by Dino Corvino on April 3rd, 2008
It is all over the internet today. People are posting videos, and podcasts, and blog posts, and ecards, and PayPal donations, and YouTube and Twitter and Pownce and Virb, and LinkedIn, and all of it. The tubes are burning up. People are out there follow the lead of Gary Vaynerchuk, and passionately thanking folks in their lives who have made them a success. So my good friend Andy encouraged me to get into this, and so we shall.
So much has been made and discussed about Citizen Wausau from our beginning, to the shakeup, to the nature of what we do. We just had to shoot straight, and come right out and thank some folks for helping us in this endeavor. Citizen Wausau makes no money, we do it because we love it, we are not staying up at night trying to sell ads or do this or that. We do this, because we love people interacting, and we love that we can offer a platform for people to talk.
So, I wanted to shoot some thank yous out to people, and hope they know we care about them very deeply.
Before I get into it, the premiere person is Andy Laub. I did not know Andy before this started, and now I hope to be an old man with Andy sitting on a TERRACE somewhere drinking a glass of juice and eating a hamburger with no vegetables talking about why my Ford Ranger is a bad idea, and when am I going to get an Xbox 360. It took no leap of faith for me to see that Andy was an unbelievable cool dude and I should tie my paltry wagon and small talent to his. Thank you Andy. Thank you so much.
- Kari Rasmussen. I have to say, that very few people have tempered my approach to this whole new format as much as Kari did. Suddenly one of my friends was in the game, and playing successfully, and as a result, I had to see some value in it. Along the way she talked to me, and brought me back from the metaphorical edge a few times. Showed me that it was not about me, but it was about us. It was about the bigger thing, and sometimes I needed to shut up and just let the big success happen. I used to fight with the perception that a lot of me was ego, but Kari showed it to me in a really cool way. I got to see just how much good was being done, and how much the public loved it. I truly got to see a behind the scenes person come forward, and God was it awesome. So thank you Kari.
- Bill Coady. He is the grandfather of this. The originator, the innovator, the Little Richard of Wausau blogging. He started with a vision, and a tool, and it all went from there. So big ups to you Bill. You made content just for you, and you just kept going and going and going. I have to say thanks.
- Tom Neal. My guardo camino. My real Rabbi, the teacher, the mentor, the guide. Tom has been around me for nearly a decade I think, and has helped me in just about all the step of my personal growth. He has brushed me off when I have made mistakes, and never once judged me. Or pushed my foolish head away. So thank you Tom. Personally, none of this is possible.
- Katie Rosenberg. It is simple because she has a blog that makes us raise the game here. She does it for real, and you have to respect that. Just when I was concerned that this internet was a lot of pretend content and links and little original thought, I meet Katie (through Kari mind you) and she drops real science on me. It was amazing. Thank you Katie for making me think.
- Her Dad, Jim. I hate to admit it, but I gotta thank Jim. He taught me one thing, a substantiated allegation is far more heavy than an unsubstantiated one? He taught me to ask questions take discipline, discipline to hear the answer and not know what it is before it comes.
- Pat Peckham. Very few people in my life are just as calming as Pat. I simply feel better being around the guy, and I think it is because of all the people I know he is the most even keeled. And he is a great writer to boot.
- Eric and Gary. It is not fair to lump you together, but you both remind me everyday that I need to be more visual.
I can go on. But, it really comes down to you. Everyone one of you who has sent us an email, or sent me an email, posted a comment, challenged us in the beginning to get our crap together, begged us to not let it die, bought us a drink in a bar, or gave us tickets to a choir concert. OldWoodChair, Moose, Liss, dwescott, wausaujon, and so many more, this is all for you really. You are all good people. You deserve a holiday, and we want to say thank you.
Cats like Jess and Carlson and my buddy Tom Jordan who read what I write, and tell me that I am chickening out. That I am not going to far, that I am too timid. Thanks, I feel timid, and I hope to make you proud.
