Will Pitt in Bloomington, IN. Monday, Nov. 17th

[RainDog]

anyone in the surrounding area...make plans now to join us in Bloomington!

here's a link with information.

http://www.bpac.info/Pitt/WRP.html

anyone who wants to make an event of it...we could have a DU get together on Sunday, and you could have a day to enjoy Bloomington, a "tree city" of America.

The IU campus, where Will is scheduled to speak, is considered one of the most beautiful in America, according to those college guide thingies.

There is also an area of undisturbed woods across from the anthropology dept, you can look at weird animals in glass jars in the biology bldg atrium, the IU art museum has a Picasso, Stuart Davis, and much more, the Mathers museum is for anthropology, Bloomington's Upland Brew Pub makes local beer, and Oliver winery has its own wines, as well as beautiful limestone boulders, a garden, and grounds leading to a lake...though it's getting a little cold...

There's a great used bookstore, two independents, and a comic book store on an old-fashioned town square, restaurants owned and run by the Dali Lama's family, plus Ethiopian, Moroccan, Thai, a little cafe run by a French husband and wife, local whole foods places...

don't you wanna take a mini-vacation? :)

[Jokerman]

1. You left out the Bluebird & the Runcible Spoon

I may be showing my age as I don't even know if those places still exist.

I plan to be there to hear Will speak, hopefully we can get several DUers from central Indiana to show.

[RainDog]

3. Yes, both The Bluebird and The Runcible Spoon still exist

so does Nick's English Hut, The Irish Lion, and Bloomingfoods.

I like to get my coffee from Soma, rather than the Spoon because Soma has a great bathroom...mannequin legs and a movie poster of marilyn and rosalind and a mandala and crown behind the "throne"

The Spoon does have a great mosiac tile on the floor of their bathroom, though.

[prolesunited]

2. I have to work Monday

so I wouldn't be able to stick around but if you plan something for Sunday, starting not too early or not too late, I definitely would drive down. It's about 180 miles each way, so it's about a 2.5 hour drive. Let me know. :hi:

[RainDog]

4. okay

did I read you were having health probs? Hope all is well.

you'll have to find a time to visit when you can actually enjoy being here, though.

you should come down for a Lotus Fest (in Sept.) That's a really great time, if you like world music.

[Nlighten1]

22. Where do you live Proles?

I'm driving down from South Bend.

[Blue-Jay]

5. hmmm. That's only about a 3 hour drive IIRC..

I'll make arrangements if Will lets me buy him a beer afterward.

Ohio DUers: PM me, and maybe we can carpool if you're interested.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. Oh trust me..whether he lets you buy him a beer is the LAST thing to worry

about :D

[Blue-Jay]

6. Kick for Ohio Duers that want to go see Will.

I have room for three, as long as the short people sit in the back.

[RainDog]

7. that would be great! Louisville is close, too

It's two hours from Cinncinatti, seems I remember from a visit to a Reds game.

That's taking the highways, not the interstate, through Indiana.

We have lots of good places to get a beer here. :)

[prolesunited]

8. So, is anybody else

going to this?

[bloom]

9. I'm going

I could drive over on Sunday, also - if people want to get together somewhere.

[prolesunited]

10. I would be interested

Let me know

[Blue-Jay]

11. I'm in!

If anyone close wants to organize a little get-together, PM me the details. Should be fun.

[prolesunited]

12. I PMed salin

since she's the one in charge. I haven't heard back. She must be really busy or traveling. I'm sure we'll hear something soon.

[salin]

15. oops

oops

[bloom]

13. ****** OK - I talked with Salin and we made plans.... *******

I'll PM them to everyone on this thread. Let me know if you want to get together Sunday and/or Monday.

[salin]

14. Sorry I am very crazy on about three different fronts.

Will is in the middle of a trip with multiple stops - so I am leery of scheduling things (without his input) for both nights. I suggest we consider the two options and look at one or the (Sunday or Monday). The last thing we want to do is make him think that hoosier hospitality = total exhaustion.

Bloom (yea!) is going to take on the DU side - as I am sort of tapped out, and will be in and out of town (Indy, Chicago and then Lafeyette) in the next week.

