Chuck Grimmett

Category: Life

Summer Job

Liberty, Life

Dec 20, 2010

This summer I had an internship with the Foundation for Economic Education. I was based out of Atlanta where I worked with the Programs branch of the organization. We did a total of 7 week-long seminars in 3 cities (Atlanta, Estes Park, CO, and Irvington, NY) with over 600 students in attendance during the 2010 summer seminar series.

To see more about the summer, check out the Summer In Review book I put together for FEE (3.6mb pdf). It is full of my photos from the summer!

Or, for a condensed version, check out the insert I made for The Freeman (1.8mb pdf):
Ozone Falls

Life, Photography

May 23, 2010

On Friday morning, I started my trip down to Atlanta for my summer internship with the Foundation for Economic Education. I got to my grandparents’ house in Kingston, Tennessee in the early evening and stayed with them for two nights. I had a nice time staying with them, and they took me to a few neat places on Saturday. We went to Ozone Falls and Black Mountain. Here are a few photos of Ozone Falls:
(Click on the photos to view them at a larger size)

I got to the apartment I am staying at for the summer in Sandy Springs, GA this afternoon. It is just north of Atlanta. The apartment is new and spacious, and in a very good location! I am living there with two other FEE guys- one intern and one full time employee (a Hillsdale grad). I am really looking forward to this summer!
Spring Break Part 4 of 4 – Nice

Life, Photography

May 2, 2010

The last city I stayed in was Nice, a beautiful city in the on the French Riviera in south-eastern France. It is such a gorgeous place! David and I took an overnight train from Bordeaux and arrived around 8:30 in the morning. The train was an experience… we stayed in a couchette car with four other people and were woke up multiple times during the night by either a shaking train or children with asthema. Anyway, once we arrived we put our stuff at the hotel, freshened up, and bought some pastries and ate them on the edge of the Mediterranean. The rest of that day and the next were devoted to much exploring and eating, then I had to take another overnight train to Paris to fly home.

I hope you enjoy the photos! Click on them to see them at a larger size.

The Promenade des Anglais and the Mediterranean Sea:

Natural rock formations that I climbed out on many times (with a kayaker!)

The harbor and the hillside:

Arches – possibly an old aquaduct?

A small lighthouse/beacon at the edge of the harbor:

Lit walkway on the edge of the sea

Rocky beach, the sea, and the sun: (click to view large!)

Me sitting on the rocks on the edge of the sea (Photo by David):

Rough waters as a storm rolls in:

Entrance to the harbor on a cloudy day:

Thank you for checking out my photos from spring break! I hope you enjoyed them.
Spring Break Part 3 of 4 – Bordeaux

Life, Photography

Apr 28, 2010

Finally, after a stressful week, I have a few hours before I have to start studying for finals.

Here are my photos from Bordeaux, where I spent the most time. There I did lots of things like exploring alone, spending a day in a French high school (not pictured), and going to a small funeral at a small village in wine country (long story, and not pictured), and ate lunch with some British folk (also not pictured). Here are my favorite photos from my wanderings in Bordeaux. I hope you enjoy them! Click on the photos to view them at a larger size.

I got caught in a downpour, but afterwards this rainbow over Garonne River and Pont de Pierre bridge appeared. Definitely worth standing in the rain to see:

The riverwalk and quays along the Garonne River:

Pont de Pierre bridge at night:

The general chaos that is a French street. Trams, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and pedestrians walking any which way:

Place du Palais:

Silhouettes:

Delightful pastries in a cafe:

The riverwalk again:

I was amazed at how much French men pee in public. It seems like they go wherever they feel like. When I looked though my photos, I was surprised to find this. I didn’t notice this guy when I took the photo!

Statues:

Cathedral St. Andres:

Behind St. Bruno church:

Check back in a few days for photos from Nice!
Spring Break Part 2 of 4 – Arcachon

Life, Photography

Apr 19, 2010

After my short stay in Paris, I took a train a few hours south to Bordeaux, where my friend David lives. After a short nap at David’s apartment, we immediately went to the town of Arcachon, a small but beautiful place on the Atlantic (well, technically on Arcachon Bay, but we could see where the bay opened up to the Atlantic from the beach.) We were originally going to go there two days later, but the forecast was rain for that day, so we went right after arriving from Paris. Below are a few photos. As always, you can click on the photos to make them appear at a larger size.