Out there in the web world, I want to thank Bob McChesney for his influence in teaching me about FCC reform, and access issues and getting me into this fight in general. Pete Tridish and Andy Gunn for giving me a platform to speak from. Norm Stockwell in Madison for teaching me to solder properly. Tara Hunt for being a girl with a unique voice that makes me smile.
I could go on, but I won’t. Thank you all Good People. Your efforts to make this website a success are something that we are not overlooking. You are truly Citizen Wausau, you make this happen.
I think that my good friend Andy has something to say. Look for his writeup in a few.
by Citizen Wausau on March 31st, 2008
[A note from Dino: As spring springs on us, our thoughts take us away from the computer, and outdoors. To new hobbies, and to bikes, and camping. Well, WNRB is a community radio station, and while it might not be a Santa Cruz full suspension dream bike, it might be a hobby you're interested in. I have a feeling that it might be a little bit like Citizen Wausau, where it is what you bring to it a little bit. So, thank you to Tom Neal for this post.]
Saturdays are wide-open … ready for you to jump in and become a part of the community’s Saturday experience. I’m talking about hosting your own radio program on WNRB-LP (93.3 FM, Wausau). Time slots are open on Saturdays for people who’d like to bring their own personalities/musical tastes/viewpoints to the airwaves. Provide the spring/summer soundtrack for people outside washing their cars, or driving around with the windows down, or jogging with their radio headphones on.
Just think: Do an early morning wake-up show, maybe with acoustic alternative or folk music. Or a late-morning classic rock exploration of “B-sides” and deep album cuts. How about blues or classical music in the afternoon? Rule Saturday night with a party mix. Do a one-hour or two-hour show. Buddy up with someone and do a 2-person show.
It’s easy and it’s a gas. A fun sideline/hobby for your life. Takes about 10 minutes to learn the ropes in the studio. Pay is $0 … it’s an all-volunteer station. Studio is on 6th Street on Wausau’s east side at the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Assoc. offices. Contact me here if you’re interested (there are also open slots on weekdays). And, of course, tune in for my show, Roundtrip, Thursday nights 7-9 for music you just won’t hear on any station in these parts.
by Dino Corvino on March 21st, 2008
I am getting to these Wednesday evening. My lips are chapped, and my legs are tired. But the amazing glide of Trent Reznor is filling my head, and I am glad I saw this band as many times as I have.
- Have you decided who you’re going to vote for, for Mayor, for City Council, for County Board? Does the recent story about the email from Mr. Kluz as reported in the Wausau Daily Herald affect your choice?
- Have you been in the new Dudley Tower yet? I was talking to Al Post at his book shop, and I told him that in unfamiliar cities, I am often most intimidated by local book stores. I wonder if that does not apply to skyscrapers? Is the Dudley a skyscraper?
- Do you order pie or ice cream or other dessert after a meal? Is that almost an extinct custom? I know that a few folks here are chefs, so your thought on the final course, the sweet farewell, the intoxicating pastry would be appreciated.
- Where do you buy shoes? I am asking because of the tremendous shoe resource we have, a worldwide leader in sneakers and other athletic products right here. Do we support that business, as it has supported so many families?
- What was the last book you read? Would you be interested in contributing to a books, music, movie, review site as a blog within the CW Community section?
- What is your first morning beverage?
I was thinking of the extra questions, but really, it is Easter weekend. And I am off to see Freedown in Woodruff, opening for the mighty Scott Holt band. I hope you’re all well. Eat a chocolate egg.
by Dino Corvino on March 14th, 2008
I am feeling quite lonely today. Existentially lonely, to be more specific. Wondering if it matters, wondering what I am doing anything for, questioning the whole ball of wax really. It happens from time to time – we sit, and we wonder. Sometimes this wonder lasts for years; sometimes I just need about 30 minutes of quiet alone time. But it happens. It might happen to you. Might not. You might be blessed. I tend to think I am blessed, but every now and again I sigh and think about Jeff Buckley and wonder what the point of that was. So the questions might seem melancholy, or I might just break on out of it. Either way, we’re off and running.
- So, a trapped on an island question: Which five books would you bring? If you could have a solar powered DVD player and monitor, which 5 movies? You are going to be there for two years, so think long term.
