140conf

Today was the 140conf in Hutchinson and it was - in a word - incredible. I am so humbled to have shared the stage with such amazing people and their stories.

Here's my presentation:
The Nutburger Next Door
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17398889

It was such a fascinating day - loved every moment of it. So thankful to have been a tiny part of the process.
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Opportunities for small things that have big impacts

Tonight was the first gathering for the smalltown 140conf that starts in Hutchinson tomorrow. I love this event. It's so wonderful to see people in person that I know from online, or that I haven't yet met online either, but who are interested in some of the same things I am.

This evening I was talking with one of the other participants and he said, "You like rocks, don't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I love rocks."

He pulled this out of his pocket and said, "I saw that online and brought you this."

I thanked him profusely. It was so very kind that he went to the trouble to do that. I had posted a photo recently of rocks friends brought me from Colorado. He had seen the post and decided to bring me this. It was so nice he made the effort.

Allen and I haven't met before. We haven't even talked online before. But, he took the time to look at people's social media streams and saw that I liked rocks. He told me about the area it was from and it gave us a chance to visit about a number of things.

I wonder how many opportunities like this exist in daily life that I miss. Allen has reminded me I must pay closer attention. I'm grateful.

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Twitter Classes

I've had multiple requests for Twitter classes in the last couple of months. The library is coming to the rescue!

I will be teaching two Twitter Classes - for free - at the library in October.

October 19 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
October 20 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Hutchinson Public Library - 901 N Main Street - Training lab in the basement

It is the same class - a basic introduction to Twitter.

Sign up begins Wednesday, September 21 at 9 a.m. Space is limited. Call 663-5441, ext. 163 to register.

Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think might be interested.

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Smalltown 140Conf in Hutchinson

Tuesday is the second annual Smalltown 140 Conference in Hutchinson. If you're a social media lover, if you want to understand what it can do, or if you just want to meet some cool people from all over, come to the Fox Theatre and join in.

Tickets are $100 but if you use the code "friendof140" you'll get a ticket for only $40. It's a heck of a deal. I guarantee you will find it to be an interesting day. Don't miss the opportunity!

Very cool things will happen, synergy will occur, we want you to be part of it all!

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Seasons Changing

We've had our first cold snap, and it seems Autumn may really be arriving. Changing seasons always make me contemplate change in general.

Change is a constant in life. I realize some see that as a negative, but I've always viewed it as potential for something wonderful.

If we want something different, we have to do something different. Of course, the danger is that in the process we'll "upset the apple cart" with regard to something we love just the way it is.

I suppose all of life is about risk. The cost-benefit analysis to me always seems to fall on the side of jumping in with both feet, eyes wide open, heart and soul fully engaged.

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Concerts

We've been going to concerts at the State Fair this week. Tonight was Little River Band and REO Speedwagon. The Little River Band did a brilliant marketing thing - they took audience photos and put them on Facebook for people to tag themselves. By the time I looked at Facebook after the concert, it was already in my stream. Interesting tactic.

The grandstand was just trashed after the concerts tonight. I wanted to tell whoever cleans up - hey, I didn't leave any trash there. I didn't bring any in and I didn't leave any.

It was cold tonight, but that didn't seem to slow beer sales. I watched two guys in the row in front of me consume about - and I'm not exaggerating - 30 cups of beer each. I'm guessing there's about 16 ounces in each cup. I think they sell for $4 each. I will readily admit I could never hold my liquor, but I was astonished at the amount they drank and remained standing.

They arrived with two cardboard trays that hold four cups of beer each. They then made trips to get more every few minutes. They would both come back carrying one in each hand, and once brought back a new tray full of four more for each of them. Amazingly enough they were still functioning at the end of the concert.

Frankly, the beer made them no less appealing than when they started drinking. And, apparently to some it made them more attractive, because a Snooki-wannabe came down at one point and introduced herself by licking both of their faces and rubbing their bald heads. I wanted to tap her on the shoulder and say, "Hey, look, I know it's hard to believe, but even you can do better." But, then I wasn't sure that was true. After all, as far as I know, the Guidos had not gone around licking people they didn't know on their beer runs.