Arcachon Bay:

The summer village:

Down in the summer village:

Down in the summer village (again):

The breakwater and oceanfront:

Two beautiful houses in the afternoon sun:

Me! (Photo taken by David Wagner)

Next up, Bordeaux! (Check back in a few days!)
Spring Break Part 1 of 4 – Paris

Life, Photography

Apr 18, 2010

I am finally getting around to posting some of my spring break photos from France! I won’t write the story of my trip on here… I would much prefer to tell you in person, so call me and ask me to hang out! (Or if you are too far away to do that, call me and we can talk!)

I will post some of my favorite photos from the trip in a series of posts, one for each place I visited. This post, Paris, will start it out. Coming soon will be Arcachon, Bordeaux, and Nice. Keep checking back throughout the week! Keep in mind that these are just my favorites. If you want to see more of my photos, let me know! (I can show you them at the same time I tell you my stories!)

Click on each photo to see it at a larger size.

Luxemburg Gardens:

A typical Parisian street:

The Seine river at night with Notre Dame in the distance:

A closer view in the daytime:

Notre Dame at night:

Carvings above the Notre Dame doors:

Inside Notre Dame

Sacre Coeur:

Sacre Coeur (closer)

Two metros passing each other (long exposure, handheld)

Eiffel Tower at night from Hannah Stone’s window:

Stairway in the Hotel Herse d’Or that David and I stayed at:

Hotel de Ville from across the Seine at night:

Check back soon for more photos!
March Madness

Life

Mar 25, 2010

Sorry basketball fans. This blog post is talking about the March madness of Hillsdale and my life. Complete with photos!

First off, the weather has been crazy here. It has gone from the teens to the upper sixties in temperature, and everywhere from snow to rain to sunshine.

Here are a few photos of the campus:
(Click on the photos to view them larger)

March, for me at least, was filled with exams, deadlines, presentations, meetings, photography, and occasional illness. I am happy to report that all turned out for the best.

During the fourth CCA, director Peter Bogdanovich showed up on campus to give an informative and entertaining lecture:

There was a week and a half span where the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was in the 50s and 60s, and the skies were clear and blue. I did a lot of studying outside those days. There were also a lot of frisbee games and guitars bring played on the quad during those days.

One evening, the classics honorary decided to put on a Virgil Vigil. They read all twelve books of the Aeneid on the quad late into the night:

Also, the Charger Baseball season started!

Last night, instrumental guitarist Trace Bundy did a concert at Hillsdale, which was excellent. I did not take any photos, but I am sure William Clayton will post some soon.

I am leaving a lot of things out, but it is for the best. These things are just a quick glimpse of my past month.

Now, it is finally spring break. I am home in Amherst for the evening, then tomorrow (Friday) I will be on a plane to France to spend spring break traveling around France with my friend David Wagner. I am visiting Paris, Bordeaux, Arcachon, and Nice. I am very excited! I will post about it when I get back.
Update on My Life

Life

Feb 14, 2010

Wow, it has been over a month since I last updated! It was so relaxing to not have to come up with a post every day that I came up with no posts at all. For those of you who used this blog as a window into my life, rest assured after you read this. I have not taken off to the wilderness of Alaska to live in seclusion from the social world. I just took a break from updating this blog. Below is the highlight of what has happened during that time.

The last time I updated (about palindromes) I was in Tennessee for a funeral. My family and I got back home from that trip just fine, and I drove myself to Chicago two days later to visit with/drop some things off to my cousin. Though I only stayed one night and turned around and drove back home the next day, I had a nice visit. I ate some tasty deep dish pizza, got to experience driving a vehicle through the Michigan Ave. traffic, and I ate at Hot Doug’s Sausage Emporium. What an excellent place. A whole restaurant devoted to sausage! I can’t wait to go there again. Anyway, the drive back home from Chicago took much longer than normal, since a huge snowstorm hit the midwest the night before and dumped a lot of snow everywhere. It also did not stop snowing the whole time I was driving home, so once it got dark, the last 150 miles across Ohio with slick roads, 45 mph traffic, and lots of semis made for a lot of fun.

