Standing Up for Hillary

The Second Street Diner was packed this morning with Hillary Clinton supporters who waited patiently for the campaign bus to arrive, but then enjoyed a kick-ass address that ended with a rousing call for effective leadership that has been sorely lacking.
Clinton addressed several things near and dear to South Dakotans, and she nailed every reference to the state, the city, and the issues that are central to the times. Check out the Madville Times for what promises to be a more in-depth discussion of the issues.
DSU's own Jona Schmidt sat next to Hillary as the candidate enjoyed a piece of the great apple pie at the restaurant. Jona's mom (Virginia?) was chosen to sit at the table having just converted to being a Democrat at 80 years old just so she could vote for Ms. Clinton.

Listener of Stories

I should create a job title for myself, "Listener of Stories," wherein I get to listen to stories that people tell me. It's one of my favorite things, like listening to the father-in-law tell his stories about leaving the farm in Winfred and venturing out on his own, taking off with a group of friends and working building grain bins in Minnesota, or serving in the Marines in 29 Palms, California. Or listening to my friend tell about the vacuum line on his car, how here it does pull, here it doesn't. Or even to a new aquaintance, Leon Saugstad, who came to fix the water softener, how he went to five different schools growing up in the area, some of them now non-existent, as his family rented and farmed one farm after the other. Or another friend tell about cruising up over the Rocky Mountains into Coeur D'Alene or growing up in Bucks County, in eastern Pennsylvania. That's a good day for me, soaking up stories, and telling some of my own.

I actually got a real job yesterday, a strenuous one. But I lost it about three minutes later, so my experience as a fabric layer is still limited to one brief voluntary stint and those three minutes in my imagination, my favorite kind of labor.

What Used to Be a Swimming Pool

It's 43 degrees here today, so swimming doesn't top my agenda, but we do still have that option, with the community center pool now available again. But it's not so with the outdoor pool.
We're grateful for having sold our old house every time we pass by the construction zone that was the swimming pool next to our home. It won't be ready this year, but the plans for the new aquatic center are ambitious and impressive. If it's successful, parking there will be even more of a problem than it was.

Lilac Barricades

In conversation today it came up that few new houses sport the kind of lilacs it takes decades to develop, big productive lilac bushes like these, a wall of them to sanctify the spring air, to lay its blessing on the death of May, the birth of June. The breeze coming out of the north had a chill to it, but these big breeze filters put their stamp of approval on every whiff.
If we say thanks to veterans today for the gifts their suffering brought us, we can also look at the gifts handed down to us over the years from someone, ever so many ages ago, like those who envisioned these flowering lilacs when they planted the twigs and watered them. I hope the owners of those new houses will favor their successors by leaving them blossoms like these.

Short Bus Student Revenge

Tasteless activities await on sites like Online Games, where you can play games like "Short Bus Rampage," with a description provided that will tantalize everyone who's wanted to take a school bus and run over children:
Drive over and murder all the school children as you get your own back on them for bullying you! Drive over them all and then out of the scene by the time the timer runs out or the police'll be on you! Good luck killing all the bullies!

Of course, there's no way to tell who the bullies are, so you're encouraged just to run over everyone. Not that you should run over bullies, of course.

Gateway to Appleville

I don't know what pollinates apple trees, but these trees are definitely flirting with the powers that be. With rain in the forecast, it may not be long before the petals have fallen, but today, they all had their hands in the air.

Apple Trees in Bloom

For now I'll just let these apple trees do the talking about what's been going on for the past couple of weeks. While I've been busy with other activities, the apple trees have pulled up from their roots and down from the sky these bouquets for our pleasure. Before you know it, the blossoms will be apples dropping into the yard.

New Windows for Beadle Hall

Yesterday a crew was scoping out Beadle Hall to get ready for putting in new windows, including arched windows that have not been seen for 40 years or more. Meanwhile, there will be refugees as our offices become uninhabitable this summer.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

A little video celebration of our Spanish-speaking neighbors, via con YouTube: Disney's Three Caballeros.

And, from 1986, The Three Amigos.

