Stella

Some friends at the Creation Museum will remember Stella, but many people didn't get to meet her.  Geri Campbell is a talented actress who works in Guest Services.  You can visit her website here (her amazing one-woman show Gomer is available to be booked at churches and other locations).  One day she decided that she should dress up as Stella.  Of course she went all out and even created a custom ID badge.

Our old uniform was made for this performance as she zipped off the bottom of her pants to create shorts--the look was perfect for an annoying old staff member.  The persona wasn't created based off any co-workers, but it did echo frustrations anyone in customer service has with guests.  ;-)  It was a fun morning when Stella visited...I'm just glad I was around to grab pictures.

Anniversary

It was five years ago today that I was first hired at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  I was diving through my blog archives a few days ago when I found this post from 2005.  I knew it was coming up on five years, but I hadn't realized that I got the information at the very end of February.  Of course I haven't been working full-time, so the Museum Center doesn't count me as having been there for five years--but I know it has been that long, ;-).

It is amazing to think that it was the small exhibit on Monkey King that got me my museum start that ended up leading to the Creation Museum.  I know the path that God directed me on started much earlier, but this was one of the very visibly related steps.

If I remember this fact I'll definitely look at the 28th of February a bit differently from now on.  I don't know if Monkey King is still traveling (I think its run was supposed to be over by now), but I did find a page that shows some of the exhibits.  I know that my blog had several posts featuring exhibit content, so if you're really interested you should search there as well.

~Matt

Forgotten Flower

I know when I took this picture only because I can look at the time stamp on the file--it was August of 2007.  That was when my current camera (Kodak Z712) was still new.  Unfortunately I haven't figured out all of its features in the intervening time, but I have used it quite a few times.

I don't remember when I rediscovered this picture, but I had certainly forgotten about it for quite some time.  I wasn't even sure it was my picture the first time I saw it. I know it was taken in the Creation Museum's botanical gardens.  According to time sheet records I did work that day, so I was likely wandering around the gardens during lunch.

Regardless of its origin I do like the picture.  The depth of field is good and I like the building in the far background where its light colors contrast with the bark.

~Matt

Eating a Hungry Boy cookie

Mmmmmm...Delicious!


Do I really need to say anything more?


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Time at the Rink

I got back from the skating rink not too long ago. It was fun overall. I'd definitely like to go back, but the only public evening times are on Friday.

Starting next Friday the Creation Museum will be open until 9:00 on Fridays...until the end of September.

I did fall three times (yes, ice is very hard) and stayed close to the edge.


Here are some of the people I was skating with amid the crowd. There were several people from the Creation Museum and two of my nephews.

Kelsey hadn't ever been skating either. She used the buckets for awhile and she never fell!


A bit later Kelsey skated with Kaitlyn and Bethany.


Chris likes a good pink cell phone!


Don't worry, I'll make fun of myself too. Bethany was kind enough to take this video of me. I promise that I did improve later and was actually starting to be comfortable when we had to get off the ice.

This was a cool sign found near the back of the rink.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Bookstore Happy?

The Creation Museum's bookstore (the Dragon Hall Bookstore) has some...interesting...characters working within its walls... ;-)

~Matt

DECO

This is a view of Union Terminal as seen from the North Employee Parking Lot. I took this (actually two shots later combined) photo as I left work on Wednesday.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Thin Ice

Well I haven't been skating yet, but I should tomorrow evening. I'm sure that I'll fall down, and I have a feeling someone will capture it with a camera. But I don't really care, I'm just hoping to have fun.

Right now I'm watching the ladies skating finals. It is amazing to watch them. They are out on the ice for quite some time. I hold my breath for an instant every time one of them starts to jump, fearing that they will fall. Thus far watching the last group we've seen some great performances.

It doesn't look like the US will medal, but I saw several American medals earlier today, so that is okay. Fantastic performances can be better than US medals (especially if they are not German).

I've heard that the Germans have led the medal counts at recent winter games, but thus far the US has taken the lead and hasn't relinquished it. Listening to the commentators I gather that these games have been good for Americans in sports we don't tend to medal in.

Well I am certainly not expecting any medals tomorrow evening. I really have no idea what to expect. I really have never ice skated before...

I'm going back to watching the games, this is too distracting.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Aussie in the Main Hall

On slow winter days the Creation Museum Petting Zoo has been opening later than it does normally.  However, when the snow is thick on the ground it has actually been closed a few days.  The animals are still out, but if the paths aren't cleared people can get to the zoo.

