Trips Planned to State Farm Stadium, Lake Pleasant
LifeLong Learning’s private, behind-the-scenes tour of State Farm Stadium Oct. 11 includes viewing the stadium’s retractable, natural-grass field being rolled into place. (Photo by Joseph Perrin)
Patricia Ingalls
During October, LifeLong Learning (LLL) is offering a day trip to tour State Farm Stadium in Glendale and another trip to take a lunch boat cruise on Lake Pleasant, northwest of Peoria.
For full details and to register, go to lifelonglearningatpc.org. Registration for both trips opened Sept. 3. Both tours sold out quickly last season!
State Farm Stadium Tour: Friday, Oct. 11
After stopping for lunch at B.J.’s in Park West Mall, this private tour of the stadium explores various areas behind the scenes, such as Cardinals Hall of Famers area, Cardinals press-conference room, the NFL visiting-team locker room, the press box and an exclusive private loft. The tour also includes viewing the retractable, natural-grass field being rolled into place.
State Farm Stadium has set the standard in multi-purpose NFL facilities with its construction of the stadium, which was completed in August 2006. Designed with a roll-out, natural-grass field and retractable roof, the first of its kind in North America, the stadium can convert from a sports facility to a multi-functional event space, allowing it to host numerous types of events in air-conditioned comfort.
Upon returning to the bus, time permitting, participants may be able to visit the Cardinals official NFL store for a souvenir.
Lake Pleasant Lunch Cruise: Tuesday, Oct. 22
Amid a colorful Arizona backdrop of lake water and shoreline, participants will board the 150-capacity ‘Phoenix’ for a delightful, social, and informative afternoon, exploring one of the Valley’s most scenic reservoirs. The captain on this private charter will entertain with fascinating commentary about the surrounding Sonoran Desert, its rich history, beautiful vistas, legends and abundant wildlife, flora and fauna, while guests relax onboard, scanning the shoreline for sightings of wild burros or bald eagles.
A delicious boxed lunch is included: Roasted Quinoa/Vegetable Wrap, Chicken Caesar Wrap, Freddy’s Famous Focaccia Club or Turkey and Avocado. Guests make their menu selections at time of registration. Lunch also includes two free non-alcohol drink tickets for soda, iced tea, water or coffee. Cash bar only for additional non-alcohol drinks, wine, or alcohol drinks.
The climate-controlled cruise boat is handicapped-accessible. No worries about a weary drive home; LLL’s bus driver awaits.
Classes Cover Magic, EVs, Genealogy
Patricia Ingalls
During October, LifeLong Learning offers three classes, all on weekday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. For full details and to register, go to lifelonglearningatpc.org.
The World of Illusion and Magic: On Wed., Oct. 9, magician-mentalist Bruce Kundin takes students on a guided tour into the mysteries of mentalism and magic. Back by popular demand, Kundin has added new material for this new class, to avoid repeating last season’s class.
Do You Want to Buy an Electric Vehicle?: On Tues., Oct. 22, Dru Bacon will conduct his popular class to discuss considerations when purchasing electric vehicles. He will present the advantages and dangers of electric vehicles, electric-grid scale storage, and items to consider when purchasing an electric vehicle, such as modification needed to the home garage to charge the vehicle.
Genealogy 101: On Thurs., Oct. 31, Denise Beeson’s introductory genealogy class will show students how to research their roots, where to find information, and how to access sources of family history.
Master Procrastinator Finally Offers Tips
Bill Nee
What do you still want to accomplish in life? Are you procrastinating on reaching those goals? In this month’s TED Talk, viewed by 73 million people, writer Tim Urban explains why procrastinators procrastinate.
Urban states that procrastination does not make sense, but he has never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. He relates that our brains have rational decision makers in them, but also instant-gratification monkeys that take over our actions and prevent us from getting things done.
In this humorous and insightful talk, he takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes, bouts of staring out the window, and encourages us to think harder about what we are really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.
With our limited amount of time on earth, we need to plan and do the things we want to achieve, and avoid letting our instant-gratification monkeys take over our lives, which is delaying work on lifetime goals.
To view this 14-minute talk, go to TED.com, click “watch” in the header, then “TED Talks,” then in “Search talks” input “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator,” scroll a little lower, and click on the talk you selected.
Do not procrastinate on stopping to procrastinate.
Speaker Series Resume
Patricia Ingalls
Both of LifeLong Learning’s speaker series—evening Premier and Weekday—resume in October. For full details, and to register for the evening Premier presentation, go to lifelonglearningatpc.org.
The WWII German Prisoner-of-War Experience in Arizona is the topic of the first Premier Speaker of the new season, to be held Fri., Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. WWII authority and author Steve Hoza returns to share the intriguing history of Arizona’s hosting 24 prisoner-of-war camps, many of which housed German POWs.
Hoza, who has interviewed hundreds of the former POWs, camp guards, and civilians involved, will offer a detailed account of their experiences from capture to reflection. His presentation will include artifacts and video to illustrate vividly this remarkable period in Arizona’s history. A highlight of the evening will be the story of the December 1944 escape from Camp Papago Park, the largest mass POW escape in the U.S. during WWII.
A Phoenix native, Hoza has more than 40 years of museum experience. A consultant, educator and nationally recognized WWII expert, Hoza has published two books on WWII in Arizona. He serves as the museum archivist/conservator at Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community Cultural Repository.
Weekday Speaker Series
The Weekday Speaker Series, which also resumes this month, are held Monday mornings in Tuscany Falls Renaissance Theatre. Tickets, which cost $5 at the door, will become available in the theater lobby beginning at 9:30 a.m. No need for registration.
Oct. 21: Immigration and the American Dream
Oct. 28: Emerging Technology Systems
Nov. 4: Arizona’s National Parks and Monuments
The theater is equipped with a hearing loop system, which is a special type of sound system for people who use hearing aids. The loop system provides a magnetic wireless signal that is picked up by a hearing aid when it is set to the T-setting (telecoil). Many hearing aids are equipped with telecoil technology.