Inside and Outside

The wife found her first tulip volunteering that spring had finally arrived in South Dakota yesterday. And the lovely day continued, as I was able to fire up the wood splitter in 40 degrees and split the wood that had piled up after cutting down some trees last fall.  I rolled some of the logs from back in the trees out into a clearing so they can be split.  Then we took a good walk/jog in the park, where people were walking their dogs and enjoying the warm day.  Then back to more outside work for a while, and lunch and the last "free" episode of "Mad Men" on Netflix.  Then some school work and a trip back up to DSU where we saw Expatriate and Burlap Wolf King play some awesome song.  A good, long spring day, full of good times.

The First Tulip Arrives in Madison

The End of March

Yesterday was a spring day--sunny, warm, slightly breezy, and beautiful.  It's funny how the weather makes a person feel different, feel like doing other things, changing.  Just like the lilacs bursting their buds, or the rhubarb pushing its way up through the thawing soil, so do we change and begin to grow different ideas and moves.  "Something there is that doesn't love a wall," Frost says.  "Spring is the mischief in me," he says, and likewise in me.  It's time to clean the porch, clear away the leaves, prepare the soil, plan the garden.

Yesterday we took a drive out to the park, ran and walked a few miles, and enjoyed the sunlight.  I think I sunburned my poor unprotected scalp!  We cleared the porch out, getting it ready for company, thinking what a great day it would have been to have people there.  Instead, we fired up the grill and enjoyed some good burgers.

Then we watched over some friends' baby, just a month old, and, with a little schoolwork in preparation for the week, we called it a good day.

The only thing is, now we're looking at a few more inches of snow tonight.  Blah.

Goodbye to All That (Loud Noise--AKA--Kick Ass Rock and Roll)

After 38 years, I'm letting go of my big-ass stereo equipment, the stuff I bought when I was a teenage soldier in Friedberg, West Germany.  These served me well over the many years, rattling the windows of many homes I had hither and yon.  After I let these go, only my Marantz turntable will be left of the powerhouse stereo I carefully assembled over the course of a couple years, doing my research and saving my money.

What you see here are, first, my big and heavy (50 pounds!) Teac SX4300 auto-reverse reel to reel.  This baby would play music for seven hours uninterrupted.  It had a clean and clear delivery, especially at 7 inches per second (it's a two-speed).  I've still got many reels of music, some (like Larry Hosford) that I have not been able to find since 1978.  So it goes.

Then there is the matching set of Kenwood amp and tuner, a KA-8300 amp and a KT-8300 tuner.  They were excellent components, especially that kick-ass amplifier.  What a beast.  I matched these up in 1976 with a pair of Pioneer HPM-100 speakers, and they would rock the house.  The sound they made was a beautiful thing, and I loved to hear The Edgar Winter Group rocking "Frankenstein" turned way up loud.  Sometimes too loud.  I had to have both the speakers and the amp repaired after too vigorous play.

These components were a signature in my barracks room, my bachelor pads, my dorm room, and my several homes.  Now they're heading to new homes via eBay.  

Check them out if you're interested.  It would be good to see them go to new homes (at high prices!).  

Teac.

Amp.

Tuner.

Go ahead.  Bid.  Then you too can be rocking to this:

Blue Jeans 'n Classics, the South Dakota Symphony, and Fleetwood Mac

The wife, the mom, and I enjoyed our Sunday afternoon with the Canadian group, Blue Jeans 'n Classics, who played with the South Dakota Symphony to offer up many hit songs of the group Fleetwood Mac, songs that I remember so well, especially from my two years in Germany.  My big expensive stereo at that time could crank out the tunes on the albums Fleetwood Mac that appeared in 1975, then Rumours, appearing in 1977, both while I was doing my soldier duty in Friedberg.  They were awesome records for me at the time, great lyrics, beautiful signing, and some hard-driving rocking.

The group of musicians that put on their show were welcomed by the crowd, and they were well worth it.  I hope the many sponsors from Madison that supported bringing them here were pleased with their efforts.  Thank you, sponsors!

Sirje Kiin and Marie Under, Poets, Writers, and Estonians

After a day at home it was nice to get out and have a meal with my mom and the wife and go see our Madisonian Sirje Kiin tell about the subject of her book:  Marie Under, an Estonian poet whose work hasn't had the attention it deserves.  Her poetry is almost all written in Estonian, a language that only about 1.5 million people speak in the world.  Sirje has written (in Estonian) a critical biography of the poet.  
The biography is now being translated into English, along with some new translations of the poetry.  It's a remarkable thing to hear about a person who lives just up the street who is working on such good, important things.  Marie Under's Wikipedia page needs editing!

