Why is Kansas City so great? 4. It's the biggest small town ever. Kansas City may be the biggest city in the state (even larger than the city of St. Louis), and the second largest metropolitan area in the state, people are still friendly—they'll say hello to you on the street and even wave back at you! I've lived in large cities, from Oakland to Dallas, and this small-town feel is great. What started as a cowtown (hence the cow logo for Irish Fest—"Celtic Pride in Cowtown") also has all the big-city attractions. There's a great video on CBS that sums up the highlights of KC. We have more restaurants per capita, more BBQ joints per capita, and more fountains than any other city in the world except Rome! Travel + Leisure named it the #1 affordable getaway. There's tons of free stuff to do, from First Fridays in the Crossroads, to touring Hallmark's headquarters. We also have one of the best performing arts center in the world, the Kauffman Center. Yes, it's that great. And I work just one block from where this lovely photo was taken by Eric Rogers. If I think of more, I'll continue with reason #5. Thanks for reading, Cami =) Why is Kansas City so great? 3. Barbecue. It's the one thing Kansas City does better than anywhere else in the country. There are more barbecue joints here than you can shake a stick at, and no matter what kind you like, you'll find it here. My personal favorite, is a Z-man sandwich from Oklahoma Joe's. (Yes, I do realize the irony there.) It's located in a gas station and, on any given day, the line will snake through the building, out into the parking lot. The line always seems to go fast, and the food is SOOO worth the wait. (photo by Matt McCabe.) They have several other locations, but I'd go If you need something more upscale, Jack Stack is my second choice. So while you're here for the KC Irish Fest, you can grab some great Boulevard beer, and some great BBQ. Thanks for reading, Cami =) Why is Kansas City so great? 2. Boulevard Beer. We have the best "micro" brewery in the country. What started out as micro (teeny) has become ginormous (in 24 states!), retaining the micro-brewery awesomeness. Mental Floss magazine agrees, touting the Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale as one of five to try. Personally, I like their Dry Stout. As it happens, at least one of the Kansas City Irish Fest crew works here. Coincidence? Probably not. Thanks for reading,
Cami =) I've moved 27 times in my life. I know, right? No, not an army brat. No good excuse really—a story for another day. I grew up across the bay from San Francisco, and have lived in all the cities along the East Bay. I've lived in cities in California, Illinois, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas—and Kansas City is by far the best. It's the first place that's felt like home. Why is it so great? I have so many reasons. 1. The Kansas City Irish Fest. The welcoming people who are involved in the Kansas City Irish Fest don't care that I couldn't trace my Irish lineage to save my life. They welcomed me as part of their own, regardless. We get together at least once a month, and it doesn't even seem like work putting on the third-largest Irish Fest in the country. That's me up there giving bunny ears to Dan Regan, my pal in crime. He's the reason I got involved in the first place. I sent in a nice email saying we'd had a wet blast at the fest after attending the first KC Irish Fest, the one that almost got washed away in the rain, and we've been pals ever since. I get to design the program, I used to run (baking, knitting, brewing, and photography) contests, I help coordinate the travel area, I help shuttle entertainers to and from the airport, I help out pretty much wherever I'm needed, and we all have way too much fun working this hard for free.
If you need something to do Labor Day weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun), make plans to come here. You'll have as much fun as we do. And you certainly don't have to be Irish! Thanks for reading, Cami =) Last Sunday, I was "marching" in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Kansas City; it was 35°F and raining/snowing/sleeting. The Friday before that, it was 79°F. Thank goodness the parade wasn't this Sunday! We have what Son calls "a crap-ton more snow" today. It's wet, sticky snow. It looks as though my backyard has been flocked. I can't imagine the Irish dancers trudging through this, or people lining up along the mile-long route in this. It's beautiful from inside, but marching through it, yeah, no thanks. What's the weather like where you are? Thanks for reading, I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing young artist a couple of years ago. She's already met with great success, and deservedly so. If I remember correctly, Beth Nybeck is from Iowa, but fell in love with Kansas City (as I did). She's been commissioned to work all over the country. The little bear cub that she's currently working on is part of "a family of bears for a park in Palo Alto, California. The family is much like my own, three cubs and a mama…the first cub is complete." She's got a wonderful fluid style and I always look forward to seeing what she has cooking next. Thanks for reading, Cami =) After seeing Aaron Draplin speak this morning, I am reminded again of just what makes him so awesome. Besides his hugs. It's because he does Aaron Draplin perfectly. There is no one else—and I mean NO ONE—who could pull off being Aaron. He's a self-proclaimed large man telling tall tales. He admits to crying when stuff blows his mind. He collects stuff others might not consider worthy of looking at twice. He tells his audiences boldly what he loves and what he hates. The best thing of all is that he is completely authentic—100% with no holds barred. I just love being around people like Aaron, who know who they are and unabashedly share themselves.
