Hey everyone, Happy New Year to you all! What is my New Year's resolution you may ask? It is to try to blog more often. I vow to do a better job of letting all of our fans know what Curiosity Quest is up to.
We are already 2 weeks into 2010. Where is the time going? Well, for the staff of Curiosity Quest it is flying by quickly. Before I get into what is up and coming, let me highlight some of our latest quests.
December was a very busy month for us. We shot 3 episodes. We first went to the Red Rock Climbing Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I learned all about indoor rock climbing. Let me tell you, I had a blast. Our co-host, and manager of the facility, Bill McLemore was kind enough to show us the ropes, literally :) I learned all about the art of tying knots, a vital skill in this business, as well as the steps of belaying. The biggest challenge of the day? Climbing at a 45 degree angle. Bill made it look so easy, but for me it was ridiculously difficult, and if I am to be honest, unsuccessful. Oh well, a host has to be humble right?
December also took the CQ crew to the Orange County Fire Authority in Southern California where I had the distinct honor of learning how firefighters are trained. Ok, so nearly every little boy dreams about being a firefighter right? Well, I was no exception. So, it was like living out a childhood fantasy, well, ....... except it was much harder than it was in my fantasy :) I always knew that being a firefighter was hard work, but I have a renewed respect for how truly difficult this job is. What they put their bodies through is truly remarkable. By the end of the shoot, I was exhausted. I don't know, .... maybe there is a career change in my future? All of the firefighters that were training me said that I did a great job, but I am sure that they were just trying to make me feel better about the fact that I was completely out of breath. Ha, ha!
Our last shoot of the year took us to Snow Summit Mountain Resort, in California where I learned how they keep a mountain in prime skiing conditions in the warm California sunshine. I learned how snow is made. We have had to start some shoots early, but this was, by far, the earliest shoot we have ever done. We started at 2:30 a.m. on the mountain. Yes, we were tired and freezing, but surrounded by beauty. There is nothing like watching the sunrise on the mountain. This was no ordinary shoot. I got to play! Snowball fights, jumping in the snow, sliding on my stomach and snowboarding. Ahhhhh, I love my job.
Our new, exciting season starts airing, here in California, in February and around the nation in the Summer. Look for our first episodes on how arena floors are changed and snowmaking. Can't wait to share these awesome shows with you.
Thank you for all the hundreds of letters that we get every month that continue to inspire me and my crew and puts us on the path for incredible quests. We couldn't do it without you.
Keep writing. We are looking for "green" ideas right now. We would like to find letters that think outside of the box. We have focused a lot on recycling, but we are now ready to tackle bigger and better ideas of "going green". There are so many ways out there to help our planet. What are you curious about?
In the meantime,
Stay Curious
~Joel
I just wanted to take a moment to mention is this great new product that I have discovered. No, this is not a promotion, it is simply my opinion of something that I came across that my 7 year old daughter loves. It is the Pocketdoodles books from the publishers Gibbs-Smith. My daughter has the Pocketdoodles For Girls edition by Anita Wood, with drawings from Jennifer Kalis. There is also a Pocketdoodles For Boys edition. If you have not heard of these books, you need to check them out! They are awesome! They are pocket sized (or purse sized for Mom's), paperback books that encourage young girls and boys to use their imagination and draw to their heart's delight. The best part is, the books prompt them on what to draw. For example, one page says, "Design your own dream car." Another reads, "Who is one of your heros?" No scraps of paper around the house either. The book has space for all of the creative drawings. I don't know about you, but my daughter has a beautiful imagination and I love to see what she comes up with on these pages. We recently brought this book with us on a long plane ride and it kept her entertained for more minutes than I could count. I highly recommend this product. It will make a great gift for the upcoming holiday season also. I will put my stamp on anything that keeps my daughter entertained as well as encourages her to imagine and be creative. What I would like to know is, where is the Pocketdoodles for Grown-Ups book? I am totally jealous :) Look for Pocketdoodles at your local book store :)
So you might ask what little old me had to say to 1200 students? Well, believe it or not, I have picked up a few things in the 118 episodes that we have done, and 30 of those have been specifically on "green" topics. Wow, has it been that many? Hard to believe. Anyway .... what I like to tell kids is that they are the change of our future. They are the ones who hold the power in their hands. I talk about what I like to call, AHA! That is becoming Aware, changing Habits, and becoming Ambassadors of our environment. This is something that I strive to do in my own life. I figure I had better be someone that can "walk the talk." :) Through each green episode that we film, I increase my awareness of the problems and solutions that are out there. After I learn, I challenge myself to gradually change my habits to help lessen my footprint on the planet. And now, I am proud to be an Ambassador of the environment and share everything that I have learned with today's youth. And let me tell you, they totally get it! To them, it is not an overwhelming task. Being the change is absolutely attainable! I challenge you as well, young or old, to be the change.
When the moment came to step onto the court, I was overwhelmed. Basketball is one of my passions. It is one of the things I look most forward to in my week. I love it. The competition, the comaradarie, the smack talking. It is the best! Being such a huge fan of the game, one of my fantasies has always been to do a warm up with a real team, on a real court. That is exactly what I got to do. It was absolutely awesome. I even made a couple of the warm up shots. Let's forget the fact that I stood out like a sore thumb. I looked shockingly pale in my green uniform and I felt unbelievably short. But, it all added to the experience. I was in heaven. My dream had come true. It is a good thing too..... because the imminent whooping was about to begin :)
December was a very busy month for us. We shot 3 episodes. We first went to the Red Rock Climbing Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I learned all about indoor rock climbing. Let me tell you, I had a blast. Our co-host, and manager of the facility, Bill McLemore was kind enough to show us the ropes, literally :) I learned all about the art of tying knots, a vital skill in this business, as well as the steps of belaying. The biggest challenge of the day? Climbing at a 45 degree angle. Bill made it look so easy, but for me it was ridiculously difficult, and if I am to be honest, unsuccessful. Oh well, a host has to be humble right?
Our last shoot of the year took us to Snow Summit Mountain Resort, in California where I learned how they keep a mountain in prime skiing conditions in the warm California sunshine. I learned how snow is made. We have had to start some shoots early, but this was, by far, the earliest shoot we have ever done. We started at 2:30 a.m. on the mountain. Yes, we were tired and freezing, but surrounded by beauty. There is nothing like watching the sunrise on the mountain. This was no ordinary shoot. I got to play! Snowball fights, jumping in the snow, sliding on my stomach and snowboarding. Ahhhhh, I love my job.