Our speaker pointed out that one of the problems with getting Under the attention she deserves is that good translations of the poetry can be difficult, since the language they're written in is so unlike English or many other major languages.  

The World is a Little Colder Today

Each of us works on our own schedule, but we hope to create something that remains when we're gone.  On this cold January day, we note the loss of Pete Seeger, the great folk singer and author of great songs including "We Shall Overcome," "Turn! Turn! Turn!," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," songs that we think of as America's songs, our songs. It's good to stop and note with gratitude the gift that artists like this give to us.  Thank you, Pete Seeger, and rest in peace.

Another Blower

Today's another blowing day, another day with the trees waving in a gale, snow flying, students emailing me that the weather will keep them out of class.  Another day in Madison.
I spent part of the day outside examining my wood pile. Let's call it that, as I took the wheelbarrow to the back yard and filled it from my ever-diminishing pile of firewood, which I thought would last us all winter.  I'm not one skilled in estimating wood usage, but I'm spending more time in the house this winter, and it's been a cold one, so we keep stoking that stove, watching the wood flame up and out of the chimney.  We've always got one damned warm place in the house.  Some cool places too.

Water Issues, Wind Issues, Snow Issues. Winter. I'm issued out.

The past couple of days we've been riding a winter wave as the giant claw of a blizzard grips eastern SD and other parts.  Yes, out in the west it's something different, but here in the frozen east we keep watching out the window with it feeling like we're flying this old house through a cold and cloudy sky at a breakneck speed.  The old girl doesn't care for all this windage.

We'll survive.

The situation with the water was that a roof caved in on a water supply, a "clear well."  All over town we've had to curtail (as in STOP) our water use.  But our city fellows hustled through the night and during the day today despite the bad weather, and they're allowing water use and soon will have drinkable water again.  Thanks, guys.

I'm not sure why it's in the Anchorage news:  http://www.adn.com/2014/01/16/3276441/residents-of-madison-urged-not.html.

Dog Sitting

We're watching our friends' dog for the next few days, and so far, so good.  I was concerned this morning that it would want to be at my heels during my morning routine, but so far, an hour later, the pooch is still on its bed upstairs as she and the wife sleep into the late hours of the morning (it's 6:30am now).  The wife is much more a dog fan than I am.  Not that I don't like dogs or pets in general; it's just that my attitude is more laid back than some of the people around me whose affection for pets is more pronounced.  They do sometimes amuse me, though, such as when this hound becomes engaged with the monkeys on the TV screen.

The Year's End

Here I am anticipating a gathering of friends at one of their houses to toast the end of another good year, many more of the years under my belt than most of them, including the woman who will accompany me.  The year has brought a number of blessings; good things keep coming my way, for which I am always grateful and hope to continue to be.  Thanks to all who are part of it.

Prepping for Winter

This weekend saw the motorcycle go to storage, the lawnmowers go likewise.  The tiller is put away.  The cool old Royal Scotsman bicycle is stored.  The Maxima is back in the garage where winter can't get at it so easily.
But we still have things to do.  We have not yet fired up the wood stove, and all the firewood is still out behind the garage.  There is still plenty of wood to split.  Work still to do.  Our plan is to bring a significant pile of wood into the three-season porch where we can load up without getting our boots on.
We'll see how things go as the days unfold.  Cold is coming (but not today).

Nanocon and Writing for Game Designers

Panelists at Nanocon, including Rich Graham, far left, Jeff Howard, far right, and Seth Hudson, in tie.

Here are my summary notes on "Writing through Games:  Merging the Writing Classroom with Game Design" by Seth Hudson 11/10/13, a part of Nanocon 2013 at Dakota State University.

Hudson, who teaches writing for games at George Mason University in the Computer Game Design Program, gave a talk to prospective game designers on making writing a component of their quest for success in the industry.  His talk, lively, interesting, full of references to games, movies, and books, prompted laughs, recognition, and questions at the conclusion.  

My notes on his talk are as follows. 

Stop writing the same thing

Respect yourself (and your audience) enough to edit

“Tell me something, then tell me why I should care.”  Kamholtz  (It’s the “so what?” question)

3-act structure

context, goals conflict resolution

Volder’s Hero’s Journey

“It’s theory, not a formula.” 

Academic paper:  Specific, Contextualized, Useful

Observing conventions

Realize that audience is the real key (audience and user)

Writing classroom

Audience driven:  if it’s not written down, it doesn’t count.  Both academic papers and creative ones need to keep audience in mind. 

