Ginny from the Blog

You can no longer doubt the power of Twitter to build meaningful communities (there weren’t any naysayers were there?). Last night, I was in a room filled with more than 100 Triangle residents who use Twitter, and so many sincere connections were quickly created. It was the first Triangle Tweetup (a meetup for people who use Twitter) of 2009 and the first Tweetup since “Twitter” has truly started to go mainstream. Triangle Tweetups have come a long way since the first one organized by @waynesutton in December 2007, when only five people showed up.

photo by @Dgtlpapercuts

Sincere Connections

It’s a fun rush to spy someone across a room and sort of recognize them from their Twitter avatar. If you’ve been following them for a while, you probably know a lot more about them than some of their close acquaintances and coworkers. When you approach your “tweep” (and you steal a glance at their nametag to confirm it’s the person whose life you’ve been digesting in 140-character bytes) and shake their hand it’s not like connecting with a stranger. Instead, it’s like meeting a pen pal or, in some cases, an old friend.

@jennafleur and @cammicam hang out with the Twitter bird. Photo by @dgtlpapercuts.

New Followers and Friends

Everyone who attends a tweetup is pretty much in agreement that Twitter is more awesome than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off made by your mom. So it’s easy to strike up a conversation with anyone you’re standing next to. All you have to say is: “Dude, what’s your Twitter name?” and follow-up with “Dude, when did you join Twitter?” or a “Dude, why did you join Twitter?” (You can omit the word Dude if it’s not part of your lingo). And from there it’s easy.

Here’s a roundup of the Tweetup that I made for 30THREADS.

Reconnecting with Tweeps

I love my tweeps, but we all lead busy lives, so we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. Luckily we have Twitter to keep up with each other, but there’s nothing like a hug, handshake or a knowing smile from an old Tweep. Tweetups are full of these.

Making a Difference

We decided to use our Twitter powers for good last night and turn the Tweetup into a food drive. We filled three boxes, a large Rubbermaid container and about a dozen plastic bags with cans and boxed goods. I’m going to drop the donations off next week at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, and hope to get a tally on how many pounds we donated. (Photo to the right by @jreesnc).

Silliness Ensues

The clever and creative @ToastySnacks thought it would be fun to turn the Tweetup into a mock prom. She asked @InstantTaylor to be her date and then made gorgeous, detailed sashes declaring them the Tweetup King and Queen. And they decided to start their very own Triangle Tweetup Tradition and pass the sashes on, giving them to me and my boyfriend, @mammalpants. It’s now our responsibility to make them proud and select the King and Queen at the next Tweetup.

Photos by @Waynesutton and @abbyladybug, respectively.

Hopefully, Twitter won’t disapper anytime soon. I’m going to at least relish it as long as it’s around (or until it becomes the MySpace of the social web, whichever happens first). If you were at the Tweetup last night, fill me in on your favorite moment/connection.

And a special thank you to @waynesutton for doing an outstanding job of bringing us all together. It’s always a pleasure.

I was wooed by the RENT cast last night at the Durham Performing Arts Center. They put on a hell of a show despite performing in front of a somewhat sparse audience. Yesterday’s wicked winter weather prompted DPAC officials to let ticket holders swap out seats for another performance (with the caveat that they may not receive as good of seats the second time around). I would later find out that the gesture was just one of several examples of the DPAC staff providing excellent customer service (but more on that in another paragraph).

RENT

I first saw RENT in the late ’90s at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. I was in high school and the edgy musical wedged its way into my heart. I bought the soundtrack and memorized the songs, pretending I was each of the characters when I belted out the lyrics. Years have passed since I broke out the soundtrack, but it all came back to me last night (and luckily for my date, I chose to only sing them in my head). I had not seen a performance of the musical since, and I was happy the cast (which includes three original Broadway cast members) didn’t disappoint. I don’t feel comfortable critiquing the show like mad because I probably would have loved it even if half the cast were off-key and stood still. But I can assure you that the cast was incredibly dynamic and energetic. (Guys if your girlfriend drags you to the show, just wait for Mimi’s performance of “Out Tonight” in her electric blue liquid lycra pants).

DPAC

Tuesday was opening night for RENT, and the debut Broadway performance at the DPAC (which will also bring Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, Legally Blonde and the Color Purple to town). The venue, which is the largest indoor theatre in the Carolinas, is gorgeous. I toured it during the public open house, but the experience is entirely different when there’s a show going on.

I was most impressed with the staff. Despite the freezing temperatures, we were greeted by a doorman in a top hat who warmly welcomed us into the theatre. The staff member charged with directing women into open bathroom stalls offered to hold glasses of wine and programs for women waiting to use the bathroom. At least three ushers sweetly and sincerly thanked us for coming. At a time when it feels like customer service is fading, it was refreshing to experience service that’s better than what I consider acceptable (have I mentioned I’m a huge customer service freak?).

Here’s a video from my November tour of the theatre:

RENT runs through Jan. 25 and there are still tickets available! Also, for my fellow Tweeple, you can find @DPAC on Twitter.

I can’t remember the last time I saw more than an inch of snow, but I know it’s been at least four years when I lived in Illinois.

So I got up this morning and made a snow angel before work. We also pushed my sled (yes I have a sled, I bought it last year when it threatened to snow but never did) down the hill in our neighborhood.

Four years ago, when Barack Obama was a freshman senator from Illinois, I went to his inauguration party in Washington D.C. I helped cover his U.S. Senate campaign as an intern with the Associated Press in Springfield, Illinois. So when one of my friends (who worked on Obama’s campaign) invited me to the party, I decided to take my first-ever trip to D.C. I never imagined that only four years later he would be inaugurated as our nation’s president.

