It's Fall again!

I don't know why, but every Fall I feel like I need to go around and take a million pictures of the leaves. This year is no different, though I will say I have different scenery than normal since we've moved. The Fall colors at our old house were always amazing, but it's been nice going around Kent and seeing some more, particularly in the parks. I'm hoping if we have some sun tomorrow I can get some pictures at Sand Run Metro Park in Akron. I've driven past it on the way from my after-school job to rehearsal and the colors and scenery I can see from the road are just amazing!! Sand Run is in northern Akron right on the edge of the Cuyahoga Valley, so it really doesn't feel like Ohio or even Akron at all! Unfortunately, I am already running late when I am normally driving past it, so no time to stop. Tomorrow, however, I don't have rehearsal so I hope the weather cooperates. For now, though, I have gotten quite a few pictures around Kent. I've always enjoyed Fall, not only the colors but the weather too. I didn't really appreciate the color and season here until I lived out west in Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho for the better part of 5 years and really missed it all. There was some color in Ruidoso and in Idaho, but nothing even remotely close to what we have just here in Kent, not to mention around the area. Just the short drive from Kent to Akron along I-76 is full of color. I uploaded all of these and more on Facebook, so if you've already seen them, sorry! If you haven't, check out my Facebook album "Fall 2009" if you're on Facebook.

This is looking down in my current neighborhood. Yeah, I guess it's now "my" neighborhood, but I still don't feel like it's "mine" ya know?

These are both from a tree in front of Central School on North Mantua Street...pretty cool huh?!?

Earl Avenue in Kent...I just kind of saw it while walking and was like...WOW!

This is my favorite park in Kent, the Franklin Mills Riveredge Park downtown. This is where I got the picture of myself that's at the top of the page.

I took most of the pictures Sunday, October 25, but went back Monday to get more when the sun was at a better angle. This one above was taken on the 26th, looking south from the Main Street Bridge downtown Kent.

Looking north along the Cuyahoga from the Main Street Bridge

I am hoping to go back and get another shot of this when there is more sunlight, though I am still happy how it came out. Looking at the old 1875 train depot from under the Main Street Bridge.

Another view from under the bridge on the 26th...you can see I took these earlier in the afternoon and with way more sunlight than the ones on the 25th.

Looking up from Heritage Park, which is right below the Main Street Bridge adjacent to Riveredge Park.

Looking north from the Haymaker Parkway (SR 59) bridge. I had to fit the camera between a very small opening in the chain-link fence that lines the bridge. It's a much tighter fence than a typical chain-link fence.

These two are from the same tree in Tannery Park, which connects to Riveredge Park on the south end. I came in the park and couldn't miss this tree which is seemingly on fire! Tannery Park is on the site of an old tannery that was initially run by Zenas Kent and famous abolitionist John Brown in the late 1830s when Brown lived in Kent (which was then called Franklin Mills).

This is also at Tannery Park. I took a picture the first day I was there but it was overexposed, so I went back the next day and got this from a different angle...I loved how the leaves are pink! The small shelter there was made out of wood from the tannery when it was torn down in 1976.

My grandpa Derby got a picture of this tree at the corner of Crain and Elmwood last year and it was even more red. I found out red leaves are a sign of acid in the soil! Thanks Kirsten!

These are the stairs leading up to the Auditorium Building (now Cartwright Hall) in the Front Campus section of Kent State. In the winter, this is part of a wonderful sledding area! :)

So in case you haven't noticed, I LOVE Kent, especially in the Fall. There aren't many places that can top Ohio in the Fall or the East/Midwest in general for that matter in my humble opinion. :)

What's in a name?

I decided to do a post about some of the aspects of local history I've been reading lately. This may be of interest to some of you, but less interesting to others. This post is all about what I've learned about the history of what Kent has been called prior to being named Kent in the 1860s. It also dives into the system used in naming that was brought here by the New England settlers in the late 1790s and early 1800s.