Collaborative:  learn to give criticism; you get to be a better judge of your own work (always be reading other people’s work).  Criticism as a series of questions—why did you give that character that dialect.  Digital feedback as an extension of critical commentary.  Everyone gets better in collaboration.

Iterative:  Developing voice.  A long process.  “Writing is revision.”  Shitty first drafts.  Writing a shitty first draft is easier than writing a good one. 

Portfolio-centric:  focus on collective work.  NP (not proficient) grades.  Formative assessment vs. summative.  Formative is how you are developing; summative is what’s at the end of the process.  The identity comes from a lifetime of experience, not just their collective course content.  Passions beyond technical skill set students apart from others in their field. Studios look for people who have higher order skills that are hard to display on a resume.  (Swacha et al 2010).  Communicate a lifetime of experience. 

Writing classroom as a preparation for collaborative game projects.  Power of reflection and criticism. 

Find out what works, establish a voice, overcome your fears. 

Judge the work, not the person.  Avoid the “you suck.” Teach responding. 

Salvo #997

After five days away from home in Madison, SD, it's good to be home, ready for catching up with school and home maintenance and getting ready for winter.  It was a good trip though to St. Charles, IL, for workshops designed for schools seeking to maintain their accreditation.  The workshops helped our team move from an idea to a fully-fledged plan for making a significant improvement in life at DSU.  Thank you to those folks at AQIP for leading the show.

At My Door the Leaves are Falling

This morning the song in my head is one by Johnny Cash, "I Still Miss Someone," as it describes the mournful loss of a loved one, set against the the falling leaves and the wild winds, both of which are going on outside my windows.  The wind is whipping out of the south, leaves tearing off the trees and covering the yard once again.
The welcome rain comes as a marking of the end of our summer days, a blast of what is to come as we move into the fall season.  It's been a long haul with little or no rain to speak of, and the grass and trees have shown their stress, turning brown and sere as the long dry spell went on.
It has now rained steadily all morning, and with some luck it will continue.  Certainly the farmers don't have the same perspective, since many of their crops are still in the field.  But we'll take it, we lawn farmers.

Tom Hueners in the SD COOP Hall of Fame

Thomas E. Hueners might have retired to his farm south of Winfred, but he’s not finished winning awards.  Hueners was inducted Tuesday night into the South Dakota Cooperative Hall of Fame at Cedar Shore Resort in Oacoma.  Accompanied by his family and fellow coop members, Hueners accepted the award for his 40 years of service on the board of directors for TrioTel Communications (formerly McCook Cooperative Telephone Company). 

Tom’s father John served on the same board for almost 20 years, with Tom taking his place after John passed away in 1973.  Together they represent six decades of service to TrioTel, located in Salem, providing telephone, internet, television, and surveillance services, supporting the communications needs of the region for more than 60 years. 

Hueners was inducted into the Hall of Fame with two others this year, John D. Johnson of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, and Loren Noess, of Mitchell.  Hueners  and the other two join only 61 other members in the Hall of Fame. 

As anyone who has worked with Tom Hueners knows, he works hard to make life better for his family, friends, and neighbors.  That desire is a good fit for a local cooperative, which functions to help the community prosper and grow.   This dedication was noted in the letters written to support his nomination to the Hall of Fame.  “With a calm, quiet disposition, he has led one of the smallest cooperatives in the state of South Dakota to a prosperous and one of the most advanced telecommunications providers in the U.S.,” wrote TrioTel general manager and CEO Bryan Roth. 

Hueners has been a farmer for more than 50 years, living and working the farm that his grandfather and his father worked before him, one of the South Dakota Century Farms.  He also spent 32 years as a rural mail carrier, driving a route west of Madison. 

Hueners recently celebrated 50 years of marriage to his wife Karen, and their three children still live in the area.  He and Karen have eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  Hueners devotes time to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Howard and spends time working around the farm and enjoying his growing family.   

In his acceptance speech, Hueners pointed out what a pleasure it was to serve on the board, noting the support of his family and the other board members. He gave special thanks to his wife Karen, whose support helped make up for time spent traveling and working on board duties.   

Hueners continues to serve on the board at TrioTel and serves as the secretary/treasurer, along with Roth, Ron Sandine, Kenny Klinkhammer, Kevin Erikson, Terry Schroeder, Bob Matthaei, and Richard Dewald.  C

Back to School Again

Here we are at the end of the first day of classes for the fall semester.  I reminded my students on this hot August day that they should think of the person they will be in December, someone who will appreciate the good work that their past self did in August, September, and the months to follow.  Wednesday they'll show me what writing they can do in 50 minutes, responding to a standard assignment and trying to provide an overview, launch into a discussion, and bring in some resources to support and develop their ideas.