Spring Events

Spring this week was in evidence, not just because we had a small crowd of people at the house on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby, but also because it was warm, warm, ever so warm. At least by our standards here in the frozen north. Quick, how long till frost? Grow, stuff, grow!

For the derby party we were able to invite guests out to the porch for the first time this season, and they were appreciative of the space and comfort there. Too bad the race was marred with poor Eight Belles and her demise.

We also put behind us the old house on Catherine Street, vacant since July when we moved into this big unit. We signed the papers on Wednesday, the buyer signed on Thursday, and we got our check that day. But we're happy to have it out of our hair.

Meanwhile, it's time for the city-wide cleanup, with free stuff at the curbside all over town. Much of it will reappear at garage sales and even in the flea market this summer. It's spring, it's finals week, and it's time to finish the semester!

Zombie vs. Humans at Goucher College

Students are playing a game on the campus of Goucher College in Baltimore where students become either zombies or stay human, and only nerf guns or balled up socks stand between humans and zombie-hood. Check out the article and especially the video here.

Almost May (It just doesn't look it)

Our late winter storm appears to be finished with its ham-handed reminder that it holds sway in this part of the country. After having told some Norwegians from north of the Arctic Circle that we here in SD say we have two seasons--winter and road construction--he said they too have only a pair--a white winter and a green winter. How many words do you have for winter?

Spring in South Dakota, Blizzard Style

Snow continued to give South Dakota a beating, at least for those of in the eastern half. The video and photos here were from this morning, and the snow continued all day, the wind driving full force.

Video to Tighten Your Glutes

JB points to this video that will could give you a coppery taste in your mouth it's so spooky. From southern Spain, this walkway video is bold enough to keep you off-balance for all of its six minutes. Watch it full screen!

"Sleeping it Off in Rapid City"

The title of the book jumped out at me from the NY Times: Sleeping it Off in Rapid City, a new book of poems by August Kleinzahler. Read the review and an excerpt of the title poem.

Omaha and Back Again

Thursday the wife and I headed down to Omaha for the "Death, Murder, and Mayhem" Symposium put on by the University of Nebraska, where I delivered a paper on the use of Native American imagery in violent electronic games. I had a good turnout, and the participants asked good questions about violence and racial stereotyping.

We enjoyed staying at the old downtown area and checked out some of the shops and eateries, and we went to a play that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize: "The Man from Nebraska," by Tracy Lett, put on by the Blue Barn Theater. Saturday we enjoyed lunch in the 70 degree sunlight.

Saturday, before we left, I had to drive onto the Omaha Marathon course where it used to finish uphill into the domed arena, the site of my just-too-late finish that kept my first marathon from qualifying me for the Boston Marathon (to be run tomorrow!) by 34 seconds. Then we hustled home again, jiggety-jig.

Computers and "Writing"

Imagine the volumes you could write if you could just get the computer to do most of the work--like the writing itself--for you. A guy who should be a hero to our English for Information Systems majors at DSU has figured that out. What's the answer? Algorithms. A New York Times article describes how Philip M. Parker has "licked the problem," publishing over 200,000 books, by having computers search for publicly available information, compile it, and put it into a book, which will be printed on demand. You can watch a demonstration of his method for books and video (and games) on Youtube. Consider the implications! It's worth a look.

Three Steps Forward, No Steps Back

Another Sign of Spring in South Dakota

Two steps forward, one step back.

Signs of Spring

From wasps appearing in the office and intruding on private email correspondence, to muskrats wandering onto dangerous roads, to robins hopping across the lawn, to snowmen melting into nothing, it appears that spring is here. Finally.

Evidence of Being Human

While hypertext and technology are evidence of human intelligence and tool-making capacities, it's also important to recognize that being human also means making poop, as has been true for 14,000 years in North America, according to a new discovery. Not only did they poop, they pooped in caves. I'm sure it made the caves less livable.

Hypertextopia

My students and I tried out a hypertext fiction site today. Thanks for the tip, Dan. It's like living in Hypertextopia!

