Voice the official Citizen Wausau blog
[A note from Dino: Since this is the summer of Johnny Depp and films in Wisconsin, we wanted to highlight that a member of the CW community is shooting a film here in town. While it appears that the Wausau Film Festival might have died on the vine, it also appears that we have an active and passionate underbelly of scene shooters, and color saturators here in town. This post comes to us from Erik. Good on you Erik!]
I apologize for no commentary this weekend. We finished photography for Daily Routine, a quick three minute short from Stop That Nun that was entirely fun. Unfortunately with sweeps at the station and Microcosm now heating up big time, the turn around for editing that will be a bit long. Still big thanks to Chris Leslie who acted as both the star and producer of the piece, Brett Widmann and Seth Callaway, both of whom recorded our sound on site and Katrina Shankland who acted for us as well.
Speaking of Microcosm, the last auditions where this weekend and by far our most successful. Thanks to a good time frame we were able to get in contact with UWSP Theater faculty a bit and that resulted in many talented folks making their way out to read for us. I had a director’s favorite problem: too much talent to choose from. I did cast however, and as soon as everyone accepts their roles, I will post them up here for all to see.
And speaking of sweeps, this week I had a promo made for one of my pieces. Crazy, I know. They actually touted me as “award winning photographer Erik Cieslewicz” for commercials leading up to newscasts. It’s a little silly to be happy to see something like that, especially since I’m surrounded by people who are pushed daily in promotions, but still, I have to admit it was pretty neat. So I was able to do a pair of great sweeps pieces Thursday and Friday. Those will be up on the YouTube channel tonight if all goes well.
Commentary may go on a short hiatus, but will be replaced with information about Microcosm, including a call for background artists. I really hope to get a lot of Wausau community members in the film, so I’ll be giving dates, times and locations for people to just show up to and be in a movie. Pretty sweet, huh? We’ll even feed you if you show up on set. I realize that’s way cooler to hear if you’re in college or something, but hey, free lunch is free lunch.
This Friday my producers and I have a huge meeting with the City of Wausau and we’re really hoping they will be very accommodating to us. I really, really want to shoot in Wausau, but as a low budget film production, we will go where ever it’s cheapest! But having interacted with Mayor Tipple before along with Dennis Saeger, I have faith that Wausau will be as good to us as we plan on being to the city.
As most of us may have anticipated, the Mayoral veto on restructuring committee appointment procedures set the stage for a contentious City Council meeting here in Wausau last night. As a regular attender of said meetings, this was a night of firsts. This was the first time that I have ever seen the room full (perhaps people were expecting a dog fight of sorts). It was also the first time I have ever seen anyone register for comments in advance. And, it was the first time I have ever seen a Point of Order come from the crowd.
Along with these firsts for me, it was also the first time Citizen Wausau attempted to live twitter anything of this sort. Shockingly (okay, maybe not shockingly, but dismayingly), the City Council chambers do not provide free wifi, so I was stuck doing it through SMS, and as a result not all of twitter bits got through. But if you are interested in the highlights, or lowlights depending on how you see things, you can check us out on Twitter at www.twitter.com/citizenwausau.
We also recorded the meeting, and have the audio available here (mp3, 43MB).
It’s almost like being there.
[A Note from Dino: This post was made in haste, and Andy and I have talked about this more, and as a result we adding some changes. In an effort to be transparent, those changes will be easy to see.]
Dear Citizen Wausau Community,
Spring is here. We just passed our six month hump, and we are getting more traffic than we thought possible. Now, we need to make some changes. Not large changes, but small ones. Small but significant, and from that, we will look to you.
We seek to create, and implement a version of an editorial board. Not in the broad sense of a newspaper, but in a very hands-on, actively involved in the leadership of this website on a daily basis. We’re offering the keys to the castle, responsibility, and of course, no money. |We are not against money in the future, but the website makes no money now. We clearly would like to make money going forward.|
We need you. |We want outside voices to help us, and to make our website better.|
Right now we have a process for reviewing articles, and we seek to blow the doors off of that — to add more people to that process, to lighten the load, and at the same time season the soup.
So, we are opening out editorial house wide open. We have put forth a plan, and we want to implement it. But we need you. We really need you. But, you’re asking, WHAT IS INVOLVED? What will I need to do? How do I know I can be of help?
Well Riddle me this Batman, do you have a computer? Can you read? Are you good with grammar? Do you like Citizen Wausau? Would you be willing to take on the responsibility of reading and approving of stories with a group of people? Do you work well with others? Have you come to realize that Dino, while a genius, might just need a hobby and a way to meet girls and the computer is not the best place for him? And most importantly, do you want to?
The Next Action, send me an email here at CW. Tell us you want to be involved. So shoot me an email at dino at (this domain) dot com. Then we will all get together in real life, and talk through what we have planned.
