Many of us “community bloggers” here at the Tucson Citizen website have never met each other. We’ve had a few trainings at the former Citizen office on web usage, etc. from co-editor Mark Evans, but we mostly work independently from home/internet cafes/free WiFi spots/ school & work sites/etc.

Thus, since December a few of us have been informally organizing blog parties to “meet and greet” each other, and form a sense of “community.” That’s right up my alley since I like to write about community events, and it’s been a lot of fun trying to match up the faces in person, with their respective blogsites. And also fun meeting talented writers.

Our next event in February is scheduled at the Sky Bar (536 N. 4th Avenue), where blogger “Logical Lizard” has been meeting and screening his “Meteorite Men” shows. He’s quite a TV personality on the Science Channel. I finally met him on February 3rd when he aired their show about the search for meteorites (not “meteor-wrongs”) in the nearby Santa Rita Mts.

The first December, 2009 gathering organized by “Humor: Fueled by Petrol” was at Coffee Exchange, 2443 N. Campbell Ave. And the second blog party in January was at the Ward 6 Council office (3202 E. 1st St.), organized by me, and assisted by “Urban Durband” aka “Meet Me Downtown” (no longer blogging with us as he now works there as an aide).

“Compound Captive” reported on the December event (click here), and “Veteran Veritas” chimed in for January (click here), calling us “citizen journalists”. He also eloquently wrote about December’s first blog party as well.

See you at the Sky Bar, which advertises itself as “an astronomy influenced solar powered planetarium bar.” It even has astronomy themed art on the walls by local artists Chrissy Goral and Gavin Troy.Hope you recognize me as “Carolyn’s Community”, and not some other blogsite.

Note: If you’re curious about whom these aforementioned blogsites belong to, click on the TC About Us page.

The Prince is giving a ball…on Thursday February 25, 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Arts Proscenium Theatre, PCC West Campus– for only a mere $18 (discounts available to commoners).

Cinderella

On this “Cinderella” Opening Night, come dressed in “elaborate and ornate formal attire” for a chance to win one of several Royal Prizes (for both adults and children). The royal categories are: Best little princess and prince, Most likely to win the Prince’s hand, Most likely to impress the Queen or King, Most elaborate, Most unique, Best accessories, and Best looking couple or family. Dress to the max in ball attire, and you could win.

“Cinderella” is a fairy tale musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and directed by the creative team of Todd Poelstra, Mickey Nugent, David Waggoner, and Dr. Mark Nelson. Reception and photo opportunity with the cast follows the performance. Call the box office now for tickets at 520-206-6986, website is www.pima.edu/cfa. The Proscenium theater is located at 2202 W. Anklam Rd., two miles west of I-10 on St. Mary’s Road which turns into Anklam Road.

If your evil stepmother or stepfather won’t let you leave the house to go to Opening Night, the musical runs through March 7, on Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Last summer I got to be Queen (for an evening) at a medieval dinner in Austria. Royalty definitely has it perks– as I had servants serve my dinner and my two Ladies in Waiting had to do my bidding. I also used to live in England where people adulated their royalty, and girls did grow up hoping to become a Princess Diana.

Don’t forget those glass slippers, Cinderella.

Note: The Tucson Weekly reported last week that this play is not the traditional Cinderella story, as it will be Bollywood style, with the setting in India. Just so you won’t be surprised.

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“Building Brains, Making Minds”
Lynn Nadel, Regents’ Professor, Psychology

“What does the brain do? The ancients thought it was a radiator, cooling the blood. Modern views see it as an activator, using inputs from the environment in combination with prior knowledge to generate behaviors (walking, talking, eating and drinking) and mental states (feelings, desires and beliefs). Recently the idea has emerged that the brain acts as a predictor, using inputs and stored knowledge to generate models of the world, and of the consequences of possible actions we and others might pursue. These models can predict what will happen in the next minute, hour or decade, and allow us to behave in the most adaptive way.”

Log onto www.cos.arizona.edu/mind for more information on these upcoming lectures through April 6. Phone 520-621-4090. All lectures are free at 7 p.m., in Centennial Hall at U of A campus, 1020 E. University Blvd. (east of Park Avenue). Parking is free on the street, or for fee in the nearby garages.

Upcoming lectures:

Tuesday, March 2
“The Plastic Brain”
Leslie P. Tolbert, Regents’ Professor, Neuroscience and Vice President for Research

Tuesday, March 9
“Evolution of Mind and Brain”
Anna Dornhaus, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Tuesday, March 23
“The Making of a Mind”
LouAnn Gerken, Professor, Psychology and Director, Cognitive Science

Tuesday, March 30
“Metamemory: How Does the Brain Predict Itself?”
Alfred W. Kaszniak, Professor and Head, Psychology

Tuesday, April 6
“Morality and the Emotional Brain”
Shaun Nichols, Professor, Philosophy

Sounds like more information than my poor brain can handle.