I can’t remember which building Obama’s 2005 inauguration party was in. But I do remember standing in a line that stretched outside the building. I remember thinking the room was drab. There was a divider pushed to the side to make way for more people. Illinois wines were being served. Illinois politicians, press and PR types mingled while Obama supporters (clutching their copies of “Dreams from my Father”) surrounded him waiting for autographs. Most of us were unfazed about seeing Obama in the flesh. We had questioned him at press conferences, watched him on the Illinois Senate floor and spent hours in his committee meetings.

After Obama left, I headed to the Library of Congress for Denny Hastert’s inauguration party. Hastert (also from Illinois) was Speaker of the House and his soiree featured live music, an open bar, delectable foods with over-the-top presentation (I distinctly remember seeing mashed potatoes being served in martini glasses). It was lovely and such a stark contrast from Obama’s modest celebration.

On Tuesday, only four years after his D.C. debut, Obama will be sworn-in as our nation’s president. I won’t be in Washington covering his big day, but I’m happy to report I’ll still be bringing coverage your way. I’ll be at the Marriott in downtown Durham at a celebration organized by the Durham Voter Coalition and Obama Store. Starting at 11 a.m. I’ll be livestreaming from the party, interviewing Duke law professor Bill Brown about the economy and the tough road Obama’s administration will face and chatting with some of the folks who are taking the day off to watch the historic event.

MyNC maven Page Crawford will also be on the site livestreaming from a party at the Raleighwood theater. Then at noon we’ll stream Obama’s speech (which will be great for those of you stuck at your desk without a TV). We’ll conclude with local reaction to the ceremony. You can also ask our guests questions and entertain yourself in our chatroom. (We recorded this promo, which is scheduled to air tomorrow morning on NBC17)

You can the coverage starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow here.

Of course, some or all of these plans could change if the Triangle gets wiped out in a blizzard.

What are your plans for the inauguration tomorrow?

I was walking through Crabtree Valley Mall last night and spotted a Gloria Jean’s coffee shop, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m all about local coffee shops, but the franchised Gloria Jean’s holds a special place in my heart. I worked at one in college for extra money during holidays and summers. It was my only mall job, and I loved it.

Truly, their coffee (paricularly the frozen drinks) are so delicious. They have this stuff called cappuccino chiller that is basically like Starbucks’ bottled Frappuccino, only so much more delicious. There was a time in my life when I probably consumed more of that than water (and I gained a few pounds to prove it).

Anyway, there’s already a Gloria Jean’s at the mall in Cary, but I never go there. But Crabtree Valley Mall and I are like BFFs, so with the addition of a GJ’s, I might just have to marry it.

For the record, I was not paid by anyone to say this. And I usually shy away from promoting specific corporate places, but I had so much fun working at GJ’s in college and truly love their coffee, so I feel I must spread the love.

If you visit the GJ’s in the mall, order one of my favorites:

*Cappuccino chiller (ask them to mix it with chocolate milk for optimal results).

*Malted Mocha Chiller (this is what I had last night).

*Hot White Chocolate Chai (so good).

Dear Book-Loving Triangle Residents,

If you’re like me, you love perusing eclectic titles and you love a good deal. That’s why you must make an effort to visit the Raleigh City Museum sometime between Saturday and Jan. 17. That’s when the downtown museum is hosting its twice-a-year book sale.

You might remember that I went to the sale this summer and didn’t want to leave:

The titles were impressive, including many classics, some old textbooks and an impressive children’s book selection that brought back memories of my “Choose Your Own Adventure” and “Fear Street” reading days. I could have spent an hour or more scouring the tables for titles. But not all of my friends were thrilled about spending Friday night browsing used books, so I paid for my 1950s edition of Huckleberry Finn, a biography about Freud and some retro mini-Hallmark greeting books with plans to return

The sale also includes CDs, DVDs and other odds and ends, the museum reports. And while you’re there, you can even check out the [R]evolution of Media exhibit, which explores the history of newspaper, television and radio in Raleigh (basically it’s just a big promotional exhibit for WRAL and the News and Observer, which makes sense since they dominated the local media market for so long. Still, the exhibit is still pretty interesting even if my station isn’t really represented).

So consider this your head’s up. The book sale is definitely worth the trip.

Sincerely,

Your book-loving blogger,

Ginny Skalski

I’ve explored a lot of places in the Triangle, but there are definitely some more I need to cross off my list.

Here’s my Triangle To-Do list for 2009:

• See a performance (hopefully more than one) at the Durham Performing Arts Center. The beautiful theatre officially opened last month. I had a chance to tour it, and even stand on stage. But I must see some shows there.

• Crash a class at a local university. With so many schools in the Triangle, I would love to sit in on a lecture at Duke, N.C. State, UNC or elsewhere. It would be fun to relive my college days and see what it’s like to have a professor teach in a lecture hall filled with technology.

• Go to a Canes game. I know a little bit about most American sports, but not hockey. I want to see what makes it so fun. It’s probably wrong to admit that I also hope to see a fight when I go.

• See a Civil War Reenactment. I am living in the South, after all. I think they host them regularly at Durham’s Bennett Place, where the largest surrender of Confederate soldiers took place.

• Eat at Magnolia Grill. This famous Durham restaurant regularly gets national press. I know it’s a bit pricey, but I want to see how delicious it truly is.

• Check out Carrboro’s “It’s Really, Really Free Market.” I’m a bargain shopper who loves garage sales, thrift shops and flea markets. So the Really Free Market sounds like it was made for me.

Hopefully this list will be a good starting point for me in the New Year. There are definitely more places I want to visit and events I want to participate in. What are some of your Triangle To-Dos this year?