Before I begin, I better get all the technical stuff out! The main thing is township, more properly defined as a civil township. Most people here in the East are familiar at least somewhat with what a township is, while westerners are pretty clueless about what they are since such things do not exist in most western states. In Ohio, a township is an additional, older form of civic government that consists of three township trustees. This contrasts with a village or city that is divided into wards and the council will have representatives of each ward and maybe at-large members. Townships also have limited authority. In Portage County, most townships do not have their own police or fire departments, but some do have their own fire departments. Most cases, the township will either be part of a joint fire district or negotiate coverage with the closest city while the county sheriff will cover police protection. That's the case here as Kent Fire also covers Franklin Township. Townships also do not collect income tax and thus are usually not as able as cities and villages to provide additional services like sidewalks, sewers, or an aggregate agreement for trash pickup. I actually grew up in Franklin Township, just outside the Kent city limits. Most services were either ones we contracted ourselves (like garbage pickup) or did through the county (like recycling). Townships also don't have their own municipal water supply, though many will make deals with nearby cities to buy water. Even then, most township residents have wells. That's what we had growing up. As a result, townships can be less favorable to development, so many either are annexed by a neighboring city or incorporate into a village or city. In many other states, township can mean different things or a different term is used. For instance, in New York state, the word "town" is equivalent to a township in Ohio. So, for any of my LDS friends who are familiar with Joseph Smith History where the family "was removed to Manchester" (where they literally moved a few hundred meters down the street across the line), they didn't move from the village of Palmyra to the village of Manchester; no, they moved from the town (or township) of Palymra to the town of Manchester. The village of Palmyra, New York is located near the center of the town of Palmyra (The Book of Mormon was printed in the village of Palmyra). Like in Ohio, the village and town(ship) are two distinct entities, many times legally as well as in general practice, but share a common history and even name. OK...does that make any sense?

So, given that lengthy explanation of what a township is and how it is different from a city or village, on to the names of Kent.

Franklin: The first name of what is now Kent was simply Franklin. The townships were laid out before anyone settled there and most were bought by proprietors. The survey township "Town 3 Range 9" was purchased by Aaron Olmstead around 1798. He named his land "Franklin" after his son Aaron Franklin Olmstead. Only recently as cities and villages have become more prominent have we added "township" after the name to differentiate the township from the village or city. For instance, the nearby township of Mantua (MAN uh way) is usually referred to as "Mantua Township" while the village of the same name is referred to as "Mantua". In the early days (and in older published histories) and likely into the 20th century, however, "Mantua" by itself was referring to the township. Within the township were three small villages: Manuta Center, Mantua Corners, and Mantua Station. Eventually Mantua Station dropped "station" from its name and incorporated into a village and "Mantua" came to be referring to the village of Mantua as opposed to the township of Mantua (which, for my LDS readers is where Lorenzo Snow was born and raised and Eliza R. Snow was raised). So, the first name for Kent was simply Franklin when the first settlers arrived in November 1805. I have only found one other source that even mentions "Franklin" as an early name, but logic tells me it was the first name not only for the naming conventions of the time, but also the next name. Either way, Franklin Township was one of the first named townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Initially, "Franklin" included most of what is today Portage County and additional lands as well.

Franklin Mills: The next name, and probably the most well-known of Kent's previous names, was that of Franklin Mills. This, of course, was the result of mills -- gristmills, sawmills, even an ANVIL mill and more -- being built along the Cuyahoga River. So naturually, when the first settlers arrived and there were no mills here, I have a hard time believing they called it Franklin Mills. I do not know, however, when the name was first used. The first settlers, the Haymakers, built a gristmill in 1807, so sometime after then. The first official record of Franklin Mills was ca. 1837 when a town plat was registered for what is now downtown Kent. The original village of Franklin Mills started along the river southeast of present-day downtown on the west side of the river, near the Stow Street bridge. The Kent flour mill (ruins at right) was said to have been built on the site of the Haymaker's original 1807 mill. The name Franklin Mills lasted until 1867 when the change to Kent was made official at the incorporation as a village. The vote to change the name was made in 1864.

Reedsburg: Only dedicated historians even know this name existed. In 1811, the Haymakers sold their gristmill to Jacob Reed, who had come from Rootstown. He made significant improvements to the mill and operated it from 1811-1816 until he sold it to George DePeyster and William Price. Portage Pathways by Loris Troyer seems to indicate residents used the name in gratitude for the improvements to the mill, but at this early stage of Kent's history, there weren't many residents at all. All we know is once Reed sold the mill, the name "Franklin Mills" returns, so that only testifies to me that few used the name, particularly those outside the settlement.