The music was good. The sideshow was pretty disturbing. Fortunately, the folks near me were all great. I really felt for the people the tri-state rejects were crawling over every few minutes in their quest for more beer. And I felt for the ushers who were trying to keep some semblance of order. And I feel for the people who have to clean the spilled beer, discarded cups and other trash.

People apparently forget that just because they're listening to the music of their youth, doesn't mean they can't act like adults. Responsible adults. Who clean up after themselves.

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I've Got Nothing Bad To Say... Really...

I spent some time at the fair today and bumped into a number of people who wanted to hear the story of my departure from the museum. I repeated the story - truthfully - just as I told it on the website, Facebook, etc. when it happened. But, some people are unsatisfied with this - they want to hear "the dirt."

There is no dirt.

People seem to want me to be angry. They want me to vent and say nasty things.

I am not angry. I do not need or want to vent. I have nothing bad to say - about any former employers. I've been fortunate enough to work with some incredible people with fascinating perspectives at some amazing places over the years and I'm only grateful.

Things happen for a reason, and I can only assume there are better things ahead for all of us. I wish nothing but the best for every person and every entity.

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Kool and The Gang at the Kansas State Fair

Saturday night we went to see Kool and the Gang. The guy above is Kool. Yeah, him. He was with the original group.



This is his brother, who was also part of the original group. I couldn't help thinking "More Cowbell" from the Saturday Night Live sketch with Christopher Walken everytime they used it.





They also have a couple of newer members who were both really good.





All in all a fun night. It's neat to see how different artists use the same stage. It can look very different from one night to the next.

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Kenny Rogers at the Kansas State Fair

This is me and my buddy, Ace Jackalope, with a tambourine Kenny Rogers threw me from the stage tonight at the Kansas State Fair. Greg captured the essence of "things that are Kenny Rogers" in this shot, I think.


As you might gather, we went to see Kenny Rogers tonight at the Kansas State Fair. He puts on a fantastic show. He's 73 and still sounds wonderful. He's also looking good. I like the slightly more rugged Kenny, with a few wrinkles here and there.

He's funny and charming. On the last song he threw out a few tambourines - maybe half a dozen. I didn't even realize until after the concert was over that it was autographed. Then, I wondered if the autograph was just printed on so we went up and compared with someone else's tambourine and the signatures were different. So, very cool.

We left bigger fans than when we arrived. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a true performer. Very cool night! Here are some of my pix from the evening.

"Kenny Rogers" has become an adjective now. The world is divided into "things that ARE Kenny Rogers" and "things that are NOT Kenny Rogers." It's the fun way of saying something is cool or not. I don't know how long this will last, but we're having fun with it so far.  



















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Artist Erika Nelson on Conversations with Creatives

Erika Nelson created the World's Largest Collection of the Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things in response to her love of roadside attractions. She travels around in her art car, sharing her love of such things. Following her passion had led her to an appearance on the Conan O'Brien show, to be part of a story in The New York Times, and to make her home near The Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas.

She is a voice for "outsider art" or "folk art" or whatever your favorite terminology might be. I met Erika at Kansas Dialogue in mid-August and asked her to sit down after the event and share some of her thoughts about her path.


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This is part of a new series on the website called Conversations with Creatives. Very little editing is done. It's an opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation with a Creative Soul sharing the planet with us.

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Joplin Missouri Today

This was taken on Monday, September 5. I've been documenting what Joplin looks like every few weeks. It has been 15 weeks since the tornado and it's amazing how much has been cleared away. The eerie thing is that it's so quiet in these neighborhoods, and they're right in the middle of town. This was shot from a car so the quality isn't the best but it gives you a sense of what it's like. The thing photos and videos can't convey if you haven't been there is the scope of the destruction. You could drive for more than 30 minutes and still be in areas that suffered damage. It's right through the middle of town. These streets once had houses where people lived, and children played. Now they're silent foundations and stairs that lead to the sky. -----
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Stream of Time

I think of time very differently than most other people I've discussed it with. I do not think of time as linear - it's 2 p.m., then 3 p.m., then 4 p.m., etc. - I think of time as much more fluid than that.