- Do you fish? Do you eat the fish that you catch? Do you look down on fish because you can catch them so easily? Not as in just pop the hook in, and kapow: fish; but more that you just need a hook, some disguise, and pow. I don’t fish. I like to sit in the boat and talk to my brother though. I really like my brother more than anyone else I know.
- If you cut your finger with a pocketknife, accidently, how do you know if you should go get a tetanus shot? The bleeding stopped and it’s not that big of a deal, but I am just wondering if I am going to get lockjaw.
- If you were 18 to 25, would you sign up to join the military? I think I would. At the time, I was scared that I would lose who I was, but I don’t think so now. I wonder if that was just a thought through aging. I do not support the war, but there is a nobility in serving your country in that manner. A manner so very simple, yet so very important. It is funny, how all the talking we do about war and peace and this and that, does not change the fundamental nature of the world, or the fundamental nature and need for soldiers. I learned this from my friend Melissa, who while not a soldier, taught me so much.
- When you were in high school, did you eat hot lunch or bring your own? Have you heard about a band Freedown playing a show in the area?
- What will define the first decade of the 21st century? What defines the decades of your life? I am only in my 30s. So I do not have a lot of defining yet.
- When you sleep with your wife or husband or partner, do you do spoon, or how do you sleep? If they get up to go to the bathroom does it wake you up?
- Do you think you’re going to vote for Mayor? I heard that real governing takes place on school boards and city councils. I hope you vote.
- Do you think that as your life changes through career and family and aging, that which gives your life meaning changes? Do you think of objects or talismans as something that you care for? For example, after my father passed I asked if I could have his comb. He had the same comb since I was a kid, and I remember being a little boy and watching him comb his hair. The memory always stood out. I think we lack this sort of permanence now, I feel blessed to be my parents’ son, because I think that theirs was the last generation that did not have the department store lifestyle of disposability. Now what shall I pass on – my Target-bought CD player? I got a shortwave from my dad. I also got an antique radio as big as a fridge. My father’s desk is still there. I use a conference table, or something from Ikea.
Bonus Round
Letter A: What is your favorite video game? Your first video game? Your first video game system? My favorite is probably Metal Gear Solid. My first, in my memory is probably Pac Man, up at the Telemark lodge with Pat and Sean Palecek. It was by the pool. I worked in my grade school kitchen washing dishes each day for $1.50 an hour to buy an Atari 2600.
Appendix 54.3: Did you pay your taxes yet?
by Andy Laub on March 13th, 2008
There was some pretty exciting news for CW last week when Dino told me that we had been mentioned multiple times during the mayoral debate. Furthermore, during the “Cool Dude” interviews we’ve been doing, both mayoral candidates mentioned that they enjoy Citizen Wausau and read it often. What does this mean for you? it means people are listening to the good things and the bad things you have to say! I realize it’s not a guarantee that everything written here will spur change, but it still makes CW an ideal platform for expressing yourselves.
I hope this bit of knowledge inspires some of our readers and commenters to take the next step and contribute an article of your very own. You have the chance to make your voice heard; why not take it?
by Dino Corvino on March 7th, 2008
I have found that the longer I go unplugged from the world of cyberspace, the better things get for me. We have a rule up north: no laptops (unless you’re a musician from outside of Wisconsin, then we understand). We try to let you do your business, but eventually we encourage you to put it away. I try that on weekends, and it really works well. Sitting in the library reminds me that ideas are often the best when they are on paper, not on a screen. I remember in college carrying around giant anthologies, now kids probably just buy the Amazon Kindle. Saving the environment, but at what price I ask you.
Off to the questions:
- What romantic memories do you cherish? Not just interpersonal, but in general. I remember playing catch with my father, in the front yard. Catching ground balls and pop ups. I never played softball, because of this. And even now, I collect baseballs, and love baseball games, and baseball movies. That might be why when my friend Sullie and I get to zero Brewer games in a season it breaks my cold black heart.
