My Forecast, Your Forecast

My brother's always touting the great weather in San Francisco. There are some times of the year, though, when there's not a lot of difference. Which is the forecast for that rugged South Dakota weather, and which for easy-going San Fran?

Stranded, With Croissants

In reading a New York Times article on the plume of ash from Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano in Iceland that's disrupting travel in Europe and around the world, I was struck by (among other things) this shot of this fellow handing out croissants to the stranded travelers in the Paris de Gaulle airport. Maybe I should go ahead and have breakfast, croissant or no.

Guest Gig

April sometimes does appear to be the cruellest month, with much busyness inside and out, but really it's just busy, busy, with plants coming alive, birds arriving from their southern homes, school edging to a close. Today I'm guest speaker, resident poet, visiting performer, and temporary entertainer in two Introduction to Literature classes. I get to read some poems, talk about poetry in general, and generally be the literary lion for this small moment.

It is, after all, Poetry Month all month, in part because it's the month of Shakespeare's birthday. Today is also Thomas Jefferson's birthday, born in 1743. It's poet Seamus Heaney's birthday today, and little Anna B's. It's spring, sure enough, with temps today in the 70's, with our South Dakota wind.

For the Love of Mopeds

It's amazing the work some people go to for others. My Kawasaki Concours depends in part on the good work of the generous people who belong to the Concours Owners Group, or COG. They post tips, answer questions, and tell their stories, harrowing and otherwise. It's one of the wonders of the internet, the way the Concours riders all over the world can share information.

This kind of effort allows someone like me, out here in the boondocks, to take on a non-running Motobecane Mobylette and get it back on the road, manual courtesy of the Moped Riders Association. Help came also from the Moped Army (their slogan? "Swarm and Destroy"). Pretty cool. Thanks to all of you who take the time to scan manuals, offer specs, trade tips, and answer questions. You rock!

Don't Look and You Won't See It

It's time I told my big news of the week. My first bike ride of the year, on Wednesday, ended up with me in the emergency room, a doctor digging grit out of the hole in my forehead. I was riding out north of town on county highway 29, or 457th Avenue, almost to county highway 22, 226th Street, when a dog came running out from a farm and ran into my front wheel, knocking me over and into the road. I landed on my forehead and shoulder, leaving some of both on the road, along with some knuckle and knee.

That's the basics. The picture is of me today, the bruising having spread into both eyes. I'm hoping it's going to start subsiding soon. I'll spare you the gory details; the photo gives hint enough.

New Old Technology

My old Pickering XV 15 phono cartride, playing records for me since 1976, gave up the ghost when the stylus got mushed.

After almost a year, I'm back in business, spinning disks with a new Grado Black1 cartridge I got off Amazon.

First LP? Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps! I'll have to get used to hearing a little snap, crackle, and pop in my music again.

Poetry Poetry Everywhere

Two treasures in the mail this morning--one a message from the Poetry Foundation announcing the Poetry Everywhere project, putting poems on PBS.

I missed last night's performance by South Dakota Poet Laureate David Allan Evans at the Madison Public Library, but I heard good things. (I was in Sioux Falls presenting an ACT test prep session.)

The other treasure is the announcement of the open mic at Myxers at DSU to feature readers and other performers. See the poster here.

No Room for Crowing

My friend TQ and I are the only two in a pool for the picks in the NCAA basketball tournament. Having not yet watched a single game, I'm not doing that well right now in the battle between us on the NYTimes bracket listings, ranked today (before the games start) at 13,471st place. TQ's in 20,690th place. But in our bracket, he's hanging in there at the #2 spot, with his pick for national champion still in the hunt. My Jayhawks are back in Lawrence, trying to catch up on their studies. Since Cinderella Northern Iowa is out, I'll have to root for the K-State Wildcats, even though that means I'll get trounced in the pool.