A little Cami background: Growing up, I was the nerd's nerd—the gawky kid who everyone picked on, even the nerds. It took a while for me to get through that; I don't know that I'll ever be over it. I've learned so much from it; it's part of what defines me. And I've been on this planet long enough now to know who I am and what I want from life. And to know when someone is not being authentic or trying to bullshit me. So when you're selling your design to your client, when you're selling me a recycling bin at my front door (happened yesterday), I can smell your line a mile away. It's MUCH more effective when you drop the bull, abandon your "line" and just talk. What's your story? What's your motive? What is it that you really want? Who are you, really? You're the only one who's gone through the things you have. You're the only one who'd process the information the way you do. You're the only one who will react exactly the way you do. You have something unique to bring to this world. But if you're too busy trying to be like someone else, or copying someone else's style, you'll come across as a cheap imitation, no matter how good you are at it. Stop trying to get people to like you (or what you create), you're just wasting your time. And mine. Just be yourself, damn it—you're the one worth knowing. Thanks for reading! Cami =) My HOWie pal Aaron Draplin (of Draplin Design and Field Notes) will be in town today. He's giving a talk at Screenland; here's the details. Michael Gaughan did the artwork here. kudos to him for capturing Aaron. A couple of years ago, Aaron came to Kansas City to judge a design competition, along with Connie Birdsall, and a guy whose name temporarily escapes me; I was their transportation. They uncomplainingly put up with my POS 1997 Toyota Camry. When I finally traded it shortly after being their taxi, it had 258,000 miles on it. But that's another story. Back to Aaron. His talk was Tall Tales from a Large Man, I think. A great talk that showcased not only his talent, but his humbleness. So often, that humbleness just isn't there—speakers believe the pedestal they're standing on. But not Aaron. When you speak to him, that's really HIM. Great guy; great talks. I also caught a ballgame with him and a slew of other HOWies in Boston during last year's HOW Conference. Hot as blazes, but fun as hell. I'm going to see Aaron, not only because he's a peach, but because if I were coming halfway across the country, I'd want all the other HOWies in the area to make the short drive to come say hello to me. And give me a hug. Hugs are awesome. So, I'm off! Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading, Cami =) Hi, my name is Cami, and I'm a Boggle addict. I think it's become a problem. But not the problem you might think. The problem is finding someone to play Boggle with me! Darling Husband grudgingly agreed to play a few games with me tonight. (I think it's because he has a fever; he's not right in the head.) I won. Again. Husband can only take so much abuse; he's downstairs with Son now. And I sit and stare at the little letter dice and try to find more words. I can't help it. It's so fun noodling letters out of the chaos. I've tried playing with Kiddos by giving them all the three-letter words. They don't play with me anymore either. Husband's pal and all around good guy Barry has been the one opponent who has really given me a run for my money, and I can't wait to play him again. That's my exciting Friday night. What's your's like? Thanks for reading, Cami =) When you're not eyeballs-deep in a project, or in the flow of a present activity, do you replay old arguments and conversations in your head? According to Marcia Reynolds in this Psychology Today article, your brain is wired to "scan, register, store and recall unpleasant more than positive experiences." She goes on to say that "stress from memories and worries is just as toxic to your body as if the experiences were happening in the moment," and the "thought of a stressful event has the same detrimental effect on the body as the original occurrence." That explains some people I know whose physical health is a direct reflection of their mental health. I happen to know they are either worriers, or are replaying the past. Ms. Reynolds has this advice for how you can change your internal dialogue for the better. TIP #1: Breathe. No brainer, I know. But taking a minute a few times a day to notice, and then focus on, your breathing is one of meditation's tricks to helping a slew of biological functions. TIP #2: Identify what your brain is saying to you. How is this done? You "have a conversation with your brain when the past events or worries show up." What could have been done differently in that past situation? Write that down and consider it done. It's your brain's job to try to protect you from future events. So if it's worry that's choking you, thank your brain, and concentrate on thoughts that are more productive. TIP #3: Choose your emotions. I could not agree more! Although it may not seem like it at times, YOU are in charge of your emotions, NOT visa versa. "You are much more creative, productive and fun to be with when you feel happy, amused, grateful, proud, and enthusiastic about the future. Notice what you are feeling and then choose how you want to feel instead. Your thoughts are likely to change as well." TIP#4: Forgive yourself for being human. Ever beat yourself up with that past event? It's part of being human. But you must forgive yourself for your imperfections—if you were perfect, you'd be a robot! You're not, so forgive and, by all means, forget about it. If you can laugh about it, even better. You can improve your health by consciously reducing stressors you can control—like what your brain is replaying or worrying about. Just for today, try these four steps, and let me know how it goes? And a blue bucket of good juju to you in the meantime. Thanks for reading! Cami =) 90
|
Cami Travis-GrovesGood juju-spreader, speaker, graphic designer. I'd love to hear from you! Archives
June 2014
|