved this on 7/1/12
• Drop below 195 pounds(this seemed so far away and I randomly picked this number thinking once I hit 195 I will be firmly in “Onederland” to never ever see the 200s again)
  • 196.2 today – so close I can feel it
• 175 (I can’t even imagine this right now)(this was my original goal of where I wanted to get to and then reevaluate – now my goal is 160)
  • I have this in my sights now, it no longer seems like an imaginary number!!!

The list for this year seemed like it was going to be so hard, and I doubted if I would be able to accomplish even some of it by the end of 2012, and yet, I pretty much did it in 5 months.

In reading back, the beginning was less than two years ago, and yet it seems like a different life time.  We are so different now and our lives have changed so much.  I am proud of what we have done and where we are going!!  And I really want to thank all of the friends and family who support us and encourage us, and all the people who have said we inspired you in some way.  Losing the weight and being healthy is a fabulous reward, but knowing someone else was encouraged by you is immeasurable.

The picture here is a before and current picture in the same “Jill” costume.  Three years ago, we dressed as Jack and Jill for Halloween.  Last weekend I was trying on all my old costumes to see what I could give away, and when I put it on again, Tim said he wanted to take a picture of it.  I said something like “ok, fine, whatever…but hurry up because I am hot in this thing”.  Little did I know he we going to do a side by side comparison for me (he is so smart).  When he called me to his computer to see it, I almost screamed I was so shocked.  (and I did do the happy dance for like 15 minutes)  When you look at the same face and body in the mirror day after day, you can not see it so easily.  You know you are losing weight, you know you wear smaller clothes, but until you can see it in front of you like this, it doesn’t really sink in.

So finally, after weeks of flirting and drunken texting, Popcornography and Gigham are lovers. Gigham for those of you who don’t know, is the SUPER awesome events listing website. Gigham lists all events in Cape Town and Johannesburg and is a beyond convenient way to find out what and where events are happening around you!

Often I find myself invited to things that I have never heard of and consequently need details asap. Thank heavens that Gigham is able to provide such details in a sexy and sleek interface that is sure to excite any visitor. The beauty of Gigham is that its listings comprise of events of all categories. As much as Popcornography needs to know about sexy film events happening in and around Cape Town, sometimes one wants to know just what the eff kind of trance party your friends keep inviting you too. Thanks to Gigham, you can now be an empowered life enthusiast.

Popcornography has been monitoring film events in this way for quite some time. For instance, I know that the African Cinema Unit is presenting tomorrow evening on UCT’s upper campus. I shan’t be going. But surely you can understand why this is so handy?

Are you searching for new and exciting things to do with your life? Are you bored with the regular and routine activities? Are you craving spontaneity and excitement? We at Popcornography are. Luckily there is an answer and y’all now know who to thank- Gigham.

Let us sum up why Popcornography has been crushing on Gigham for some time by means of a simple demonstration. Ahem…

Life before Gigham: Kristen drowning in an ever-consuming vacuum of boredom

Life with Gigham: Anna Faris overwhelmed with bliss and merriment

Get the picture? Popcornography is excited for its relationship to thrive with Gigham. You should be too.

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Arizona Highways is thrilled to announce that we took home 13 awards from the International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA), including three Gold awards in the following categories: Travel Feature, Art Direction of a Single Story and Cover.

Congratulations to our amazing colleagues at Arizona Highways… We are incredibly proud of you, and we thank you for your hard work and dedication to the magazine.

The following is a list of awards presented to Arizona Highways during the 2012 IRMA conference, which we hosted at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale:

Gold | Travel Feature | Going with the Flow by Craig Childs | July 2011
Gold | Art Direction of a Single Story | What’s Right with Arizona by Barbara Glynn Denney | August 2011
Gold | Cover | December 2011
Silver | Single Photo | Native Customs by Suzanne Mathia | August 2011
Silver | Photo Series | Northern Exposures by Shane McDermott | June 2011
Silver | Overall Art Direction | Barbara Glynn Denney and Keith Whitney
Silver | Nature Feature | Just Add Water by Craig Childs | June 2011
Silver | Special Focus Issue | A Special State Parks Guide | May 2011
Bronze | Illustration | The Lucky Spurs by Brad Holland | March 2011
Bronze | Department | The Journal
Bronze | Public Issues |The State of Our State Parks by Kathy Montgomery | May 2011
Bronze | Food Feature | Best Restaurants by Nikki Buchanan | April 2011
Award of Merit | Reader Service | Summer Hiking Guide by Robert Stieve | June 2011

To give all our friends and family a little inside scoop to how Tim and I function as a team on this journey to a healthy life, I thought I would share some of what I do behind the scenes.  You all read from post to post about the highlights and lowlights of what it is like to completely up heave your world and change who you are from the inside out.  What we rarely share is the technical stuff, and how it all comes together before you read our story.

For starters, every blog post Tim has written and you have read has been proofed by his chief editor (that’s me).  I am also the technical skills behind everything we eat.  One of us will get some kind of weird food inspiration and we will talk out the potential outcome of what it could taste like, and then I figure out how to execute it.  Tim keeps me inspired to keep pushing even when I would rather sit on my butt and be lazy.  I have never known anyone as driven as he is about our new life.  We work together to plan our workouts each day at the gym.  Going into a workout with no plan will not only make you less productive, you will waste time at the gym getting less results.

Most importantly, we motivate each other.  Yesterday Tim emailed me saying he needs to come up with a list of goals for October asking if I had any thoughts for him.  Normally he comes up with his crazy hard goals all by himself.  I will read them, (think to myself he has lost his mind), ask him if he is sure, and then sit back and cheer him on.  This time is different.  I decided it was time for me to help inspire him. Below is my response to him, and it is a list of goals for us together.

Here was my email back to him:

OK you want October Goals…here are some ideas from your wife

This month should be all about balancing your life – you have spent the last several months working mostly on your lower body and running training, with extra training already planned specifically for running this month. You focus constantly on your health and exercise goals and train very hard leaving little time to enjoy some of the regular life stuff you love.

So to balance the scales a little, maybe you should do some upper body and core exercises and some non-exercise related goals that help balance your overall health and well being.

Your first challenge is to do all of this with me this month – Go team Mosier

Exercises

• Bench/chest press – 200 (50 per week)
• Pull Up/Chin Up – 480 (this is 3×10 set – 2 sets twice a week)
• Standing bent over rows – 240 (15 per arm, 2 sets once a week)
• Dumbbell Side Delt Abduction (Stand & hold weights at sides, bring both arms up parallel to the floor) – 160 (40 per week)
• Alt. Standing Shoulder Presses – 160 (40 per week)
• Dips– 160 (40 per week)
• Oblique Twists with Medicine Ball – 160 (20 each giving/receiving – 40 per week)
• Back Extensions – 160 (40 per week)

Mix-it up a little – exercise doesn’t have to be boring (pick 2)

• A walk on the beach
• Play catch for 30 minutes with a football or baseball
• Try a rock climbing wall
• Nature trail/hike
• Go dancing
• Batting cages
• Putt putt golf
• Zumba / aerobics / yoga class
• Bowling
• Yard work for an hour (not mowing)

Non-exercise related – life goals

• We need to create two new recipes (that we like)
• Bake something yummy you would not normally include in our new lifestyle and share it with your friends
• Skip the gym one night and see a movie instead
• Spend 2-hours reading a book instead of blog posts you are “keeping up” with

There – that should give you lots to think about J

I love you!!!

So friends and family, since I am busy working on these goals myself this month, You need to cheer loud enough for both of us to hear you from all over the country!!  Better yet…join in on the challenge and write back what you have done to mix things up in your lives.