Racing on the Ice

Cool story this morning on the NY Times about car racing on the ice, by Katie Zezima. Just the kind of multimedia essay I'd like to see my students try. Here it is: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/22/sports/autoracing/1247467420130/on-thin-ice.html

Rhubarb Emerges

It's always a treat when the rhubarb pokes out its thumb to test the air in spring. Here come those little leaf-buds, just emerging from the garden as the snow is still piled in the trees. Maybe it's prompted by the sound of motorcycles rumbling past.

Das Schmecht Gut!

Saturday, after a lovely Russain dinner on Friday night, courtesy of the B's, we headed south with the Moose and Ryan clans to savor the Mennonite feast at Schmeckfest in Freeman, SD. Top is a blueberry scone, delightful for breakfast, next is a bag of pfeffernusse, and at bottom is the menu for the all-you-can-essen dinner. Good stuff!

A Place We Didn't Go

One place I forgot to mention in my earlier post is crossing the Bay Bridge, where, according to our Garmin GPS system, we left the bridge and floated in our car above the Bay. Very cool, yes, but to the wife, whose concern about crossing bridges over water sometimes gets a firm grip on her solar plexus, the image on the screen simply contributed to her unease. My comments about the new-looking elements of the bridge didn't help either, I understand now.

Back from California, Back to Work

What we did in California!

• Drove all over creation (622 miles on our little Nissan Versa from Budget)
• Went to the play Den of Thieves, by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Susi Damilano, at the SF Playhouse in San Francisco.
• Ate at the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant in Big Sur (check that website! Whoo!)
• Drove along the coast on Highway 1
• Climbed Mount Tamalpais
• Ate at a nice little seaside cafe in Sausolito
• Went to the movie “Ghost Writer” in Mill Valley
• Visited the Pigeon Point Light Station, an old lighthouse
• Spent several hours at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, where we enjoyed the special exhibition of seahorses
• Hiked in Muir Woods—those redwoods are BIG!
• Went to “Poetry at the Pottery” at Jered’s Pottery in Berkeley on Friday, March 12
• Visited the San Juan Bautista Mission (where Deana stood by the seismograph!)
• Had lunch in San Juan Bautista—ask Deana about the Quake!
• Bought some wine from Al Guerra of Guerra Farms
• Went to a party for Jered and Sarah at the Pottery on Saturday, March 13
• Had breakfast with Melanie in the Haight-Ashbury district
• Visited Melanie’s workplace, Eric Trabert Goldsmiths, on Fillmore Street
• Helped Melanie set up her lovely jewelry at the events at the Pottery
• Rode the city in one of the open-topped busses that tour the city (and were in a small, mirror-buster)
• Drove up to Twin Peaks and looked out over the city
• Ate at a good Thai restaurant
• Jogged along the beach in Monterrey
• Stayed at the Sand Castle Inn in Seaside, CA (cheap! not bad!)
• Bought some cups from a potter in San Juan Bautista (sorry, Jered!)
• Visited the John Steinbeck Center in Salinas
• Visited the birthplace of John Steinbeck in Salinas (thank you, kind lady, for letting us in the house after visiting hours!)
• Heard lots of good music from brother Joe, his wife Mary, and the Levins.
• Watched (and blubbered over) "The Blind Side" on the flight home.
• Shopped

What did I forget, wife?

"Spring" Break

Although the snow in Madison has been melting during the relatively warm days, the cold nights come on again and we've still got mountains of snow, much of it dirty walls of angry-wavelike snow lining the streets. It's often this way in the spring, as winter reluctantly lets go, leaving in a slow-moving huff, smearing the streets and yards with mud, revealing the packed brown grass and leaves and broken tree branches that accumulated over the winter.

But that passes, and then color returns, the grass greens, trees grow their leaves back, and soon, lilacs and tulips and the rest of summer's bounty comes bounding in.

Check it Out: The 10 most amazing Rube Goldberg clips

I've always loved Rube Goldberg contraptions, from playing Mousetrap and building little things of my own as a kid, using dominoes or whatever to accomplish something insignificant. Check out these clips. My favorite is the piece "OK Go" by This Too Shall Pass.

