The Beacon-Villager Blog

Memorial Day stories

Posted on May 16, 2008 by jfloyd
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Next weekend is Memorial Day. If you have a story you’d like to share with our readers, please either add it as a comment or send it along via e-mail to beacon-villager@cnc.com.

Thanks much.

A few more thoughts

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Meghan Kelly
Filed Under Around town, Fun & Leisure, Maynard | Leave a Comment

Like Jesse, I also watched the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” show last night to see the Giunta episode. I was expecting this to happen, but it was really weird to see how all that effort of a week was squashed down into about 40 minutes. It was a completely different experience, to me, being there every day to see the progress, than to just watch it on TV.

This morning I knocked on the Giuntas’ door to see if I could talk to them about the show and their lives, now. They couldn’t have been more gracious or more welcoming. I had met them briefly last summer, when there was a rally for their audition tape at their old house. What struck me the most today was that Paul is so talkative. When I first met him last summer, he was polite but quiet - I think partially because there were so many people there, but also because his brain damage prevented him from being more verbose. But today he was happily talking to me about his new life with his family, his gym and his plans. The change was remarkable, and heartening.

I think there is something to be said for having a positive attitude about life, and I don’t think Paul would be where he is today if he - and especially Renee, who is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met - wasn’t so determined, so positive, so upbeat. Dylan was in school, but Cameron and Brianna were, too, remarkably talkative and outgoing for such small children. They both asked me if I wanted to see their bedrooms, which, of course!

I think it is such a testament to the community in Maynard that you all were able to come together and help this family out. And they are so very, very grateful the community was able to help them. It really couldn’t have happened to a nicer family.

Some fresh thoughts

Posted on May 12, 2008 by jfloyd
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I’m not sure what I was expecting from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Until May 11, I’d never seen the program. Not once, not ever. In fact, when Ty Pennington showed up in Maynard, people here in the office had to tell me who he was an why he was important.
Sunday night, I felt unsatisfied after the program. This morning, I finally put my finger on why: The focus of the program was different than I had expected. When it aired, I was hoping to see the construction work being done, the landscapers at work, etc. That is what I would find interesting about a home makeover show.
In hindsight, of course, the focus on the Giunta family story makes sense. The story is in turns tragic, triumphant and touching, almost tailor-made for a one-hour network television program.
Watching the house rise over the course of the week and knowing the volume of work incumbent in the effort further added to the vague unease I felt at the end. Like most entertainment, the showed boiled down the hard granular detail to a few brief clips, allowing viewers to focus on the Giuntas. In the end, watching the program for design or building tips was a lot like watching “Braveheart,” as an accurate history of Scotland.
One final thought: I wonder if sleeping in a dinosaur’s mouth will end up causing nightmares?

Have to admit

Posted on May 11, 2008 by jfloyd
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I wouldn’t mind a theme bedroom. I could skip Brianna’s Fairy Room, but the dinosaur room? Yeah, that would be pretty neat.

Two commercial breaks

Posted on May 11, 2008 by jfloyd
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So far, we’re two commercial breaks into “Extreme Makeover,” and the house just came down. Pretty remarkable to see how the ABC people have compressed multiple hours into 30 minutes [so far]. Now they just have to go from demolition to new house in 30 minutes - less, actually. Oh yeah, I don’t miss those brisk February days…

Uncommon results

Posted on May 6, 2008 by jfloyd
Filed Under Around town | Leave a Comment

Too often, we spend a good deal of time wondering if our best efforts have any impact on the intended audience. In my last post, I grouched about public speaking a bit and it will never be one of my favorite things to do. However, it’s nice when being subjected to something like a public appearance has a tangible influence on subsequent events.
One of the topics covered Thursday was about Wickedlocal Spotted, The Beacon Villager’s first foray into the dark and uncertain forest of citizen journalism. On Gatehouse Media Web sites, [Gatehouse is our parent company] the Spotted feature is most often used for photos. Events of all stripe have wound up on the Spotted feature, with the South Shore sites, where it began, having the greatest success.
That tangible influence from Thursday? One of the attendees at the little coffee gathering posted not one but TWO Spotted galleries. One is of Earth Day events, the other of the groundbreaking at the wildlife refuge, held on May 3.
Have a look - and feel free to join us.

So, I survived

Posted on May 1, 2008 by jfloyd
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I’m not big on speaking in front of groups. Even the times I’ve read to groups of little children, I find myself squirming and uncomfortable. But, I wanted to talk with members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Maynard Community Chest about Wickedlocal.com, so I took a deep breath and went ahead.
This morning, Thursday, was the big day and I actually got through it OK. I would like to issue a public thanks to the Chamber and the Community Chest for setting the event up. The people who attended were thoughtful and asked good, considerate questions, which makes those speaking engagements all the more manageable.
So, thanks!

The future of Walgreens?

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Meghan Kelly
Filed Under Around town, Local politics, Maynard | Leave a Comment

Brendon Chetwynd of the Planning Board called me about an hour ago to let me know the Planning Board will be continuing its second night of deliberations for both the proposed Macdonald development and Walgreens. A decision may or may not be made tonight - Chetwynd wouldn’t say - but keep an eye out for it tomorrow on wickedlocal.com/maynard.

The time for public comment is over but I’m interested to see if any members of the public will show up.

yay, pretty flowers

Posted on April 22, 2008 by Meghan Kelly
Filed Under Around town, Just for kicks, Maynard | Leave a Comment

Took a stroll in town today and saw some beautiful flowers blooming. The weather has been so great lately, it makes you not think about gas being $3.45 a gallon.

Where to keep updated on the Marathon

Posted on April 21, 2008 by Meghan Kelly
Filed Under Just for kicks, Well, isn't that interesting | Leave a Comment

My fellow GateHouse co-workers have put up a site today purely dedicated to the Boston Marathon.There you can read updates and up-to-the-minute information from the MetroWest Daily News and Wicked Local publications.

Also, you can check out this nifty video filmed by the MetroWest Daily News - the Marathon in 8 minutes.

keep looking »