Among Friends

Some people say that traditions are hard to keep, but this group disagrees, because their tradition is FUN! IdeaStar developer Doug Hayes and a group of his friends have made a tradition out of Friday night Karaoke, something Doug has been doing for over a year. Some of Doug's friends have been Karaoke-ing for many years, and others are just starting to sing. "Every Friday night I go and sing karaoke. It is always a great time."

Doug (left) belts it out with his buddy Scott Largent. Scott also works at IdeaStar.

Doug usually chooses country songs, but he says that variety is definitely important. Garth Brooks,Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn are always classics, but he mixes things up with 1980's & 1990's stuff too. He can do Billy Joel, Counting Crows, Sister Hazel, & Fastball just to name a few.

The Karaoke tradition goes on every Friday night at Brooks Pub on Broadway Avenue in Garfield Heights. They have the best sound system & song selection according to Doug.

Copyright © 2005 IdeaStar Inc.

Latin Fever

by Lia Spithas
You probably wouldn't guess it, but IdeaStar developer Dale Cassidy is a dancing machine! There are no pictures of him dancing around the office, but I found out that Dale has been involved with Latin dancing for about a year-and-a-half. "I caught Latin dance fever in Brazil, while I was working there as a consultant," he says.

Brazilian dance is mostly Samba, while around here the most popular Latin dance is Salsa. Salsa is Latin music with blues, jazz and rock mixed in...American flare.

Dale dances at clubs downtown in the warehouse district, and attends the dance class sessions held at Velvet Dog, Moda, and Baccus. He also takes classes with Cleveland Swing and Salsa, and says that there is quite a Salsa community in Cleveland. "Once you go a few times you will always see friends to dance with, and it is a great way to meet new people."

For anybody interested in learning Salsa, the best way to start is to show up at a club session on Friday night. Many people are beginners, and the fee is $10 or less. "Don't be intimidated, everyone is having fun at these lessons," Dale promises.

I may just be brave enough to go. See you there?

Copyright © 2005 IdeaStar Inc.

Baby & Big Dogs

A visit from the newest Baby Boomer, Grace Corey Svette received many oohhh's and aahhh's last week...Something we are getting very used to at IdeaStar. Grace stopped by with her mommy, Susanne, IdeaStar's General Manager, her daddy Mark, and her big, furry, canine sisters Stella and China.

Proud Mom & Dad with their little pink bundle of joy.

Everybody gathers around to pet the puppies and admire the baby.

Grace toured the office, got passed from employee to employee, and had her picture taken several times. She was extremely patient for a 1-month-old. We can hardly wait 'till she visits us again. Maybe Susanne will set up a playpen in her office when she comes back to work?

Copyright © 2005 IdeaStar Inc.

Life Of A Champion

Many congratulations to IdeaStar developer Phil Hall and the Cleveland Heights Senior Hockey League White team, who won their championship game last Wednesday night. They beat the previously undefeated Maroon team 10-7 to clinch this year's A Division title. It is their first championship as a team!

The Champion White Team. In case you couldn't find him, Phil is top row, third from the right)

Phil started playing hockey when he was eight years old. He played goalie for Cleveland Heights High School in the 1970's, and continued to play until he was twenty-two, but took a break from the game after that. In the past five years, he has really gotten back into it, as a coach for his son's pee-wee team and as a member of the White team for the past three years.

Phil plays defense for his team now, not goalie. He says that is why he doesn't score very much, although he had nine assists and one goal this season. To celebrate their victory, team members are planning on doing some partying in the next couple weeks. There will be one party for all league members and second party for champions only.

Copyright © 2005 IdeaStar Inc.