Cape Ann Center for Dance HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, Dec. 9th 3-5pm.
Two opportunities this weekend to meet Roland Merullo, an awarding-winning author of 14 books including 10 works of fiction. Breakfast with Buddha, a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, is now in its 14th printing. The Talk- Funny Girl was a 2012 ALEX Award Winner and named a "Must Read for 2012" by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts Center for the Book; Revere Beach Boulevard was named one of the "Top 100 Essential Books of New England" by The Boston Globe, A Little Love Story was named one of "Ten Wonderful Romance Novels" by Good Housekeeping and Revere Beach Eulogy won the Massachusetts Book Award for non fiction.
On Friday, December 7th at 7:00 pm at Toad Hall Book Store. Roland will be reading and signing books from his latest novel "Lunch with Buddha" http://lunchwithbuddha.com/
In addition, on Saturday, December 8th at 10:30 am please join bestselling author Roland Merullo and local film producer Meg Montagnino Jarrett in a discussion of the novel Golfing with God as well as the related film efforts on at the Bass Rocks Golf Club, 34 Beach Road, Gloucester, MA.
Funny and uplifting, Golfing with God is a beautifully realized novel that takes the reader on one ordinary man’s most unexpected journey.
"The tale of Hank the earthly golf pro and God the eternal swinger is engagingly and wittily told. . . Amid the laughs and playful banter, Golfing with God is a serious story of self-examination and growth, the hardest games of all." — Washington Post
All are welcome to attend.
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Greetings Friends and Neighbors, I am thrilled to update you about the truly amazing year we have had at the Rocky Neck Art Colony, in support of our mission to preserve the artistic and cultural legacy of Rocky Neck and to advocate for our artists, community and cultural partners. The support of our community has been outstanding and has made our dramatic progress possible. We are very grateful! The Cultural District As one of the first five designated Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural Districts, Rocky Neck is at the forefront of the cultural and economic growth of our city and the region. The Cultural District designation has led to strong and growing partnerships with Schooner Adventure, the Gloucester Writers Center, Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester Marine Railways, Ocean Alliance, and the Cape Ann Forum. These new collaborations are yielding promising new initiatives and expanding the reach of the Art Colony. The Cultural Center The Rocky Neck Art Colony has stepped up to purchase and operate the Cultural Center at 6 Wonson St. for lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, performances, a welcome center for the newly designated cultural district and so much more. The Center has had a phenomenal first year. We’ve come far in a very short time, and our Winter Show Opening Reception last night, attended by 300 of you, was testament to the strength of this community project! Six art exhibits, five children and adult workshops, and 22 talks and performances have occurred at the Cultural Center since we began programming in May. The Center has also made it possible for us to develop a Massachusetts Cultural Council-supported outreach program linking our professional artists with the Gloucester Public Schools, just one example of how inhabiting a space can energize a mission. The Cultural Center enjoys unwavering city and state support from the Gloucester City Council, Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Senator Bruce Tarr, State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante and many others. We have received foundation grants from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, a Coolidge family fund of The Boston Foundation, and the Essex County Community Foundation, and financial commitments from the Cape Ann Saving Bank, Rockport National Bank, and Gortons of Gloucester in an exciting and expanding base of support from the local business community. With solid pre-development groundwork completed, we have committed to purchase the building and expect to close by May, 2013 once an additional $50,000 is raised. Details of the Cultural Center financial figures are attached. The Rocky Neck Art Colony Programs Rocky Neck Gallery: Our cooperative gallery is rented from May to October at 53 Rocky Neck Avenue and features 30-40 artists each year. This year we again welcomed more than 12,500 visitors to the Gallery. Goetemann Artist in Residence: Founded in 2004, the Goetemann residency provides a month of live/work space to three invited artists and hosts the renowned Distinguished Artist/Teacher every year. This year, we welcomed three outstanding artists from Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and the Czech Republic—selected from a record fifty applicants. Historic Art Trail: Hundreds of visitors have walked the “trail” to view the sights seen and painted by the distinguished artists on whose shoulders we stand: Winslow Homer, Nell Blaine, Edward Hopper, Marsden Hartley, and so many others who have lived and worked in East Gloucester. Nights on the Neck: Our spirited monthly community festival, held