At some point I came up with the idea of a "Stream of Time," that we are moving along with it just like a leaf might move along with a flowing creek. If we consider different eras in history, and if you believe souls have lessons to learn, it's easy to see how we could be here to experience particular things.

Because we live in an era of such wonder, invention and innovation it seems logical that all of us experiencing it are here for a reason. But at the same time, other souls coexisting with us have other reasons. Think of someone you know who's different than you and you'll see you're in very different "streams of time," even if we're all living in the same ocean.

I have often felt out of step with regard to time. My parents were really two generations older than me. One of my serious relationships was with someone a generation younger than me. I cannot stand to be rushed - it makes me very testy when I feel someone is pushing me time-wise. I never feel like there's enough time. I don't feel like there's enough time in a normal life-span to do everything I want to do.

Just recently I was talking with a friend about the Theory of Relativity, which isn't really a theory anymore - but a fact. It occurred to me that maybe this is why I have always bristled at the idea of being on a schedule. Even when I was very young I knew that time could not possibly be linear - it just made no sense at all to me. And so scheduling is incredibly limiting to my mind. Therefore, being on a schedule makes life limited as well. It's the first time I have ever put those two things together, but it makes sense.

There's much more to consider in this realm...
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Scenes From My World

This was taken in an antique mall in some small town in Missouri this past weekend. I don't remember which town. I don't remember which store. But I remember I got two handfuls of vintage Christmas ornaments for a quarter each.

I heard Greg and his mom approaching and peered around the corner, holding the ornaments. I knew it would amuse him and horrify his mom. I was right. Greg had me reenact so he could get a photo. I was a happy camper, as you can see!

This year I'm hoping to do my big Christmas extravaganza. I think a vintage tree will be making an appearance.

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Autumn's Arrival

It seems fall has made its presence felt, slipping right into our days and nights while we were longing for it so much we almost missed its arrival. Life is like that sometimes. We are so busy wanting for something we miss its appearance.

Air conditioners have fallen silent and we have slid into a new season, a time for home and hearth. Windows are being flung open to welcome the cooler air and we are timidly reaching for warmer clothes.

Autumn has seemed a long time coming this year. I'm going to revel in it.

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I have two questions for you. You can answer either or both.

I'm working on a magazine story about pie in Kansas restaurants.

1. Suggestions of Kansas restaurants you think have the BEST pie. No frozen crusts or canned fillings - handmade pie - from crust to meringe.

2. Your answer to why people prefer pie over other sweets. Everyone loves cookies and cake, but if you ask people their favorite, they often say pie. Why is pie better? What is it about pie that makes it special? If you answer this one, please give me a way to contact you in case I want to include your comment.

You can either post in the comments here or email me patsyterrell@gmail.com.

If you know anyone in Kansas I should talk to about pie, let me know. Thanks in advance!

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Tea Memories

Since having tea at the Brown Palace in Denver, I've been fondly remembering other tea experiences. Tonight I looked at this one again and remembered an absolutely fabulous afternoon tea at St. John in 2007. Take a little trip down memory lane with me and enjoy the beautiful tables again.

The tea experience - a pause to share with friends - is something I treasure. I wish I lived where I could go to tea regularly, but it's a bit difficult to come by where I live. I've proposed a "tea club" with friends - and we rotate to each other's homes and the hostess provides tea, but haven't had much success with that yet. Maybe I'll give it another go.

I haven't yet found anything that has quite the same feeling as tea.

http://www.blog.patsyterrell.com/2007/11/st-john-kansas-tea.html

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The wastebasket is the writer's best friend. 
 --- Isaac Bashevis Singer
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I love this song. "Loves that have laid us low" is such a marvelous line. It's just one of many in this piece. Russell wrote about the genesis of it on his own blog when the album was released. It's a great tune.


