CROP Hunger Walk 2010... FInal Details

CROP Hunger Walk 2010 in Lincoln Park was great fun. As I announced in 2010 CROP Walk: Will You Join Us on 10/24?, it took place on October 24th which wound up being a magnificent and balmy [almost hot :-)] Sunday.

According to Mary Ellen O'Connor Shyne, this year's CROP Hunger Walk was a major success.  Here is the writeup from the Our Lady of the Magnificat church bulletin:

"This year's CROP Walk was a big success thanks to everyone who walked, sponsored walkers, made donations, and helped out with all of the details. Also, this year there was a great turnout of Kinnelon youth.

We raised over $2,200 which shows again how much OLM cares.

Thank you!"

I thought you might enjoy the trail map I created of the 2010 Lincoln Park CROP Hunger Walk complete with spooky Halloween photos...

CROP Hunger Walk 2010, Lincoln Park NJ

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in New Jersey

Special thanks to Liz Holste who walked with Emma and me.

Happy Halloween!

Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction: Bids Nov 1 to 18, 2010

Starting Monday, November 1, 2010, the long-awaited Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction bidding begins! It lasts until November 18th.  Don't miss it!

The Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction takes place every other year at the Kinnelon Library - which means the last one took place in 2008 - and features the works of talented local artists who donate their works to benefit the Kinnelon Library.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library and completely organized and brought to life by the Kinnelon Center for Lifelong Learning [CLL] and the Art Committee.

For the record, 90% of the artists who donate works for the Kinnelon Silent Auction actively participate in CLL oil painting and watercolor courses.

Here's how the Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction works.

1. Review the artwork on display from November 1st through 18th at the Kinnelon Library during Library hours.

2. Place a bid on the artwork that inspires. Obtain a bidding instruction sheet and bid number from from the Library Circulation Desk or the Library Volunteer Office. Use the bid number to enter your bid.

3. Periodically monitor in case someone else has upped your ante. Rebid until 8pm on November 18th.

4. Be on pins and needles until the reception and auction results are announced on Thursday November 18th.

5. Return home victorious with your unique Kinnelon work[s] of art!

Now, it seems you don't have to be present to win. That's dangerous. Someone else might easily make your bid irrelevant....

Ron Leavesley tells me that over 60 paintings - oil, watercolors and sketches - will be on display starting Monday, November 1st.

Talk about a wonderful way to bring the Kinnelon community together to experience Kinnelon artwork and get to know our Kinnelon artists while benefiting our Library at the same time!

Will you let me know which works inspire you?

Happy Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction Bidding!

Toilets! Unplugged! Not exactly like Eric Clapton Unplugged ...

We all do it!

Are you the Secret Toilet Plugger?

No?

So you say!

In keeping with Christine's Bathroom Blogfest post earlier this week on Best Bathrooms in New Jersey, I am helping to make sure that we locally do not have the Worst Bathrooms in New Jersey ... and one particular issue is ... plugs.

Anyway, with the move to low flow and lower flow toilets comes a corresponding problem -- more plugged toilets.

We happen  to be blessed with low flow 1.6 gal. toilets in our house which go on strike if they don't like the way you look at them. Oh, it's true, it takes some toilet paper and, well, other stuff, but even after having learned over the years how to accommodate the commode, there are still plugs and jams, many of them mysteriously unclaimed by their author, not that we're blaming here, and which are only discovered after the fact.

A pleasure, to be sure.

We also happen to be blessed with among the least successful designs in low flow toilet history, according to our plumber, Jim at Barrett Plumbing in Bloomingdale, NJ, whom we highly recommend by the way, which is the Kohler Memoirs model, which we don't.  Be that as it may, we are in the unplugging toilets business with a frequency unmatched at our previous homes.

Just had to add this image! Is he happy or aggressive?

An unplugged toilet is a happy toilet.

Happily for us, if there is any happiness to be had, these plugs are fairly easy to clear with a plumber's helper or plunger, so although we are often busy unplugging, we are also quickly triumphant. We win.

But what if you don't, and you aren't.

In honor of Bathroom Blogfest, we have gathered together some advice from the heavy hitters or maybe, pro plungers out there.

What is that you say? You know how to unplug a toilet? Well, maybe you do ...  but this has been entertaining so far, hasn't it? And maybe you'll learn something ... no promises ...

Before you start you may want to don rubber gloves (I usually don't, but I might if it seemed like serious challenge); you might want to turn off the water before it leaps out of the bowl after you, and don't flush again -- you know why.

2 styles of plungers

According to a number of sources the number 1 method of unplugging a stopped up toilet is with a Plumber's Helper, 2 of which you can see in the photo above. The one on the right is preferred, since its design provides a better seal to the bowl and thus pushes more water against the clog to dislodge it.

Number 2 (no pun intended) is warm, soapy water in the bowl which provides lubrication, and then you plunge as per the paragraph above. Never use boiling water -- you might crack the bowl -- boy talk about going from bad to worse.

You can try a coat hanger, twisted to narrow it, with the sharp edge bent inward so as to avoid scratching the bowl and then pushed and/or pulled through the clog, and that's our #3.

Some recommend a mixture of bleach and powdered soap, the chemical reaction of which is said to break down the clog. #4.

For #5 we have, believe it or not, a liter or 2 of Coca Cola in the bowl and a 30 minute wait. No diet soda. Hey! It's better than drinking the stuff! Doesn't work on paper, just the other ...

Number 6 is the Snake -- hardware stores have them -- maybe you do, too! -- and you need to be careful and use it gently.

Then #7 is the Plumber himself, who will probably use #6, #1 and perhaps another above.

I have left out some possibilities which I didn't care for from online recommendations, but ...

You can check out WikiHow on the subject of unclogging toilets -- they are very thorough and even have a video!

Plus, if you know something we don't, let us know! I particularly like the Coke in the toilet solution -- I mean if I had Coke and a clog, I know what I'd do ... too cool.

OK, that's it.

Remember to be careful what you put in that thing!

What are you lookin' at???

Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2010!

~Ted

Photo Credit:
1st cartoon c/o www.rusticgirls.com
toilet face photo c/o  picturesdepot.com and photoshop, I think
plungers photo c/o many websites
young person at ease in the commode c/o -- I don't know where I got it

New Jersey's Best Bathrooms: Bathroom Blogfest 2010

In honor of Bathroom Blogfest 2010, I'd like to share with you vital information about New Jersey's Best Bathrooms - and New York City, too, for good measure.

I've been involved in the Bathroom Blogfest since 2006 [here are wrapups for 2007 and 2008] to such a point that I am now the Chief Organizer and Inspiration Officer...  It's an annual event that takes place the last week in October and involves bloggers from around the world - more specifically from the U.S., Canada, the UK and India. Each of us will address bathrooms and this year's Mad Men inspired theme “Stuck in the 60s?” from the perspective our blog focuses on.  Hence my focus on New Jersey's Best Bathrooms and more specifically an article titled Inside Jersey's Best of NJ: The best public bathrooms by Greg Saitz.

[Here is the link to the official Bathroom Blogfest 2010 press release. This year 33 bloggers - including Ted and me - ranging in expertise from marketing, customer experience and service, public relations, library sciences, museums, home & interior design, life, to retail, flooring and healthcare IT/RTLS will call attention to improving the overall bathroom experience for end users via their 40 blogs.  Blogs and bloggers are listed below. Here, too, is a link to my article in UX Magazine titled UX, Bathrooms, and Mad Men.]

What I love about Greg's article is that he contacted me in November 2009 - as a result of BathroomBlogfest.com - to ask me questions about New Jersey Bathrooms. In his email, he said: "In the past couple of months, I've been to restaurants/hotels/retail establishments/etc where it seems the bathrooms are an after thought or not thought part of the equation. I saw on your blog you've written about the importance of not neglecting the restrooms as part of the overall customer experience. Can you expand on that whole idea and what your experience has been in public places that have restrooms?"

I shared with him my post about my favorite NJ public bathroom of all time at the Garden State Mall courtesy of Charmin. Unfortunately, when he visited it, the magic was gone; it was back looking uninspired and "Stuck in the 60s".