Video round up: The 10 most amazing Rube Goldberg clips

Posted using ShareThis

Imagine a World With 50 Years of Presidential Expertise

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this, but it gets a person my age to wondering about the long line of presidential spoofs on "Saturday Night Live." It isn't SNL, though; it's Funny or Die, who has managed to raid the cast closet. And it's not just a spoof. It's got a message.

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Good Reads for Travelers

NPR offers up a story for those who might be contemplating travel, perhaps a spring break trip? I'm intrigued by the description of The Flying Troutmans: A Novel, and others on the list also sound tasty. Who can't resist a title like Don't Sleep, There are Snakes? Check it out if you're going to be on the road or have some time for reading adventures. Here.

Something that I Keep Telling People

So, thanks, Wired, for making the point well. Good stories make good games. In a good story, a classic tale, the reader is carried along by the story itself, by the recognition that the events somehow are important, timeless, and capable of being translated not only from one language to another but from one genre or media to another.

Chris Kohler, writing in Wired, makes this case in his article "10 Literary Classics that should be Video Games." Among them, Huck Finn, Moby-Dick, Siddhartha, Heart of Darkness, and some other greats.

Kohler notes that Electronic Arts has worked up Dante Alighieri's Inferno as an X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 game. Why not use great stories to make a great game?

Weekend Update, H7 Style

The weekend is over, but it was one filled with activities, including a mini-triathlon, an estrogen-packed Bunco party, and a pleasant trip to Sioux Falls. I was pleased enough with the results of the triathlon, but I couldn't help noticing that I was only slightly behind my fellow 5-decade competitors. That 41 seconds was, I suspect, partly due to my bulging waistline and partly due to having tested the spin bike and the treadmill at speed on Wednesday before the event. I was still sore! Now I'm sore again, but mostly from the swim. Progress continues to be made.

Sunday didn't help the bulging waistline problem, but lunch at Spezia's and dinner at Granite City leaves one complaining only about the abundance of good food. Not much to complain about there from me.

Friday night was the strangest of the events, as I played 12-th man for a women's Bunco group at our house. Simple, rowdy, and competitive in a random way, it was fun in a way that I'm happy to have done once. I prefer the competition of the triathlon, to tell the truth.

A good weekend.

Babushka's Revenge

It's 100 days to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, the big national championship for spellers from all across the US. It all starts locally, and last night here in Madison, SD, we gave a young lady, Shauna Pauli from Milbank, a chance to move on to the state championship in Yankton, where she'll face only four other regional champions. More here.

Yours truly was the pronouncer for the bee, and my lingering cold might have had something to do with kids' trouble with words like grotto, geode, isobar, and quesadilla. But not aria. Babushka put one of the spellers out, and it was almost sayonara for our champion when she missed it, but she came back to win.

Sponsored by Jon Hunter and The Madison Daily Leader, the regional contest, held last night in the TCB at DSU, had about 10 spellers, mostly from Madison, but a young lady from Milbank came down and wrested the crown away from a local boy after about a dozen rounds of spelling. She'll have a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington when she faces the other qualifiers. Go spellers!

Another Blankety-Blank Winter Day

We're getting a little tired around here of our friend the winter season, a visitor that has overstayed his welcome, lingered too long and been too demanding. Today it's almost March and with temperatures at 9 degrees, wind at 22-29 mph to make it feel like it's freaking -12 degrees. Yuk! It makes me think fondly of those February days in Dodge City, KS, when I could walk to school in my shirt sleeves. I wouldn't be a whole lot better off down there today; it's 26 with the wind blowing like it always did.

Walking from the street to Beadle Hall was the final test for the morning, and I was wishing I could have kept my face in my pocket for that 100-yard journey.

