An absolutely beautiful video that shows off the place I live. Watch it in HD if you can, it’s worth it.
Tag: Sewanee
If you have had any “Gee I wonder where I should donate this money” moments recently, I have the perfect answer for you:
These two Sewanee grads, inspired by the struggles of one of their mothers, decided to try and raise $50,000 for Lupus research by biking across the US the summer after graduation…this summer. They are wrapping up their trek in the next few weeks, and could use any help that anyone can give them. Even $5 will make a difference…besides going to a good cause, it’s tax deductible.
If you know anyone with Lupus, you know how terrible the disease is. These are two great guys, trying like hell to help out as they can…help them.
We’re over at a friend’s house this past Saturday for his birthday party, and Betsy and I and a friend are just lounging in the yard eating. Beautiful day, with maybe, oh…30 people eating in various places around the yard.
Guy walks up to us and says “Don’t freak out, but there’s a big snake just behind you.” I don’t think anything of it, really…country boy, seen plenty of snakes…so we stand up to take a look.
That’s the “after” photo…it was at least a 4 foot timber rattler. Biggest one I’ve ever seen, hanging out right at the edge of the yard. Lots of kids, boys playing football…I shudder when I think about one of them tossing the ball just a little too far.
See if you can spot him in the “before” shot on flickr. Or how about just the head (again, an “after” shot).
One other shot, from a different angle:
Categories
Zuca
While this blog isn’t a gadget-blog, I wanted to sing the praises of a recent purchase that might come in handy for both the gamers and librarians (and gaming librarians) who might read this.
At the Origins Game Fair this year I purchased a Zuca. What’s a Zuca? It’s a rolling bag of many things…
This is the best rolling bag I’ve ever seen. It has great organization inside, with pockets and a large open area for books/computer/folders/body parts…whatever you need to haul around. The thing feels indestructible, has inline skate wheels with frictionless bearings and will go anywhere and has a nearly zero turn radius. The frame allows you to use it as a seat or table for those crowded airports or in the library, and since it’s aluminum it doesn’t actually add much weight to the product. It’s still very carryable when needed. It also comes in about a million colors/styles.
The only complaint I have about the bag is that it connects to the frame at all of the sides, but not the top, so when you use the handy mesh hammock in the inside top of the bag to hold change and such, it pulls the top down when you roll the bag. It’s a terribly minor thing in an otherwise remarkably well-designed product, and doesn’t effect the use of the bag at all. There was some issue with it fitting in a few of the overheads of the smaller airplanes I was on this summer, but in every case there was a solution (once it was checked by the crew, and once I stowed it under the empty seat beside me). It fit in the larger planes just fine.
For those of us who carry a lot of books and electronics when travelling (and who doesn’t anymore…) this is a really well made solution. If you see me at a convention, I’ll probably be wheeling this along behind me.
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Favorite Photo from Shakerag
Originally uploaded by griffey.
I just loved this shot from our hike in Shakerag Hollow the other day. Something about the curves and the vertical trees in the background. Gonna have to get a big print to hang somewhere in the house.
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Hiking Shakerag
So after discovering Shakerag Hollow here in Sewanee last spring, Bets and I decided to try it again this weekend. Needless to say, it didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t disappoint.
And the flowers were just amazing.
Indy had a great time:
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I missed my blogiversary!
As a cow-orker pointed out, I missed celebrating my blogiversary! On Feb 10, this thing has been around for 3 years. Over the course of those years, this is the third software system I’ve used (started in Blogger, moved to Radio Userland, then to WordPress). Since Feb 10, 2003:
- I’ve gotten my MLS
- Betsy and I moved to Sewanee, TN
- I became an assistant professor and reference/instruction librarian
- We bought a house
- We have a dog, Indiana
- I’ve written 881 posts, as of today. That’s .8 posts per day, for three solid years
Seems really odd to have that many years behind me since I started this. Even more odd? It looks like people actually read it. đŸ™‚ This year, I’ve averaged 161 people per day hitting my RSS feed, and 1100 or so Sessions per day. Raw hits are over 6000 a day, which blows my mind, and has to be hugely because of spambots and such. The rest of the stats are equally interesting, though:
So thanks to everyone who reads, subscribes or just wanders by occasionally. I do this mostly for me, but I certainly appreciate the fact that others think it’s worth their time.
Video of Indiana discovering the joys of playing with snowballs.
Categories
Sewanee in the news
Two stories that mention Sewanee, both in the New York press, and both in the same week?
WTF?
In any case, they are both great reads. The first is a scathing look at academic plagiarism from the New York Press, and the second is a New York Times story (first born child required, or you could bugmenot) revolving around the culture and traditions among southern universities. The New York Times article reminded me a great deal of this blog entry, and the accompanying discussion of the Sewanee Mace, that I thought I had mentioned previously. I also stumbled across this collection of stories/photos of the Mace, which is a subsection of the Sewanee Online History Museum. Yes, you heard me right…the Sewanee Online History Museum. (Aside: Boy, could they use some web design. Having a menu at the bottom of the page? WTF?) Here’s a great picture of the Mace from the NYT site:
