Village Green/Town²

Just a thought before closing out 2011--some of you may remember that I won an I-Pad in an online contest from the generous folks at Patch at the beginning of this year.  It has certainly transformed my life.  I use it in my teaching, at Village Board Meetings, for blogging, and when I happen to be having dinner alone at The Second Chance.  But the most unexpected change in my life has come from apps.  Yes, the game sort of app.  I never thought I would be sucked in.  Famous last words. Recently my husband suggested a cute little holiday app called "Santa's Village."  It is rather like "We Rule", in that you are forever building things and making things and so on.  But somehow this little thing has taken over my life.  It takes a very specific amount of time to make each kind of toy, and if you don't come back in time to collect it, these annoying little purple things, called Grumpkins, come in and destroy them.  And then ...

The Party's Over, it's time to call it a day. They've burst your pretty balloon and taken the moon away.  What if you had a party and nobody came?  How would you feel?  How would you respond? Consider the ongoing party in Columbia that we call CA Aquatics: In looking at traditionally underused pools in Columbia, a member of the CA Aquatics Staff suggested that the culture of certain 'populations' didn't promote swimming.  In other words, lack of pool use stems from lack of interest. Really?  Isn't this like saying to the starving French peasants that their predicament is caused by a lack of interest in cake? It's time to wind up the masquerade. Just make your mind up the piper must be paid. What if you had a party and nobody came because they didn't know they were invited? The CA experience, the way that Columbia "was meant to be" is unknown and largely irrelevant to many of our residents. Institutions like this just can...

Who is the "Face of CA" to you? Is it visionary James Rouse, or current President Phil Nelson? Is it the CA Board, your own Village Board, or Village Manager? Is it the staff you see at your local CA facilities? Is it the folks who make The Festival of the Arts happen, or the childcare staff at school? The People Tree is a powerful icon, but it is merely a symbol. Who, in your mind, is the living, breathing Face of CA? The Columbia Association is going through a process of rebranding itself. Choosing from a collection of twelve well-known archetypes, CA sees itself as Caregiver, Jester, Sage, EveryPerson. What do you think? I am neither an expert in archetypes or rebranding, so I invite you to stay engaged with the process and learn more for yourself. I raise this issue now because the "Ignite" event last week made me realize that I am experiencing a loss of faith, or "Face", if you will, as regards the Columbia Association. Don't misunderstand me...

This week I attended a Columbia Association event at the beautifully appointed Claret Hall in River Hill.  We were there to be "ignited", or inspired, I suppose, about what is going on as CA looks at re-branding itself and becoming more relevant to younger residents. A panel discussion, moderated by Brian Dunn, focused on engaging Columbia's younger generation and involving them in community affairs.  The participants each had a valuable perspective to bring to the conversation.  But there was just one problem--why wasn't I on the panel?  I'm a parent of a young(ish) child, I live in a starter home, I serve on a village board, I blog about community events.  What's not to like? Oh, yeah, Duh.  I'm not young. This second marriage, second child, second career, second chance at a happy life thing means I am always coming late to this party. Darn.  I am forced to click "Boomer" in the live polling, which galls me. Not because I disl...