[salin]

16. Then again...

A heads up - from the main attraction - who claims that DU visits are primo. So if folks are up for both as opposed to either or... Go For It!

Bloom :D Good work for getting this going!

[prolesunited]

18. Just a friendly

:kick:

[RainDog]

19. Soooo, who's gonna be here?

Salin
Bloom
Proles
Blue
me

Anyone else planning to make the trip?

pm Bloom for her plans.

Blue and Proles, when do you all plan to arrive?

[Don Claybrook]

20. I'll be there

But I'm not certain whether I'll be able to be at any before- or after-parties, as I need to find babysitting for 3 kids.

[RainDog]

24. babysitters...

do you know people in town yet? I'm past the babysitter phase, but maybe I could see if any neighbor kids babysit.

btw, I tried to send you an email after the DC march but your inbox was full...but I was thinking that I might have met you in another situation...or maybe not.

were you doing songwriting in CA? and are you now writing something about documentaries?

[Don Claybrook]

26. You must be thinking of someone else

I don't think we've met before, I don't write songs, and I'm not involved with documentaries. I wish my resume included such things. :)

Sorry about the full inbox. I've remedied the problem since then.

Also, I can't PM you. I've chosen a new username and I apparently don't yet have enough posts to send PM's. In any case, if someone would let me know where/when folks are meeting up, I'd like to try to be there. If not at the pre- or post-get-together, I'll at the very least be at the event itself.

Thanks.

[prolesunited]

31. Who did you

used to be or is it a secret?

[Don Claybrook]

34. Not a secret

My username was 'DisgustipatedinCA'. I'm no longer in California, and I grew tired of the name about 2 days after I selected it. Then I held on to it for about 2 years. Since I've moved, I thought it was time for a clean break.

[RainDog]

39. Headcount

Bloom
Salin
Don
Proles
Blue Jay
Nlighten
RainDog

plus a whole bunch of people in Bloomington, from students to retirees.

This has been a melancholy sort of week here. Frank McCloskey, who was not only the first "modern" mayor of Bloomington, but also a statesman who worked to stop the genocide in Bosnia, finally left his body in this world after living with cancer over a course of time.

Frank was one of a kind. He made it impossible to be cynical about all politicians, because he was one. He never put on "airs" or needed to travel with an armada because he was of, for, and by the people.

Yesterday Bloomington remembered him with pictures, Irish music, Bosnian music, farmer music, and praises from people across the world.

In this same week, a local man who did much to support local musicans, who booked national acts for Bloomington, who was a wonderful resource for those in the college of musical knowledge, who had the coolest record store in town suddenly died from complications associated with a one-month-ago diagnosis of cancer.

His name was Tom.

To get to his record store, the easiest way was to walk through Soma coffee shop. Both were located in an old limestone mansion turned shops.

Soma, and thus Tom, has the best bathroom in Bloomington. It's worth a visit just to take your picture on the throne...as was done for a record cover whose picture is in the bathroom. There's also an old console tv turned aquarium in the coffee shop, plus a velvet Elvis on the wall.

Tom's place was a mess. He had stacks of cds in cases, milk cartons full of LPs, old posters for local events...I wonder if he ever threw anything away.

There are a series of events scheduled around town to help pay for Tom's medical expenses. If you're in Bloomington, stop into Soma and get a cup of coffee and stick a few dollars into the jar on the counter to help his family pay his medical expenses.

Last night was one such event. Local businesses donated prizes for raffles (including a guitar from Roadworthy), local musicians played Beatles covers, and the place was packed with people of all ages.

How wonderful to have made such a positive impact on people's lives by doing the thing you love and passing on that love to others.

That's what both Frank and Tom did.

They inspire me to try to do just a little bit of the same.

[RainDog]

33. I can't contact you, either

because you can't get personal emails yet and I lost your other email because my computer crashed last weekend.

I'm going to Frank McCloskey's memorial today, and the fundraiser to pay for Tom's medical bills (a long-time B-tonian who had an indy record store who just died of cancer...very suddenly.