Saying Goodbye to Lance

Services were held this afternoon for DSU student Lance Parliament, who was in one of my classes. His death came in a fatal car crash with a bus last Wednesday as he returned to Madison from Sioux Falls. He was a good young man, and the services revealed how much he had connected with the people here, from faculty members and administrators to students in his classes. He was a welcome addition to the classroom and will be missed.

Snow Day = Snowman Day

While the wife and I were at work today, slaving away in classrooms, meetings, and more meetings, Anica and Walter got to stay home and play. We came home to clear walks and this little pale fellow to greet us in the back yard. I wasn't sure how to read his expression, but the other two are pretty easy to identify.

Meanwhile, it's snowing again!

Saturday and Schmeckfest

Freeman Academy in Freeman, SD, has held a Schmeckfest every year for the past 50 years, and this year we got tickets, so we and the B's, along with our madchen, went down, looked over the cool stuff, and enjoyed their good Mennonite cooking.
They apparently serve about 1000 people each of the four days of the fest, driven mostly by volunteers who collectively raise over $100,000 for the school each year. Impressive!
On the campus is also a good museum, and the fest includes demonstrations of such activities as basket weaving, soap making, and cooking the good, old-timey stuff like poppy-seed rolls, bierocks, and other stuff (like handmade pot holders). There's another opportunity next weekend to check it out. It's worth a drive!

House Progress

Over the past week there's been some progress on the interior of the big house, with sheetrock and the first and second coat of mud put up. Outside, the trees have been trimmed, more of the old wood has been consumed by the big stove, and the porch is becoming again a gathering place more than a project storage center.

Back from Foodville

Now that spring break is coming to a close, it's perhaps worthwhile to recount the gustatory travels we've been on. They include some New Orleans jambalaya and chocolate bread pudding with pecan/caramel/Kahlua topping, shown here, a night in Tuscany supper that featured roast pork, fancy bread, fine wine, and chocolate cake, and an Easter meal that included ham, potatoes, veggies, beans, bread, and this bread bunny that had us eating out of his belly. We ate him as well. Top the meal off with some pie--pecan, lemon meringue, apple--and some strawberry brownie dessert, and you should be able to call it a good day. But will you come back to life when all's digested? We'll see! Eating's not all we did, but it does seem to have occupied a big part of our week. Thanks to all who cooked!

Paradise in a Pan

Sometimes you don't have to travel to reach an island of paradise; sometimes Xanadu comes out of the oven. Imagine fragrances during the half-hour these spent cooking, the anticipation as they came from the oven bubbling caramel, the satisfying whump as they flipped onto the foil, the sweet scramble as you make sure none of the caramel gets left in the pan, and then . . . you've arrived. A little butter, a plate, a fork, and a passport to a sweet beyond.

Traveler IQ Challenge

Since I'm not bound for any sites afar, I found myself this morning playing a quiz game on Travelpod.com, which tells me I'm not too bad at my geography. Faced with a world map and the name of some city or famous site like the Eiffel Tower, you aim your mouse at the map and click. You get points for getting close and for speed. It ain't easy! So far I've just reached level 9, but you have to score high enough to continue. Can you--quick!--find Suriname? I mean, without your Google map?

Not So Surprised by Snow

They'd been saying that snow was on its way here, and sure enough, we're getting a fair dose. It looks like a couple of inches so far of the wet and heavy stuff with more coming. Good thing I got my tree-trimming done yesterday--check out those cleaned-out trees.

The good dose of snow on the first real day of spring break drives home the different plans we have this year as related to last year, the blog postings from then (1 and 2) depicting a different scene than the one you see here.

Down from the Trees

Spring lurks at the corner of the street, its temptations wafting over the lot, its birdcall in the air. The sap is beginning to run, trees heavy with it, buds swelling. Grass that has emerged from the snow is already beginning to turn green, snow retreating even from the shadowy places. We've had rain, though frost is on the grass each morning. Courtesy of the mother-in-law, today we enjoyed some corned beef and cabbage, bread pudding, and good company, preparation for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. Yesterday a few trees fell out at the Bechen farm, having served their purpose--no buds on their branches this spring. Friday evening we enjoyed companionship at the B's, a few beverages, some limericks, the first dose of corned beef and cabbage of the year.

