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Tim Cimbura

Speaking & Entertainment

Tim Performs Magic For Mickey Mouse!

December 23, 2012 By tcimbura Leave a Comment

A special moment for me at Disney World was visiting Mickey Mouse at the Town Square theater where you can go backstage to see Mickey preparing to be onstage as a magician. I was given the special opportunity to perform some magic for Mickey! I did one of my favorite illusions where I multiply my money…Something that really doesn’t happen often at DisneyWorld. : )

Mickey Surprised 42596480002

Mickey watched intently and then he was so surprised that he stepped back in disbelief! It was an amazing moment and so fun to be able to provide a bit of magic to someone who has made magic happen for many millions of people.

Filed Under: Children, First Timing, Magic, Travel

Trampolining!

February 5, 2012 By tcimbura Leave a Comment

Tried something new a couple of days ago…Trampolining! A new place opened nearby called Zero Gravity devoted to bouncing around. Fun new things you can try:

  • bouncing from trampoline to trampoline like you’re on the moon and off the wall.
  • dunking basketballs.
  • letting out your aggressions by throwing nerf balls at others in a game of dodgeball.
  • flipping into a huge foam pit.

It was super fun and I want to go again…but be prepared. One hour is long enough and you will be sore for a couple of days afterwards which proves it’s great exercise.

Filed Under: First Timing, Live in the Present, Play

Flash Mob Fun

August 19, 2011 By tcimbura 2 Comments

Ever since seeing the “I Gotta Feeling” flash mob on Oprah, one of the things on my personal bucket list was to participate in a dance flash mob…so when I heard about one a few weeks ago I was quick to say “yes”. At first I was pretty intimidated by the length of the dance routine but after some practice I was able to figure it out. The real fun took place on Tuesday August 16 at noon in front of the IDS Tower smack dab in the center of downtown Minneapolis across from Macy’s.

So here’s the edited video. You can see me walking in on the left side at about 1:34 into the video. I’m kind of in the back row but you can see me sometimes as one of the few guys actually participating. During rehearsal the choreographer told us that “real men dance” for some encouragement. Sure is a great way to get some fun exercise. Brenda and the kids were there, too watching nearby.

 

Filed Under: Dance, First Timing

New Experience – Paintball!

March 12, 2011 By tcimbura 1 Comment

In the interest of doing new and fun things that I’ve never done before I planned a paintball excursion for me and some of my friends. We went to SplatBall. They have an indoor court that allows for play during winter. It’s in the basement of an older building…and has a distressed look.

The night was a lot of fun…though I’m a bit sore today after being hit. I had no idea what to expect. Here are some observations and tips for those of you who might think about going:

  • Leave most of your valuables at home. There weren’t any lockers so I carried my phone and wallet on me.
  • Wear lots of layers or padding. (Guys…Protecting the groin area with a cup or something is a great idea.) Paintballs hurt when they hit…especially open skin patches like your neck or hands. I bought some cheap knit gloves and cut off the fingers. I also wore a hoodie sweatshirt so I could easily cover my neck…at least in back. If you wear canvas type material it will absorb the impact.
  • We bought 2000 paintballs for $75 and split them between three people and they lasted the evening for 3 hours.
  • The court we played on was split into two halves green and blue. Our games started with 2 teams against the back walls and we moved forward to try and take out the other team. It was intense.
  • Don’t worry too much about ruining the clothes you’re wearing completely. After the event, I washed my clothes separately and the yellow paint came out pretty easily.

They had some great safety rules that I really appreciated: (1) ALWAYS wear your goggles. Never take them off on the court. This protects your eyes and face. You are not ever supposed to aim for the face. (2) Use your BBD (Barrel Blocking Device) whenever your gun is not on the court. This prevents misfires when people are not protected with goggles or if the trigger lock wasn’t set. (3) If you’re within 20 feet of another player you’re both out. This prevents point-blank shooting.

We had a great time. It was new and different. I felt like I was in a movie. Our goggles looked like we were storm troopers. The experience made me have an appreciation for real combat challenges. Your heart really gets pumping when you’re in the middle of the action.

Filed Under: First Timing, Play

Taking Flight – Tim Flies an Airplane

September 27, 2010 By tcimbura Leave a Comment

OK…today I fulfilled a boyhood dream.

I always wanted to fly. In fact, I remember literally taking flight as a kid in my dreams quite often as I jumped off the concrete porch at my grandfather’s house so high that I stayed up and viewed the world from the skies. I also remember my attempts to build a remote control airplane as a kid with a toy plane, an antenna, and a battery. It never really worked but I sure believed it would.