Three days after I got home from that trip, it was time for me to go back to Hillsdale and start a new semester. (Here is my schedule.) My classes are going very well. They are a lot of work, but I enjoy it and would not have it any other way. Besides a lot of classwork, I’ve been tutoring a local home schooled student in geometry, specifically proof writing. I’ve also been taking a fair amount of photos for Hillsdale and the Collegian. I will post a sample of photos sometime over the next week.

Two weeks into the semester, I went to Chicago again for the weekend with some friends to hang out and do some exploring. On the way there, the tread flew off the back right tire. Changing the tire, filling it up, and finding an auto parts store to replace the broken tail light (from the tread) was an adventure in itself. We had fun, though, and we got back to school safely. Sadly, we did not get to eat at Hot Doug’s, though. Next time.

I finalized my spring break plans–I am going to France to visit David Wagner! I figured that this may be the only opportunity I will have to visit a friend in France who I can stay with and who actually speaks French, so I decided to take it. I am flying in to Paris on a Saturday morning, taking a train to Bordeaux on Monday, visiting the Atlantic ocean Wednesday during the day and back to Bordeaux that evening, taking an overnight train to Nice on the Mediterranean Thursday night, back to Paris Saturday, and flying back home Easter Sunday. I will then drive back to Hillsdale on Monday. It will be a busy trip, but I am very excited!

Also, big news for the summer. I was offered an internship at the Foundation for Economic Education! I will be in Atlanta for all of June, then in Estes Park, CO (right outside Rocky Mountain National Park) for most of July, back in Atlanta for a week, then Irvington, NY for a week. I will be taking photos, helping run FEE’s summer seminars, and any other miscellaneous jobs they need me to do. I will have a couple weeks at home after this semester is over before I leave, and a couple weeks before I have to start the fall semester. I am looking forward to a great summer!

I will do my best to post more often. Check back over the next week for a sample of my photos from the last month!
Day 364 – The Fireplace

Life, Project 365

Dec 30, 2009

As I stood in front of the fireplace this evening, I realized that I don’t remember a time when my family has not had one. Both of our houses have had one, and so has my grandmother’s house. It is so wonderful to come inside from a cold, snowy, windy day and warm up in front of the fire. It is also a wonderful place to sit in front of and read or think. As soon as the weather turns cool, I yearn for the smell of a wood fire in the air outside and the warmth inside that it provides. It is something I miss greatly in cold Hillsdale, MI.

Back in October, when the weather first turned cold in Hillsdale, I walked out of my dorm, felt the cold air biting at my face, and breathed in deeply through my nostrils. Almost instantly I stopped in my tracks and smiled. The old familiar smell of a wood fire was in the air and it comforted me with thoughts of home.

I am taking advantage of the fire as much as I can over this Christmas break. Soon I will return to Hillsdale and it will be gone when I return later in the spring when the weather is warmer.
Day 363 – New Year’s Resolutions

Life, Thoughts

Dec 29, 2009

I did a little thinking on New Year’s resolutions today, and they do not make much sense to me. Why resolve to do something that you think will better your life in some way starting at a future date? Whether what you are doing is trying to break a bad habit (smoking, drinking, overeating, procrastinating, etc.) or doing something positive (reading your Bible and praying more, saving money, becoming more disciplined, getting in shape, etc.), why not start as soon as it occurs to you to make a resolution for the upcoming year? January 1, 2010 is really not much different than December 31, 2009, or even December 10, 2009. If you have a change you want to make in your life, it is best to implement that change immediately. Waiting to make a change does not make much sense to me (with one exception, stated below.) If, for example, you want to lose weight but keep overeating until January 1, what have you accomplished? You have only made it more difficult for yourself. If you’ve waited until January 1, what is one more day? Pretty soon those “one more” days might add up… If you are going to do something, do it now.

The only reason I see to wait until January 1 to start a resolution is if the new calendar year offers some strategic advantage not available beforehand. Examples include a discount on a gym membership, daily Bible reading plans that go in order and start on January 1, or something similar. Keep in mind, however, that there are two sides to resolutions–the overarching ideas and the specific details. Waiting until January 1 because of a discount on a gym membership falls on the details side. If your resolutions are detail-specific, find the idea behind those details and implement other complementary details now that help you stay true to the idea behind the resolution.

