Something Wicked Awesome This Way Comes

It is all just words and words, and words and words and words, and words and words.  But really, it is all about the delivery.  And they do it well.

At Second City, you will be thoroughly entertained watching “Something Wicked This Way Comes” a depiction of random skits played by 6 talented actors.  They switch seamlessly into their new characters as you are still giggling from the previous.  They are cute skits about Canadiana, and other modern news events and issues, and some are guaranteed to be close to your heart!  Whether it be parenting issues, social topic faux pas’, relationship gender roles, or hearing our favourite old DK video game music (they had to throw in some nostalgia there) you will truly enjoy a comedic evening out with friends and family at Second City.

Now, I feel like going and having a Coke.

Claire Chmela
Staff writer, Top 100

This is the cordless 5.8 GHz phone that remains buoyant if dropped in a pool, bathtub, or sink. The handset is housed in waterproof plastic and has durable rubber side grips, and the buttons are sealed to resist moisture, ensuring optimal clarity and dialing when exposed to water. The digital phone has a back-lit LCD with 10-number memory dialing and last-number redial, while the large, back-lit buttons allow for ease of dialing in the dark. It is call waiting and caller ID compatible with a 30-number caller ID memory, only requiring a subscription with a telephone company. Its 20-channel autoscan ensures the handset delivers clear reception during calls, and emergency numbers can be programmed and dialed at a touch of a button. The recharging base has a handset locator button and can be desk- or wall-mounted. Hearing aid compatible. 7 3/4″ H x 7″ W x 4″ L. (2 lbs.)

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MPro 120 Handheld Micro Projector

3M has come up with a way to give presentations without the preparation. Show up with your 3M MPro120, completely loaded with your presentation or any document, pull the projector out of your pocket, press a button, and your are presenting at 15 luminums at the nearest clutter-free wall.

Top 100 Favorite!

MPro 120 Handheld Micro Projector

Manufacturer #: MPRO120

Features:

* The 3M MPro120 Pocket Projector is a next-generation handheld, battery-operated projector

* MPro120 displays images and videos from computers or most mobile devices, including netbooks, MP3 players or iPods (R), smartphones and digital cameras

* The MPro120 allows you to project images and videos on almost any wall almost anywhere

* Project image sizes from 8¿ to 50¿

* Built-in speakers provide sound

* The energy-saving LED light lasts 20,000 hours

* Cables, a protective bag, re-chargeable battery, a table-top tripod

* 1 year warranty

* Best of all, it fits in your pocket

Text and graphic compliments of 3M

[[Show as slideshow]]When visiting Florida, there are numerous “must see” destinations.  SW Florida is commonly not on that list.  After all, SW Florida doesn’t boast the hip clubs that are found in Miami and up the Treasure Coast; it’s not the vacation mecca that DisneyWorld has become; there’s no major sports teams like baseball, football, basketball, golf, hockey or races like those found in Daytona, Tampa, and Miami.   And it’s certainly not the well publicized party town and Jimmy Buffet stomping grounds like Key West.  Entertainment, scuba, sailing, swimming, skiing, golfing, sunbathing, sightseeing, and vacationing are usually associated with other areas of Florida.  Yet, SW Florida has one well-kept secret that Top 100 proudly claims is superior in many ways to any other resort area in Florida, but don’t tell anyone.

We visited SW Florida expecting to spend just a few days each major area like Naples, Ft. Myers, Cape Coral, and Ft. Myers Beach, Key West and for the most part, we were right.  When we visited Daytona, Ft. Myers Beach, Naples, Key West, Orlando, Panama City, West Palm and Miami…after just a few days we were ready to move on.

But there is one place in SW Florida that took us by surprise…it’s the spectacular Sanibel and Captiva Islands.  Perhaps it’s the $6 fee to cross the only connecting bridge that makes this magical place such a well kept secret, but we knew that we had found something extraordinary within 5 minutes of arriving…at the visitor’s center.  If you ever travel to Sanibel by car…you absolutely must stop at the visitor’s center, they will offer southern hospitality not found anywhere this side of Savannah, Georgia.  We were greeted handsomely by three enthusiastic employees, and we felt immediately welcomed for many reasons.  They asked us what we liked and then listened for our response.  Once they knew what we were looking for, they provided us with enough literature, maps, and contact names to fill at least four days.  In fact, since we only had two days scheduled to be there, we have to return next month just to finish this article.

Here are the highlights of the two islands:

• A National Wildlife Refuge like no other.
• Miles and miles and miles of shelling beaches…and boat access to other islands with the really good shells
• Scores of unique and interesting bars, coffee shops, and restaurants.
• Multiple shopping sites with everything from sea shells to bait.
• Polished resorts alongside single bedroom cabins located right on the water.
• Every kind of boat-ride or boat tour imaginable including rides to the famous Cabbage Key, North Captiva, Pine Island, and Cayo Costa, where you can do some shelling, enjoy the tropical splendor, or eat a cheeseburger in paradise.
• And most importantly, you will enjoy meeting people that you like.

As was suggested, this island cannot be experienced in 1 or 2 days, here is what Top 100 found in our first two days.