The first step though is saying you want in. Our first step was addressing we want and need help. So we meet in the middle. You can take a leadership position, and we can get the help we sorely need.
Thank you in advance.
|When we get a few names, we will set up a time to meet, and go from there.|
[A Note: These questions come to us from someone else this week. Thanks friend.]
1. Do you watch TV? Have a favorite show? I tend to glom on to one show every few years and then it will be canceled. I loved “Alias,” now I love “House.” (I may actually be in love with “House.”) Other than that, I tend to be a renter of DVDs.
2. Do you think the scandals in local government are becoming more frequent? Is this a trend?
3. Do you think Reality TV is just a phase, like variety shows were so fab in the 60s, and shows like “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” were all the rage to showcase washed-up stars?
4. It’s spring (I think). Time for baseball. Are you optimistic that this is the year the Brewers will make the playoffs? Is there another professional team you like besides the Brewers? I am quite fond of the Mets, and have a soft spot for the Rangers. But I really enjoy watching the Brewers. I especially like going to a Brewers game. Mmmmmm….hot dogs.
5. Do you read for pleasure? Do you have a guilty pleasure? (Romances? Spy novels? Westerns?) I really like vampire fiction (not so much Anne Rice, though). I just started a new series by an author named Laurell K. Hamilton. The first book in the series is called, “Guilty Pleasures.”
6. Do you collect anything? I collect penguins. I had one kidnapped last summer, it was a traumatizing experience. The heroine in the book I’m reading (Anita Blake, vampire slayer) collects penguins.
7. What was the first thing you ever remember wanting to be when you grew up? When I was in 2nd grade, I wanted to be a lifeguard. You know, just work summers.
In case you were wondering who on the City Council is tasked with what? Well, this document should be able to answer these questions. In the past, these appointments have led to some clashes on the Council, and these might as well.
Your City government is yours though. That is something that should not be forgotten. These people are voted for by you, and for you. They are acting in a role of service, as such we should thank them. But also we need to be a part of this process.
I am honestly shocked by this turn of events. Kristen Fish has resigned after 7 years with the City of Wausau. We have tried to contact her, but was unable to reach her for comment. No one gets pleasure out of seeing someone leave their job and career after so much success.
It appears from this, that former Council Person VanDe Yacht suffered some form of reputation sabotage at the hands of the City. At least that is how I am reading this, and I can’t make heads or tails from it.
I theorize this thought, this might be the beginning of the adversarial sense that our city council has with itself. This is clearly another example of people being unhappy with the experience of leadership, and progress, and the whole nine yards. In this case it appears to be a person lashing out.
I, for one and in my own voice, think that this has to stop. This sort of competition that we have, this sort of conspiracy that has gone on, this sort of team against team that clearly has gone on for a long time now. What is the genesis? I do not know. Do I care about the history of the conflict? Nope. Do I just want people to put the knives away and get on governing? Yep.
This is a crucial time for a our city. So crucial.
[In this episode of Your Voice, we highlight the serialized tale from Alex. About the Roy's. Apparently there have been many Roy's, and they have all been significant for Alex. I like the serialization of the tale. It feels like we are learning something, at the same time as the author. Interesting use of a blog.]
(more…)
I guess, in a lot of ways, I like speakers to headphones. I am winding my watch, though it does not need it, it is digital. But I wind, because it makes me think of Thanksgiving, and days of yore, and my pony Willie Boy. I think that sometimes, it is simply enough to say thank you, and to feel good about it. But more than that, it is really enough to own a rowboat and enough lipbalm for a weekend trip to Scottsdale.
- Do you have a sense of your death? Not in a morbid sense, but in a real sort of time is limited sort of way? I was thinking about it, because I was watching a West Wing episode and a scene between Stockard Channing and Martin Sheen was particularly moving.
- Do you think the Mike Morrissey situation is ever going to amount to anything? I feel that this is an area where we might just see the infamous circling of the wagons. I have often been critical of our fair city for not being transparent enough, and maybe that is our fault for not looking, but I wonder. I wonder how this all works? If the city denies the claim of this Jasurda person, then what happens? And what about the Van De Yacht thing hot on its heels? Tough time to be a the City Attorney, lots to do.
- What is your favorite place to read? I like my chair, because the dog is not interested in my reading in bed.
- I am a movie guy. I am getting a sense that movies are getting a bit more narrative intense now, and less Jerry Bruckheimer. Do you like this trend?
- What are you doing this weekend?
- Do you take notes throughout the day in pen or pencil? Do you have a paper calendar, a digital one, an online one?
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Recent Discussion
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Jim Rosenberg 6:09 am, March 19 on What Price Van De Yacht -
Saltpeter 9:44 am, March 18 on What Price Van De Yacht -
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thedbc 9:16 am, March 10 on N2N Creates East Side Neighborhood -
John H. Fischer 8:28 am, March 10 on N2N Creates East Side Neighborhood