People often wonder if the animals do okay in the cold weather and most of them do.  Gomer the camel doesn't need any special treatment.  Do you know how cold deserts can get at night?  They aren't all hot and beating sunshine.  As far as I know the other animals are either okay in the cold or have some minor accommodations made.

On one of these days a few animals were brought into the Museum so that guests could see them. I grabbed some shots of Skippy the wallaby.  He is much larger than when I first photographed him many months ago.  Apparently though he does still have some growing to do.  It will be interesting to photograph him again when he is closer to his full size.

Here are a couple images from March 2009:

~Matt

An Old Quote

Apparently I was more aware of the Creation Museum than I remember.  I just found this quote from an old blog post on March 30, 2005:

"Besides the usual "millions of years ago" nonsense (I can't wait for the Creation Museum by AiG to be finished) the Natural History museum was also fascinating..."

I do remember hearing Ken Ham speak while I was in college and he might have spoken about the Museum then, though I'm not sure.  I know that I did hear about it at church during construction as I remember picking up a pamphlet and then later seeing a call for volunteers.  I even applied for a position with the Advancement Department once.  It seems like each time I forgot about the place and didn't remember it again until later.  I certainly didn't have a clue that there were ever any "behind the scenes" tours going on.  I'd like to think that I would have at least checked the place out if I'd had a clue that it could be visited before opening...  But what is past is past, so I really don't know what could have happened (though thankfully God does know all of that...).

~Matt

The Day After Wednesday

Thursdays are a bit strange these days, or at least I'm having to get accustomed to their pattern.  I'm off every Wednesday (until mid-May) because of my work on the Gold exhibit.  But because I'm working at the Museum Center I can't visit the Creation Museum on my day off (as I often do).  I don't always visit, but sometimes I do--or at least I know I can.  Now I know that I cannot on Wednesday.  This makes Thursday an interesting day.

While it may be boring for Gold to be slow I am glad that I have enough time to keep up with e-mail and other minor matters.  If I didn't have my iPhone I'd be hurting due to the loss of contact, ;-).  Please realize that I'm not complaining--I got myself into this situation.  All I am saying is that it is interesting...  Thursday I just have to adjust to being back at my desk after a day of work that was completely different.

~Matt

A Bit More

I just walked home from my sister's place. It had snowed a bit before I went over, but I just discovered that it had snowed more in the several hours I was there watching the Olympics. It wasn't foggy like the Vancouver ski slopes, but flakes were definitely falling.

I'm sure the accumulation won't be that much, and much of the previous snow has melted... Still it is noticable and will temporarily cover up the dirty snow.



Let it snow, let it snow...

~Matt
PS That last line was for you Josh. :-P

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Slow Gold

Today was a slow day in the Gold exhibit. As I did last week I managed to get plenty of reading done. Thanks to a at least semi-decent signal throughout the exhibit and several wi-fi networks I was able to stay on-line all day.

I you're in Cincinnati between now and mid-May consider swinging through the exhibit. The piece above is only one of the amazing things you can see. It is the Eureka Bar.

Here is a bit about it:
"The Eureka Bar is the largest surviving assay ingot from the California Gold Rush period. Weighing over 66 pounds, its worth in 1857 is stamped on the bar—$17,433.57. It sank, along with three tons of gold, in the hold of the SS Central America."

You can see other treasures from the SS Central America as well as many other coins, awards, jewelry, and minerals.



I especially like the historical aspects. The coins and assay bars are the coolest things.


The Gold Room is also pretty amazing. It includes coins equalling the amount of gold on the walls:
"Gold—the most malleable metal—can be flattened into extremely thin sheets. The walls in the Gold Room are covered with approximately 300 square feet of 23-karat gold leaf representing three ounces of gold metal, the equivalent volume of three U.S. half-dollar coins."

But our exhibit includes more. The Museum Center tagged on Queen City Gold which includes golden and guilder artifacts from Cincinnati history. You can see four Olympic gold medals, a Kentucky Derby trophy, a giant tea pot, guilded furniture, and of course…more. ;-)

~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Frozen Fountain

Is anyone tired of snow pictures yet?

In the past few months I've really tried to keep at least one post per day, and if I can at least a picture a day. There have only been a few days that I have failed to post--so I think this might be developing into a habit.  Even if that many people aren't reading this I know that I can go back and re-read posts later.

Anyway, rather than pictures pre-posted from my iPhone (which isn't cheating, but aren't as nice as other posts and pictures) I decided to pre-load this week with pictures from my regular camera.