A loophole I see to this is if you are a type of person who absolutely needs structured dates to start something and thrives on that. In that case, waiting to start resolutions until January 1 might help you. For everyone else, I suggest you start now. If your resolution is so unimportant that you can wait until January 1, why even start it then? If it will really make a difference, start immediately.
Day 360 – Answer To Calendar Question and Misc.

Life, Project 365

Dec 26, 2009

This is my answer to the Friday the 13th calendar question my friend David posed to me on Monday:

(I believe it happens when January starts on a Sunday or a Thursday, though I am not 100% on this.)

It happened this year (2009). March and November, with February, March, and November having Friday the 13ths.

January and July in 2012 – January, April, and July have Friday the 13ths.

March and November in 2015 – February, March, and November have Friday the 13ths.

January and October in 2017. Those are the only two months that year that have a Friday the 13th.

The miscellaneous:
I’ve really been enjoying being home, spending time with family and friends, and relaxing. I’ve been able to get things done that I did not have time for during finals, like cleaning off and organizing files on my computer, fixing my external drive and backup situation, and turning in schedules for the spring semester. I plan to write a few letters and come up with a website redesign this week. Also, I have time for reading now! I am rereading The Hobbit so that I can start the LOTR set I got for Christmas. I am very excited!
Day 357 – Hummus

Life, Project 365, Recipes

Dec 23, 2009

As promised, I made hummus today. (Among other things, that is. I slept in, went out to lunch and shopping with Amanda, visited the Amherst Schools tech guys, ate dinner with my parents, made hummus, then wrapped presents with the help of my Dad.)

My friend Dom came over to make hummus with me, as he as made it many times before. We made two batches of the following recipe:

30 oz. Chickpeas
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 red bell pepper, chunked
2 cloves garlic
1 package of pita bread (approx. 6-8 pitas)
A pinch of salt
A drizzle of olive oil
As much hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s) as you want

Preparation:
Get out your blender or food processor of choice. Puree the sesame seeds with the lemon juice and garlic first. When it is sufficiently pureed, add and blend the first 15 oz of chickpeas, salt, and olive oil. Then, add and blend the red bell pepper, the hot sauce, and the remaining chickpeas. If it is all too thick, add a little bit of juice from the chickpeas (provided that they are canned–if not, use a little water) to thin it out.

Next, cut the pita bread into 8ths, lightly brush the pieces with olive oil, sprinkle a touch of salt on the pieces, then put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees to toast them.

(The photo above is the hummus and pita chips Dom and I made. In the background is my family’s Christmas tree.)
Day 352 – Home for Christmas!

Life, Project 365

Dec 18, 2009

Today was my last day of finals, and I finally got to come home! I am very excited to be home for a few weeks.

When I got home, the house was beautifully decorated!
Day 341 – A Year Ago Yesterday…

Life, Project 365

Dec 7, 2009

As I was looking through my photo library tonight, I realized that it was exactly a year ago yesterday that I saw Handel’s Messiah performed at Hillsdale. (If you didn’t read yesterday’s post, I went to see it performed in Detroit yesterday.) I saw the performances exactly a year apart! I thought that was pretty exciting.

Here are two photos I took of the performance a year ago yesterday at College Baptist:

The Hillsdale College Choir:

The violins, violas, and harpsichord, as well as Professor Holleman and the timpanis:

—-

What’s happening in my life: It is the last week of classes now. It just started snowing this week, too, which I am excited about. I am currently finishing a paper for my Austrian economics class, and I have another one due Friday for a seminar I am taking. I praise God that my stress level is not as high as it usually is during this time in the semester, and that everything is going well in my life. I am very excited to go home in less than two weeks!
Day 340 – Handel’s Messiah

Life, Project 365

Dec 6, 2009

Today, Amanda and I drove to Detroit to see Handel’s Messiah performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (I bought her tickets for her birthday). We had a wonderful time! The performance was excellent, we had great seats, and we ate good food afterwards at Union Street Archived Link. Overall, today was a great day!

Here are two photos taken with the camera on my phone:
Day 336 – My Halloween Costume

Life, Project 365

Dec 2, 2009

Let’s turn back the clock back a little bit to halloween (and no, I am not talking about retrodating this post…)

I never showed a photo of my halloween costume, so I am posting two now (photos courtesy of Liz Essley.)