Carthage: This is another of the better-known names of Kent, though this actually began as a separate settlement. Carthage began around 1818 when Joshua Woodard moved from Ravenna and began building several small factories and buildings along the river with Frederick Haymaker near the present day intersection of North Mantua Street, Fairchild Avenue, and Crain Avenue. Locally, Carthage was referred to as the "upper village" while Franklin Mills was the "lower village" and collectively they were referred to under the Franklin Mills name by outsiders. Carthage was, however, the first officially recorded name for what is now Kent when the town plat was registered at the county courthouse in 1825. It is the village identified in Franklin Township on the 1826 map of the Western Reserve (Portage County portion at left). The name, however, didn't stick as some historians believe residents preferred the Franklin Mills name. Whatever the reasons, the Carthage name was never widely used outside of the area and apparently even in the area. The only remaining evidence of it in Kent is a small side road called "Carthage Avenue" in the area where Carthage was. The square created by Hudson Road, Fairchild Avenue, North Mantua Street, and Cuyahoga Street is identified on older maps as "Center Place" and was likely the original town square for Carthage had it been laid out and developed as a village. A small but fierce rivalry did exist between the two villages, mostly because of the competing taverns located in them.

Kent: Kent is named for Marvin Kent as he was responsible for a number of business developments in Kent's history, but most importantly the establishment of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in 1863. Even more than getting the railroad to come through the village, he was also successful getting Franklin Mills to be the location of the railroad shops, providing hundreds of jobs and generating significant business growth and development. The Kents had been investing in the area since the 1830s with Marvin's father Zenas owning land along the Cuyahoga River and operating a flour mill (ruins shown above) and a tannery (which was briefly operated with famed abolitionist John Brown in the late 1830s). They finally relocated to the village from Ravenna in the 1850s. Marvin Kent's son William Stewart Kent would later donate his 52.89 acre farm as the site of a new normal school in 1910. This school would evolve into today's Kent State University, a development that has shaped Kent into the crazy, unique place it is today. The name "Kent" was used for the settlement first in 1864 after residents and the post office department approved the name change. The change was not official, however, until 1867 when it was approved by the Ohio state legislature and Kent incorporated as a village.

Rockton: Prior to voting on the name of Kent, local leaders also considered the name "Rockton" in honor of Standing Rock (seen at right), a local landmark in northern Kent. Interestingly enough, Marvin Kent actually preferred this name. There are only two known uses of "Rockton" today in Kent that I could find. The first and most prominent is the local Masonic Lodge (which meets in the former Kent home). It was formed in 1859 and adopted "Rockton Lodge" believing the name of the village would become Rockton. It didn't, of course, but the name of the lodge stuck. Another usage I have seen is the neighborhood where my Ridinger grandparents live just east of the city limits (Horning Road area) is identified in the 1957 Portage County Atlas as "Rockton Heights". It appears to have been the name of the subdivision when it was first being developed. It doesn't appear in subsequent maps, and I have never heard that area referred to by that name, so apparently it didn't stick around.

References:

• Brown, R.C; Norris, J.E. (1885, 1972 revision). History of Portage County Ohio. Chicago, Illinois: Warner, Beers, and Company.
• Darrow, Ralph, ed (1999). Kent Ohio: The Dynamic Decades. Kent, Ohio: Kent Historical Society.
• Grismer, Karl H. (1932). History of Kent (2001 Revision ed.). Kent, Ohio: Record Publishing (1932), Kent Historical Society (2001)
• Plough, Cyrus T., ed (1978). 1874-1978 Bicentennial Atlas of Portage County, Ohio. Ravenna, Ohio: Portage County Historical Society.
• Troyer, Loris (1998). Portage Pathways. Kent, Ohio and London, England: Kent State University Press

I am actually alive!

You'd think that not posting for over a month would mean that I've been super busy with a well-paying job or something. I WISH! To be honest, I think I've just been too lazy to sit down and write a blog post. I started one right at the end of September about finally getting my masters degree diploma, but never finished it. I still may finish it, but for now I just want to update for those of you who do keep tabs on me through this.