It took me 45 years to really get in the air. My most recent flying experience was at Disney Epcot Center on the Soar! ride. Cool, but it didn’t compare to the real thing. Sure, I’ve taken many jet flights and even a helicopter flight in Hawaii but today I took my first flight lesson where I actually sat behind the controls and made it happen. This was a birthday present from my lovely wife…who was confident that I’m well insured.

It was fun, exciting, and a little nerve racking. It was kind of an overwhelming sensory experience. I did remember to breath. There’s the physical sensation of moving, lots of new sights to see from a different perspective (2000 feet up), and the sound of the radio and plane engine. So many things to remember…the dials, knobs, and controls.. all important to do their function.

I think I’ll do some more ground training for a while and with flight simulators before I go up again…but I’m sure there will be another time. This is really living!

Check out Photos and video of landing the Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP I flew. (By the way…in the video it appears that the propeller stops and starts and even goes backwards. It’s not really doing that. It’s just how video works when it’s trying to capture something moving really fast.)

If you’re interested in doing this yourself, go to Pilot Journey at http://www.pilotjourney.com

Filed Under: First Timing

Learn a Language Like a Kid

September 6, 2010 By tcimbura 1 Comment

Conan O’Brien once told a joke about a 94-year-old great-great grandmother that had become the oldest person in the world to earn a Masters degree. He said “She plans to continue her education. Everyone is excited for the 94 year old, except her student loan officer.” Seriously, you are never too old to learn something new…even a new language.

Learning a foreign language will make you feel like a kid again. It’s something new that will expand your horizons. You’ll be able to communicate with people you never could before, understand things you couldn’t, keep your brain active, and you may have a desire to travel to new places to test out your abilities.

In Europe many people speak three languages. Here in the U.S (and Minnesota)…not so much. It’s a shame. Maybe us Minnesotans would speak more languages if, for example, they spoke a different language in Wisconsin. Possibly, we’d like to speak with those people that are so nearby…unless they support the wrong football team. What if they spoke another language in Iowa? Well, most Minnesotans try not to talk with them either. So I guess that’s not a reason to learn another language. Moving on…

An ad for the language learning system called Rosetta Stone starts like this “What’s the fastest way to learn a language? ACT LIKE A BABY.” They identify three characteristics that make language-learning a success for kids that we can emulate as adults. (1) Learning starts in a immersion environment free from translation and explanations of grammar. (2) Learning accelerates through constant feedback. (3) Learning happens through play. They conclude with “A slow smile sneaks across the learner’s face after just a few screens. It’s a smile of recognition, as though the brain suddenly recalls what is was like to learn language as a child, athough it realizes, ‘Aha! I’ve done this before.'”

TIPS FOR LEARNING
Here are a few tips for learning a foreign language.

Don’t be Afraid to Try
My young daughter Arianna told me “We have to crap for Brielle.” “What?” I asked. Again she said, “We have to crap for Brielle.” I tried for clarification “Honey, What word are you saying?” “Crap for Brielle!” Then she applauded!…and I understood. Sometimes we know the words but still don’t communicate clearly. Kids are not afraid to try.

I’ve had my issues with learning French. One time I was the only American at the dinner table with a French family. At the time I knew enough French to get myself in trouble. I had my own rules for French. For example, I found that long English words are often the same in French but thay are pronounced differently. For example, “helicopter” is pronounced “hel-A-kop-tare” in French. Also, words that end in “ive” in English often end in “if” in French. For example, “massive” is “massif” in French. One older gentleman at the table was a baker and he was trying to explain something to me about the bread…that it was natural or something. So I said to him “C’est du pain, sans preservatif.”…thinking I was saying “It’s bread without any preservatives”. The entire table broke into laughter. What I really said in French was “It’s bread without condoms.” True, but not exactly what I had in mind.

Another time I had learned the words “par se que” (because) and “mai” (but) in the same day. After eating a huge dinner, I was offered more food. I thought that if I ate another bite I would explode like the man in Monty Python, so I said “C’est tres bon parse que c’est trop.” or “It’s very good BECAUSE it is too much.” I got them mixed up. Oops.

I could have let these incidents stop me from trying. Kids are much more patient in this regard because they make mistakes all the time. Learning is often a process of making mistakes and then changing what we know. In fact, making the mistake helps you remember to not make it again…or so we hope.

