Kindness Rocks

And Sometimes It Rolls

Have you found one?

Kindness Rocks are turning up along sidewalks, on park benches, under trees — everywhere. The movement started on social media and has taken a rock-solid hold in Northeast Ohio.

Painted and shellacked, the colorful rocks usually sport a label with a hashtag so finders can see where their rocks have traveled. The biggest group is #NortheastOhioRocks! — with 175,000 members and about 3 million rocks that have been painted and hidden — but there are plenty of others here and around the country, including the Kindness Rocks Project with a more national scope.

All the groups encourage people to paint small rocks — with or without a message — and hide them as a random act of kindness.

Rock finders often snap a photo of their rock, list the location, and post it to Twitter, Facebook or another social media account. They then re-hide the rock and see where it ends up.

To get started, prepare your rock surface with a layer of paint. Use oil-based Sharpie markers to decorate the rock. If you feel like it, add a hashtag on the back such as #THEKINDNESSROCKSPROJECT, or #NortheastOhioRocks!

Here’s to a rockin’ — and kind — summer.

A Fairly Good Time

Groomed Cows & Elephant Ears

July marks the start of county fair season, and Ohio has nearly perfected the art of canned food judging, giant vegetable growing and corn dog eating.

The Summit and Lake county fairs are the week of July 25-30, the Medina County Fair is July 31-Aug. 6, the Cuyahoga County Fair (Berea) is Aug. 7-13 and the Portage County Randolph Fair is Aug. 22-27.

The oldest continuous fair in the state — and one of the very best — is the Great Geauga County Fair, scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Burton.

For our May/June issue, Medina photographer Kim Stahnke, Boomer art director Laura Chadwick, magazine publisher Brad Mitchell and I met up with rocker/songwriter Michael Stanley at Cleveland’s famed Agora Theatre and Ballroom.

The setting was a good one. After all, Stanley along with hundreds of musicians, have played the Agora, both at its Euclid Avenue location and its previous locations in Little Italy and near Cleveland State.

Our Boomer team got there early to scout shots. We walked through the dark and narrow hallways, explored the two stages, checked out lighting options and then ventured outdoors into a parking lot and a side alley. What you see above and in the magazine are just a few of Kim’s great shots.

As for Michael, he was extremely cooperative while we worked on the shoot, gamely sitting on fire escapes and perching on the stage. During our hour-long shoot he was as cool in person as you would imagine.

Our July/August issue continues with a focus on NEO’s role in rock history. Our pop culture columnist Mike Olszewski will tell us about why rocker Meatloaf credits Cleveland with the success of his pivotol album “Bat Out of Hell.”

Dance! Books! Storytellers!

It’s the AHA! Festival

Head to the Cleveland State University/Playhouse Square neighborhood June 7, 8 and 9 for an exclamation-worthy time at AHA! Arts and Humanities Alive!

Words, music, theater, dance and art all come together in Ohio’s first-ever festival of its kind. Storytellers (in person), famous authors (such as historian Jon Meacham), dancers and an astronomer are just a few of the folks who will entertain and inspire with fun and thought-provoking presentations.

A day-long outdoor Book Fair along Euclid Avenue from 14th to 17th streets kicks off the festival. Most events are free; others have nominal fees. The event is presented by Cleveland State University.

For a schedule of events and performers, and to register for specific activities, visit ahacsu.com.

Ask the Orthopedist

Not Very Handy

Carpal Tunnel and Arthritis Pain

By Scott M. Zimmer, MD

QUESTION

Is the pain in my hand and wrist carpal tunnel or arthritis?

ANSWER

Carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis of the hand and wrist are two of the most common complaints I see as a hand and upper extremity surgeon. There are some common overlapping symptoms — such as pain and aching with gripping — but the two conditions are vastly different.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when there is increased pressure on the nerve that gives sensation to most of the hand except your small finger. Think of the nerve (median nerve) as an electrical wire carrying impulses that can be affected by external compression (such as crimping a wire). Symptoms include numbness, aching pain in the fingers and up the forearm, and pain that commonly wakes you up at night.

Arthritis, better known as osteoarthritis, is simply the loss of cartilage between the two bones that make up a joint (a joint is where motion occurs). Our joints rely on this layer of cartilage to create fluid motion and absorb shock stresses. As the cartilage wears out, increased friction triggers pain, swelling and decreased motion. It is exactly like brake pads wearing out on a car.

Differentiating these two conditions is obtained by getting a symptom history, an examination and X-rays. Numbness, tingling and night pain are hallmarks of carpal tunnel. Arthritis usually can be localized to the base of the thumb where it attaches to the wrist or in the small joints of the fingers. Deformity and swelling of the joints occurs late in the arthritis process and may not be seen early on.

Treatment Options

Treatment of both conditions starts with making the correct diagnosis, followed with specialized supportive bracing.

Cursive

It’s the Write Thing to Do

I nearly missed out on a church raffle prize (a $10 Subway gift card) when the announcer couldn’t read my scrawled signature.

Maybe a cold cut combo isn’t worth an overhaul of my cursive writing skills, but wouldn’t it be nice to have legible handwriting?

State Rep. Marilyn Slaby of Akron agrees. She’s spearheading a movement to require cursive writing instruction for elementary students.

“I feel strongly children still need to learn cursive writing. They need their signature. Many grandparents said they have written their grandkids, and they can’t read it because they haven’t learned cursive,” Slaby says.

“Having taught cursive as an elementary teacher, I understand some of the problems adults have. Yes, I can do cursive so it can be read, but my husband is terrible. He makes me write everything for him. I tell people to slow down and usually write bigger. By slowing down you can concentrate on each letter.”

Slow down. Concentrate. That’s good advice for a lot of things we do. Elevate your cursive game by downloading practice worksheets online. Win write.

This is Super, Man

From Cleveland to Krypton

Superman was born on Krypton, but he was created in Cleveland.

The original superhero is getting a supersized tribute at the Cleveland Public Library starting this month and running through the end of the year.

“Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton” honors not only Superman but also his creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in an exhibit that stretches across three floors of the main library at 325 Superior Ave.

The exhibit follows the world’s greatest superhero from his creation in Cleveland to his growing international popularity, his influence on the current superhero craze, his connection to social justice and immigration issues, and the pride Cleveland maintains for its homegrown hero.   

Highlights include a supersized Superman statue by David Deming, rare items from the Mike Curtis Collection of Superman Memorabilia and other prominent collectors, and a costume worn by Brandon Routh in the 2006 movie “Superman Returns.”

Curtis, the writer of the Dick Tracy comic, donated more than 15,000 items to the library.