555 KUBIK Building Art Project--Awesome!

I was telling CB about this cool art project on Thursday, a video that was posted to my sister Becky's Facebook page. Make sure you have the sound on so you can hear the sounds of stones moving. It's very strange and cool. Let's do this at DSU!

555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen on Vimeo.

A New York State of Mind, and Penguin vs. Chicken

I went looking for some information about setting up a literary magazine type site online and stumbled across this Nikon Festival where entries seek to tell the story of Your Day in 140 seconds or less. Top prize from the judges was $100,000; the audience award was for $25,000. The audience picked A New York State of Mind, while the judges picked Penguin vs. Chicken. You'll get a kick out of the story of the chicken/penguin conflict. As the creator of it says, "We all have our share of bad jobs as teenagers. This was mine."

A Sign of Spring

The promise of warmer times comes in many forms. Yesterday's mail brought one of them even as the weather reminded us that spring still has a way to go to arrive. But the Gurney's catalog and its wide variety of fruits and vegetables helps one picture what summertime can be, even as the snow is still two feet deep in the yard.

The Dunkmeisters in Madison

The last DSU men's and women's home basketball games of the year are tonight in the Fieldhouse, and at halftime there will be a demonstration of dunking gymnastics by Extreme Dunks. You can check out their website, which includes a video of an appearance on David Letterman, here.

Chalk Artist of Beadle Hall

I teach in Room 227 of Beadle Hall, and the other day I noticed (how could you not?) that someone had been making good use of the blank slate chalkboards in that room. I had not herd u liek mudkips, but that was so yesterday.

Snowy Holy Family

Joseph and Mary seem to be looking for their lost infant in a snowbank in this Madison photo of a yard that once was green and warm but hasn't been for some time. When spring comes, they may find a chilly little bundle of joy.

A Kalideoscope of Icicles

The wife and I enjoyed a drive through town today photographing houses with impressive ice decor. Enjoy!

Cupcakes Galore

When we finally made it home yesterday after a long day at work, some after-work socializing, and a game in which the DSU men whupped up on the BHSU Yellowjackets, we found this lovely box with even lovelier cupcakes inside.

I was a little slow to take photos, so some of the treats were already being digested. Our thanks to the cooks, decorators, and delivery personnel!

Zombies Vs. Humans Vs. Homework

Zombies have invaded Madison and the Dakota State University campus, and now it's official. Start with one zombie, who claims other zombies, until the world is fully infected. Unless you've got Nerf guns.

Students bought into the game, got a white bandanna and a badge, and started playing. My first hint was Tuesday, and by today those wearing bandannas on their limbs (humans) seemed to be outnumbered by those with bandannas on their heads (zombies). But humans were still in evidence, wielding their Nerf guns (or soft items for rendering zombies inert for ten minutes) and keeping a wary eye out for the undead. Check out the fun video some DSU students put together below.

Daisy Miller and Wordle

I'm teaching the novella Daisy Miller: A Study, by Henry James this week, and I found an online version of the story that was all in one piece, so I took it and dumped it into Wordle.net to see how it looks. As you can see, it appears to be as much a story about Mr. Winterbourne as it is about Daisy.

Something Else on Frontline: Digital Nation

One of my colleagues (not, apparently, a LOST fan) sent out a note today recommending a new series by PBS and Frontline. It's a series that investigates what "life on the virtual frontier" means today. The first episode seems to be titled "Distracted by Everything." The script below may not work, so here's the URL.

LOST's Final Season

The wife and I have enjoyed ABC's strange series LOST, and tonight they begin what they're saying is their final season, but who knows--maybe the network will get swept into the kind of time warp that makes the characters' noses bleed and fall down. Noting what their cash cow has done for them, we may soon find the ABC network execs all shouting, like Jack does, "We've got to go BACK!"

Then again, judging from the photo show here, maybe they're already aware they're taking themselves just a BIT too seriously. Or maybe they're not aware. Just in case you're not, here's the real deal.

