A week of "work" in Michigan City

Last week was a bit of a surreal experience for me. While working at my new job at Ideas in Motion Media in Valparaiso, I am sometimes given an assignment to cover a story or event in my adopted hometown, Michigan City.

But last week provided me a chance to work in my hometown not once, but for four consecutive days. It is also nice to see friendly faces that recognize me, and to have a basic knowledge of the area and the people that makes it a little easier to put together a story for Ideas in Motion.

It all started Wednesday morning with the meeting of the new Michigan City NOW group, a proactive group of motivated individuals who are dedicated to positive change in the city by the lake. The meeting featured guest speaker John Antaramian, former mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Antaramian discussed involving the public as a vital step in making positive change. He spoke from experience, as Kenosha underwent a significant improvement during his tenure as mayor in the 1990s, demolishing abandoned buildings along the lakefront and opening up a beautiful downtown area that is visited by tourists worldwide.

Michigan City, although much smaller, is similar to Kenosha. A lakefront town looking to become a bigger draw, the city has already made some significant improvement, but now only needs to take some of those final steps, including opening up the area that currently separates the lakefront from the Uptown Arts District, which is a big hit every month during First Friday events.

Following a passionate speech about the rise of education in the city by our one-of-a-kind Superintendent of Schools, the fire alarm rang at the Blue Chip Casino declaring an emergency. Was very fitting for the meeting to end with the superintendent’s speech, but the emergency must have been a mis-communication.

It did, however, provide me a chance to be the only reporter as a press conference that included Antaramian, Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer, First Ward Councilman Richard Murphy, City Planner Craig Phillips and others who worked hard on putting on the event. With the Access La Porte County crews filming, I was able to conduct an interview with those mentioned on air. Although not expecting it, I believe my knowledge of Michigan City and Kenosha gave me a good opportunity to showcase my knowledge to the county viewers.

The fun week in Michigan City was only beginning, though, as the next night I saw a number of familiar faces at the Horizon After Hours Holiday Party for the Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce. It was good to catch up with many people I spoke to numerous times while as reporter for The News-Dispatch and get to know new people who are affiliated with Horizon Bank, one of the top clients of Ideas in Motion Media.

Taking part in the Ugly Sweater Social organized by the NWI Leaders young professional network the next night was another fun experience. To my surprise, former co-workers Jessica O’Brien and Kelley Smith were there to make it sort of a mini ND reunion. It was very refreshing to chat with other young people about the future of the city and the importance of keeping young professionals in Northwest Indiana.

And to cap it off with a Summer Festival event, the Festival of Lights and Chili Cook-off at the Michigan City Senior Center was a perfect way to end the week on Saturday. Again, a number of familiar faces made the event a lot of fun and catching up with Joe Doyle, Summer Fest chair, is always a pleasure.

While my time in Michigan City has been reduced with my new endeavor, I am blessed to still be able to take part in the great happenings of this great American city on the rise.

Jaykeb...a Bears fan?

Looks like Jaykeb will be a Bears fan. Did not enjoy watching the Colts too much in their last two games, but the little boy has a smile on his face here donning the Bears outfit given to him by his Auntie Wendy.
Can't blame him, after all, I was a Bears baby too (Born in 1985).

A trip out east: Buffalo and much more

2013 has been a hectic year for me. From being offered two journalism jobs in one month only to see both vanish from sight before I could even start work to caring for an infant who has special needs, this year has taught me a number of life lessons and I am confident I have learned a lot and have become a better person from everything that has occurred.

Photo: The burial site of the famous rapper Rick James got me the most likes on Facebook. Thanks to Ramon for finding this!

While the time wasn't set up for a big trip this year, I am an American traveler and was determined to have at least one educational experience away from home. So in late September, my travel buddy Ramon and I set out for Buffalo, New York - a place I had only been to once, a 1996 family trip to see Niagara Falls.
This time, I was equipped with the magic of digital photography and had the ability to capture memories that will last forever.  

And as always, the trip is not just the destination. For me, it is always more about the journey.

So I wasn't too disappointed when the town of Buffalo turned out to be a flop (save for seeing the graveside of notable 1980s rapper Rick James). The city, about a half hour west of Niagara Falls, was like a ghost-town and made Cleveland and Detroit look like blooming metropolises. The Artspace project has yet to revitalize downtown Buffalo and there were a number of dangerous, run-down neighborhoods we ran in to.The highlight of the town of Buffalo was Anchor Bar, the site of the first-ever Buffalo wing. A good slice of Americana there.

Niagara Falls was of course beautiful even though we could only see a portion of Horseshoe Falls from the American side. The town of Niagara Falls was much like Buffalo, unfortunately.

Tailgating before the Buffalo Bills game in Orchard Park was a fantastic experience and something I finally got to knock off my bucket list. The game was great too, albeit in a "college-like" stadium. The Bills won in the final minutes, but fans should know not to make too much noise when their team has the ball.

On the way home, we stopped in Cleveland and Detroit (like Buffalo, a pair of blue-collar cities hit hard by the rust belt and economic downturn). Detroit has a serious issue with abandoned buildings. About more than half of their structures should be demolished as soon as possible. There is also graffiti on just about every building not in the Downtown district. It seems like the city has spent too much money on statues downtown and the aesthetic look of the area near the Riverwalk and not enough on improving other neighborhoods.

Cleveland was not in as bad of shape, but the overall feel of Lake Erie's biggest city was depressing (and not just  because of their sports' teams contant lack of success).

The best towns on the trip proved to be Erie, Pennsylvania and Fort Wayne, Indiana - Good size towns that are clean and support a happy group of residents. They have no major sports teams of can't miss landmarks, but I will always say Presque Isle State Park in Erie is one of the most beautiful sites in America. We drove along a curve out to a peninsula to see plenty of wildlife beaches and got great views of Downtown Erie.

Overall it was a great trip. Navigation helped us hit all our planned spots and then some too.

White Sox still offer fun experience

This year, 2013, is one of the worst in memory for White Sox fans. Only 1995 and 2007 can be considered even close to this bad, and even in those years, the Pale Hose avoided being in last place.
But as bad as this team is, the experience at U.S. Cellular Field is as good as ever.
New this year are $7 seats, which can be purchased for every home game unless it is against the Cubs. On Sunday Family Fun Days, tickets are $5 and the Sox were their "Winning Ugly" uniforms from 1983 - commemorating the team that won the American League West by 20 games that year.
Also new this year is the Bullpen Sports Bar, which offers any fan a chance to sit in the front row near the visitors bullpen. Players can clearly see the fans, and although the view of the plate is not the best, you can still tell what is going on during the game.
I went to the July 22 matchup this year against the Tigers. The Sox lost, which makes it eight games in a row that I attend where they lost. In fact, their last win was April 15, 2008, when the Sox beat the A's before a very small crowd on Jackie Robinson Day. Since then, I have attended five home games at the 'Cell' and three games away (Cincinnati, Minnesota, Detroit) - and all have been losses.
Trading Jake Peavy for some top prospects will help, but the White Sox are far from contention.

Bulls win one to remember

Today's Bulls game against the Brooklyn Nets was one for the ages. One of my Facebook posts that day was that the game was the most exciting since Game Six of their first round series against the Boston Celtics in 2009. That series went seven games and almost saw the young Bulls stun the then-defending champions.
But Saturday's game may have actually been even better. These "iron men" Bulls broke the franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game, eclipsing their 1986 effort against Boston where Michael Jordan scored a playoff record 63 in double OT.
Saturday's game went into triple overtime, but not before the Bulls erased a 14-point deficit with three minutes to go in regulation. Up 14, Brooklyn and guard C.J. Watson had a fast 1 on 0 breakaway that should have resulted in a 16-point lead. But Watson missed a dunk, the Bulls fouled Reggie Evans, who then missed a pair of free throws, and the comeback was on. The Bulls outscored the Nets 14-0 over the next two minutes and headed into overtime.
The drama actually began during the final seconds of the third quarter, when Brook Lopez put up a long last second three just a moment after the Bulls thought they had a steal.
But the fourth quarter, and much of the comeback, belonged to Nate Robinson - who scored 34 points on 13 of 21 shooting before fouling out in the second extra session.
The end of the first overtime was another reason this game turned into an instant classic. Joe Johnson of the Nets hits a shot to tie the game with 11 seconds left. Then, even with a foul to give, the Nets do not foul Robinson, who puts up an awkward shot that banks in with a second to go. Johnson, who had the hot hand, then hit the tying bucket with no time to go and force the second OT.
Blunders by both teams in the second quarter saw a third overtime, where the Bulls had already fouled out two players - but still managed to hang on for the win.
This Bulls season may ultimately be remembered for the year Derrick Rose refused to play even when cleared by doctors. but no matter what happens from here on out, Saturday's game should go down in the book for the greatest this franchise has ever seen.