The Jenson Marina – Dave, Jimmy, and John Jenson

[[Show as slideshow]]There is quaint little community deep into Captive called Jenson’s Marina.  The Jenson’s Marina has been around for many decades and remains pretty much the same as it was back in the 1970’s.  Jenson’s Marina is like many marinas, a docking and launching point for many age-old Sanibel-Captiva water activities like fishing, sailing, or boat rides out to the neighboring islands.  But what gives Jenson’s Marina its legendary status is the Jenson boys (in alphabetical Dave, Jimmy, and John).  The Jenson family has been on the islands for as long as anyone there could remember.  And their enthusiastic welcomes and genuine interest in your well-being is what caught our attention.  Somewhere over the past few decades that genuine love are kindness for one another has fallen away in so many areas of our great country, but if want to experience it in 2010, just head to Jenson’s marina and meet the Jenson brothers…it’s like traveling backwards through space…to a better time.

Jenson’s Marina has a collection of quaint one and two bedroom cabins with twin and double beds, stand up showers, and moderate kitchens.  Ours had a 24” wide stove in our kitchen next to a small comfortable sitting room. …and a small screened in front porch.  Jenson’s offers fishing trips, boat rides to the island, swimming, relaxing on the beach, and basically the inside scoop on almost anything that you could want on Captiva Island.  No matter where to choose to stay on the island, Top 100 recommends that you stop at the Jenson Marina, and just meet the Jenson boys.  It’s a good way to get into the mood of the island life.

Captain Mick – Go sailing in Captiva with your friend, that you didn’t know you have.

[[Show as slideshow]]Drive around back of the Tween Waters Inn and you’ll find a small dock that hosts a handful of boats.  One of those boats is Captain Mick’s personal sailboat called the “New Moon”.   Captain Mick has been giving personal tours of the islands and astronomy lessons from the water on his “New Moon” for many years.  His clients have mostly come through word of mouth referrals.  Today, thanks in large part to the release of the new movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon, his Twitter sight gets millions of hits from 13 year-olds.  His client-base, however, still comes from word of mouth.

Top 100 respects Captain Mick’s tour which is limited to 6 or 7 people because, the experience is not like you are one a 100 people who “bought a ticket”.  You are not rushed on and through a scripted tour like cattle, but rather, each tour is unique.  Captain Mick gets to know who you are before you even depart.

Our tour was extra special, because we had the unique opportunity t be traveling with a family from Ohio that was on the islands to celebrate a human victory.  Mark, the Dad, had been diagnosed with cancer almost a year prior, and had spent the better part of the previous year in transformation…new diet, new exercise program, and lots of visits to the doctor and chemo –therapy treatment.  No long before our sailing trip, Mark, was diagnosed cancer-free, and he decided to celebrate with a trip to Sanibel-Captiva and included this sailing trip with Captain Mick.

“Who wants to Captain the boat?” Mick shouts as we’re preparing to depart, and then he assigns someone from your party to helm the boat…in our case it was the wife, Carolyn.  Her job was to center the rudder, shift gears, give is gas, and, of course, steer.  Mick shouts orders from across the boat, but makes it pretty clear he putting faith in his very new crew.

As we sailed along the shores of Captiva, Charlie points out the many attractions many of which included changes to the island resulting from Hurricane Charlie.  “And there is North Captiva Island which was cut in half when Charlie came through.  See that house over there, that’s the only house the still remains standing in this region after the devastation of Charlie.”  It makes us wonder what the New Moon tours were like before Charlie.

As the sunset neared, we learned about the Green Flash which we are told is a phenomenon that occurs that the moment the sun descends below the horizon.  “When the blue water and the yellow sky part, a green flash appears just for a fraction of a second on the horizon.”

After the sun went down, we learned that’s the best time to look for planets.  Before the sky gets too dark and all the stars appear, you can see Venus as the only star in the sky, followed by Mercury and Mars.  For a short period, the sky contains only planets, then one by one each of the stars and constellations appear a form a spectacular star-filled sky.

For us, the best part of the sail was watching as Captain Mick interfacing with the adults and the kids.  He’s clearly a people person; he befriends his guests on board; and his sense of humor carries the night.  So if you’re on Captiva Island, you won’t be herded onto some boat with a scripted routine where everyone is treated like a number, if you call your friend on the island, Captain Mick, and ask if he wants to go sailing today.

Shelling – Great on the islands, better on the island’s islands

Sanibel and Captiva are well-know destinations for shelling, an age-old pastime where people walk along the beach and pick up every variety of shells.  When we asked where to go shelling, they basically directed us to head to any of the beaches that surround the island.  There are shells everywhere.  With a one-page flyer describing every shell known to man that we got at the visitors center, we headed to the beach where we found millions of shells, and hundreds of people walking along the shores admiring and collecting the shells that had walked up that morning.  When we had collected a full bag of shells and were heading away, someone told us that the best shelling was on the islands the surround Sanibel and Captiva, but you have to take a boat to get there.  That’s where the giant shells can be found.

The Visitors Center – Top 100 Voted Best Visitor’s Center Ever!

