i before e except after me

In a previous post I talked about why it didn't matter to me who won the AFC or NFC Championship games. Sure I ended up watching some of the games, sure I was rooting for the Harbaugh brothers to coach against each other in Super Bowl XLVI; but I still didn't "care" 

Fast forward a couple days. I decided to take advantage of my daily duties at FlexPAC only needing wi-fi to be completed and headed downtown. In between working I had the chance to check out the social media command center, the installation of roman numerals on Monument Circle and all the other great things Indy is up to. It was the one unplanned part of my day that turned out to matter the most.

After a work meeting I had about 45 minutes to kill before picking up the Indy Express Bus (a really great deal for downtown commuters) Luckily I had seen some postings on Twitter on the #social46 hashtag talking about an art exhibit called Turf put on by the IDADA. Since it was 1 block from the bus stop, and free, I decided to check it out. The Turf exhibit is housed in the old Indianapolis City Hall building itself a piece of structural art work. 

The exhibit is made up of pieces from talented Indianapolis and Indiana based artists. All of the spaces were great but one in particular stuck with me so much that I had to walk back and take a video.

While filming this video I met a man named T.L. Roeschlein. T.L. is very artistic himself as evidenced by his cool fortune cookie fortune "business cards" He took a picture of me while I was doing the above video and then slid into the video at the end. After I shot it we struck up a conversation. I found out he is working on something called Undrdg. I talked to him about what the #social46 group was trying to do and then it struck me. This is exactly what the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee had in mind with all of the programs they rolled out that were ancillary to the game. Its not about Indianapolis getting the Super Bowl football game, its about Indy getting to do things like Turf and showcase our people and architecture all while improving our city long term because we have a football game. 

Without being invited to the #social46 group I doubt I would've even been downtown let alone take the time to visit, or even hear about, the Turf IDADA Art Pavilion. Without social media as a talking point I would've met T.J., chatted for a minute then went our separate ways.

With social media we connected instantly on Twitter. We tagged each other in ours pics and videos. We exchanged business cards to connect later and find out more about each of our passions and projects. Yes you naysayers social media is more than a bunch of people standing around typing on smart phones (although that happens alot too) Its about using those tools to connect or start offline relationships that foster and grow. 

Without the Super Bowl I would've never come downtown to checkout IDADA galleries. I would've never known the amazing amount of artistic talent in my backyard. I would've never connected with a part of the city that existed right in front of me in plain view.

I will watch the Super Bowl. I will cheer for the Giants aloud (but privately root for Michigan man Tom Brady) I will enjoy the football game but I care more about the Turf inside the old City Hall building than I care about the turf inside Lucas Oil Stadium, you can bet on that.

Whats the early line in Vegas anyways?