Story 5.

   October 25, 2010

Megan Norenberg

H.M.S Pinafore Pitch

   With an exaggerated Captain, a daringly handsome sailor, and a “little” woman with a secret, The H.M.S. Pinafore is “exciting for everyone”, says the musical’s Style and Theme Director Blayne Lemke.

   On Monday Oct. 25, the Coon Rapids Campus held host to the preview pitch to this year’s musical, The H.M.S. Pinafore. The preview pitch incorporated thoughts on music, dance, costumes, set, and style. Each director expressed their hopes and dreams to the room filled with aspiring actors, dancers, and singers.

   The one thing that every director had in common was knowing the history behind the musical. The H.M.S. Pinafore takes place in Victorian era England where social class is a determining factor in everyday life. In the musical we find an audacious sailor who declares his love for the Captains daughter; a woman who is not in his social class. Despite their differences, the two plot to elope. When the not so “little” Buttercup reveals a life changing secret, their world is turned upside down. The once sailor is now a Captain and the Captain is now a sailor. “Buttercup is key to everything”, Lemke states.

   Along with knowing the style, Lemke says students should also pick up a copy of the book of Elocutions. This book is a guide to body language and correct enunciation. Lemke shares that, “this [book of elocutions] is a tool to specify physical action. It is education in learning historical acting styles as well as using what they have already learned.”

   This fast-paced show is not without its challenges though. The music book for the show is an inch and a half thick and must be memorized. There are also numerous dances that must be learned precisely. Choreographer Heidi Spesard-Noble noted that, “students should be in this whole –heartedly.”

   With Anoka-Ramsey putting more than $20,000 into the show, it is going to be “massive”, as Lemke says. Set designer Peter Lerhol has a vision that will be of mass proportions. He talked of countless boats and his view on the Pinafore its self was extraordinary. Also the costume department will be making their own military inspired costumes as well as renting. Both costume and set design departments are encouraging students to come in and lend a hand with production.

   If you are interested in auditioning for the H.M.S Pinafore, Auditions will be held November 15- 19 between 2 and 5 p.m. Directors are looking for students who can: memorize, speak clearly, prepare a musical selection, and have stage presence. As well as musical auditioning, there will be a dance audition as well. The cast will be posted on November 19. If you are a musician who would like to play in the pit orchestra, contact Musical Director Melissa Bergstrom. She is looking for a full symphony.

   Rehearsals for the cast will begin on November 22 generally between 2 and 5 p.m. starting January 31 however, rehearsals will be run in the evening between 6 and 9 p.m. “Do not miss a rehearsal. It will be very hard to catch up”, Spesard-Noble stressed.

   The H.M.S Pinafore will open on February 4, 2011 and will run through the 13 of February. “There are a lot of twists and turns”, Lemke tells, “it is something you don’t want to miss.”

Story 4.

October 14, 2010

Megan Norenberg

Patrick Lightheart

    

Imagine not being able to perform everyday tasks. No reading, writing, watching television, or even walking through a crowd of people. Would you have the determination to follow through with your dreams?

   Since the age of 20, Patrick Lightheart’s dream has been to go back to school. Recently he has enrolled in Anoka-Ramsey Community College to pursue degrees’ in environmental science and creative writing. This task is not without a challenge.

   Fourteen months ago, Patrick was diagnosed with what doctors thought were a series of mini-strokes. “It kept getting worse,” Patrick said, so he went back to the doctors. Finally, after 14 months, he got his diagnosis.

   Patrick was diagnosed with migraine-associated vestibulopathy. Migraine-associated vestibulopathy is a type of nerve damage in the inner ear. He describes his condition by saying, “The vestibular nerve damage causes one side of my brain to receive the information layered on top of the other side because of a 30 percent deficit due to a sinus infection that migrated into my inner ear causing the damage.”

   This disorder makes it difficult for Patrick to do tasks that used to take him minutes but this has not stopped him. Before he received his textbooks on disc, his wife would read to him four hours every night. “She knew it was my dream to do this and she never faltered,” Patrick said, “for this I will be forever grateful.”

   Other than listening to his textbooks on discs, Patrick uses a system called Dragon. Dragon is a natural speech software that allows him to type. Patrick states, “It’s been over a year since I have been able to type my own thoughts myself. I study from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. It is a relentless journey I am on.”

   Amongst his new condition and being a full-time student, Patrick still finds the time to be dedicated family man. He makes his kids lunch, gets them to school, studies all day, and still has dinner done by the time his wife gets home from work. Patrick doesn’t hang out with the boys, drink, or even watch sports on a Sunday afternoon. “My family is much more fun”, Patrick says.

   Whether he is studying, taking care of his family, or being a well-intentioned ass as his son would say, Patrick will keep fighting day to day to accomplish his dream.

                                                          XXX

interview

1. Have you ever heard about migraine-associated vestibulopathy?



I had no idea that such a thing existed. Apparently neither did the dozen or so doctors that I saw over the past year and a

half, or they just weren't trained to recognize it. It mostly afflicts women and very rarely do men get it. In the process

of being checked for Ménière's disease I met the one doctor that figured it out. I was very fortunate considering that there

are only two doctors that specialize in this in the state, one up here and one at the Mayo Clinic.



