The O-town Scene

SOME WOUNDS you can't see Scene the O-Town Vol. 1, No. 44 www.otownscene.com 102 Chestnut St., P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820 (607) 432-1000, ext. 255, editor@otownscene.com EDITOR Cassandra Miller "If it wasn't for Wounded Warrior Project, I would be a statistic right now. But, they've given me a sense of purpose that I'm still worth something, that I can still contribute." JaMes MyLott Wounded in Al Diwaniyah, Iraq Traumatic brain injury, severe muscle damage ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE DAILY STAR Adrienne Wise PUBLISHER Armand Nardi Many of our nation's servicemen and women return home with psychological wounds, unsure of where to turn or how they fit into society. Nearly 300,000 individuals currently suffer from PTSD or major depression (RAND, 2007). We cannot let this generation become another statistic. Please help us to make this the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nation's history. To donate now, visit woundedwarriorproject.org. . All Rights Reserved. CFC #11425 Wounded Warrior Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization © 2011 Wounded Warrior Project® The greatest casualty is being forgotten.TM This message is brought to you by Avnet, the world¹s premier technology distributor. Avnet was the sponsor of the Avnet LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama on April 28 - May 1, 2011 and is a proud supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project. EDITOR'S NOTE Have news to share? E-mail tips and ideas to Scene Editor Cassandra Miller at editor@otownscene.com 2 O-Town Scene Aug. 18, 2011 Many things make me happy _ puppies, ice cream, bargains, etc. But one of the things that really gets my serotonin flowing is people loving one another. This week, one of my closest friends called me from her Maine camping trip to tell me that her boyfriend of two years had just proposed. My initial reac- tion was squealing immediately followed by crying. I've been riding the adrenaline high from this loving couple making a commitment to each other all week. Another happiness-instigator _ nice peo- ple. Melinda Doolittle of Season 6 "American Idol" fame is one of these. The conversation we had this week about her upcoming show at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center was refreshing. She seemed genuine and truly grateful for her success since making a big impression on "American Idol", in which she finished third in her season. I smiled the entire interview. In the years since her catapult to household name-status, she has spent her time actively volunteering with Malaria No More, writing a memoir and touring, most recently with her Love 101 show. The show is a cabaret- type collection of new and old love songs CONTRIBUTORS Mark Boshnack, Elizabeth Trever Buchinger, John Champlin, David Fredette, Trevor Hayes, EDITOR OF THE DAILY STAR Sam Pollak Terry Ludwig, Jim Koury, Emily Popek, James Derek Sapienza, the Rev. Craig Schwalenberg, Mark Simonson and Danielle Tonner. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sean Lewis The O-Town Scene is published Thursdays by The Daily Star Inc. Free copies are distributed throughout Oneonta, as well as parts of Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie counties. Member of The Associated Press and CNHI News Service interspersed with Doolittle's personal stories. Although Doolittle said she has had the most experience with the "ugly" side of love, she is not bitter. In fact, she's downright upbeat. I asked her what one of her favorite life les- sons was (in her book, she talks about a lot of lessons her mother taught her). Her example was, to deal with criticism, "Chew the hay and spit out the sticks," meaning learn from helpful parts and disregard hurtful and untrue parts. I love this. I generally take in every criticism as absolute truth, but I'm starting to learn how to edit others' negative comments. The "sticks" don't help anything, so I'm starting to leave them behind, for birds to make a nest or something. I'm very much looking forward to Doolittle's show _ not only for her voice, which was recently described in The New York Times as inspiring truth, but also for whatever truths she shares with the audience from her own life. — Cassandra Miller Cassandra Miller is the founding edi- tor of the O-Town Scene. She can be reached at editor@ otownscene.com

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