I wish I could report that things are just fantastic, but that would be less than accurate. Don't get me wrong though, things aren't really that bad either, but I'm really starting to feel the pinch of not having a full-time job. On the good side, I did get A job, but it doesn't have enough hours to even come close to sustaining me. I also am set up to sub here in Kent and will hopefully be hearing back from Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna about subbing there as well. I've been available two weeks now for Kent and so far 0-for-10 (no school today). The frustrating thing about subbing is just not knowing if you'll be needed day-to-day, not to mention not having any benefits or steady pay. The other job I mentioned is an after school program I'm doing in Akron. It's an hour 4 days a week (Mon-Thurs with 2 hours on Tuesday) and I basically follow an established curriculum teaching elementary students basic theater to help them improve their literacy skills. I'm excited to meet the kids on Monday, but am a little apprehensive given my unfamiliarity with the school and this program. At the very least it will be a good resume builder and a good experience.

The program is though the Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, a theater I am already working with for my first non-This is Kirtland! show in a looooong time. The last time I was in a show outside This is Kirtland or school plays was when I was in King and I at Akron Civic Theater in 1993. I am currently working on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Weathervane. It's actually part of the theater's Children's Theater program, but I am one of the "grown-ups" in the show, appearing as Pharaoh. I also make a brief appearance as the Ishmaelite leader in Act I since Pharaoh doesn't appear until Act II. And yes, I was introduced as "one of our grown-ups" at the first cast meeting. Funny, I don't feel very grown up! It hit me how much older I was than a lot of the cast when I had to make my way through the mob of cast members waiting for their parents to pick them up after that first rehearsal :). Most of the cast is in middle school and high school with a few college students. So far I have enjoyed working with them. Both the show and the after school job came as a result of just meeting new people in the area who referred me to both the job and the audition. I wasn't even looking for either of them, but couldn't resist when I saw them. Oh, and in case any of you are interested in the show, tickets are now on sale now at the Weathervane Playhouse website. We open November 24 and have 16 shows until December 20.

In the meantime, I've used this opportunity to continue my job search (and not just teaching jobs) and also to explore my hobbies more than I have been able to for awhile. We had a run of a few weeks here where every day it was sunny and about 72 degrees, so I took advantage by getting a lot pf photos, many of which I uploaded to be used in Wikipedia. Of course, I've been doing my share of editing there as well :). On top of that I have been reading more about the history of Kent and the surrounding area. I will probably blog about some of the things I have found one of these days. Here are some of the photos I've gotten in the last month or two. You can see more of them and others I have uploaded to Wikipedia by clicking here. I do my best with my simple point-and-shoot Kodak EasyShare. It's served me well, but can't wait till I can upgrade to a DSLR.

On September 19 I attended the Ohio State vs. Toledo game at Cleveland Browns Stadium with one of my best friends Michelle. The weather was AMAZING (sunny and 70 degrees) and OSU won 38-0. It was technically a Toledo "home" game, but as you can see by the large amount of red in the stands (Toledo's colors are blue and gold) it was anything but that for Toledo. On the left is the OSU Marching Band ("The Best Damn Band in the Land") doing a double Script Ohio at halftime

Of course I took TONS of pictures in Kent (gee I wonder why?!?). These two are of downtown Kent along East Main Street.

I also got several of the Kent Free Library including the fronts of the new section (2006) and the original 1902 Carnegie section.


I took a few of the Roosevelt High School campus including this one of the front (even got the "Home of the Rough Riders" on the marquee!) and one of Roosevelt Stadium (used for football and track)


World headquarters of Davey Tree, adjacent to the Roosevelt High School campus on the left with the 1837 Franklin Township Hall on the right. James A. Garfield was nominated for his first public office here in 1859.

I also went around Portage County to get pictures of some of the National Register of Historic Places listings here. On the left is the Riddle Block No. 1 in downtown Ravenna and on the right is the James A. Garfield house in Hiram.

Atwater Congregational Church in Atwater Township on the left with the 1832 Palmyra Center Hotel (aka the "Old Stagecoach Inn") in Palmyra Township.


I got these back in August when I went with the Cub Scouts to Towners Woods Park just northeast of Kent. On the left is a pavilion in the park and Lake Pippen is on the right. The lake is adjacent to, but not part of, the park.