Let's Try This Again in October

Okay, so there's snow on the ground two feet deep, my leg still complains even if I'm sitting at my desk, and my long run this year so far is about 3.5 miles. So, what should I do? Maybe I'll enter the Twin Cities Marathon again this year. Online registration opened at 12:01 this morning, according to the flier I almost tossed in the trash. So, spurred by the thought of training in the summer and fall again for this endurance test, I've thrown my hat (or my running shoes) in the ring again. Last October I had to take a pass and simply enjoy being part of the support crew for the Mighty Quinn's first marathon attempt. So, I've got a new goal, same as the old goal. I still get to be in Corral 1, thanks to a good Deadwood run last year. The wife and I will try that one again in June. Join us! It's a beauty!

A Visit from Jack

Frost, that is. It was cold today, but there's usually an upside. This was the view from our kitchen window.

I'm not sure why the type of frost is so different from one time to another. This frost looked like the glass in a kaleidoscope, flaky and segmented.

During our last cold spell, at the beginning of January, the frost was lacy and swirled, much different than this one.

Before and After in Haiti

The work that people do at the New York Times continues always to impress me, and then to offer it up without charging for it to guys like me who never touched the New York Times 10-15 years ago . . . that's very cool. Today's amazing thing is a collection of before and after photos of downtown Port-au-Prince with a sliding bar that allows the viewer to control the overlapping photos. It's here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/14/world/20100114-haiti-imagery.html.

Cool as the tool might be, its purpose is to help the viewer understand the depth and breadth of the devastation in Haiti. Driven to make that destruction clear to readers, the folks at the NYTimes have come up with yet another way to do it.

New Day

Things might be bad in other parts of the world, but here things are well enough. The sun comes up, our house is warm, we had a good day with some friends yesterday and could take the time to play in the snow and eat together, and we've got good jobs that allow us to do most of the things we want to do.

Port-au-Prince in Ruins

Perhaps one of the most telling examples of the devastation in Haiti is the destruction of buildings. People have died. That's for certain. But buildings that remain intact give people something to cling to, to shelter in, to have hope for the continuity of their lives and their country. The collapse of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince is certainly a sad sight.

Wir müssen Papier!

Sometimes you just have to realize you're on the wrong side of the paper vs. paperless battlefront.

Good Day for Uploading Photos of Jered and Sarah

Not much going on here but checking email and catching up. But it's a nice change from what was going on before, lots of busyness and people around, a good gathering of family and friends.

We traveled north to Fargo last week for the wedding of my youngest brother Jered and Sarah Kobrinsky on January 2. They put on a great celebration, with a beautiful reception at Sarah's parents, Nathan and Janeen, with Janeen conducting the wedding the next day. That night we all braved the cold to get to the zoo, where we rode the endless carousel and toasted the newlyweds. You can view more photos of the singing, dancing, and posing for the camera here.

Then we came home.

New Year, New Journeys

This morning we head to Fargo, ND, where I suspect it's no warmer than here in frigid Madison, SD, to attend the wedding of my youngest brother Jered, potter and artist, and his wife-to-be Sarah Kobrinsky, poet and yoga teacher.

It's been a good few days, with family and friends, with yesterday bringing the in-laws Tom and Karen and the Nelson crew together, sister Rita and her husband Mark, sister Renee and son Dillon, and mom Rosemary, where we ate out at the Moonlite on the night of the blue moon. Brother Jim has been to town, and he and brother Jess will journey to Fargo for the wedding as well. Brother Joe will fly in and drive back, with Mom in tow.

We're looking forward to the ceremony, which will be the first Jewish wedding for some of us.

We survived the snow storm that dumped 18 inches on us the past few days, with more falling gently now as we get ready to hit the road. We're brave and will embrace the weather!

Ready for Eats

While I was grading papers for the past several days, the wife was assembling a veritable banquet of delights, including these two beauties--a Dutch apple pie and a loaf of bread that, as you can see, is definitely standing tall.