on first Thursdays in the summer, features dozens of performances by musicians, authors, and street artists and has attracted hundreds of visitors. None of what we do would be possible without the incredible volunteers who work tirelessly on all facets of the Art Colony’s offerings. In addition to thanking our dedicated Board and Officers (below), special gratitude goes out to a few unsung volunteer heroes who have gone above and beyond: Roland Baumgartel for installing the Center’s hanging and lighting systems, and insulating and building out the lower level; Peter Lacey for building the Center’s elegant portable walls; Tom Nihan for being a constant bright light of willingness; Pat Conant for leading the Center’s volunteers; Alina Garry for patiently working and reworking our building drawings; Mike Faherty for his sage legal advice and representation through the ZBA process; Vlad and Sergei for their smiles and energy; Paul McPherson for his electrical know-how; and Judy Robinson-Cox for keeping the world informed through the Rocky Neck Newsletter and website. Special thanks go out to a few friends who are moving on from leadership positions: Sharon Bragg (bookkeeper), Mona Faherty (Treasurer), Barbara McLaughlin (Marketing Director), and Judith Monteferrante (Artistic Director) for their many years of service – your hard work has brought the Art Colony to a much more established place from which we can now build a secure future. There are so many more volunteers to thank, and there are new folks all the time who catch the buzz of Rocky Neck and are stepping up to be involved! Your continued support (yes, including financial support) will make it possible for us to build on the momentum of this stellar year for our stewardship of Rocky Neck as Gloucester’s cultural treasure. Your gift will be a lasting investment in the cultural life of this very special corner of Cape Ann. A pledge form is attached. With warm greetings of the season, Karen Ristuben, President The Rocky Neck Art Colony, Inc. www.rockyneckartcolony.org
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I’ve been slowly adding to my Pinterest Boards. It all seemed pretty redundant being on Pinterest while I’m already blogging, that was until I started doing searches for things that interest me.
My favorite board is the motivation board where I search for motivational pins and find stuff that really gets me fired up.
So who among you have Pinterest accounts? What are some of your favorite boards of yours or boards you follow?
A native of Brookline and a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where he served as president of the Harvard Lampoon, O’Brien was a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons before hosting the variety shows Late Night and, briefly, The Tonight Show. The two-time Emmy award winner now hosts Conan on TBS and often appears in cameo roles on other comedy shows such as The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and 30 Rock. An avid guitarist who has played with Bruce Springsteen, O’Brien is also an anti-hunger activist and often speaks against the corrosive effects of cynicism.
The fourth year of the GMG Downtown Gloucester Holiday Gift Video Series where we walk up and down Main Street and try to capture as many retailers as we can and highlight their best gift ideas one a day every day leading up to Christmas.
The first video I put up was not the one I took, Youtube tried to fix something and it made it look wabbly. Trying this again. The noise you hear in the background is not the turbines, it is a compressor at Good Harbor Filet. Sorry about the first one.
What a turnout on Rocky Neck Saturday night – about 300 folks came to the Cultural Center for the opening reception of our 8th Annual Winter Show! If you couldn’t make it, no problem. We have 3 more events over the next few weeks, and you know they’ll be as much fun!Â
Sunday Dec. 9, 2-4 pm join us for High Tea.Â
Saturday Dec. 15, 3-5 pm it’s Happy Hour.Â
And Friday Dec. 21, 7-10 pm come to our potluck Solstice Party.
Cultural Center hours are 11-6, Thursday through Sunday from now until Dec. 23. Fifty-eight artists have their paintings, drawings, prints, photography, ceramics, jewelry, cards, and ornaments on both floors of the Center, and it looks fabulous. Come and support our Cape Ann arts community in this amazing new cultural venue!
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Come celebrate the holidays at Willowdale Estate, Tuesday night, December 4th at 7:00.
I’ve come to look forward to attending Willowdale’s Annual Holiday Concert. The traditional carols and beautiful music put me in the holiday spirit, along with the splendid ambiance, and Briar’s beyond-delicious refreshments! I hope to see you there!
For ticket information call 978.887.8211 or email info@WillowdaleEstate.com.
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Last Monday we introduced the mathematical concept of inverse proportions, as part of our new series Peter & Vickie’s Laws of Life (LOL).  This week’s LOL is an example of  another mathematical concept, the one-to-one-correspondence, A.K.A. bijection, and could be stated thus: There is a 0ne-to-one correspondence between the change in direction of health advice and the change in direction of the U.S. Treasury Bond Interest Rate.