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Overheard Conversation

Overheard conversation at Goodwill today:

Woman 1: Are you still at Lowen's?

Woman 2: They laid me off.

Woman 1: Hadn't you been there a long time?

Woman 2: 40 years.

Woman 1: No one has any loyalty anymore, do they?

Woman 2: No, I guess not... do you remember --- ---?

Woman 1: Yes.

Woman 2: They laid him off a few months ago too. He'd been there 41 years. What are you doing now?

There was more conversation but I wandered away and didn't hear it all, then I came back into earshot and heard:

Woman 2: Where will you be living in Zambia?

Woman 1: We'll be living in Angola and ministering to villages from there...

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What struck me about this conversation was two things.

1. It's not common, everyday conversation to hear about people moving to Zambia.

2. Loyalty is such an interesting concept. I'm not sure what the age cutoff is, but older people expect it from employers and younger people don't. Logic indicates to me there's no reason to expect it, but it's obvious people do.


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Quote of the Day

Approach the act of writing with hope, reverence, tension, excitement, determination, or any other emotion. Come to it with a sense of humor or a sense of rage. Come to it any way you wish, but do not come to it lightly. ----------- W.C. Jameson

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Vintage Fashion Show and Miss Modernism Pageant at Denver Modernism Show

At the modernism show in Denver, there was a fashion show by the Denver Vintage Society. It was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. They had fashion from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

 A few things I learned during the show:
1. I really like some of the styles of clothes from earlier decades and they go well with my vintage pins!
2. Modeling really is a skill - some of these women were really wonderful at modeling - including the one in the last photo here.
3. Lots of tattoos on the models kills the whole "vintage" feel of the show. I just can't picture the housewives of the 40s sporting full sleeve tattoos.

This was the day after the Miss Modernism pageant. I found that a really odd mix of things. I wanted to love it, but two of the contestants basically used their "talent" as ads for their art and jewelry. Four of them had a "talent" involving mixing drinks. It was just odd to me. Some of it was funny, though.

Admittedly, it was my first Miss Modernism pageant and it's entirely possible I just don't get it. I did really enjoy the vintage outfits, however. And the young lady who won played Pachabel's Canon in D on the violin beautifully.
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Three Interesting Things

I am home after a fun few days on the road. And, I'm back to my usual sorting through materials from various sources online. People often ask me where I come up with the tidbits I mention in conversation or talk about here. So, I decided I will periodically post links to thinks I've found interesting for one reason or another. You can check them out or ignore them as you wish!

1. Cantor is in a difficult spot regarding disaster aid. Now that it's not his area affected, and he's a big "no spending" guy, he's vocal about not giving aid to those affected by Irene without having offsets. However, he was singing a completely different tune when it was his area affected a few years ago. I think this is one of the most difficult issues for those who purport no funding for anything. State's rights take a big backseat when people want federal disaster aid. I wish people would wake up to this when they're in the voting booth.

I saw something recently online that said - more eloquently than I'm about to say - If you don't want to pay taxes to support a federal government then don't drive on federal highways, eat food that has been inspected for safety, send your kids to public schools, use electricity or the internet, or expect disaster aid. All good points, I think.

This story seems to sum up the difficulty of being absolute about anything - especially when your comments are public.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/178829-cantor-has-history-of-pushing-for-unfunded-disaster-relief

2. Google is launching offline versions of mail and calendar. My reaction when I read this was, "Who is ever offline?" It was then that I realized I might be out of step with the rest of the world. I am always connected to email, calendar, web, etc. as long as I have cell phone signal. I've forgotten what the last numbers were on smart phones, but there's significant penetration.

I guess I thought anyone who NEEDED to be connected all the time already was. And people who didn't particularly care to be connected all the time weren't. The logical progression of that to me is - if you need/want to be connected, you can be. But, obviously, google is more in touch than I am!

http://mashable.com/2011/08/31/gmail-offline-2/

3. NPR posted this: Provocative Read: 10 'More Important' Events Than The Sept. 11 Attacks
I absolutely despise what I see as the annual "celebration" of 9-11. I've written about it before so won't rehash it here. While I see a reason for noting the day, I think we have overreacted tremendously to it - from starting wars to our annual "rah-rah celebration" to justify them. For the first time, I feel like I'm not alone in this assessment.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/08/31/140088238/provocative-read-10-more-important-events-than-the-sept-11-attacks?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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My Life is Weird

A few years ago, my friend Leah said in an exasperated tone, "Your life is weird. I know you don't try to make it weird. But your life is weird."

And... for the latest installment of "Patsy's Life is Weird," I offer the following:



My life may be weird, but it is ooooooh sooooo fun!

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I didn't know I collected Modernism... but apparently I do

The day started with a beautiful view of the mountains bathed in pink. We packed up and then headed off to the Modernism show for the final day.

It ended this afternoon. The show was an eye-opening experience for me because - much to my surprise - apparently I collect all this stuff! Who knew? Certainly not me.

I didn't know that cool things like old costume jewelry pins fell into the category of "modernism." I got two new (old) pins today - cheaply as the day wound to a close. I'm in love with both of them.



There were many other things there I loved, but fortunately, I collected the ones I have when they were $1 or fifty cents at thrift stores when no one cared about them. That's good, because I'd be hard pressed to afford the prices I saw at the show.

One of the funnier moments was when I mentioned liking the purses and Greg wanted to take me over to an area he thought I might have missed that had a lot of purses. I hadn't seen it, but wasn't interested in any of them. Greg pointed to woven one with a design and joked, "But, Patsy, do you have an owl purse?" I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Sadly, I do."

These pins were my only purchases. I love them both. I miss the days of picking up things like this at garage sales for a couple of bucks.

People often ask if they were given to me by family, but none of them were. All the ones I have are ones I've picked up like this. But, I treasure them as if they were my grandmother's or mother's or aunt's prized beauties.

There were about 15 pins at the show I spotted that I would have LOVED to bring home with me. One of them I was really in love with, but when I tried to bargain with the dealer she was rather curt and I just said, "It's beautiful, but I'll have to pass... thank you." and went to another booth where they were happy to make me a deal on the amber colored pin. I understand if a dealer says, "I just can't come down on this..." or something like that. This lady was just not very pleasant. Hopefully the beautiful pin will find a new owner who will be a happier person than the dealer.

Greg went back in and bargained on the blue one for me. I had spotted it on Friday and fallen in love but was going to let it go. He's a master of bargaining - even when the show isn't closing - or in this case, closed.



Little things like this make me happy. Very, very happy. I'm such a lucky girl.

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Dapper Dressers

I spent time with two Dapper Dressers Saturday...

My best friend, Greg... who scored this amazing jacket at the Denver Modernism Show. I'm certain his girlfriend will appreciate me encouraging this wardrobe addition - at least that's what I'm telling myself.



And, also... the one and only, Charles Phoenix...



As the clothes might suggest, they're both fun guys!

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Tea at the Brown Palace, Hula Girls and Hula Hoops

This afternoon I got to enjoy tea at the Brown Palace in Denver. It was one of the best tea experiences I've ever had. And, I've had tea at some of the places you are supposed to go have tea - like the Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada and Alice's in New York. Both of those are great, but the Brown Palace was spectacular. Loved the scones, they bring you extra sandwiches, and we left not needing to go have lunch or dinner. Great experience. Service was wonderful. Eveything was right.

Then we went to the modernism show where we watched Hula Dancers and then the Miss Modernism pageant.

First... Hula dancers... not something a person sees everyday.



During the pageant, one of the contestants - who ended up getting the second runner up position - mixed a martini, then drank it while hula hooping. There was some spilling. But it was great nonetheless. Frankly, if a person has enough martinis there will be some spilling. So, there you go.