This semester I'm looking at some additional work, including a major campus committee, serving on a search committee, and finding time to (perhaps) jump out of an airplane.   I hope to do better with my own writing, and contributing to this blog.

The blog helps me pay attention to what's going on around me, from the reaction of students to their new situations, to seeing the leaves in our yard begin to dry and curl and fall into the yard.  So, here we go again.

Bears and the BWCA

Just heard a story the other day about the BWCA and bears.  We're looking at a camping and canoeing trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and have been hearing all kinds of things, good and bad, about the bears up there.  Some say they're small, no problem, just follow the directions and don't tempt the bears with food and other goodies.  Others say they can be a real danger.  So we're cautiously optimistic and telling people about our plans.  That gives them a chance to report back with a story like this one.
Some guys from SD were up in that area canoeing, fishing  and drinking.  They didn't follow the guidelines.  They caught some fish and cleaned them in the camp.  So here comes a bear, bothering the campers.  Since they've got firearms along, they shoot the bear.  Bad news.  So they've got a dead bear in their camp now and realize they will be in trouble with fines to come.  They roll the bear down to the lake, tie it to the canoe, and row the carcass out to the middle of the lake, where they weight it down with rocks.  When they see the bear sink, they also see that the bear is still visible, at the bottom of the shallow lake, good clear Minnesota water, and the chains, rocks, and bear are there for anyone in a boat (or probably a plane) to see.
Smart guys.

Picking Up the Pieces

I helped yesterday as a friend here in Madison was faced with the task of cleaning out his mother's room after she passed away over the weekend.  The job was a simple one--clear away all of her things from the room, load it in our vehicles, and deposit it in his garage.  Simple.  But clearing away the last remnants of a person's effects, even after they have dwindled to what fits in a closet and a few drawers, is never easy.
She was already disappearing from the home when we got there.  The letters of her name had already been taken off the directory.  Her name had been wiped from the board outside her door.  A few items did have address labels with her name on them, preparation for this moment when the person is not their to claim their possessions.  They have none any more, not even the physical form they once inhabited.  They're gone.  I imagine the room there now, 9 West, cleaned and ready for the next traveler.
His mother had been fading for a while, and there were few signs of what might have been important to her at one time.  No vacation photos, no shots of children or grandchildren.  No portraits of her and her husband when they were younger.  No signs of hobbies or treasured keepsakes.  She had been reduced to the simplest of lives until I suppose it was easy to leave it.
My own mother spent the afternoon preparing for a trip of her own, a physical one that meant she had belongings to attend to, objects to gather up for the journey or prepare to leave behind.  She too is reducing, eliminating objects to allow herself to move quickly and lightly.  Having just turned 80, she is not ready to give up this life, and she enjoys the messy ends of it still.  So do I.

Senior Games in Madison--and More

The weekend passed with some significant physical activity, beginning with a 10K time trial on my bike, part of the Madison city Senior Games for us over-50 crowd.  The wind was howling that evening from the south, which meant we got to ride with the wind as we headed out, whisking along like the breeze until the turn, when we turned south into the gale.  Then it was like one of the mountainous climbs on the Tour de France, a constant pushing against a steady gravitational wind. The last uphill push to the finish was enough to bring you to tears.  But it's that kind of thing that makes you feel alive.

Then Saturday the wife and I went for a little canoe ride out at Lake Herman, about our fourth or fifth as we prepare for a canoeing adventure in northern Minnesota.

Finally then it was back to the Senior Games for the 1500 meters up at Trojan Field, where I managed to run a 5:49 time, which translates (sort of) to a 6:16 mile.  Not bad, but I couldn't help thinking that a little practice could peel some time off that.

Sunday we spent some time at the wife's folks' place, enjoying some social time with family and folks from Sioux Falls and beyond.  Not a bad weekend at all.

Remembering the Fourth

Having just read the book Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis this summer, I'm starting the day today, Independence Day, mindful of the significance of that day in history.  I imagine the anxiety and commitment by those who signed the Declaration of Independence, anticipating the difficulties that lay before them.  They were visionary men.

But the day is also one filled with my own memories of celebrations and events, from throwing firecrackers as a kid to being an adult who watches others take the risks of explosives.  It's also about the time of the beginning and end of my military commitment, going into and coming out of the Army.

In any case, I mark the day as one filled with memories of celebrations good and . . . interesting.