[[Show as slideshow]]After two days of site-seeing, shelling, sailing, and stuff, it dawned on us that what we learned at our first stop…the visitor’s center…was the truth.  You can’t see all of Sanibel-Captiva in a weekend.  Admittedly, we would have to return to see it all.  Claire and I decided to take a bike ride across Captiva, when we reached the bridge connecting Captiva to Sanibel, Claire said, I’ll head back and get the car, you continue biking all the way to the visitor’s center, and I’ll meet you there. ..and we parted ways.  Claire headed back to the end of Captiva.  I headed toward the visitors.  When I arrived an hour later, Claire was on the phone.  “You have the car keys in your pocket.”  Yep, I had the keys, which meant that I need bike back across both islands.  That’s when it happened.  Bridgett, the marketing director, offered to drop what she was doing and drive me all the way to the Jenson’s Marina.  Now that’s hospitality.

So for the next half hour…we talked.  Bridgett has a lot happening in her world.  She has four children, two boys, two girls….and she’s working on adopting more from Haiti.  Her husband works in the construction industry.  We talked about green energy and fine art (my passion).  Sanibel is peppered with great artists with a long history of legendary artists and art benefits.  We even talked about bringing a global art event to Sanibel and brainstormed about a location…we decided that a private residence would be best.

So keep an eye on Sanibel.  It’s already the best kept secret in Florida.  Watch for it to maintain it’s historic charm, and at the same time to explore new ways to bring fun, adventures, and visitors in the know…to the magical Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

Editor’s note: Avoid South Seas Resort…despite a good location and reports of quality renovation, our repeated attempts to pay a visit were met with poor communication, multiple canceled appointments and (ugh!)  arrogance….try Tween Waters.

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Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. These islands, called the West Indies, generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea. These islands are called the West Indies because when Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 he believed that he had reached the Indies (in Asia).

The region consists of the Antilles, divided into the larger Greater Antilles which bound the sea on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), and the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are in fact in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, not in the Caribbean Sea.

Royal Caribbean International is a Miami, Florida -based cruise line brand owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 24.8% share of the world cruise market. All ships since 1991 have names ending in “of the Seas.”

Each Royal Caribbean ship includes a top-of-ship lounge called the Viking Crown Lounge offering sweeping panoramic views, onboard rock climbing walls, bars, lounges, spas, gyms, a main dining room and alternative dining venues. The line has a special kids and youth program known as Adventure Ocean. The line’s first ship was the Song of Norway, now International Shipping Partners’ Clipper Pearl.

Royal Caribbean operates two privately owned resorts that are used as stops on some Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. They are Labadee, a resort on the northern coast of Haiti; and Coco Cay, a private island in the Berry Islands region of The Bahamas. Each island features beaches, canopies for eating, lounge chairs, palm trees, and white sand beaches.

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[[Show as slideshow]]The Landmark Forum is a rollercoaster ride that provides an unprecedented and unpredictable adventure.  Most of the adventures on our Top 100 List are precedented and predictable.  Think about this.  Even if we had an adventure of traveling to Pluto, we could roughly describe what you would see, hear, feel, and experience.  You would put on some kind of space-proof suit, enter a ship, and then blast out of the atmosphere, travel through space, and arrive on ball called Pluto.  You could predict that.

The Landmark Forum promises to deliver ‘anything you want’.  But ‘what you want’ is often unknown (or different than what you think you want).  In the Landmark Forum, your adventure is customized (like the dream sequence in the movie “Total Recall”).

Language Translations: The Landmark Forum (In French) translated by Jack Ballas (jbnorthstar@hotmail.com) The Landmark Forum (In Spanish) translated by Sharlene Brown (sharliebrownpr@gmail.com) The Landmark Forum (In Japanese) translated by Anonymous The Landmark Forum (In Hebrew) translated by Maty Grosman (g_maty@hotmail.com) (The Landmark Forum In Turkish) translated by Samet Gulec (dus-un@hotmail.com)

You may get decades of extra years added to your life.  You may resurrect a relationship that died when Nixon was president.  You may heal an ulcer or back pain.  Nightmares from an alcoholic upbringing or sexual assault could vanish forever in a moment.  You may gain a personal relationship with the man/woman of your dreams or a relationship with God.  You might rediscover your kids, or save yourself from destroying them. Maybe your mother will get her son back, or your wife will get back a husband that she hasn’t seen since the honeymoon.  Maybe you’ll take on new challenges like those listed on the Top 100 Adventures.  Or maybe you’ll get several or even all of the above or something else altogether extraordinary.

The Landmark Forum is about creating new possibilities for your life.  So the benefits from this adventure last a lifetime, not just a few days like a Vespa tour through Italy or just a few moments like a bungee jump or skydive.  Landmark is a new kind of adventure.  It’s totally transformational, not just exciting.  So we hiked it way up the list.

If we discover an adventure that takes us directly to Heaven or guarantees world peace, it will unseat the Landmark Forum.  Until then, Landmark Forum clearly tops our top 100 list.

If I could recommend only one adventure to our readers, Landmark Forum would be my choice.  Landmark….choose.

-John Chmela, Top 100 Adventures

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alex@canoearctic.com