Nothing like short notice, but I just recieved this email and wanted to pass it along to anyone who falls into the “Artist, Designer, Architect and Other Creative Professional” category.

Looks like an interesting book!

Booth-Clibborn Editions and the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture (MPAC)
have announced a Call for Artists, Designers, Architects and other creative
professionals working in metropolitan Phoenix for possible inclusion in a new
publication, “Phoenix: 21st Century City”.

This is the fourth book in a series published by Booth-Clibborn Editions on
metropolises that are emerging creatively. The first was Berliner Style (2003),
followed by Brooklyn: New Style (2004), and Moscow Style (2005). “Phoenix: 21st
Century City” is scheduled to appear in Fall 2006.

The Phoenix metropolitan area has seen a flourishing of expressive arts of all
kinds along with concurrent transformations in urban form and lifestyle.
“Phoenix: 21st Century City” captures this historic moment as the Phoenix region
evolves into a vibrant world-class metropolis with unique character. This book
will highlight outstanding examples of painting, sculpture, architecture, urban
design, fashion design, product and graphic design, and public art. Photographic
and written essays will portray the larger context in which this artistic
production is emerging.

Eligibility: Open to individuals and their collaborators residing in the Phoenix
metropolitan area (Maricopa County). There is no submission fee.

Submission date: December 21, 2005.

For additional information and application requirements, please visit the
Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture website at:

http://www.mpacarts.org/

Please forward this email to others who may be interested in this opportunity.

Thanks!

Roosevelt Row

I complained about Sky Harbor’s lack of wireless internet in a previous post on this blog. But I take back my complaint because not only is wireless internet access available at Sky Harbor starting this morning, but it’s also free! There are only a handful of airports around the country that offer free access, so this is pretty significant. Here’s a link to the story on AZ Central.

I ditched my PDA in 2003 in favor of a cellphone, both in my pocket was just too much. Yes I held out until 2003 to get a cellphone. Recently however, I’ve found a nice little PDA replacement that’s no thicker than a credit card and costs only 0.02 cents. It’s an interesting (and refreshing) meld of old and new technology. http://www.pocketmod.com is a little Flash based web app that allows you to print a foldable 8 page booklet on a single 8.5×11 sheet of paper. You can make a blank one or choose from many page templates available on the site which you can then print, fold and of course use. It fits nicely in a wallet and due to it’s folded design has little pockets in which you can store business cards, receipts, etc.

There is an interesting article in today’s Arizona Republic about “Cyber High,” the new high school in downtown Phoenix that is set to open next month. Cyber High will focus on giving high school students specialized technological training, in addition to the standard high school curriculum.

The only problem is that no one has registered! Maybe I haven’t been paying close enough attention, but this is the first time I’ve heard of it myself. Perhaps they need a better marketing plan, because it seems like this would be an easy thing to recruit for given how many tech-savvy high school students there are these days.

Given all the concerns about the United States falling behind in our education standards compared to other countries, the concept for this kind of specialized high school is really intriguing and seems like it could be a model for other areas of interest that would better prepare students for our ever evolving global economy. This is especially important for Arizona since our state often ranks low against other states in terms of education standards.

So hopefully initiatives like Cyber High will put Arizona on a track to being a national leader in the effort to better prepare students for life. Good luck Cyber High!

Am I the only one who is a little disturbed by the article “Scottsdale basks in afterglow of tryst with Jen ‘n’ Vince” in today’s Arizona Republic?

In full disclosure…I subscribe to People magazine. I admit to liking a weekly dose of mindless celebrity gossip as much as the next person. And as someone who works in the PR industry, I usually agree with the theory that there is no such thing as bad PR. I’m not at all saying that Jen and Vince’s visit to Scottsdale wasn’t good PR for Scottsdale on some relatively insignificant level. But the following line from the article is probably the one that disturbs me the most:

“Laura McMurchie, vice president of communications for the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the attention Scottsdale receives in connection with celebrity visitors helps overcome the stigma of being focused on baby boomers.”

Stigma of being focused on baby boomers? Since when is it more desirable for a city to be known as a party town for celebrities than a business and family friendly environment???

Time for a reality check!

I’ll be spending Christmas and New Year’s in snowy historic Gallup, New Mexico with my mother. It’s quite nice to get away from the city once in a while, but there’s nothing to do in Gallup. At least it’s during the holiday season so I can’t really complain.

I love our governor, Janet Napolitano. She’s great and I’m reminded of it every month when she does an hour long, live, call in show on “Here & Now” with Terry Ward on NPR (91.5 KJZZ). She’s cool.

When she took office in 2003, Arizona had a one BILLION dollar deficit. We now have a $750 million surplus! That’s awesome. There’s so much to it, and I don’t want to go into the whole thing. But that’s darn cool!

And, there’s the little matter of her being chosen as one of the top 5 governors in the US by Time. Minor, huh?

So, in any case, if you’re registered to vote, I challenge you to vote in ALL elections in 2006. If you’re not registered to vote, I challenge you to register and VOTE in your first election in Arizona!

One of my favorite places to eat lunch during the work week in winter is The Monastery. There are a couple locations around the Valley. If you’ve never been to The Monastery, you might be confused as to why I would want to eat lunch with monks. But the only monks you’ll see at this Monastery are the bartenders dressed in brown robes. The Monastery is basically a bar with outdoor grills where you cook your own hamburgers, chicken and sausages (which you purchase at the bar). The bar only serves wine and beer – no hard liquor. And if you want a little exercise after your meal, there are sand volleyball courts. There is no better place to be in winter than Phoenix, which is why it sucks to have to be stuck inside working 5 days of the week. The Monastery is a nice retreat for getting away from the office at lunch time and enjoying some warm Arizona sun while you grill and hang out with friends.

Soul food:

LoLo’s Chicken and Waffles:
10 West Yuma Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003

Here’s a good review:
LoLo’s Chicken and Waffles

Spotted a Smart car today at the 99 Ranch Market in Phoenix. It sported Quebec plates (Canadians are so lucky). I do not know when these two seaters will be available in the states but their website is up.

http://www.usa.smart.com