NFL Draft is a disappointment

I think the NFL Draft was a better event when it was held on two days, Saturday and Sunday. I remember being in seventh grade, rushing home from Saturday morning's CCD class at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Oak Lawn to see who the Colts would select with the top pick in 1998. It was Peyton Manning, I was happy, and the rest is NFL history. The following year, it was on another Saturday morning where I could be seen on my knees weeping as I would watch my beloved Colts pass on Ricky Williams, the runningback from the University of Texas that was the highest touted player in Draft history. The Colts selected the lesser-known Edgerrin James, a runningback from the University of Miami. James ended up being an integral part of the Colts' dominance in the early 2000s. Williams has become more of a caricature, retiring several times during an up and down career.
These two examples show that the Draft is in fact an inexact science. Some highly touted prospects turn out, some don't. And that's what makes it fun.
But it was more of a spectacle on a Saturday morning. More going on at one time.

Bad week in America

While the debates on gun control and gay marriage have had Americans red hot all year, this week we were able to take a step back to mourn the deaths of three people at the Boston Marathon Monday as two explosions 11 seconds apart rocked the finish line of the country's best race.
As the search for the perpetrators continues, the United States has already seen the powerful drug ricin being sent to a congressman and President Barack Obama and an explosion not far from Waco, Texas - nearly 20 years to the day after another blast that killed a number of people.
Locally, the week has been dampened by flooding, cars falling into sinkholes and an incident on the west side of Michigan City that nearly caused a riot Thursday.
For me, it was difficult on Tuesday in attempts to sell ads to business owners in the south suburbs of Chicago. I like learning more and more about sales, as I intern for the Irish American News - but getting turned down by people time and again is something I am going to have to get used to.
It was nice to see the humanity that was brought forth by the Boston bombings, seeing emergency responders rushing to the scene helping the people that needed it most. Seeing the Bruins fans sing along as the Star Spangled Banner brought athletic contests back to bean town, the home of so many great sports teams over the years.
But while humanity may have stepped up in the face of evil once again, I wish we could show this togetherism all the time, and not just in the wake of tragedy.

Lights out in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Ind. — Never too late for a first in the world of reporting. During Wednesday night's Long Beach Town Council meeting (which lasted about 10 minutes), the electricity went out in the entire building about five minutes in to the quick meeting that was called only to sign a settlement between the town and other parties regarding a NIPSCO pole that was constructed on the beach side of Lake Shore Drive.  

Hawks shutout caps Sunday funday

Ever since my son Jaykeb was brought home from the hospital in late January, I have had a hard time finding time to enjoy things outside of being a father. I thought the days of me driving around touring places and attending professional sporting events were done.
But Sunday, Feb. 24 brought a nice change of pace for me as I was able to do both things I love: touring and sports games.
Knowing I'd have a day to myself because of Alyssa's family taking care of Jaykeb for the day, I set out for Gary, Indiana and the boyhood home of Michael Jackson. Although I was alone, I found the experience joyful seeing the birthplace of one of the world's most recognizable people in music history. They had a memorial, flowers and a wall to sign your name at the home in the 2300 block of Jackson Avenue, right across the alley from Teddy Roosevelt High School.
But while I was there, I was given an even better surprise when my mother called me and said my cousin and her boyfriend had tickets to that night's Blackhawks game and I was invited to go with my father.
That made the day even better. The Hawks are undefeated in regulation, the best team in hockey and the talk of the town.
What was even better was the atmosphere at the game. Hockey is the best sport to watch live, period.
I got chills listening to the Star Spangled Banner sung throughout the cheers at the Madhouse on Madison. Andrew Shaw of the Blackhawks scored the game's lone goal, so we also got to hear "Chelsea Dagger" the famous tune that plays whenever Chicago scores a goal or wins the game.
While Columbus' netminder Steve Mason played lights out, Corey Crawford was a little better - notching his second career shutout in a 1-0 win over the last place Blue Jackets. The win extending the Hawks' already record setting streak to 18 games without a regulation loss to start the season.
Being in attendance at the game and driving to a city to view a famous place like Michael Jackson's birth brought me closer with the joy in life that I used to sometimes take for granted.

Sunday taught me that no matter how much you think you are done with life's great experiences, they can sometimes pop up when you least expect them.

Photo: The Hawks defeated Columbus 1-0 Sunday, earning Corey Crawford his second career shutout win.

Netflix a hit

My recent obsession is one that more and more people are taking advantage of. Out are the Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos of the world and in is Netflix, the internet program that allows unlimited access to certain movies and television shows for a mere $7.99 a month.
I have already found every episode of Cheers, South Park and other interesting forensic shows that I always enjoy (Cold Case Files with Bill Kurtis may be my favorite).
Netflix is the economical way to go. Even though they do not have every movie or show, their collection is good enough to keep you occupied on an otherwise boring day.