~Matt

Television tonight

Well I've been watching TV for a few hours tonight.  I came over to my sister's place after cooking dinner.  She and my brother-in-law are gone this week--on a Caribbean cruise.  I found the nerfs watching Monsters vs. Aliens so I sat down and watched the remaining portions of the movie.  I have seen it before, but it is a fun flick and I enjoyed seeing the parts that I saw again.

My brother-in-law's mom, Marie, is staying with the kids to watch them.  She wanted to watch NCIS, but the movie was going to overlap the start--so we set it to record along with NCIS: LA and Lost.  After the movie we watched NCIS and I voted to watch NCIS: LA next because the first minute or two were caught on the NCIS recording--but Chase wanted to watch Lost so that he could go to bed.  I decided that it wasn't a bad idea after all and we watched Lost.

I'm still really enjoying Lost, even though the show really has changed from the first season.  There are still questions as the season continues, but we're also seeing answers.  Tonight we got to see something that we hadn't seen in several seasons--it was quick, but I like the fact that we got to see it.  The writers either don't forget things or really do listen to the fans that are constantly asking questions/reminding them about things.

After Lost Chase headed to bed and Marie left just a few minutes ago.  I switched over to the Olympics--but unfortunately I checked the medal count since I had missed the past couple hours.  I managed to spoil the first even that I saw.  *sigh*  I really like the live events--except that sometimes I forget they are live and think that I've seen the results.  Overall though it is nice to not have to worry about being spoiled about the result of an event, even if it can be a bit nervous.  I think I'll stay over here watching the Olympics for a while...

~Matt

Melting Snow

While the snow is melting now (or may be melted by the time this post goes live), I took this picture while it was still falling.  You can see where snow, covered by ice, began to ball of the edge of the pavilion roof and curve around.  I especially like how the icicles are pointing inwards now.

I was just typing up the tags for this post and as I applied "weather" I realized that I really need a snow tag.  It is something that I might go back to edit into this winter's posts.  It would be a useful thing to bring up all of the snow pictures that I've posted--especially some of the old ones.

This picture is fun enough that I can't just post one.  I took several different shots from slightly different angles, so I'll include a couple of those below.

~Matt

Beyond a Tie

No, this post isn't about men's fashion, though I wish that widely acceptable formal attire could be found sans necktie...

My last post (from my iPhone a few minutes ago) was the 55th blog post that I have made in the month of February.  This actually ties February 2010 with October 2009 for the number of blog posts made.  October was the first (albeit incompletely) month during which I started my current trend of posting once a day if at all possible.  I do try not to post simply for the sake of increasing my post count.  Spam on a blog is still spam, though it may taste just a tad better.

This blog entry is about blogging, but I try to keep these few and far between.  I definitely don't feel bad for making this post though.  Back in October I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up a one-a-day posting schedule.  Little did I know that I'd do better than than overall and still be doing it come February.  I'm glad to see that I was able to stick to this resolution.

As I've said, I'm still enjoying it.  I hope there are a few people out there reading this also.  I did start to track site traffic with Google Analytics and I just have to say that I wish I had done this long ago.  It is fascinating to see how many people are visiting my blog, where they are coming from, and where they live.  The most interesting part will be to see the trends as time goes on.  One of the features I can utilize is to see what cities my readers are from.  Some of them are quite recognizable as family and friends...but others I'm not sure about.  One is even in Sydney Australia!

Well I'd better get going.  I have plenty to do today and not enough time to do it.  I actually fell asleep earlier than I meant to last night...

~Matt

A Picnic Progression

It may still be cold for most, but it would be easier to eat lunch outside. Here are three pictures from the past couple weeks--the last is from earlier today.











~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Snowy Deer

The snow is in the middle of melting away, but here is a shot from when it was still falling.  I walked around the trails of the Creation Museum botanical gardens on Presidents' Day--determined that I would get snow pictures from across the lake, something I had thus far not managed to do.  This was one of the shots that I got near the end of my trip.  I decided not to try the trails near the lake (along the boardwalk and by the gazebo) and instead came back the way I had already walked.  It was a good idea as it let me grab one of the shots I used on the Creation Museum blog to compare winter with other seasons.  This shot was also one that I used for comparison purposes.  the other shot was also one of mine, taken in roughly this same spot on a very foggy morning.  A print of this is actually hanging up in the Answers in Genesis offices on a wall of pictures.  I hope to have a blog post about that gallery up within the week for the Creation Museum.