However, Greg more than made up for this dud with 10 fascinating must-visit New Jersey public bathrooms, two of which are in our neck-of the-woods. Here is the list:

• Montville Inn, Montville, NJ
• Attilio's Tavern, Dover, NJ
• NJPAC, Newark, NJ
• Crystal Plaza, Livingston, NJ
• Caesar's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
• Birdsall Bath Design, North Plainfield, NJ
• Lord & Taylor, Bridgewater, NJ
• W. Hoboken, Hoboken, NJ
• Neiman Marcus, Paramus, NJ - note ratings are lousy, but at least you can see the location
• Ricky Boscarino Luna Parc, Montague, NJ - check out the virtual tour!

By the way, Greg makes an interesting observation in his article.  According to the American Restroom Association, New Jersey is one of two states "in the country following the National Standard Plumbing Code, rather than the more popular International Plumbing Code or Uniform Plumbing Code."  The implication: New Jersey restrooms aren't "always up to date." Fancy that!

Since New York City is just down the road from us, I thought I would share with you this New York Times article title Sunday in the Park, Feeling Nature's Call. The article refers to two indispensable resources: Sit or Squat with mobile options and nyrestroom.com. Finally, it includes perspective from Harvey Molotch editor of Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing (NYU Series in Social & Cultural Analysis). It also details some visit-worthy NYC park bathrooms.

I'd love to hear if you've visited any of the bathrooms listed in Greg Saitz' article on New Jersey's Best Bathrooms and how your experience compared. Same goes for the NYC Park facilities.

Meanwhile, for more on Bathroom Blogfest 2010 you can follow up on Twitter, like us on Facebook and visit BathroomBlogfest.com.

Here is the list of my fellow 2010 Bathroom Blogfesting Bloggers.

Blogger	Blog Name	Blog URL
Susan Abbott	Customer Experience Crossroads	Customer Experience Crossroads
Paul Anater	Kitchen and Residential Design	http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com
Shannon Bilby	Big Bob's Outlet	http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/
Shannon Bilby	Carpets N More Blog	http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/
Shannon Bilby	Dolphin Carpet Blog	http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/
Shannon Bilby	From The Floors Up	http://fromthefloorsup.com/
Shannon Bilby	My Big Bob's Blog	http://blog.mybigbobs.com/
Toby Bloomberg	Diva Marketing	http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com
Laurence Borel	Blog Till You Drop	http://www.laurenceborel.com/
Bill Buyok	Avente Tile Talk Blog	http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/
Jeanne Byington	The Importance of Earnest Service	http://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky Carroll	Customers Rock!	http://customersrock.net/
Marianna Chapman	Results Revolution	http://www.resultsrevolution.com
Katie Clark	Practial Katie	http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/
Nora DePalma	American Standard's Professor Toilet	http://www.professortoilet.com/
Nora DePalma	O'Reilly DePalma: The Blog	http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/
Leigh Durst	LivePath Experience Architect Weblog	http://livepath.blogspot.com/
Valerie Fritz	The AwarepointBlog	http://www.awarepointblog.com/
Iris Garrott	Checking In and Checking Out	http://circulating.wordpress.com/
Tish Grier	The Constant Observer	http://spap-oop.blogspot.com
Renee LeCroy	Your Fifth Wall	http://yourfifthwall.com/
Joseph Michelli	Dr. Joseph Michelli's Blog	www.josephmichelli.com/blog
Veronika Miller	Modenus Blog	http://www.modenus.com/blog
Arpi Nalbandian	TILE Magazine Editor Blog	TILE Magazine Editor Blog
Maria Palma	People 2 People Service	http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Reshma Bachwani Paritosh	The Qualitative Research Blog	The Qualitative Research Blog
David Polinchock	Polinchock's Ponderings	http://blog.polinchock.com/
Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond	Scarlet Opus Trends Blog	http://trendsblog.co.uk/
David Reich	My 2 Cents	http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Sandy Renshaw	Around Des Moines	http://www.arounddesmoines.com/
Sandy Renshaw	Purple Wren	http://www.purplewren.com/
Bethany Richmond	Carpet and Rug Institute Blog	http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/
Bruce Sanders	RIMtailing Blog	http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/
Steve Tokar	Please Be Seated	http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/
Carolyn Townes	Becoming a Woman of Purpose	http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Weaver	Experienceology	http://experienceology.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Flooring The Consumer	http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Simple Marketing Blog	http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/
Christine & Ted Whittemore	Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog	http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	The Carpetology Blog	http://carpetology.blogspot.com/
Linda Wright	LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms	http://lindaloo.com/

The Smoke Rise Tower Restoration

Several of you have inquired about the Smoke Rise Tower - most recently Jim Rohrer in Smoke Rise Memories. Last Sunday, Emma and I went to investigate - camera in hand.  We are here to confirm that the Tower is indeed surrounded with scaffolding as you can see from the photos and in the midst of restoration.

Coincidentally, the October 15, 2020 Smoke Rise Newsletter shared the following:

"Today the Tower belongs to us and once again is under construction.  The work on the Tower is to remedy the decaying concrete and metal work which has deteriorated over many years.  A new vertical staircase will replace the old structure.  Emergency Services antennae will be installed to service all First Responders and Smoke Rise Security."

The article nicely contrasts the current day restoration scaffolding with the scaffolding created when the Smoke Rise Tower was first being built in 1904 [see Tom Kline's post referenced below].

That then answers the question about the Tower.

By the way, Jim, I appreciate your mentioning it. We hadn't gone by the Smoke Rise Tower in a while so weren't aware that anything was going on.

Here are the photos we took from all angles of the Smoke Rise Tower.  We couldn't have picked a more picture-perfect afternoon to do so!

Smoke Rise Tower stonework with scaffolding

Marvelous scaffolding!

Notice Emma at the base.

What I particularly like about this photo of Emma is how it somewhat echoes the photo in Smoke Rise Tower with the young woman standing at the base.

Magnificent PuddingStone rock!

If you haven't already, definitely read Tom Kline's post about The Smoke Rise Tower on Kitty Ann Mountain.

Coping With Grief During The Holidays: Wayne Center for Emotional Health

Two Smoke Rise & Kinnelon neighbors - Randy Freeman, LCSW [Licensed Certified Social Worker] and Kathy Morelli, MS, LPC [Licensed Professional Counselor] - are holding a six-session group program at the Wayne Center for Emotional Health. It's titled "Coping with Grief During the Holidays: Facing Loss During the Season of “Joy” and starts Friday, November 5, 2010.

Randy and Kathy describe the program as follows:

A six session group program, Coping with Grief During the Holidays: Facing Loss During the Season of “Joy” will be starting on Friday, November 5, 2010 at 5:30 PM until 7 PM.

The program will be an interactive discussion group focusing on finding ways to survive the holidays during times of grief and loss. The holidays can often be difficult for people during this time. Others may not understand the intensity of their grief. If someone has a broken leg, people understand the limitations. But, often people cannot see another's broken heart and may not understand that person’s lack of desire to participate fully in holiday festivities.

For those who have a broken heart, just getting through the holidays can be very tough. This is a way to get through it with others who are experiencing similar difficulties and to find some understanding and tools to get by and cope with it all.

"Coping with Grief During the Holidays: Facing Loss During the Season of “Joy” takes place at the Wayne Center for Emotional Health located at 1581 Route 23 South in Wayne, New Jersey 07470 where Randy and Kathy have their offices.

The six-part session lasts from Fridays, November 5, 2010 – December 17, 2010 (no session November 26, Thanksgiving weekend) from 5:30 PM – 7 PM.

Cost: $10 for the first session, $100 for the additional five sessions payable at the first session.

Registration is required.  To register for the "Coping with Grief During the Holidays" program, contact either Randy or Kathy.  Their contact details are below.

I asked Kathy and Randy to share information about themselves.  I'll start with Randy - whom I know.

Randy, would you tell me about your background?

I've been working as a psychotherapist for 20 years. I work with individuals, couples and groups.

I have extensive post-graduate school training working with families and couples using a family system approach. I also have training on a deeper level working from a psychoanalytic approach with individuals and couples.

I do a lot of work with groups and have a deep understanding of the group process as well.

How long have you lived in Smoke Rise?

I've been living in Smoke Rise for about three years this time around.

I also lived here for about 8 years when my oldest son was in high school and my younger son was in middle school... that was about 16 years ago.  I guess I must have liked it, because I came back with my husband Ken.

What do you like most about living in this area?