Not just "any job"

I had a brief conversation with my grandmother the other day when I stopped over to pick up my sister that got me thinking and had me a little irritated. Somehow the topic of jobs came up and my grandma asked if I had heard about jobs in Las Vegas. Of course I said yes because EVERY teacher knows that there are teaching jobs available in Las Vegas. There always seems to be a teaching shortage there as they are opening several new schools every year. The problem is first, I have no desire to live in the desert, especially a city that gets as hot as Vegas. On top of that, the cost of living in Nevada is much higher than here in Ohio and teacher pay is not higher, so moving there would set me back as much as it would move me ahead. The same is true with Utah, which also came up. Apparently, my grandparents' across the street neighbors, who are also members of my local LDS ward (congregation), told her that the cost of living in Utah is significantly lower than here in Ohio, so despite the fact that Utah ranks 45th in average teacher pay, that is allegedly offset by the "low cost of living." I disputed that because when I lived in Idaho and was in Utah frequently, I didn't notice much of anything being significantly cheaper there than it was in Ohio. Things like gasoline were usually more expensive (though that can vary greatly) and groceries tended to be more expensive because of Utah's regressive sales tax on food (Ohio does not have a sales tax on food). All in all, I found the cost of living there was roughly the same as Ohio; it certainly wasn't lower.

The thing my grandma said that got me was "I'd think in this economy you'd want any job." While it's true I want a job and I need a steady job, how would moving across the country be financially sensible for some crap job in Utah or Vegas? I'd have to sink myself further into debt for a job that could barely keep me afloat. How would that be smart? As it stands now, it looks like I'll be subbing for this school year. While that's less than ideal, it is much better than doing nothing. On top of that my Derby grandparents are OK with me staying here as long as I need. Why rush "in this economy" to get my own apartment if I don't absolutely need to? Believe me, I want to get my own place ASAP, but I also understand the situation. I would much rather take it carefully and well-planned than moving far away and hope for the best. That said, as much as I wouldn't mind staying in this area, I am not opposed to moving anywhere for the right job. But that's just it; I won't move for "any job" unless that job is worth the time, effort, and money it will cost to relocate.

I, of course, did a little digging on cost of living and teacher pay too. Earlier this month I found a study that ranked the states for teachers where cost of living and teacher pay were factored together to make a "teacher comfort score." This is a much better indicator than just comparing how each state ranks in average teacher pay since cost of living can vary, particularly on the east and west coasts. So, while Ohio ranks 13th in average teacher salary and 19th in starting teacher salary, it ranks 6th in "comfort" when cost of living is factored in. California, on the other hand, which ranks 1st in average salary and 9th in starting salary ranks 44th on the comfort index because the cost of living is so high. The same was true for a lot of the higher paying states; they ranked high on starting and average salary but low on comfort because of high cost of living. Utah, on the other hand, didn't fare so well in ANY ranking. It ranks 45th in average starting salary, 45th in average teacher salary, and 39th in comfort index. So much for the low cost of living! The best state was Illinois: it ranked first in comfort, 4th in starting salary, and 3rd in average salary. The worst was Hawaii which ranked 50th in comfort, despite being ranked 9th in starting salary and 15th in average salary. Oh, and wonderful booming Nevada? They ranked 45th in comfort , 25th in average salary, and 38th in starting salary, so not much better than Utah. Again, why would I want to go into that? Sounds like I should look in the Land of Lincoln!!

• See the study here: Teacher Salaries By State

As for cost of living, I found an interesting study. It doesn't rank the states, but does do a comparative chart index using numbers from 2006 and 2008 as well as the housing numbers for the same time. The average for the US is 100, so the index tells how close each state was above or below the national average. I first looked at Ohio, which was at 95.4 in 2006 and 93.4 by 2008, so just below the national average. Housing was a different story. Ohio was at 84.3 in 2006, but fell to 74.9 by 2008. Not really any surprises there. How about Utah and their "low cost of living" according to my fellow ward members? Not true: Utah was at 96.1 in 2006 and 95.0 in 2008. Housing was at 95.2 in '06 and 92.1 in '08. So yes, Utah is below the national average in COL and housing, but it is not less than Ohio; it's right about the same though slightly higher, which I always suspected. Tennessee was very low: 90.8 in 2006 and 88.3 in 2008. Housing was even better: 79.3 in '06 and down to 75.8 in '08. Not bad even with a high sales tax! Nevada wasn't too great: 107.4 in '06 and it went up to 109.2 by '08. Housing was even worse: 119.8 in '06 and up to 126.4 in '08. Yikes. The worst states for cost of living and housing were the coastal states on both coasts (Hawaii is the worst in all categories: COL of 162.8 in '08 and housing index of 252.5 in '08 followed in both categories by California. Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Alaska also were very high in all categories), though even the mountain west and southwestern states didn't do so hot either. The best are the south followed by the midwest.