And that's just a sample. Let's hope our designated eaters can make it through the storm bearing down on eastern SD. So far, it's not been bad, only snow and a little breeze.

Done Grading

I Suck at Photoshop, Too!

Okay, so I was patting myself on the back for having my proposal accepted at the Computers and Writing (Virtual Worlds) conference in May at Purdue, even though much of the incentive and the work originated with my friend and colleague Dr. Maureen Murphy, shepherd of the English department at DSU. Anyway, I got off-tracked by a hilarious, heart-wrenching tutorial video on Photoshop by MyDamnChannel. He's a savvy Photoshop user, but the tool he most needs, he thinks, isn't on the pallet. Cool!

Last Final, 2009 Edition

I finished up my last final exam for the fall 2009 year, and now I've just got papers to grade . . .

Before the Cold Came In--Hot Rod

My friend Eric sends this photo of his cool

'23 T-bucket that he took on December 1. Notice that it doesn't have snow tires on it, so it will have to remain in storage now for a while as the winter has arrived with a vengance and some staying power. Once spring comes, though, this baby will be back on the road.

Comfy Wally

Dr. Dan took this photo of Mr. W comfy in his winter sweater, blanket, and bed, comfortable and warm, within the reach of the wood stove.

Gangs on the Ridge

One of the poorest communities in the U.S., Pine Ridge seems to be facing a challenge from growing gang membership. What do they fight over? Good question. Check out the story here on the NY Times.

Greetings from Dakota State University!

Season's Greetings from Dakota State from Tom Jones and Kevin Rydberg on Vimeo. Colleagues put together this cool video to extend greetings from us here in Madison to you where ever you are. Cheers!

No Pleasure in this Walk

Little Walter doesn't have a lot of insulation on his bony frame, so getting outside on a day like today (about 10 degrees) to do his business just does not offer any bonuses. Does it help to add pink booties and a little doggie jacket? I doubt it.

The Poet Gets a Sack of Coal

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending Dr. John Laflin's introductory literary criticism class as a visiting poet. It was a pleasant experience, with students who don't typically get to see me in that role, and they had good questions that led to some interesting discussions about individual poems and about writing in general.

I noticed as I finished that there was a little cloth sack of gum called Santa's Coal Bubble Gum. Now you might think that poetry has no tangible, earthly rewards, but this gum, which has a short period--between being coal and being grey tasteless gum--of sweet and pleasant flavor. Kind of like some poems.

Being the Lampkeeper

We've got the tree and the lights up, last Friday after Thanksgiving when the weather was sunny and relatively warm (no need for gloves!), so we get a couple of weeks of holiday sparkle in the living room.

This morning I tried out what seems almost a magical little device, the Lightkeeper Pro. (Watch out if you click on the link here--you'll get the repeated sound of this little device doing its magic--very annoying. The videos, though, give a good look at what the gizmo can do.)

Basically, when you've got a dead section of mini-lights, or a dead string, you pull one dead bulb, hook the socket to the gun, and pull the trigger. When I tried it, the dead bulbs lit, I put in a new bulb, repeated the process, and voila! I had a fully lit tree. Sweet! It took about two minutes.

I got mine at Jones Ace Hardware here in Madison, SD.

Apocalypse with a Happy Ending

One of my students asked earlier this semester about doing a research paper on whether the world will end in 2012. I thought the student had in mind the Mayan calendar, but she was inclined more to the movie and other predictions. Having seen the "2012" movie last night, I gather that we really don't need to worry that much at all, as long as we can build a super-ark (complete with animals--one by one) that will carry us to the coast of Africa. I was struck by the closing scenes in the film, as three big techno-arks (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria?) sailed toward the safest haven, the Cape of Good Hope, now the roof of the world, where the privileged and coddled would form the basis for a new beginning. This despite the fact that there are people already IN Africa, perhaps not ready to take in the tens of thousands of refugees and their rescued menagerie.