We love being in the woods, close to nature, but not too fond of meeting coyotes or bears.  The neighbors are the best...always have a warm and welcoming feeling in this community.

What's the best way to reach you?

To register for the program, contact me at 973-449-3948 or via email at info@rfreemantherapy.com.  You can go to my website rfreemantherapy.com which provides more information about psychotherapy and my background.

Next, Kathy, whom I hope to meet in person soon!   Kathy, would you tell me about your background?

I specialize in the Emotions of Pregnancy and Birth and Couples Counseling. For thirteen years, I've worked with pregnant moms, helping them manage their feelings about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum depression, and their partner relationship. I take a family-centered focus, helping couples find their way as new parents and helping couples sort out feelings and practicalities about their relationship. My professional training and life experiences make me very familiar with the challenges women and their families face -- including how to stay true to yourself while being in relationship to others, in marriage, parenting and divorce situations.

I'm the author of BirthTouch®: Shiatsu & Acupressure Training for Birth Professionals, a stress reduction method for the childbearing year, which I teach twice a year. I've also developed Gentle Birthing Methods as an evidence-based way to manage emotions during pregnancy and birthing.

How long have you lived in Smoke Rise?

I've lived in Smoke Rise for nine years with my husband of 20 years and my16 year old son.

What do you like most about living in this area?

I love to hike and enjoy the beauty of the Eastern hardwood trees, especially in the fall, as well as the activities at the Smoke Rise beach.  Most of all, I love the wonderful, caring people I have met in Smoke Rise.
  
What's the best way to reach you?

To register for the program, contact me at 973-713-6412 or via email at kathy@kathymorelli.com. You can visit my website www.kathymorelli.com which provides more information about marriage and family counseling as well as my background.

[By the way, Kathy is author of the blog Motherhood, Marriage and Mental Health!]

Thank you Kathy and Randy for sharing this information. What a great resource you've put together for those coping with grief during the Holidays.

Please don't hesitate to contact Kathy or Randy with questions about "Coping with Grief during the Holidays" or the Wayne Center for Emotional Health. Feel free to share this information with others you know.

Jen Singer at Kinnelon Library 10/20/10 7pm

You're in for a treat! Kinnelon's Jen Singer [whom you may remember from Meet Smoke Rise Mom Blogger & Author Jen Singer, Kiss Cancer Goodbye with Jen Singer and Kinnelon Neighbors in the News] will be at the Kinnelon Library on 10/20/10 at 7pm for a presentation and book signing.

Here is the press release she forwarded to me with more details:

Kinnelon Author To Help Put The "Me" Back in "Mommy"

The Smoke Rise Mother's Group Opens Special Event to the Public

 Author/blogger and Kinnelon's own Jen Singer will present "Putting the "Me" Back in Mommy" at the Smoke Rise Mother's Group meeting at the Kinnelon Library on October 20th at 7 p.m. Singer will also sign copies of her books, "The Stop Second-Guessing Yourself" guides to parenting and "You're a Good Mom (and Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either)." The meeting is open to the public.

"It's going to be one of those nights where moms get together to laugh, cry and wonder what the heck that stuff is on their sleeves. Peanut butter? Maybe," says Jen Singer. "Bring your friends and get ready to giggle til you start to wonder where the Ladies' Room is."

The author of five books, Singer is among the original mom bloggers, launching MommaSaid.net, a Forbes Best of the Web, in 2003. For two years, she wrote the "Good Grief: A Tale of Two Tweens" blog for GoodHousekeeping.com. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including The Today Show, CBS The Early Show, The CBS Evening News and Good Day New York. She has served as a spokesperson for Pull-Ups, Coinstar, SC Johnson, Hershey/Kraft and Purina. A former Smoke Rise Mother's Group officer, Singer lives in Kinnelon with her husband the marathon runner and their two middle school-ages boys.

The event is free to anyone who would like to attend. Singer's books will be available at the event at a special Smoke Rise Mother's Group sale price of $12 each plus tax. Buy two or more at $10 per book plus tax.

Sounds like an amazing event guaranteed to turn you upside down and leave you with a new appreciation for life and parenthood.  Jen Singer's presentation takes place right here in Kinnelon at our Library, October 20, 2010, at 7pm! Will you be there?