Talk With Kids
Not only is it easier to learn a foreign language like a child learns, but learning a foreign language is easier if you talk WITH children that speak that language natively. So you can put yourself in a situation where kids speak another language and might with you. For most Americans this might occur on a mission trip, or while volunteering in an immersion school. Here’s why it could help:
1. Kids speak slower and with simpler words and phrases.
2. It is not as intimidating to try speaking to kids as it is adults.
3. Kids are not afraid to continue speaking to you even when you don’t have a clue what they are saying.
4. Kids may not understand English and therefore you are forced to speak it for any understanding.

I remember one time I was talking to a kid in French to see how he would respond. He didn’t have a clue what I was saying. After listening and nodding in agreement for a few minutes, he said he needed to go… “I’ll talk to you later!”

Get Some Rest
Learning another language can be tiring. In fact, researchers have found that sleep boosts your ability to learn language. So…if someone ever catches you taking a nap just say “I’m trying to learn a foreign language!” Personally, I’d say adequate sleep boosts your ability to do anything well. You when you need a rest and get frustrated, take one…and pick up where you left off later. Repetition and trying lots of different ways to achieve the end is key.

While traveling alone in the Czech Republic, I had a strong desire to be understood. I would ask in Czech “Mluvíte anglicky?” (“Do you speak English?”) The common answer was “no”. The other person would ask in German (their second language) “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” I’d reply “No” and then ask “Parlez vous Francais?” (as French is my second language). They would laugh at me as if to say “Yeah right, I’m going to speak French.” When I got tired of trying to understand Czech or German menus and saying “Nerozumím” (“I don’t understand”), I’d hit an Italian restaurant. Spaghetti and pizza are recognizable in any language…and it provided me a well deserved rest.

LANGUAGE LEARNING RESOURCES
There are many resources available for learning a language. Try any and all of them for greater success.

Audio
Lots of language resources come from England…and so learning from them can be complex. Once I was trying to learn Czech from a CD. The English made no sense. It went like this: “And now for some general queries. You’re in a large hypermarket and you want to know where the trolleys are.” What? I needed to translate the British English into English. “And now for some general questions. You’re in a large grocery store and want to know where the carts are.”

Listen to internet radio in your foreign language on Pandora.

Instant Immersion French

Books
French in 10 Minutes a Day Great book with stickers you can place on things in your house.

Phrase books can be helpful but I’ve found phrase books sometimes send you in the wrong direction. For example, one French phrase book must have been designed for wealthy travelers. It teaches you things like “Can you have my shirts cleaned and pressed?” I need phrases like “Could you remove the rat from the bathroom?” In another case, the book said I should call the waiter “Garçon!”. That didn’t work for me when I called over the distinguished waiter who was 30 years my elder by calling him literally “Boy!”.

French Language Map – Summary guide with phrases.

DVDs and Other Media
Turn on the alternate language track to watch your favorite movie in French or Spanish.

YouTube has some excellent resources including lots of kids videos of nursery rhymes and songs.

Muzzy – Great for young kids…a cartoon immersion series from the BBC. If you purchase this online, you actually get all 5 languages! (French, Italian, Spanish, German, and English)

Rosetta Stone – A great immersion system for learning a foreign language.

Mango Languages – Found at many libraries.

BBC Languages – Online help.

French in Action – The “French in Action” series is one of the best ways I’ve found to learn French language and culture. The characters in this series are very true to French life. It is an immersion course…so all you hear is French (no English) just like if you were in France. By associating movies clips, a story, and pictures to the words you see and hear, it helps you to learn visually so that you are more likely to remember the words and phrases.

There are many different packages including workbooks, textbooks, DVDs (52 episodes), etc. available from Annenberg Media that funded production of the series.

The complete French in Action DVD set is $450 through the Annenberg site, but you may be able to get it used on eBay for cheaper. You can also access the videos via the Annenberg website for free. Warning: You may find complete DVD sets available at highly reduced prices through http://completeseries.tv/french.htm or http://www.dvdhunters.com. DO NOT order from these companies! They are illegal bootleg copies of poor quality and it is impossible to reach their customer service via e-mail, chat, or phone so you are not even guaranteed the product will arrive.

Live Classes
Take a beginning class at a local community/cultural center or college. For example, our local Alliance Française offers classes in French.

Internet
Some Online French Help from About.com

Enjoy!

Filed Under: First Timing, Play, Travel

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