• See the study here: Cost of Living by State

Brent A. Webb

I had a somewhat interesting experience today. As I've blogged before, I'm pretty active on Wikipedia, especially now as I wait to hear on job openings and likely wait for subbing to begin in a few short weeks. There are days I am far more active than others, depending on what else I have scheduled for the day and other activity on the site itself.

A few days ago, I noticed an article had been created about a particular Ravenna High School graduate named Brent Webb. In reading the article, I noted it was written like an advertisement, had a grand total of zero outside sources, and featured someone that at least had claims of performing on national networks and in notable places with notable people, but his notability didn't particularly stick out to me. Notability is a tricky subject on Wikipedia because it is so subjective. Usually, in the case of a person, if several reliable sources can be found which mention the person and their accomplishments or contributions, they can at least establish limited notability. That usually involves sources outside that person's hometown and the only sources I could find about him were in the Record-Courier (the local paper here) and in Cleveland news (Ravenna is part of the Cleveland media market). Seeing this article in such poor condition, I did what most editors do and asked other editors to look at the article and see what they thought and placed tags on it. Tags are ways to let the author and other editors know what problems the article has that need to be addressed as soon as possible. Well, hardly any of the issues were addressed, particularly the sources (if an article has no sources, it won't last long at all) and notability, so I nominated it for deletion, which is usually discussed before it happens. No sooner had I done that than the original author (who I just discovered is Mr. Webb's manager) "blanked" the page, which caused an administrator to "speedy" delete the article because the author had erased all the content. Well, that wasn't the end of it. The author re-created the article the next day; a much shorter article but with all the same problems as before. I placed the same tags on it and left a message for the author on what to do to keep the article from being deleted again. Well, other editors also saw (plus I let some who had previously been involved know the article had been re-created) what happened and investigated and nominated the article for deletion again. This time it was discussed more with three other editors supporting deletion and zero in support of keeping it, but during the discussion the manager again blanked the page, so it was deleted by an administrator. One reason the editors gave for deleting it was it appeared to be making a false claim about being inducted into the Ravenna High School Hall of Fame. I thought that was a pretty unimportant fact, but it turns out he was inducted, but the page hasn't been updated yet (not that it would've made a difference in what we all thought about the article). That was 2 days ago I think. I figured that was the end of that. Well, not so fast!

I got a message today on Facebook from none other than Mr. Brent A. Webb himself. He took the time to search me out (probably on AOL or Google judging by the traffic tracker I have on the blog), read this blog, and sent me a pretty seething message as follows:

"My manager tells me you really get off on editing Wikipedia. First of all..a few facts you need to know.... I am being inducted into Ravenna's hall of fame THIS year...that may be why I'm not on an old list of inductees. Second... I would certainly argue that someone who has performed around the World with major recording stars, for Fortune 500 corporations, and for private events for celebrities, politicians, etc. and has appeared NOT JUST on local TV, but on NBC, CNN, MTV, etc ...is at least a bit notable. There is really a World outside your computer monitor. Maybe you should look into it?

I have asked Doug to pull my entry...don't worry about it. I know you have so much non paid work to do on Wikipedia.

And I know it's only local...

But try and catch me on "That's Life" Aug. 20th at 10 AM on Fox 8.

Sorry to hear about all your trauma from your forced move, and the fact that you are jobless.... wait...THAT explains the free time. No girlfriend (or boyfriend) either? And judging by your musical theater photos..I would say the latter is probably true.

What is the Mormon view on homosexuality?