- What do you collect? Not like music or movies. But what do you collect that is sort of intrinsically you? I have a friend who I think collects colored theatre masks. I was in his garage, and I think I saw these masks. And a lot of them. Why those things? My Aunt Weileda collected salt shakers, and had thousands of them. Even built a shelf around her whole house to put them on.
- What is your favorite movie? I just watched a Star Wars documentary, and realized that is not my favorite movie of all time. I think it might be Apocalypse Now, though There Will Be Blood is right there as well. And you can never count out Top Gun.
- “I gotta tell you milkshake, your mouth is really writing some checks that your cup can’t cash!” – Carl
- Did you see Gypsy? Are you aware of the great work that comes from Community Theatre here in Wausau? The singing, and the dancing, and the stories. Oh, and how my heart lept for joy.
- I was wondering, why was the City Pages not represented at the debate last night? Or for that matter Channel 9? Just asking.
- Are earrings on men so common that they have almost become passe? I am thinking of a career in fashion, and maybe I want to bring back the small gold hoop for men. At what age do young people exert themselves and their individual style?
- I was wondering if you had ever heard of a band called Freedown? More importantly – and I am stealing this question from my friend Eric – if Martin Scorsese was making the movie of your life, what songs would be on your soundtrack?
Bonus Round! Great googily moogily!
Letter A: If you win the lottery, what would your dream car be? Would you live here in Wausau, or would you move?
Letter C: Do you own and ride a bicycle? Not like for training or spandex, but just for fun?
Option 11: Have you ever had an Egg Creme?
Conundrum 13.5: Which is better Alaskan Crab or New England Crab?
by Dino Corvino on March 4th, 2008
“Its gonna be the future soon, I won’t always be this way!” – Jonathon Coulton
I wanted to sit down and do a bit of an update this fine Tuesday morning. Tea in hand, Mariah Carey on the mp3 player, and capezios on my feet. Thinking about the one who got away in high school. Oh, Laura, I am so sorry.
Regardless of the melancholy of a 30-something, non Timothy Busfield guy, I thought we could talk a little bit about the future, or really the present (with a slight twinkle in our eye about the future). We, as a group, have gotten over the hump and finally feel good. We have a strong group of supporters, a bunch of frequent commentors, and some great mentors guiding us in this venture. So, thanks to you all. (more…)
by Citizen Wausau on February 22nd, 2008
(Note from Dino: This week we find a selection from Billie. Billie has a blog in our community titled, “A Stable Personality: A Life with Horses“. It is a fascinating group of stories so far, and we encourage Billie to keep writing. Her voice is valid, and should find its audience in a place like Citizen Wausau perfectly. I have known her for a while now, and honestly as a non-country fellow, the whole world of horses seems absolutely alien to me. We hope Billie keeps writing, as we hope you keep writing.)
Yesterday dawned cold windy and bitter here, but I had grand plans for the day.
I rode the fancy, imported Dutch horse!
It had been almost 8 years since I last was able to ride a horse trained and capable of competing at the international level. Horses of this caliber often cost (literally) more than a house, so it is no small wonder that I do not own several myself. If a lotto windfall were to come my way I would think about buying one, but instead I am in the process training my own.
Let me backtrack and mention that with the weather and footing being such as they typically are in the winter, I had not been on any horse for several months. The last time I rode was the beginning of November.
My friend that had traveled with me climbed aboard the horse and warmed him up while I gave her a mini lesson and filmed her riding. Then, it was my turn! I giddily climbed aboard, adjusted the irons (the things your feet go into on an english saddle – called stirrups on a western saddle) and set off.
After a couple of minutes where he and I got to know one another at the walk, trot and canter, I decided to try some more advanced movements. We started with simple lateral movements – leg-yield at walk and trot. It went well, he moved forward and sideways by simply following the direction of my hips. So, I tried some shoulder and haunches in exercises…things I am teaching several of my own horses… I was easily able to position his body parallel to or at an angle away from the wall with very subtle shifts of my weight.
