A childlike gleam finds itself in Donald Mosher’s eyes and lights his face like Christmas morning as he drives past Newport’s First Beach. At first it’s hard to tell what he’s so happy about. His van is filled with students and that’s the way he likes it, but this gleam is for something different, and he’s happy to tell a packed shuttle all about it.

Recently, I have had an increase in my viewing of reality television shows. This may be in part to the fact that every other channel has some sort of reality based show. From “The Soup” on E, “The Moment of Truth ” on Fox, and any dance, song, modeling, dating, cooking competition shows, it is clear that America is obsessed with other people’s lives.

O’Hare looked like a carnival. Children and parents scurried around the academic building with bookmarks and books. In a classroom, children sat in a circle watching frogs and other creatures during Critter Corner. Fun was not the only objective on the first Saturday of March.

This is far from my first time entering Sumo Sushi, in fact the top floor on upper Thames Street is a frequent stop for me and my friends. The scene is the same as it always is: delicate lighting from authentic Chinese lanterns and a clean and inviting atmosphere.

Watching Lee Segal, co-owner of All Fired Up, a pottery gallery on historic Thames Street, work his magic in finalizing a clay bread bowl before painting, truly is a fascinating experience. Segal, a Los Angeles native, has spent the past 30 years perfecting the fading art of pottery making and ceramics.