All the best----

Brent

So, I was pretty taken aback, but not all surprised to learn his manager was behind the article creation. That's a common problem on Wikipedia, and is known as "conflict of interest." Not only did he take the time to search me out, but read the blog and made some pretty evil comments about my life, my interests, and my situation. And heck, he even threw in stereotypes about gay people! This was my reply:

"Wow, thanks for all the judgements. While it is true I played a role in the deletion of the Wikipedia article, I was not alone. Perhaps you should get the entire story before making such mean-spirited, hurtful, and untrue comments. Other editors also felt that you were not notable enough for inclusion since the only outside sources were small local newspaper blurbs, which is why the article was deleted TWICE. Also, your manager is most to blame as he did a poor job of not only writing the article (it was written like a press release or advertisement, which aren't allowed on Wikipedia), but defending it as well. I did not initially nominate it for deletion; I placed tags on it asking for sources and only after those requests were ignored was the article nominated for deletion in accordance with Wikipedia policy the first time. Another editor found the same problems and nominated it the second time. And no, I cannot delete Wikipedia articles; only an admin can do that. I also sent a message to your manager the second time letting him know what to do to keep the article from being deleted (he has deleted the message on his talk page). Glad I made the effort. I also did *not* note the absence of your listing on the Ravenna Hall of Fame; that was another editor and to be honest, it didn't make much of a difference to me. Being part of a local hall of fame is not reason to make someone notable or not notable.

Refrain from messaging me and making such stereotypical, hateful, and untrue comments about me because you're upset you didn't get your way. It says a lot about your character, especially that you would use incredibly painful experiences of another as a weapon like that. What did I say about you or your career that was so insulting besides you aren't notable enough at this time to merit a Wikipedia article (like 99.9% of the population)? Is your ego really that bruised that you have to search me out on Google, read my blog, message me on Facebook and lash out like some teenager? Seriously? Wow. I wonder what you hope to accomplish from that? Hope you read the blog...you will be featured soon."

If you'd like to see who this person is, check out his website at http://www.brentwebb.net. He can be e-mailed at BrentWebb2003@aol.com. Meanwhile, I'll go back to editing Wikipedia since I'm SUCH an obvious loser with no life, but maybe I should consider changing my username!

Updates Updates Updates!!

OK so my title makes it sound like I'm posting some big news. I WISH! No, nothing really is going on, though I am blogging from Nashville, Tennessee! Nope, haven't moved here (well, yet!) but I am visiting for the week! It's more to get out of town for a week than anything. I got here Thursday evening and haven't done a whole lot, but I'm not complaining. I'm in a beautiful air conditioned house with people I enjoy being around.

Yesterday we went with Heather's sister Kristie to the famous Loveless Cafe, which is just a few miles from where Andy and Heather live. It's famous for southern cooking, particularly its biscuits. When you walk in, the main waiting area is covered with autographed pictures of famous people who have eaten there. I must say I enjoyed the food I got there: hand-breaded chicken fingers (which were freakin' huge!), crinkle fries, and mashed potatoes. It was all very good! Today Andy and I went to a luncheon for the Vanderbilt Housing Alliance, an association for the spouses of those currently in their residency here in Nashville. I thought it was an excellent organization and they provided a reeeeeealy good lunch (not to mention an amazing lemon pie...wow!). Most of the group is made up of women (counting myself, there were all of 5 guys there total and like 50 women), so many of the smaller groups within the organization are geared towards that, but even then it's a great idea with something for everyone. It made me grateful for the organization of the church too. Many of the people in this group have come here with little or no support system, so this organization is a valuable too to help make the transition easier. How wonderful to know that wherever we end up, we also have the church organization (particularly the local ward) as a support and constant. One group this organization helps support is the Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville, which is similar to the Ronald McDonald House in providing housing and care for those who come to Nashville for the treatment of a loved one and have no money to afford a long-term hotel room or even food. The "HHH" is able to supply basic needs so the family member can focus on being the support for their loved one in the hospital without having to worry about even more expenses. What struck me in the presentation they made is the genuine desire to just help people for the sake of helping. If I had money to give, that would be something I would give money to support.

As far as other updates, the play ended July 18. We had a great closing week and the final performance went really well. After the show we took the set apart and my dad took the lights down the following Tuesday. I definitely miss being around the cast, but thankfully the last night of the show wasn't the last time we al got together. On the 24th I went with several of the children cast members and some of their parents (many of whom were also in the cast) to visit Historic Kirtland and the Kirtland Temple. Not only did we pick a fantasic day weatherwise to go (the day before and the day after it rained), but it was also Pioneer Day, a day we celebrate the arrival of the early Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley (July 24, 1847). I had a great time seeing the sites, but especially being with some of the cast again. It was even cooler being with them at the actual sites where the play took place. We were able to sing "He Lives" in the actual School of the Prophets room and sing "Spirit of God" in the Kirtland Temple. Way cool!