So, we tried the ultimate of the laterals – the half-pass. This is a hard movement, where the horse must be bent from head to tail around the rider’s inside leg, then moves sideways and forward in the direction of the bend while crossing all four legs underneath the body. It felt spectacular! Upon viewing the video, perhaps it wasn’t too spectacular, a little bit lackluster, but I don’t care! It was very uplifting just to know that I remembered how to correctly ask and execute this difficult movement.
Then I became greedy and decided to work a little bit on flying changes of lead. (This one is harder to explain, but essentially it the horse is at the canter which is a three beat gait where the inside foreleg lands the furthest forward at the end of the sequence of footfalls, in the moment of suspension they rearrange all four legs and land placing them with the opposite inside leg in the leading position – sort of like skipping). B.C, the horse’s owner had mentioned that Nizelster Boi ran away with her when she tried for changes, so it was not something she had been working on.
I developed a super, collected canter, did a circle to counter canter, took the diagonal and asked for the flying change from left to right… and got it! The horse was straight, maintained his rhythm and balance and did so without any hesitation. Super fantastic! Until I tried it in the other direction.
I chose too steep a line when asking for the right to left change. He changed late behind, kicking up his hind legs a bit then in the next instant slipped on his left front leg. I thought I was going down, but he rebalanced, took another stride and found a little patch of ice near the arena door. We slipped again and I really thought I was going to bite the dust. Fortunately, I stayed in place, rebalanced myself and tried to cope with a horse that was indeed running away with me. It seemed like forever before I got him back on my aids and not in a panic, but there we were. The next 10 minutes were spent working on relaxation in the horse.
I did ask for the counter canter again, but didn’t go for any more changes. Perhaps next time.
We finished with some passage (trot in slow motion with lots of suspension) and half-steps of piaffe (trot in place) and half-priouettes.
All in all, it was a fantastic ride that allowed me to once again believe that as a rider/instructor I actually do know what I am doing to a greater degree than I give myself credit for. It was very gratifying to work on the upper level movements again, and to realize that I do indeed know how to ask for and execute them.
The downside is that I am incredibly sore today. My back, shoulders, upper arms, abdominals, seat bones and upper thighs ache. It was a workout!
This morning when I went out to do chores at home (with my brain full of possibilities for Mirelle and Duncan’s training come spring) I noticed that one of the automatic waterers had frozen yet again. If I am not mistaken, it is the fifth time already this winter. So, I went to the house, turned the water off, took apart the frozen bits, thawed them back in the house, reassembled, and nothing. Went through the process again and behold! It worked. I need to run more insulation out there this afternoon in hopes that I can prevent this from happening yet again. Cold days are yet to come.
The girls up front have begun a campaign to destroy the new loafing shed that we built them just over a week ago. They are bored and chewing at the wood. It looks as though we have been invaded by very large beavers. Horses are quite destructive little creatures.
by Dino Corvino on February 20th, 2008
Gary Barden is a cool dude, and I have scars to prove it.
I think that I need to start off with something of a confession in the name of transparency. I have something that Gary Barden created tattooed on my body, and five friends have the same tattoo. My friend Scott Holt trusted Gary with the creative vision for his own identity, and Gary has produced the Annual Report, website and quarterly newsletter for one of the most influential foundations here in Wausau.
That all sounds really good, but what about that makes him cool? Its hard to say what makes someone cool, but if you know Gary or meet Gary you will know instantly why I think he is cool. Is it a vibe? Well if it is, then Gary has that. If it is more than that, than Gary has that as well. For a while Gary had a questionable beard, but even his questionable choices seemed somehow cool.
So enough of the love fest. Who is this Gary Barden dude I’m spouting on about? Well, Gary is a 40-year-old graphic designer who looks like a cool 20-year-old graphic designer. He owns one of the workhorse firms in Wausau, Studio 519. Studio 519 is one of those shops that does not waste a lot of time pontificating about things that are meta; instead, Gary focuses on the work.
“It’s fine to talk about it, but it’s work. I go to work everyday, and do work,” said Gary over lunch at Noodles and Company. I think it was refreshing to hear someone talk about his or her craft as just that, a trade. Gary takes his work seriously, and his wide range of work reflects it. His visuals are not limited to any one style, in fact you could never pigeonhole his work as one thing, it really reflects a strong connection to the work that the client is looking for.