Can you activate your old email address on here for a bit?

I'll be gone most of today, but Bloom or someone else can give you the directions, etc. in your old mailbox.

Or if you have my email, send me a message and I'll send you info that way.

[Don Claybrook]

35. I sent you an email

I replied to the message you had sent to me a couple of weeks back.

Thanks.

[Nlighten1]

21. Count me in.

See you guys next Monday.

[Nlighten1]

23. So what is the deal? Is it a Sunday meeting?

Or Monday?

[RainDog]

25. check your DU mail

I forwarded Bloom's plans.

For anyone who's here on Sunday, there's a get-together for DU-ers...I'm not sure about Will's schedule in all this cause he has other commitments.

The talk is on early Monday eve.

[Nlighten1]

27. Can we get a head count???

Who all is going?

[prolesunited]

28. Me!

Staying Sunday and Monday.

[Nlighten1]

29. I'm staying Sunday too

Where are you staying? Hotel? or local?

[prolesunited]

30. The RainDog Ranch

:-)

[Blue-Jay]

32. I'll be there sometime Sunday afternoon

Looking forward to getting away from work for a couple of days.

[prolesunited]

36. Cool!

Did you get the itinerary from bloom? What are your plans for Monday afternoon?

[bloom]

37. RE: the Update

For the Sunday event - I'll have the hostess know - I'll have the table in Will Pitt's name and maybe have a sign, too.


For Monday - Look for a sign on the table.

[prolesunited]

38. Thanks for taking care of all of this, bloom

Looking forward to meeting everyone. :hi:

[Don Claybrook]

40. Just Returned from the William Rivers Pitt Speech

First, to all of those DU’ers who were there, I’m very sorry I didn’t get to meet any of you. Babysitting constraints were such that we had to show up right at the starting time and slip out the door again at the conclusion of the last question. In hindsight, I should’ve asked what people were wearing, or where they’d be sitting, or some other clue as to the identity of the other DU’ers in the room. In any case, my wife and I were lucky enough to meet Will—he was stepping out for a moment just as we walked in. I’d like to get the chance to meet all of you whenever there’s another get-together of whatever sort. And special thanks to Rain Dog for keeping me informed on all of the particulars for the event. I appreciate it.

The speech itself was wonderful. I thought he did a great job speaking to an audience that I would guess was comprised of a pretty even mix of Greens and more mainline Democrats. The speech almost felt like a compilation of the best of LBN and GD (not the flame war stuff, mind you). The audience was responsive--Will Pitt had a way of pulling the audience into the cadence and rhythm of his speech.

Again, my big regret was not getting to meet people—Democratic Underground members and other community activists. The room was packed with people I’d like to get involved with in one way or another. Bloomington seems to have a very active progressive community, and I’d like to get ingrained into some of those processes.

I have some during-speech pictures, if anyone would like them emailed. I just need to do a little post-processing, and hopefully a few turned out OK in the relatively low-light conditions.

Thanks,

Don Claybrook
(nee DisgustipatedinCA)

[RainDog]

41. I'm sorry we missed you

Because it was so much fun to meet other DU-ers.

I thought Will's talk was terrific, and agree that it was a good thing to see factions coming together.

I saw city council members there, computer science profs, other profs, the "usual suspect" activists, and a good mix- from plenty of students to senior citizens.

I would love to see your pictures. Maybe Proles will be able to post some pix from the Sunday night meet up.

I made everyone join me in the bathroom that night, too. (And whose legs were those, Nlighten1?????)

:)

[salin]

42. Sorry we missed you, Don

send a note to Prolesunited about the pics - I think that when she has time she may be putting some pictures together - and yours from the talk would fit right in.

Wasn't there great age diversity in the audience? Often things tend to be younger, or older - this had both and lots inbetween.

Thought of starting a thread: "Will Pitt Indoctrinates Babies!" As there were a few "under 2" in the audience.

[bloom]

43. If you were there in time for the introduction...

That was given by Salin.

And a good introduction it was. :)


It was great to hear Will's speech. And great to see many in the community come out for the event. Standing room only! :bounce: