August 2004 Archives

One weird sensation that I had tonight walking back from the bookstore was the anticipation of running into someone I know on campus. I think this is an artifact from my late-undergrad experience at Purdue. By the end of my 5th year there I frequently saw people I knew: someone from back home; someone from the dorms when I was a freshman; someone from an ME class (found myself acting like I didn't know them); someone from the different circles of friends I had developed; someone named Jill. :)

I guess I not only got used to seeing these people, I looked forward to it. It broke up the monotony and was an opportunity to make future plans for something or another. Now -- being on a new campus where the number of people I currently know is limited to a dozen or less -- it leaves me left searching for a familiar face and finding none.

On a brighter note, it is great to back in this atmosphere. The action of so many young (and young-minded) people is contagious. From where I sit writing this (outside of the Art and Journalism Building on the patio) there are easily a hundred people walking back and forth from every direction. There's some alternative rock blaring through the weatherproof speakers off to my left and here I sit, basking in the evening sun getting ready (obviously) for a presentation I have to give in 30 minutes. Perhaps relative anonymity isn't bad after all.

Jill brought to my attention that the Soup Nazi (apologies), made famous in a Seinfeld sitcom episode, is not just a character but a real person with a real soup shop. Soup Kitchen International is the name, and W 55th street in NYC is soon to be not the only place.

It seems that the company is looking to franchise nationwide. How long until one shows up in Indiana? "No soup for you!" no longer, I suppose. In case you go, here are the rules:

FOR THE MOST
 EFFICIENT AND FASTEST SERVICE

THE LINE MUST BE KEPT MOVING.

The way I find new books (on tape) is to go to the library and just browse the racks until one of the books piques my interest. Finding books this way has two effects: 1) the books stand on even level with me -- I'm not coming in with a notion about the writing style or story, and 2) I have the opportunity to sample many different authors. One author and book I recently found this way was The English Assassin by Daniel Silva. The book is a great example of how far off my expectation of the story-line can be without that affecting my enjoyment of the book.

The English Assassin is less about the English assassin than it is about his hunted -- namely Gabriel Allon, an art-restorer and Israeli agent. The story weaves back and forth across Europe, incorporating Swiss and German political histories with the worlds of art and music. A very enjoyable read.

Kevin says: One read and back on the shelf
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Signet Book (February 25, 2003)
ISBN: 0451208188
Read other reviews at Amazon.com

With my coursework at BSU starting back up again tomorrow -- as well as a ton of changes at work -- I find myself not taking time to post here to the site. My apologies. For those of you who write in your own journals you can no doubt attest to the theraputic value of writing about your life. While more public, obviously, this writing is no less theraputic. Although, I do find myself pulling punches that I would, in a more private collection of thoughts, expound upon. That's likely just as well.

I'm taking 6 credit hours this Fall as well as working part-time for the Teacher's College. And trying to still be an active member of my family. And hold down a full-time job. It sounds like a lot (to me) but I am prayerful that Jill and I will not only live through this experience but grow from it.

One side issue that is forming is the fact that I have interest in a different assistantship position than the one I signed up for. Several months ago we took a class tour through the University Computing Data Center and I made an acquaintance there. Last week I spent some time with him and his group and they offered me an assistantship -- not knowing at the time that I already had one with TC. My interests are more squarely positioned within UCS but I must mind the toes I am stepping around. So I'm trying to work out a switch at Christmas break to UCS. That way I'll have some time with both departments and hopefully keep my bridges intact as I possibly work towards a Ph.D or full-time position (maybe). That is one of the many, many options that Jill and I are trying to work through.

It is good to be back at school, and good to have flexible employers.

Had some fun with pictures tonight, using a technique from way back. Anyone remember animated GIFs? They were big in the pre-Flash, pre-Shockwave, pre-Javascripting days. This particular one was created in Adobe's ImageReady.

I just imported the different pictures as layers and then asked it to create frames for each. Set the timing, export as GIF and voila!

I love this set of pictures. Jill snapped them tonight and they really capture several of Hale's different moods all in one setting. That's my boy.

Today was Jill's twenty-something'th birthday and we had a ton a fun. Thanks for another great year, sweetheart. And, as she reminded me, it is also the fourth anniversary of our moving back home to Indiana from Illinois. My, what we've packed into those four years...

Thanks to our generous (and brave) parents, PaPo, Nannie, Kevin, Hale, Addison and I made an adventurous trip to the Indianapolis Zoo on Monday of this week! It turned out to be a beautiful (although a bit WARM) day, and the kids behaved exceptionally well! Even Miss Addi seemed to enjoy herself, despite being confined to her stroller most of the morning!

Hale's favorite exhibits included the monkeys (especially the baby monkeys), the dolphins who "spash" in the water, the train ride and most of all, the beloved goats! A previous encounter with the goats at the Fort Wayne Zoo has left quite an impression on Hale, and he often recounts the story of how the goats ate the pockets on his khaki shorts (yes, he knows which shorts are khaki shorts, which shorts are jean shorts, etc.). And although the goats at the Indy Zoo did not eat his pockets, he associates them just the same.

Keep your eyes open for a new album filled with pictures of our fabulous trip to the zoo. The pictures are sure to put a smile on your face, and bring back memories of your childhood trips to the zoo! Thanks, Nannie & PaPo, for sharing this experience with us!

UPDATE: You can see a couple more images from the zoo in our album section.