Here are some examples that support this LOL (refer to the graph above):
LETTUCE
One of the best teachers I had was Mr. Ford, a bulky, real-man-football-coach, who didn’t eat salad but always found fun, engaging ways to teach.  For a few weeks of 8th grade biology, he would begin nearly every lesson with, “When you eat a ham sandwich with lettuce …” and proceed to explain how you digest carbs, protein, etc., but the lettuce was pure cellulose, provided no nutritional value and went “right on through.”  This became a class favorite.  He’d say his line and excited hands would instantly thrust into the air as our little buts bounced off the seats.  We just couldn’t wait to finish the rant against lettuce.  In fact, the final question on that year’s final exam (worth 20 points) was an essay: “What happens when you eat a ham sandwich with lettuce?”  My buddy Austin Shelton (who played guitar in my band back then) got 25 points because, in addition to the correct answer, he added a diagram of the complete “lettuce path”, showing it coming out the ass.  The year was 1968 and interest rates were on the rise.
FATS
In 1941 people begin using Margarine (a trans-fat) instead of butter and the war against saturated fats in our diets begins in earnest. Â Interest rates reverse course. Â In 2006, saturated fats are good again, trans-fats are bad, trans-fat labeling becomes mandatory and NYC bans trans-fats in restaurants. Â Once again interest rates reverse course.
SMOKING
In 1900, doctors actually prescribed smoking to calm nerves, etc. Â Smoking was thought to be good for you. Â Interest rates were on the rise. Â But scientists were beginning to connect smoking to health problems and in 1921 several states banned smoking. Â Interest rates began to drop. Â In 1940 doctors began promoting smoking again and, believe it or not, cigarette companies advertised in the JAMA. Â Interest rates began to rise. Â In 1960 Smokey the Bear said (in an anti-smoking campaign) “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Â Interest rates began to fall.
What’s next? Â Guess we’ll have to wait until interest rates rise again to see the newest health fad. Â Until then, I’ll follow the advice I heard from Julia Child defending her “rich French foods”, saying that her mother always advised “Moderation in all things and a little bit of everything.” — and I’ll enjoy a little bit (or a lot) of everything at our great local restaurants — especially the ones with live music (see here).
In these days when TV chefs are more popular than rock stars, here’s a tribute (with music) to the greatest TV chef of all time.
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Celia’s Flower Studio, owned and operated by Lanesville native Celia Gibson, is now open at 77 Langsford St. (Route 127). Celia’s offers a full line of retail floral services, including weddings, private parties, funerals, daily deliveries, corporate events, and custom container garden designs and installations.
Along with specializing in wedding design, Celia’s will carry a variety of cut flowers and plants including tropical flowers native to Hawaii. Celia’s also offers a bouquet bar where customers can build their own bouquets.
Over the last decade Celia has worked at garden centers and florists in Manhattan, Hilo Hawaii, and throughout Boston’s North Shore. "My energy and my innovative spin on the business are my greatest assets," she says. "I want to improve the communication process of shopping for flowers, working with my customers as well as for them."
Celia’s will be open Tuesday through Friday 9-5 and Saturdays 10-3 or by appointment.
Celia’s Flower Studio 77 Langsford St. Gloucester. 978-879-4490
All the way to New Years, G33k is offering holiday specials:
There are also Boardgame Sundays (not just during the holidays), which are a lot of fun! Â There are usually a lot of different games to play, from the simple to the complex, and a very friendly atmosphere. Â People are always willing to teach you a new game if you want to try it!
Don’t forget to bring your children down to Art Haven to paint a buoy to adorn the tree. That’s what separates our lobster trap tree from all those horribly disfigured monstrosity lobster trap trees up in Maine that are all built out of simply traps and cheap pre-made ribbons imported from China and manufactured in sweat shops with unfair labor practices.
Compare our Tree decorated with heart felt appreciation for our lobster industry and hard working fishermen by sweet adoring children form the Gloucester Community to the abomination seen below-
Gloucester’s Lobster Trap Tree Decorated With Hand Painted Buoys By The Loving Appreciative Children Of Gloucester MA-
vs.
Provincetown lobster trap tree adorned with cheap imported Chinese pre-made slave labor ribbons-
Isn’t Provincetown where all the gays are? I know the gays are better than this, much more creative and artistic. Be better Provincetown, you’re not representing well here- at all.
vs.
Then you got the terribly disfigured one from Maine where it looks more like a Christmas Spike than a Christmas Tree-
Here we go folks, the third year of our fair and balanced GMG Lobster Trap Tree poll-
When our awesome Fire Department isn’t busy saving folks from horrific fires or rescuing cats from trees they make themselves available to help adorn The World’s Greatest Lobster Trap Tree With the lobster trap wire star that Russell Hobbs and his wife Melissa built back in 2009.
Yesterday was the day that Ed and the Crew from Art Haven strung the lights on the Lobster Trap Tree. Thanks David Brooks for the photos.
Good Morning Gloucester 