We had a cast recording the next day, where we all got together and recorded most of the vocal numbers from the show professionally. A recording had been made available from the show itself, but this one will be more balanced than a straight recording from the show and without any audience noise. Not only that, it gave us an excuse to get together again! I can't wait to hear the finished product! I also got to see a few cast members the next day when I went to the Hiram Ward to hear Bobby Berryhill (who played Lorenzo Snow) give his "farewell" address. He is set to leave for the Nevada Las Vegas mission in just a few short days. It was nice to "see him off" and visit the Hiram Ward. I hadn't been in that building since sometime in 1999 or 2000 and I have no idea the last time I attended a sacrament meeting there!

As for my job search, no such luck just yet, though July was going to be dead anyway as pretty much all principals are off during July, so there is little if any movement. Already I have started applying for 3 openings in Lorain, Ohio, so we will see how that goes. At this point I'm preparing to start subbing in Kent and the surrounding districts. While it won't allow for total financial independence, it will allow for some and still give me some flexibility. I'm also keeping my eyes open for other job opportiunities besides just teaching music in a public school setting and am open to teaching abroad. I got my PRAXIS scores a few weeks ago (I took it in June) and found out I did well enough to earn a distiction on the test (top 15%), which translates to finishing 20 points above where I needed to. While I'd love to feel really good about it, it has little bearing on getting a job and to be honest, after plunging some $20,000 into graduate school, I BETTER have done really well on that test! I was just glad I passed so I could apply for my teaching license.

One more week to go...

We made it through the second week of performances OK. I was worried about Thursday's performance and while it went pretty well, it was definitely obvious to those of us in the show it had been almost a week since we had performed it last. That's not to say it was a bad performance, but it seemed to lack the high energy we needed and had a lot of small errors. The biggest problem was with the lights, though. Apparently a cable got unplugged and it wasn't checked beforehand, and on top of that we had someone new doing the lights (don't ask me why!). What that translated to was us coming on stage to open the show and not having the stage lights come on until I was in the middle of my lines. Usually, as soon as we all start singing, the stage lights come on and then once we're finished and I start my lines, they come on to full brightness. With the darkness, I just waited until I got some light to do my lines. They got the spotlight on me and then while I was doing the "prayer" that's part of my lines, the lights came on. It worked well enough that no one really noticed there was a lighting problem if they hadn't seen the show already. I waited to give my lines for two reasons: first, it would be pretty pointless for me to start my lines in total darkness on stage since no one would have a clue who was giving them, and second, giving my lines like that with no lighting would really have shown that there was a problem. As it went, it all looked like it was supposed to happen that way.

Each performance had it's pluses and minuses. Overall I think we can all agree Friday was the best, though Saturday wasn't too bad either overall. For me, as well as Friday went, it was the night I nearly missed the main lift and the cartwheel. Overall on Friday, though, the couples dance looked great as we were all together more than we've ever been. Lacey still did the cartwheel, just not using my legs. For me personally, Saturday was my best for several reasons, one of which was not having to worry about my collar! Before the show I starched and ironed it, so it had no problems staying up. I also ironed my white tie, which helped as well.

My dad and Lisa came on Thursday and he took a bunch of pictures. He called me before the performance and asked what I wanted him to take pictures of and I was like "um, ME!" He ended up taking 101 pictures and I'm in 100 of them :). I have included some of the best pictures here. For those of you on Facebook, I also uploaded several more there, so if you've seen them there, these are the same ones. I've been pleasantly surprised to have had someone in the audience every night that I know, whether it be friends from church or family. In years past, it seemed I'd have several nights where there would be no one in the audience I knew, so I'd come out after the show to greet people, but then I wouldn't be out there long. It's always fun to have people you know in the audience. It gives me an extra energy boost to do as well as possible and really have fun.

Well, today is the cast party in Euclid and then we have three more performances this week. As excited as I am for them, I'm definitely not looking forward to the show coming to en end. It's been so much fun being a part of this year and I've really enjoyed being around the cast. I'll definitely miss them all since I won't be seeing hardly any of them after the show is over since all but one live in another stake. Thank goodness for blogs and Facebook!!