A Brief Hiatus

Readers, it's time for another adventure. I'm leaving today for Peru, where I'll be spending three months in the Sacred Valley region near Cusco. I'll be teaching English with an organization called Projects Abroad, and I'll also be working on my Spanish skills.

I return home March 30, but in the interim this blog will be on hiatus. If you want to follow my adventures, stop by my other blog, Wandering Ashley. In the meantime, keep learning! I look forward to jumping back into things as soon as I return.

Spring Schedule: IUPUI Community Learning Network

In today's Indianapolis Star, you'll find the catalog of spring classes at the IUPUI Community Learning Network. As in recent semesters, there's a heavy concentration of career-planning and professional-development classes. But, the network also has some interesting new classes to try.

As promised, you'll find lots of new green/sustainability classes. Among them are Landscaping with Native Plants, Sustainable Economics, Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits and a green remodeling workshop.

Another intriguing addition is the IUPUI Music Academy, which offers classes in guitar, piano and voice. The six-week and eight-week classes meet all over the city, from Carmel to downtown to Greenwood, so there's a convenient option for everyone.

And, of course, I highly recommend both the floral design classes and the Spanish Immersion Institute, both of which have taken home this blog's Best of Indy awards. Happy learning!

Upcoming Classes: Conner Prairie

If you think of Conner Prairie as a warm-weather destination, think again. The museum offers activities all year round, including a handful of January classes:

• Basket-making -- Learn traditional techniques from Conner Prairie's basket expert, Louise Hoover, and make a basket to take home (9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Jan. 9, $75).

• Leather-working -- Learn about leather-working tools and techniques and make your own Haversack, a single-strapped shoulder bag (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Jan. 16-17, $300).

• Pottery Basics -- Get hands-on experience with wheel-thrown pottery and traditional glazing techniques (Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., Jan. 19-Feb. 23, $170).

Or, for an interesting night out, try the museum's Hearthside Suppers, where you'll help prepare a multi-course meal the old-fashioned way. This year's menu includes cheese and crackers, pork roast, chicken fricassee, skillet cranberries, hearth bread, bread-and-butter pudding and more.

All classes and events require registration; call (317) 776-6006.

Happy New You!

What's your educational resolution for 2010? Whatever it is, you'll find guidance in the January issue of Indianapolis Monthly, which has a great story about the best adult classes in Indy (written by yours truly and Alicia Garceau!).

You'll learn how to dice an onion, scuba dive, play a drum, quilt, and much, much more. The article also features profiles of some of Indy's best teachers, such as Erin Kem (cooking classes at Frasier's Gourmet) and Bonnie Ramirez (welding classes at Boca Loca Beads).

Also check out my contributor bio at the front of the magazine. Alas, the plug for That'll Teach Me got cut, but at least my hair looks fabulous!

Best of Indy Awards 2009

Yes, my friends, it's time once again to recognize our city's best classes, best educational venues and best teachers. The envelope, please ...

Best class -- The IUPUI Community Learning Network offers scads of great classes, but my favorite this year was the Immersion Spanish Institute, taught by Amy Bomke-Keating. The class, which runs for a full week, offers almost 40 hours of intense Spanish instruction, and yet it manages to be fun and engaging. Now, I can finally hold a conversation in Spanish, instead of just asking where the bathroom is.

Best continuing education venue -- This year's undisputed winner is the IU Mini University program, hands down one of the best educational experiences of my life. In a single week, I learned about piracy, Shakespeare, great hoaxes, the history of puzzles and so much more. It's summer camp for grown-ups, and I can't wait until next year!

Best instructor -- Instead of honoring an individual teacher, this year's award goes to the entire "cast" of Conner Prairie's annual Conner Prairie by Candlelight event. As participants travel from house to house in the pioneer village, these actors tell stories of their families' holiday traditions. They're always ready with answers to guests' questions, and they do a wonderful job of fostering holiday spirit. This year, my husband and I stood out in the cold on purpose, just to sing a few more carols with these skilled "pioneers."

Strangest class topic -- The Eiteljorg Museum wins again, this time for a birch-biting workshop with artist-in-residence Kelly Church. The gist of the class: Create designs (such as turtles, butterflies and dragonflies) in birch bark ... with your teeth. It may be an artistic tradition, but to me it sounds pretty unsanitary.

Just as they do at the Academy Awards, let's take a moment to remember the losses in our educational family this year. The most difficult is the death of Joseph Allford, who taught at Frasier's Gourmet Foods and took home last year's award for best class. I think of him every time I scrape a vanilla bean or make raspberry fool with his recipe.

The other loss is the closing of Lawrence Township Community Education, where I learned to read tarot cards, make mosaics, and cook the world's best biscuits. I'm going to miss this venue's eclectic mix of inexpensive classes.

Finally, I owe a thank you to the thousands of readers who have made this blog so successful. Here's to another exciting, educational year!

DIY Upholstery Classes

Sure, you'd like to re-use Grandma's favorite chair, but the brown-and-mustard plaid upholstery just doesn't work with your decor. Or, maybe you want to refurbish that unique thrift-store find. Either way, Shelly Leer, owner of Flipt Studio, has a class for you.

Start with "Beginning Upholstery for the DIY-er," where you'll focus on a side chair. Cost is $150, including materials (but not fabric or foam). Here's the schedule:

Mondays: Jan. 11 - Feb. 22, 7-9 p.m.
Tuesdays: Jan. 12 - Feb. 23, 1-3 p.m.
Wednesdays: Jan. 13 - Feb. 24, 7-9 p.m.
Thursdays: Jan. 14 - Feb. 25, 1-3 p.m.

Or, try a one-day workshop on sewing basics (Jan. 16) or pillow-making (Jan. 30). Classes run from 10 a.m. to noon and cost $45.

E-mail Shelly to register for any of these classes, and you'll learn to make something new from something old. Grandma would approve.

Quick Updates

Whew! Thanks to my giant pile of end-of-semester grading, I'm a bit behind on posts. Here's a quick round-up of some tidbits I've missed:

• The December issue of Indianapolis Monthly includes an article on Joseph Allford, the pastry chef and cooking teacher who died earlier this year. One of Allford's classes at Frasier's Gourmet Foods took home our Best of Indy award last year, and I had looked forward to taking many more of his classes.

• Last night we enjoyed another wonderful experience at Conner Prairie by Candlelight. In 1836 Prairietown, we learned about historical holiday traditions, sang carols, and snacked on cookies and hot chocolate. It's truly a magical experience, and it's the perfect reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

• I just read a great article in Travel + Leisure about the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire, U.K. One-day courses include "Artisan Cheesemaking Fundamentals," "Artisan Chocolate Making" and "Artisan French Baking." Pardon me while I drool ...