Graphic design is all well and good, but what Gary is really passionate about is Mountain Biking. A few months ago I had a chance to go into his basement, and I have to say that I was more than just a little bit shocked. I do not even know how many bikes were down there, but what I do recall was a gorgeous Santa Cruz frame, black on black, full suspension, like some sort of wonderful racehorse on a work stand.
Gary told me that he started riding a while ago, and his excitement for it has grown steadily. He said that the riding started off as fitness thing, and slowly turned into a passion, and then remarkably into a pretty successful business. You see a few years back Gary went from riding in the mud and the muck, over hill and dale to being a mountain bike entrepreneur. Or something.
Gary and his brother started a company called Fat Tire Guides. Their purpose is simple, yet amazingly cool. The ride the trails, map them, video them, and make it all available to you on the web. The amazing thing is this: they rode every mile, of every trail, in every spot, themselves. Gary and his brother were out and about every weekend, pedaling their bikes for miles and miles, with GPS…thingies (a technical term) and a camera strapped to one of their heads.
Over our lunch at the Noodles joint, it became clear that Gary is very passionate about everything on two wheels that you pedal yourself. He talked at length and rather poetically about building up a bike, making it perfect. Making a bike do and be what you’re going to need it for. It was funny, because that is how he talked about his graphic design work as well. Building it, finding a way to match the work to what the client needs it to be. I found that amazing, that he could make both things this sort of Zen koan cool like thing.
I do not know when I met Gary. I do not really remember my life with or without him. I have always known he was there, and that he was a lot cooler than me. For a while I thought I might have him because he had questionable taste in music, but suddenly that all turned around. So, again I am left feeling horribly inadequate around him. Gary Barden is a cool dude. He is a family guy, who is passionate about Jess and Zoe, and he is passionate about his art and his work, which are oddly enough the same thing, he is passionate about his bike and the company his brother founded. Gary Barden, cool dude number one.
You can find Gary at Studio 519, or at Fat Tire Guides. Check ‘em out.
by Dino Corvino on February 17th, 2008
Part of our purpose here at Citizen Wausau is to celebrate the cool. We live in an amazing city, and there are amazing things happening. We seek to go find the cool folks, and talk to them about what they do, and why they do it, and what kind of fun it is. We don’t want to let this site become some sort of self-referencing fashion show of vanity, something that you can find many other places on the internet. We want it to be something else.
A wise man said that the key to our success is going to be the use of a regular feature. Like pulling from the community blogs on Fridays, we hope and intend to make this a regular feature. We also hope that you all will take it upon yourself and write some cool dude stuff on your own.
Cool by its very nature is not something that can be defined. Cool exists in some sort of collective consciousness, a sort of advanced groovy if you will. What I think is cool is vastly different than what Andy thinks is cool, and what we think is cool is going to be vastly different from what our readership thinks is cool. But somewhere, somehow we hope to find the cool, and to celebrate it.
This week we start with a feature about a cool dude named Gary Barden. Gary is a passionate man, and honestly is someone that I look up to very much. A graphic designer, I carry one of his designs as a tattoo on my right arm, so clearly Gary has made an impact on my life. Gary is also much more than that as an owner of two businesses, and a passionate person about his home life and family. A cool dude, this Gary Barden, and tomorrow you can read all about him.
Trying to preview what will be in the cool dude series is a little bit tough. Naturally in the beginning they are going to be people I can sit down and talk to. So far I have met with Jim Rosenberg, and we’ll be hearing from Jim O’Connell as well. I have a tentative plan to sit down and talk to Deb Hadley as she runs for Mayor, and with Linda Lawrence as she returns to public life. Along with the politicians I am hoping to meet with music icon Jim Carlson, and home grown grocer Kevin Korpela.
It’s an inspiring world we live in, and I hope that we can find something you like, and maybe you can tell us someone you would like us to talk to. Though, in all honesty, I am hoping that you guys write these as often as we do.
