How to earn a living in the music industry? Get your training at St. Petersburg College

So here's something a little different that gives you some perspective of the kind of education that is taking place in our community. It has the title Industry Speaker Series but what it doesn't tell you is that at St. Petersburg College they're training the producers who will earn a living in the music industry. Now that's cool, and fun, if you're into music. And who isn't? The point here is that in our community there are all the opportunities to pursue some amazing careers. We're glad to be in a community like this.

We are so fortunate to have such a quality school as Stetson Law in our community

We never get tired of extolling the virtues of our local colleges, and so when we came across this video from Stetson College of Law we couldn't help but share it. It's from a webinar presented by Assistant Dean Laura Zuppo and Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, in which they answer questions from prospective students about what it's like to be a law student at Stetson University's College of Law. There's some interesting information, especially if you're thinking about studying law or know someone who is, but it's also interesting to get a perspective about the calibre of people who live in our community. Watch and you'll see what we mean.

On the steps of the Eckerd College library one evening, came these beautiful sounds

Okay, so we want more of this. The whole world should want more of this. We got an alert the other day about this cool video that was posted by our friends at Eckerd College. Well, it's just a snippet, really. 29 seconds. That's it! That's all! It was happening on the steps of Eckerd's Armacost Library one evening with the a cappella group, the Eckerd College Tritones. And the song they're giving us just a little taste of? It's from the last century. The 20th century. Fifty years ago, it was a Nat King Cole hit, an amorous spelling lesson, really. "L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see ..." And here we are well into the 21st century and this group of fine young voices is filling the air with such beautiful sounds. Yes, we want more! Who wouldn't?

Apartment-restaurant complex developers seeing a great future for our community

Late last year, you may remember, we had an item about a new development project coming to South St. Petersburg. It's to be a mixed-use development on 34th Street just north of the Ceridian complex and the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center. It is to include one- and two-bedroom apartments, shops, and restaurants. Phillips Development & Realty in Tampa has been working with our friend Keri Melshenker at the Skyway Marina District to bring about the complex. Word comes now that the purchase of the property from Home Depot has been completed ($4.2 million) and construction is supposed to begin in five to nine months. “The Skyway Marina District is screaming for retail, luxury living and involvement from the St. Petersburg art scene,” said Donald Phillips, managing director of the development company, according to Business Observer. Mayor Rick Kriseman is all for the project and has been championing the prosperity of the Skyway Marina District for years.

Bonafide success stories: These are the stellar things happening at St. Pete College

Maybe we've been on an education tangent lately but it's with good reason. There are so many amazing higher education opportunities in our community and they deserve attention. Case in point is this recent video from St. Petersburg College about the rapid rise of local students in tech data through a program with Cisco Solutions Group. Makes you proud, doesn't it?

Happy Valentine's Day! We hope you enjoy this video on the history of the observance

This video is old but history never goes out of date, does it? We thought this would be fun for Valentine's Day. Consider it our valentine to you. Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

If you don't believe our college have some amazing talent, just watch this cool video

Take the time to view this amazing video. It shows an artist at St. Petersburg College's Leepa-Rattner Museum painting an Asian dragon in one long, astounding stroke. From the beginning up to 2:54, he meticulously paints the dragon's head, then he carefully applies several colors of paint to a wide brush. At 4:18, he begins the single stroke. The result is spectacular. You really need to watch it for yourself. Talent abounds in our local colleges.

What a treasure we have in Peter Meinke, Poet Laureate of Florida and Eckerd icon

We suppose it shouldn't come as any surprise that Peter Meinke, who is an icon at Eckerd College, has been honored with the prestigious William Meredith Award in Poetry for his work.

Peter is Florida's Poet Laureate and professor emeritus at Eckerd College. He participates every year in the Writers in Paradise week at Eckerd, and frequently can be seen around town at literary functions of all kinds. William Meredith was Poet Laureate of the United States in the late Seventies and he and Peter were friends in Washington then.

If you haven't read Peter Meinke, you really ought to make a point of it. His work is full of dark wit, and his wry observations on the state of the world are spot on. His latest poetry collection is Lucky Bones (2014). He also has collections of short stories, The Piano Tuner (1986), Unheard Music (2007), and The Expert Witness: 26 short stories with 26 drawings (2016), with illustrations by his wife, Jeanne Meinke.  She also illustrated Truth and Affection: the Poet's Notebook (2013), Peter's collection of his columns from Creative Loafing. 

When you hear comments like this, you know why Stetson Law is so special

So this video from Stetson came to our attention the other day and it reminded us what a special resource this school is in our community. When you hear the comments of the graduates about their alma mater and their insights into the profession they've chosen and the impact it has on the community, you realize we are fortunate indeed.

Discoveries in Cuba: An amazing old book sale in a park and a beautiful 1950 Cadillac

Travel to Cuba is so easy now, and many of our friends and neighbors are making the trip to the Caribbean island that lies 90 miles off our shores. Students from Eckerd College have taken several trips down there in recent years. Our friend T. Allan Smith, who helps out with our social media efforts, just returned from a visit.

That's Allan in the photo at the top with his new best friend, Julio Cesar, a bookseller who seemed to have the largest collection of leather bound books in an open air market in Havana. Allan said the market springs to life three days a week in a city plaza in Old Havana and is a book lovers delight.

Allan would know. He's a former bookseller and works with the annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair that is held at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg. Allan said he found not only books but also historic newspapers, magazines, antique cameras, vintage photographs, military campaign ribbons and pins, prints and posters, and a host of other collectible odds and ends.

No visit to Havana would be complete without tales of the 1940 and 1950s cars American cars still in operation today. They've become a popular focal point for tourists, and Allan said he saw plenty of them. The ride for him and his companions was a 1950 Cadillac with an International Harvester engine. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) It's an eye-catching vehicle that even the locals stopped to look at as they rode around the city. Its colors were described as Lucifer Red and Champagne Gold. In the picture, that's Diego Luis, who Allan described as "the best driver in all of Havana."

As a book lover, Allan also visited Finca Vigia, the hilltop home of writer Ernest Hemingway, but that's a story for another time.

Have you taken a recent trip to Cuba? Share your story with us. Send an email to spareroomministorage@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.