2. Other than not being able to read and write, how else has this disorder affected your life?



When I get up in the morning I may be able to read 1 to 5 pages and then it kicks in and that's when the day starts to get

hard. The vestibular nerve damage causes one side of the brain to receive the information layered on top of the other side

because of a 30% deficit due to a sinus infection that migrated through the porous cheekbone into my inner ear causing the

damage. Everything takes 2 to 3 times longer to do. Multitasking is extremely hard and for the most part I narrow my focus

to accomplish one task at a time. There's a thing called cognitive disturbance that goes along with this. It makes it hard

to retrieve newly learned information back out of my memory so I need to learn many things three or four times. Sometimes

I'll have all the pieces to the puzzle in front of me and it should take a matter of a few minutes to put it together, but I

miss that and it could take well over an hour or two to accomplish a simple task. There is also the emotional aspect of

this. It leaves you with a sense of loss and mourning for a piece of you that missing that you very well may never retrieve.

I find myself being very empathetic on a wider range of issues. There are days when I reminisce about the wonderful life

that I shared with my family and I can't stop the tears of joy that's what gets me through the day. Although I was relieved

when the doctor told me that this was just part of the process that people go through and have this.



3. How has your family handled it?



When it comes to my wife they don't come any better or any more dedicated. Before I had a diagnosis I could not get books on

disk that I could listen to on the computer or at least college textbooks. When I would run into a brick wall and couldn't

read anymore my wife would read to me for three or four hours every night, seven days a week. Fortunately I was aware of

speech recognition software programs and purchased one of those after I completed a full semester. Before that my wife would

type while I dictated. Needless to say there were a few stressful moments but nonetheless she knew it was my dream to do

this and she never faltered. For this I will be ever grateful.



4. What is a normal day for you?



Generally I get up before everybody else and take a shower around 5:30. I spent 45 min. to an hour trying to organize what I

am going to do for the day in efforts to keep me on track. Then I make the kids lunch and I'll get them out the door. Then

for the most part I just study all day. I would love to just watch a movie sometimes but the TV tends to make what I'm going

through worse. The kids get home around 2:30 and my wife around five-thirty. I usually study till they all get home. We then

sit down and have a home-cooked family meal every evening which I usually start 30 min. before the wife gets home. After the

dinner dishes are cleaned up I study until it's time for bed. You can well imagine that my days are very long. I study from

the time I get up to the time I go to bed, seven days a week. It is a relentless journey that I am on.





5. What part of environmental science interests you? Is that why you chose it?



Environmental science is something I've always been interested in. I spent a considerable amount of my youth camping in the

Rockies throughout Colorado and Montana. One of my favorite places is Glacier National Park. I actually liked it a lot

better 30 years ago when it was just an old gravel road that went up to it. I can also remember the headlines in the news

when the Cuyahoga River caught on fire in Ohio. I am not a sportsmen. I don’t hunt at all and fish very little. But some of

the most spiritual moments I've ever had in my life were when I was 20 miles away from civilization all by myself in the

mountains. I had a sense of feeling dwarfed by the natural splendor around me while all the time feeling one with my

surroundings.



6. Why creative writing? Have you always been a writer?



This aspect is an afterthought. For the most part the only writing that I have done in my life have been work orders or

proposals in the construction industry. What I thought was my weakness turned out to be one of my strengths. I guess you

never know until you try. Plus I can’t imagine having a better job than traveling around and writing about the natural

wonders in our country.



7. If I were to ask your friends and family to describe you in one word, what do you think they would say?

My oldest son would describe me as a well-intentioned ass. I think everybody else would just describe me as a dedicated

family man. I don't hang out with the boys and drink and never spend Sunday watching sports. My family is so much more fun.

Story 3.

Oct. 7, 2010

Megan Norenberg

Robbery Victim Schipper.

What would you do if you were caught in a robbery? Would you give the robber what they asked for or fight back? Michele Schipper chose to fight back.

   Around 4 p.m. yesterday, Shipper parker her car in the parking lot of a convenience store on Bonneville Drive. Schipper, not seeing the man, reached back into her car to grab her purse. As she was coming back up a man came out of nowhere and approached her and said, “Give me your purse.” Just getting a glimpse of the man, Schipper replied, “Ok”. As the man came closer Schipper turned around and kicked the man in the groin area. “I was afraid he wouldn’t stay down,” said Shipper,” so I gave him a roundhouse to the nose.” As the man lay there on the ground, Schipper got back into her car and drove to a motel down the street and called the police.

   With no self-defense training, Schipper relied on her tomboy childhood to protect herself, although she does attribute some of her power to weightlifting experience with her father. “It was a good punch,” Schipper said, “I was just very mad. I just reacted. I probably wouldn’t do it again in the same situation.”

   Even though Schipper gave the robber a run for his money, he was still able to evade the police. “I hope he thinks twice next time”, Schipper said.