Sitting in a chair:

Dancing:

What was it? A duck mask, hoodie, and shirt and tie. I didn’t mean it to actually be “something”… it was just a costume. Apparently it was kind of a creepy costume, though, especially when I walked into rooms and stood there without saying anything. There is just something creepy and mysterious about unchanging expressions…
Day 333 – Guitar

Life, Project 365

Nov 29, 2009

My grandparents on my Mom’s side moved to back to Tennessee 10 years ago after living in northern Ohio for over 40 years. I don’t get to see them as much as I would like, but whenever I do, my grandfather usually gets a guitar out and plays a little bit, especially if other musicians are around. My grandparents came to visit for Thanksgiving, and my grandfather and my cousins’ other grandfather got out their instruments and played for a little while.

This is my grandfather:

Richard got to try his hand at playing guitar, too!

Unrelated:
I am back in Hillsdale now after a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Now for the final three-week insane dash to the end of the semester!
Day 331 – Pool Collisions

Life, Photography

Nov 27, 2009

I took this shot on Thanksgiving day, when a bunch of us went in my aunt’s basement to play pool after dinner. This is my Dad with the break:

Today was a very nice, family-oriented day. I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Richard and my two cousins in the morning, hung out at home for a little while, then went to dinner with my parents, grandparents, Amanda, and Richard. I need to spend time with family more often.

By the way, The Blind Side is a pretty good movie. I recommend it.
Day 329 – Richard’s First Day in Northern Ohio

Life, Project 365

Nov 25, 2009

My friend Richard Amos came home with me for Thanksgiving, and since it was his first time in Northern Ohio, I showed him around. After we took Aaron Mortier to the airport so he could fly to Virginia, we started exploring. First we went to Crocker Park, which was closed still since it was only 8 a.m. So, from there we drove along Lake Erie from Avon Lake to Amherst, stopping along the way. We stopped twice in Avon Lake, then at the Lorain pier and Black River Landing. Even though it was kind of chilly, it was a pretty nice day, and the lake was as smooth as glass. Luckily, the rain held off until late afternoon, so we had clear skies for our adventures.

After wandering along the lake, we made a quick stop at the high school, then went to the new Perk Avenue Coffee Shop in uptown (downtown) Amherst. I am impressed with how nice it looks! Amherst needed a modern coffee shop. Then, we visited Mr. Strohm and Ms. Alexander for a while. It was nice to see and talk to them for a while. Lunch with Sean soon followed. We ate at Ziggy’s, another recently renovated Amherst restaurant, then went back to Sean’s house for a few minutes. We decided then to go to Target to pick up something for Richard. We did not find what we were looking for, but we did find Amanda and her mom, who were also shopping! It was very nice to see the two of them, even if for a minute.

From that point, since we had been up since 6:15 a.m., we were pretty tired, so we came home and took a nap until dinner. The rest of the night was uneventful, except for my grandparents from Tennessee, aunt, and uncle came to visit for a little while. My grandparents are in town for Thanksgiving, and it is always very nice to see them.

I am very grateful to have had a day to take time to relax and spend time with family and friends!
Day 322 – False Alarm

Life, Project 365

Nov 18, 2009

First of all, today is Sean Nelson’s birthday. Happy Birthday Sean!

Now, back to the regularly scheduled blog post:

While I was having lunch with Amanda and her friends in Saga today, Maria, the Collegian editor, rushed over to me and announced that there was breaking news happening that instant and I should rush down to the intramural fields with her and Will to investigate and take photos. A helicopter was just seen descending on the IM fields. I was the only Collegian photographer she could get ahold of, so I cut my lunch short, quickly said my goodbyes, literally ran to my dorm to get my gear, and jumped in the car to investigate. There was much adrenaline pumping between the three of us in the car…how often is it that you get to report breaking news on a small college campus?

On the way down to the fields, we saw an ambulance and paramedics carrying someone out of a house on a stretcher. We thought this might be related to the helicopter, since the IM fields is the closest spot a helicopter could land. Could someone be in such bad condition that a helicopter came to fly them to Jackson or Toledo hospital? We intended to find out.

…Well, after waiting by the helicopter for 10 minutes, Maria found out from campus security that the helicopter belonged to a family member of someone on the Board of Trustees, who was on campus today for a Board of Trustees meeting for the Michigan Colleges Foundation. False alarm!

Here are two quick shots I snapped of the helicopter, though: