We all meet interesting people...
...wouldn't you agree? Think of the people you run across on a daily basis, whether you're at work, school, in a cab, at the store. At least once a week, you've probably thought, "Wow, what a life that person has had! If someone wrote a book about that person, I'd buy it in a heart beat!"
Oprah Winfrey once said that everyone has a story; little did she know (or maybe she did!) how many of us have thought the same thing.
Here are a few stories to get you started. A couple of them deal strictly with interesting people; the others deal with people's reaction to different situations. So, pull up a chair, grab a cool drink, and have a look.
And if you want to find more interesting people (along with some observations on life), you can check out http://life-in-the-left-hand-lane.blogspot.com/.
Oprah Winfrey once said that everyone has a story; little did she know (or maybe she did!) how many of us have thought the same thing.
Here are a few stories to get you started. A couple of them deal strictly with interesting people; the others deal with people's reaction to different situations. So, pull up a chair, grab a cool drink, and have a look.
And if you want to find more interesting people (along with some observations on life), you can check out http://life-in-the-left-hand-lane.blogspot.com/.
Michael McGoff, Naturalist
It is one of those rare Florida days when the temperature and humidity are perfect. A slight breeze rustles the leaves of the nearby trees. Just past the final turn in the long driveway to Sawgrass Lake Park, the park's Anderson Environmental Educational Center comes into view. The airy openness of the building is deceiving: this is a classroom. But this is not any old boring class: this one is fun. The fun stems from several directions: the interesting subject matter, the outdoors, and the teacher.
Naturalist Michael McGoff is passionate about the subject he taught for years: preserving the Florida environment. "I've always had an interest in the outdoors," the recently-retired McGoff told me while at the center. "Since I was a little kid, I either wanted to be a park ranger or a cowboy. Cowboy positions weren't opening, so it came to be a park naturalist," he adds, a smile creeping onto his face.
Naturalist Michael McGoff is passionate about the subject he taught for years: preserving the Florida environment. "I've always had an interest in the outdoors," the recently-retired McGoff told me while at the center. "Since I was a little kid, I either wanted to be a park ranger or a cowboy. Cowboy positions weren't opening, so it came to be a park naturalist," he adds, a smile creeping onto his face.
michael_mcgoff.doc | |
File Size: | 55 kb |
File Type: | doc |
"Wait'll You Hear This One!"
Think bartenders have heard it all? There's a good chance that cab drivers have heard and seen even more!
"So I've got these two guys in my car, right? The younger one just turned 21, this is the first Friday he can legally drink, so his buddy's taking him to Carly's. They're both talking 'bout how nothing impresses them anymore, right?"
Kevin Carter slows down for a light up ahead, hitting the breaks hard when someone in the center lane cuts him off on the way to the turn lane. It's Friday afternoon--"Idiot Friday," he calls it, but in more colorful language because, as he puts it, "Everyone's on the road turns to idiots (or the more colorful term) on Fridays"--and he misses the car by a good foot.
"So I've got these two guys in my car, right? The younger one just turned 21, this is the first Friday he can legally drink, so his buddy's taking him to Carly's. They're both talking 'bout how nothing impresses them anymore, right?"
Kevin Carter slows down for a light up ahead, hitting the breaks hard when someone in the center lane cuts him off on the way to the turn lane. It's Friday afternoon--"Idiot Friday," he calls it, but in more colorful language because, as he puts it, "Everyone's on the road turns to idiots (or the more colorful term) on Fridays"--and he misses the car by a good foot.
waitll_you_hear_this_one.doc | |
File Size: | 38 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Food In The Twentieth Century:
How Societal Changes Dictated America's Food
Gather a group of people together for a discussion, then stand back to listen; left to its own devises, the conversation will eventually drift to three broad topics: work, relationships, and/or food. The first two may deal with a current job or relationship, or the current lack thereof, while discussions of food will invariably drift to what we’re planning for dinner or the wonderful dish we ate last night. In the end, while we can get by without a relationship or job (albeit uncomfortably), we can’t get by without food for very long.
Yet food is so much more than a way to fuel the body; it is often used to nourish the soul and feed our relationships. From celebrating the birth of a child (at baby showers; easy meals offered by neighbors with instructions for the new mom to “simply heat at 350 degrees for twenty minutes”) to honoring the dead (and showering love in a casserole dish to the family) and all points in between, food is as much a celebration of life itself as a way to sustain that life.
Yet food is so much more than a way to fuel the body; it is often used to nourish the soul and feed our relationships. From celebrating the birth of a child (at baby showers; easy meals offered by neighbors with instructions for the new mom to “simply heat at 350 degrees for twenty minutes”) to honoring the dead (and showering love in a casserole dish to the family) and all points in between, food is as much a celebration of life itself as a way to sustain that life.
food_in_the_twentieth_century.doc | |
File Size: | 107 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Midtown On the Move
There are certain things that many Americans take for granted. Being able to hop in one's car and go wherever you want at a moment's notice is one of those luxuries we take for granted. But how would you get around if you didn't own a car or couldn't drive?
The Midtown area of St. Petersburg, Florida is bordered by Second Avenue North and Thirtieth Avenue South (north and south) and Fourth Street and Thirty-fourth Street (east and west). The people living within Midtown have been socio-economically challenged for a number of years. Getting around can be challenging.
The Midtown area of St. Petersburg, Florida is bordered by Second Avenue North and Thirtieth Avenue South (north and south) and Fourth Street and Thirty-fourth Street (east and west). The people living within Midtown have been socio-economically challenged for a number of years. Getting around can be challenging.
midtown_on_the_move.doc | |
File Size: | 38 kb |
File Type: | doc |
When Hurricanes Threaten:
Are Local Colleges and Universities Doing Enough?
In a game of word association, when one hears “hurricane,” what comes to mind? Evacuation, wind and flooding are all good choices. But how many of us think “colleges” or “universities?”
But hurricanes are anything but a game. Neither is planning for one’s safety. This includes the safety of our college and university students and faculties. How does the threat of a hurricane affect Pinellas County’s campuses? How would a direct hit affect them? Why should we care?
But hurricanes are anything but a game. Neither is planning for one’s safety. This includes the safety of our college and university students and faculties. How does the threat of a hurricane affect Pinellas County’s campuses? How would a direct hit affect them? Why should we care?
when_hurricanes_threaten.doc | |
File Size: | 75 kb |
File Type: | doc |