N8ivWarrior: March 2008

And a little over the edge.

Small Town Impact Question

Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008 by John Burkholder.

So the real question is, if the small town grows, will it lose the character that makes it appealing in the first place?

Let me start from the beginning. I grew up in a small town in the middle of Illinois called Clinton. The town has a town square, restaurants owned by the locals, three car dealerships (Ford, Chevy, Chrysler) and the major source of income is the nuclear power plant about 7 miles out of town. There are four cities around Clinton. Bloomington to the North 25 minutes, Decatur to the South 25 minutes, Champaign and Springfield are 45 minutes East and West. Basically, if you drew a line on the North and South, East and West, you would place it on Clinton.

Clinton has history. Abraham Lincoln made the statement, “you can fool some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time” on Clinton’s town square in front of the courthouse. Abraham practiced law there as well.

Clinton was also known for being the home of RevereWare copper bottom pans and skillets. When Corning purchased Revere, they shut down the plant and moved manufacturing to Asia. If you have older RevereWare, look on the bottom. Every pan made had Clinton, Ill stamped on it.

Now, besides the power plant, the economy of the town is somewhat depressed. Not as bad as other small towns, but it has definitely seen better days.

I am having a recurring dream of moving home and taking over as the Chamber of Commerce director, an entrepreneur, or just using my contacts to change the economics of the town. I am sure I know what needs to be done, and in my dream, I move things forward toward accomplishing everything. Clinton becomes the hot spot for recreation, entertainment, food, and shopping with that Victorian town feel.

The Magill House would be renovated to become a 200 room Victorian suites hotel. The old Spurgeons building would become my new media store. The Clintonia theater was rebuilt as a dinner theater / conference center with all new equipment. Out on the edge of town by the high school was the largest indoor and outdoor waterpark and hotel owned by Kalahari. Next to is it the 10 theater movie with 1 IMAX screen. Across the street lies the Central Illinois civic center, playing top music, plays, comics and such.

Out toward the North end of town, a specialized technology school would be erected specifically with personal growth in mind. Much like the military, schooling would be free. However, you would be locked into a 2, 3, or 4 year contract at a lower than market pay with the company. The company would be responsible for developing software, system monitoring and managing of computer networks. This is to compete with the India and China based companies. In depressed economies, this is a perfect way to compete.

Housing would also go through updates. Staying with the Victorian themes, light housing would be rebuilt as English Row townhomes. Large Victorian house style apartment buildings would be erected. Part of the problem with small towns is the age categories. Advancements in education, additions of culture, and increased area revenue will bring more business and money to the area.

But the important question that keeps lingering in my mind and is usually the cause for me remembering a dream (I rarely remember dreams) is, if the small town grows, will it lose the character that made it appealing in the first place? I have to wonder if bringing all of these changes will make the small town feel disappear. If that happens, is it a good thing? One of the reasons, I want to stick with Victorian houses is because there are so many already in Clinton. I want to bring progress to the town, but at what cost?

When I was young, I still I could ride my bike anywhere in town and my Mother would always know exactly where I was. If growth took over, the doors around town would start getting locked, the children wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in town and still be within reach by a two-way handheld radio. Cruising the square as a teenager would not be a social activity. They would all have jobs and most often be working.

Hairscut

Published Monday, March 24, 2008 by John Burkholder.

For years the Queen has been telling me that I look younger with my hairs cut short. I am one of those people who only gets my hairs cut when it impedes my life. This is much like going to the doctor or dentist, neither of which I would willingly want to go to. For me though it is not the pain of hearing every single hair scream in horror as the clippers get closer to my scalp, it is the fact that I am spending money to have hair cut.

Back to my reason for the blog entry...I had my hairs cut. Hairs...off to another tangent. OK, so if you have more than one hair, it is hairs. But one article of lower body clothing is a pair of pants. Huh? If someone could explain how the plurals of each ended up reversed, I would certainly appreciate it.

Let's try this again...So my removal of 3/4 of my hairs on my head...another tangent. Why is it grown men will wax themselves? Is it just for vanity? Have men become so vain that they feel that they need to cause extreme bodily harm to themselves? Granted, being Native American, there is not a lot of body hair on me. But even if there was, I am not sure I would EVER wax my chest... WHOA...KELLY CLARKSON!

Last time...After the removal of my hair, I often hear from my wife about how much younger I look. From a persons wife, you should hear things like this. I often wonder if she is saying it just to make me feel better for paying all of that money to have someone take clippers to my head, or if she genuinely feels that I look younger.

It wasn't until the COO of my company walked up to me after coming back from a trip and made notice of my shaven head. It was the first part of the day and his comment was in the range of "wow, shortened it up a bit?" I confirmed his findings and nothing else was said about it. It wasn't until the end of the day that what he said actually made an impact..."I need to go get a haircut. You look so much younger with your haircut."

What? OK, I realize that my Queen has been telling me this repeatedly, but it seems to be quite different when it comes from someone of your own sex...and heterosexual. Why? How is it that his simple statement can make that much of a difference? Is it because it was unexpected? Is it because he expects nothing in return for his statement and gave it freely? Maybe.

Thursday Water Cooler Conversations

Published Thursday, March 20, 2008 by John Burkholder.

In this all important time of debates and discussions concerning Presidential prospects, the anniversary of the war in Iraq, and American Idol contestants, the most important debate of all rages once a year as we approach the Easter weekend.

Cadbury Eggs or Peeps?

Personally, I cannot stand the Cadbury egg. This is mostly due to the "yolk" feeling somewhat like snot running down the back of my throat. Texture is important to my gag reflex and that is one texture I can't deal with. Add that feeling to oysters and cream of wheat.

As for the Peeps, how sweet is too sweet? Fancy marshmallows covered in iridescent colored sugar. My kids have always had Peeps and love them. I just can't do it. I may as well pour an entire bag of sugar into my mouth.

What is it that comes around every year around Easter that just makes the holiday proper? Those EVIL Girl Scouts pushing the cookies on every corner like it was crack cocaine. That trans-fatty goodness is addicting and every year when I promise myself that I will walk to the back door of the grocery store to avoid being assaulted by the banner waving cookie dealers, I still end up losing the war with the parents coming INTO my work place offering it up like the dealer on the school grounds.

Thin mints, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, and now they have those Lemon Creme Filled Cookies. Yes, they are more expensive than the grocery store version of the same cookie. But the grocery store is not shoving it into my face with a Girl Scout song.

As I look at my cases of cookies around the room, I have to think about how this does not help me lose the weight I am desperately trying to lose. So...anyone want a box of Girl Scout cookies? I will even sing a song with it.