The movie is mostly made up of finely-detailed scenes of disaster--buildings collapsing into chasms, waves tipping a giant cruise ship into the drink, oceans washing over the Himalayas, whole landscapes yawing and sliding into the sea, airport runways cracking and crumbling beneath the airplane that bears our heroic family away from the destruction.

When all is said and done, the world looks new again, the continents rearranged, all the mistakes of the world washed away in 27 days--much tidier, say, than the lingering and ongoing disaster that is New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Apocalypse with a happy ending.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out--A Christmas Story

DSU Theater will put on A Christmas Story ("You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!") in the coming week after Thanksgiving. In preparation, yours truly was up at the Playhouse helping build their gigantic set over the weekend, especially the Santa Mountain. It should be fun!

In preparation, wander over to the online BB gun shooting game sponsored by Office Max.

An Idea Ventures Forth--LOOK OUT!

The previous post cited G.E. as the source of a great idea, but a magazine article I read afterward put a real buzz-kill on that, noting how G.E. is the scourge of the Hudson, pouring millions of gallons of PCB's in the river since forever ago.

Anyway, more ideas about killing ideas appear in the graphic to the left. Which is your favorite? (Don't get any ideas).

The drawings are from Doobybrain.com, who got them from somewhere else.

A Virtual Wind

My friend Dan has turned me on to augmented reality--no, not the kind where you have to ingest peyote and roll around on the porch until you find your spot, ala Journey to Ixtlan. Rather, it's a project whereby a graphic on your webcam identifies a spot to project another object on to your video. No comprende? Me neither. Read about it starting here. Or watch my test of GE's use of it in the video below. Or see other examples here.

Flying the Flag

As I buzzed around town today, doing errands, helping neighbors, tending my own business, I couldn't help but notice the many flags flying to commemorate Veteran's Day, once a day celebrating the end of war. We do seem to have lost some of our aversion to war, though perhaps too few of us pay enough attention to the costs, in life, respect, and dollars not spent on better things.

I'm the soldier on top of the tank here, probably still only 19 years old, proud here to have converted this war machine, an M-60 tank, to a part-time bulldozer. Note the dozer on the back end. My buddies, Gilbert "Hombre" Lovato and Jerry "Puente" Puent are there probably to mark my achievement. We were stationed at Ray Barracks, Friedberg, West Germany, 122nd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, mid-1970's. Jerry, from LaCrosse, WI, was bigger, but I could out-wrassle him, and Gilbert, from Mountainair, NM, was generally just an all-right guy. I haven't seen either of them since then.

I hope they're well. Happy Veteran's Day, soldiers.

Too Many Kids on the Corner

23 kids in two houses? Next door to each other? That's what it was in the 1970's when the Johnsons lived next to the Nelsons in Ft. Pierre. There were more kids on the block, including the Comptons, whose boys were notorious for mischief.

The father of the Johnson brood, Dale Johnson, recently passed away, and I stopped by the service last night to pay my respects and see who turned up. All of them did.

We reminisced a little, and I stopped by the Johnson home here to visit and enjoy some company. Like our family, many of them are artistic, creative sorts who take life by the horns.

I was reminded too of the plight of poor Mrs. Jacobsen, whom I remember as an old crab who chased kids off her lawn. She lived in a little house behind ours, crowded in there among the rambunctious children, then young adults. Poor old lady--she had a reason to grouse.

Maxine Hong Kingston, a Full Moon, and Ghost Stories

Saturday night, while most people were either offering up candy to kids in costumes or being kids in costumes, some of us were in Vermillion, SD, to hear Maxine Hong Kingston, the keynote speaker of the John R. Milton Writers Conference. She read from her published works, including Warrior Woman and China Men, focusing on ghost stories, especially one from Warrior Woman, where Maxine's mother takes on the hairy sitting ghost that appears in her girl's dormitory.

As she read, the glass wall behind her revealed the full moon illuminating the light clouds visible behind the podium. It was a good Halloween.

My other favorite part of it was seeing the wife in her witchy costume.