I like for the days to have variety in them. Yesterday I was looking at rattlesnakes. Today I was looking at Hula Dancers.

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A Day of Giant Things

One of The Lope's travel rules is you stop to see anything that is "The World's Largest..." This is part of the story of how I ended up having my photo taken with the world's largest prairie dog today.

We learned that the smaller one was essentially the study for the larger one.

After the prairie dog, we moseyed (however you spell that) on down the road to a giant sculpture of Bill Cody killing a buffalo, hence the name Buffalo Bill Cody. It may have been more artistic than the prairie dog, but I preferred the prairie dog subject matter.



I also ended up watching a rather large - although I wouldn't say giant - rattlesnake shed it's skin.

Needless to say, I've had a full day. Time for bed. I don't think I can handle any more excitement for the day.
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Scenes From My World

I took this photo in an artist's studio. Surely a window like this stirs the soul of anyone, making the desire to paint palpable. Even if one doesn't paint. Or hasn't until they arrived in a place like this.

Lately I've been noticing the light in various places. It seems I keep finding myself in circumstances where it's worthy of note. Recently, someone else even mentioned it to me in a home.

Usually when something like that keeps coming up it means I should pay attention. I'm not sure what message - exactly - I'm supposed to get. Maybe it will become clear to me - as if a light is shining on it.

I know that a window like this should not be wasted on anyone except an artist who can make use of it to the fullest.

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Busy News Day

It has been a busy day in the world.

Rebels broke into Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's Tripoli compound and took it over. I have to confess I have not paid close attention to the whole thing. Why? I guess because there are only so many things I can pay attention to and there is not a single thing I can do to affect the outcome of that one way or the other.

Frankly, I've largely lost interest in politics of all sorts. I will certainly vote. I will always vote. But, I will no longer endorse one candidate or another on a local or state level unless I know them personally. I have been burned one too many times by people who profess to be one thing and turn out to be another. Paul Morrison taught me that lesson. On a national level I will just have to make my best guesses.

In other news today, Virginia had an earthquake that was felt in DC. You would think it was some huge, big deal event. As best I can tell, trying to ferret out the facts from the huge over-reaction of the east-coast based news operations, some things shook. Maybe I'm a big jaded because I grew up near the New Madrid fault line and I've experienced numerous earthquakes, but this wasn't any big deal. You would have thought there was mass destruction once the news shows finally got involved. At 5.8 I think it would have been unusual to have much major destruction, although I suppose it could happen.

It was, however, a great example of how much news coverage has changed in the world. I came back from lunch and saw a note on Facebook about it. I immediately logged on to cnn.com, where I found no mention of it at all. I went to Twitter, and quickly learned it was a lot of talk about something that wasn't worth talking about. By the time the traditional news organizations got involved in covering the story, and getting overly excited, I already knew it wasn't much of a story. But, we were subjected to numerous live shots of them standing in various places saying nothing had happened. Brilliant use of time, talent, energy and airtime. We could have heard about something important instead. But, that was not to be.

Also, I know this is not going to make me popular, but I'm sick of hearing about people being freaked out every time something happens. No matter what is it - earthquake to power outtage - people assume we're under attack by some unknown force, and start freaking out. People rush into the streets, jam cell phones and start evacuating cities. Good grief, people in Tripoli are dodging bullets. That's something to freak out about. People in Joplin had a third of their town wiped out. That's major. The pictures on your wall shook. It is not the same thing. Get a grip. Somewhere along the way we've turned into a nation afraid of its own shadow. The power goes out sometimes. You'll live without the DVR for a few hours. Calm the hell down.

On a personal note, tonight was Creative Sisterhood. For the first time in a few months we were all here and it was nice to connect. Group dynamics are fascinating.
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Quote of the Day

Don't tell me the moon is shining,
show me the glint of light on broken glass.
                                Anton Chekov

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