~Matt

Up Early

I'm going to be getting up soon. My brother-in-law and sister are leaving for Miami. Since I drive past the airport I volunteered to leave a bit early and give them a ride. They are off to Florida to start a week long cruise through the Caribbean!


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Olympic Evening

I just finished watching Olympic coverage for the evening.  It was a good night, watching the Men's Super Combined, two-man bobsled, a bit of ice hockey, ice dancing, and a bit more.  I relaxed on my sister's couch with my laptop.  I really enjoy utilizing wireless internet access.  I recently installed my own wireless router and I'm enjoying being able to use my computer away from the couple spots in my living room where I can physically connect to my network.  But it is even better at my sister's place because of the large screen TV and comfortable couches in the basement.

~Matt

Appalachian Culture Fest

Today I went to the Appalachian Culture Fest at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  I would post a link, but I can't find anything on the CMC website about this year's Culture Fest series, :(.  The snow is starting to melt which meant that it was a nice warm day (my car thermostat read 51 so I rolled my window down part of the day) but the nice white blanket is starting to disappear.  I spent most of the day inside so it didn't affect my photography greatly.

I met up with Jen and Adam (I work with them at the Creation Museum) and Anna Jones who is a formerly frequent volunteer at the Creation Museum who is staring to volunteer again.

Here you can see the three of them listing to one of the artisans.  This guy is a wood carver who specializes in making bowls.  Some of his pieces are simply amazing.  The bowl in the bottom right of this picture took him about forty hours of work to complete--but he said that was spread out over about a year and a half.  It was an interesting idea and I know that is how things used to work.  Craftsmen were paid by the job instead of working on an assembly line being paid by the hour.  The big bowl was for sale for $1400 which works out to about $35 an hour.

Below you can see just a bit of what he talked about--I didn't want to record for too long as I wasn't sure how large a video I could upload.

There were several other artisans/vendors in the area called the "Appalachian Trail."  One that I remember talking to last year stepped away before we could go to her area.

There was also an area with brooms and walking sticks.  Anna had to try out one of the strangely shaped brooms.  I tried it also--it looks pretty strange, but is actually not that hard to use.

Walking around the rotunda in search of stamps (if you collect four stamps on a "passport" you get a coupon good for one free Museum admission) we stopped to listen to music for a bit.

I enjoyed the music and heard from a distance some better music later--but we were listening to a storyteller.  I wish that I could have done several things at once a couple times, ;-).  This video, like the one above was taken on my iPhone.  I was quite surprised that the audio came out as clearly as it did.  As I've said the iPhone definitely won't replace my camera but there are many features that are quite enjoyable and useful when I don't want to carry my largeish (not compared to a DSLR, but still larger than a typical point and shoot) camera around.

I'm not sure what this display had to do with Appalachia...it seems more "hippie" than hillbilly...

When I got to the building I sent a text to Adam, thinking that they might still be on their way.  He replied that they were in the Newsreel Theater.  Noah and I walked in and discovered that they were listening to a storyteller.  There were a couple spots in the guy's stories that were rough (he didn't foretell some plot twists), but overall I enjoyed his stories.

We went back later for his second session.  He did mention that there would be a local festival in May with many more storytellers (amongst other Appalachian cultural events).  I might have to look up more information on that event and see if it is worth attending.

I also ran into some people that I haven't seen in quite a while.  Al and Regeana are awesome volunteers that I've worked with on several exhibits.  Emily is another person that I worked with on several exhibits who has since moved from part-time work to a full-time job at the Museum Center.

I know it isn't the greatest shot of Al, but I didn't think to get a shot when Regeana was around.  And Emily?  Well she knows how to give a good glare.

If you know Adam and Jen then you'll be excited to see this next picture.  They found the perfect house while looking through a photography booth.  This is an amazing place with three porches, an attached garage, and a detached garage.  It even has two stories!

I did manage to capture Jen's reaction on camera so that you could experience the happy moment with her:

This last video gives you a taste of what the entire Rotunda looks like decorated for the Culture Fest.  I didn't move around too much, but you can see at least half of the stuff that was set up.

~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone (I posted the videos from my iPhone and then added text and pictures on my computer)
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Union Terminal,Cincinnati,OH,United States

Sovereignty of God

I recently heard a passage of Scripture paraphrased and it struck me as wrong. The reference was to Genesis 50:20, where Joseph talks to his brothers, but said "God used it for good." I checked several translations to be sure that I remembered correctly. The verse says "meant it for good" NOT "used."