This afternoon branches fell from the apple trees, my attempt at putting them to right, lopping off the diseased and withered, keeping the branches that mean to do the work of apple-making. Suckers and branches going in the wrong direction dropped into the yard, some well-dead wood already in the wood stove. Sore and satisfied, I plopped my tired bones down near that stove's heat and enjoyed the evening with spouse and dog.

The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth

Lunch today was sponsored by the Women's Day organizers here at DSU, and the featured speaker was an inspiring author of children's books, Jean Patrick, the author of The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth, If I Had a Snow Plow, Who Carved the Mountain, and other books. She told about slowly taking hold of her dream to become a children's author and the struggles that she has faced to fulfill that dream, and to keep on working toward it. She's an accomplished speaker and is available for school visits. She'll appear as Jackie Mitchell (pictured here), if you like, the girl who struck out the Babe and Lou Gerhig. Good stuff.

Epic Adventure--Dog Rescues Cat

Okay, so I had managed to survive over 50 years without seeing "Milo and Otis," but enough is enough, and since we had a young visitor to the household, it seemed right that we take it on. Who knows how many pugs and kitties gave their all in filming this tribute to cross-species friendships. How many takes would it have taken in the kitty free-fall? How many in the turtle rescue? How many in the bear/pug battle? Or the cat/seagull encounter? How many in the birthing sequence, both dog and cat? "Made in Japan" is all over this film, with sequences that would have raised the ire of American animal-rights activists, even in 1983, when it was released in Japan (revamped for the US in 1989). Even the best animal trainers would have trouble, I would think, in encouraging a cat or dog to befriend a fox, deer, duck, chicken, goose, sheep, turtle, cow, and a passel of other animals for the filming of such an adventure.

Spellbinding? Heart-wrenching? Blood-curdling? Mesmerizing? Nah. Just Dudley Moore's voice and lots of cutsie animal antics.

Walter in His Dancing Slippers

Walter isn't all that bright, and he's getting a little old, so when he dances at the door expecting to get out to do his business, he's probably thinking he'll bolt for the yard, race along the fence, and sprinkle half a dozen spots on his top ten list. But when it's 10 below and he steps from the house onto a giant frozen planet, his ambition goes out the window and he'd just as soon piss where he stands. So he needs a little coaxing. It's nice to have the sprinkling done a few feet from the back door.

So, as part of that effort Walter was gifted some dandy slippers, which he first tried outside tonight. Ahem. He must have thought he'd been velcro-ed to the floor. The wife carried him to the back door, where, with some coaxing, he tried using them for ski boots. Once his ordeal was over, he did manage to get back to the house under his own power, looking something like a miniature Clydesdale the way he carefully (but quickly--it's 0 out now) lifted each foot.

The wife asked whether I'd like it if I would have appreciated it if someone had put me in shoes after having been without them all my life. Well, I told her, that's exactly what did happen to me. It's been some time ago, but I hope I took to it better than W did.

Our Dearly Departed Friends

Friends and students appear this week in the DSU production of "Dearly Departed," by David Bottrell and Jesse Jones, a comedy depicting the reactions of a family to the death of their "mean and surly" patriarch. It'll make you laugh. I had a bit part for the invited dress rehearsal and am listed as an understudy, but last night I just sat back and enjoyed the whole show. It was good to see students having such fun AND performing well.

She Takes to the Slopes

Our German girl made friends with the ski slopes out in the hills, and although she took a raft of pictures, it appears that her camera is balking now at coughing those photos back up from its electronic depths. But the itty-bitty, ten dollar camera I sometimes carry in my pocket just to take bad pictures seems to have captured her here.

Downhill Easy, Uphill . . . Not So Much

When friends invite you out to their ski-cabin, you don't hem and haw. You hustle your buns across the state and slap on skis, jump on the lift, and swoosh down the mountain. If you're really feeling like you want to put your hosts to the test, you ask for a lift for the car, too. After all, shouldn't it enjoy a little ride uphill as well?