Genesis 50:20 (HCSB)
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people.

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Genesis 50:20 (ASV)
And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Genesis 50:20 (KJV)
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.

God doesn't just use things. Rather he sovereignly ordains the course of the world and our lives.

Gen 45:1-8 and Job 1:20-22; 2:10 also illustrate this point.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Gunpowder Rd,Florence,United States

Stargazing

I just got home from another Stargazer's Night at the Creation Museum. Nobody had expected it to be clear, so I'd really only been prepared for an indoor session. Mars was quite close, so Dr. Lisle decided to get out the scopes.

We used a new scope tonight--a refractor, which is slightly different from the three reflecting telescopes AiG already owns. I also tried something new. The last time I took pictures was for the lunar eclipse in February 2008. I've never managed to duplicate the quality of those shots, but last night I put my iPhone's camera up to the eyepiece and grabbed the above shot of the moon. I think it turned out rather well.

~Matt

PS This is another "composed near midnight posted in the morning" posts. ;-)

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Second

I finally made it to the second book of the trilogy I'm reading--mainly because I got so much reading done while working Gold on Wednesday.

A reviewer complained about the geographic and other descriptions in the books. I'm actually enjoying the larger picture of the world being painted by the descriptive language.  Apparently the author owns a atlas company and spent quite a bit of time making an atlas of the world before publishing the books.  You really do get a picture of the different scenery and seasons the characters are traveling through.




~Matt

PS I typed this shortly after midnight but fell asleep before I could post it.

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Good with Apricot

PB&J on a spoon is good with apricot also.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Watching Vancouver

I'm watching the Olympics again. Before primetime I caught some curling (the US women lost to Denmark) and hockey.

The skiing results in the super combined were already known, but the women's snowboarding halfpipe was live and cool to watch. Right now figure skating is playing and I'm just half-watching to see how the medals go. It isn't a sport that I find incredibly interesting. I'd rather watch something less subjective with results that are easier to immediately see. But hey, it is all the Olympics so I'll watch things I normally wouldn't. I think we all do.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Highland Ave,Fort Mitchell,United States

Worldle

Have you ever made a Wordle?  They're fun to create.  Here is the description from the website:

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.

I've made a few in the past, mainly using blogs that I'm involved in via their URL.  You can also input a block of text and tell the program to use that.  There are many customizable features.  You can exclude common English words or even delete individual words once the Wordle is generated.  The font and text color are also customizable.  Head on over to the site and give them a try...I don't normally save mine to the site--I use the print feature and a free Print to PDF printer to save them to my hard drive.  Here is one I just made a few minutes ago from the contents of this blog:

~Matt

My Day Off

Well I haven't spent the whole day at home.  I know this will shock those that think they know me, but I went into the Creation Museum for a while this morning.  My work laptop had to be repaired so I was using a loaner. It was faster than my computer as it had been reformatted, but the screen had a smaller resolution than my normal computer so it was an adjustment.  I just heard that my computer was done, so I had to come in so that I could get my regular computer back.

I did manage to get a few other things done while I was there of course.  I also ate lunch there--the lasagna wasn't bad, though the bread sticks aren't as good as other ones I remember.  I'm back at home now, thinking of going over to my sister's place in a bit.  The kids built a snow fort so I think I'd like to take pictures of that.  And I think that I'll try to watch more Olympics tonight.  I've really been enjoying that--though last night I went over to a friend's place and watched a movie.

~Matt

Do you Dazzle?

I think this is part of the Gold exhibit marketing, but it is still a bit strange.

~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Ezzard Charles Dr,Cincinnati,United States

Gold

As I will most Wednesdays until May I'm working at the Museum Center on the newest changing exhibit: Gold! It is a pretty cool exhibit with gold ranging from mineral samples, artwork, coins, jewelry, bars, medals, gilded furniture, and more. If you're in the area you should come out and view the exhibit while it is in Cincinnati. Today I'm just hoping we are busier than last Wednesday, but again it is shortly after snowfall so I'm not completely sure what we'll see in attendance today.


~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Kenner St,Cincinnati,United States

Still Falling

I'm just leaving the Creation Museum after staying for the State of the Nation 2 broadcast and it is snowing again. I guess it isn't leaving us yet...



~Matt

-- Posted from my iPhone
(c) 2010 iWolff Ltd.

Location:Petersburg,United States

Snow on the Lake

In the summer you would barely be able to see the Museum building from this perspective--this is the middle of the rainforest garden.

~Matt