On the Shelf

Normally I don't read much fiction. I will get too caught up in the concepts and ideas of the story and then crash into disappointment when it's not as real as I want it to be. (I -WILL- have an army of robots at my command. Mark my words...)

However, I am starting to experiment with new things and one of them is to read a series of books by Jim Butcher, the author of the Dresden Files.

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Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things -- and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a -- well, whatever.
There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get... interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed.

---

The books were turned into a pilot series on the Scifi channel but it only had 12 episodes shot. I would have liked for them to have made more. The characters of Harry (the wizard), Bob (the ghost of a warlock who is condemed to live in his skull for eternity) and Murphy (the plucky, street-wise detective) is a bit archetypal but still fun to watch.

Just something Funny

Power Outtage

Shawnee Obelisk
Originally uploaded by Green Pilgrim

Tuesday marked a weird event on Shawnee's campus.

While I was teaching my morning Psych class, the power went out across the campus. One minute I was talking about fear and phobias and the next we're sitting in almost complete darkness with just a faint glow coming through the doors. There was nothing to do but to close the class early and let them go.

So I went out to the President's Porch and grabbed my notebook for a bit of a break. I didn't know if they were going to cancell classes for the rest of the day or if it was something simple like a blown fuse. Well, it was something close to a blown fuse but it would take more than someone flipping a switch to repair it. Rumors began to spread from group to group as to how long it would take for the problem to be fixed.

And then security upped the anty.

Several security guards wandered from group to group and told us that it would take between six and eight hours to fix the problem. The immediate response from all of the secretaries and faculty was:

WHEN ARE THEY RELEASING US?

It took about a half hour for the word to go out that classes were going to be cancelled for the rest of the day. As soon as I heard, I jumped into my car and headed for the exits because I didn't want to be caught in what would have been a huge traffic snarl; all of campus leaving at once.

Well, two hours (or so) later they sent word, via the emergency call-back service, that power had been restored. By then, I was on my way over to a friend's house to head out to the lake again.

Somedays you don't argue with the universe. You just accept things as a gift and move on.

Waterfall - 1934

lake-11
Originally uploaded by Green Pilgrim

In 1934 several things were happening around the world.

May 23, Police kill Bonnie and Clyde
May 11, Massive Dust Storms sweep across the Great Plains
Oct 16, Chinese Communists break through the Nationalist enemy lines
Aug 11, Alcatraz Island is opened as a Federal Prison.

And...

Some guy carved the date and stuck the rock near this waterfall in Scioto County, Ohio.

While out with some friends at the lake yesterday, I came across this waterfall. The fall is actually there to drain water from the hill above the lake and under the roadway. However, the drain is reinforced with what appears to be a stacked-stone wall. (I don't have a larger shot of the whole wall, but the stones here are tiny compared to the larger stones that stretch out down the hill.)

I took a moment to see if I could capture the water as it fell from the rocks and down to the splash-point. I'm still learning how to use my camera to capture "action" shots such as moving water. It wasn't until I got home and was sorting through the pictures that I saw that someone had carved the date 1934 on one of the rocks (I was at a considerable distance when I took the picture) near the fall.

I wonder if the waterfall was built in 34 or if someone just decided to commemorate the year for some other reason. Who knows.

It was still a nice day to go out to the lake.

-Tom

Bedside Archaeology

Archaeologists often identify people by the objects found along side them in their graves. However, I was wondering what someone could tell about me if they were to examine the contents of my bed-side table.

So the question evolved into: What's beside your bed?

1. Field Book
2. Coffee Cup full of Pens
3. Lamp
4. Cellphone (and charger)
5. Laptop (and charger)
6. Dictionary of the Supernatural (Published in the 70's)
7. Introduction to Watercolors (Borders bargain books)
8. A small, cast-iron pipkin (think mini-cauldron)
9. Bottle of Water
10. A sleepy cat named Rusty (he decided to sprawl himself across the top)
11. The history and truth of the Unicorn* (A faux 'journal' with illustrations and some awesome calligraphy)
12. Marine K-Bar knife with sheath
13. Stack of blank note-cards

It's supposed to be ... Spring?

Well, that's the rumor that I've heard.

I'm out on my front porch this afternoon to enjoy a bit of the not-cold weather and guess what - it's still cold. The high today is just barely within the 50's. I was hoping to enjoy some not-winter-like weather and get some work done out on the front porch today. That doesn't seem to be a good choice since everytime the wind blows my fingers seem to stiffen.

Classes are going fairly well this week. There's nothing on the schedule; no exams or papers to grade. Next week, however, I get to tackle the mountain of Criminological ephemera that will be thrown at me in the shape of research papers. Can you hear the sound of joy in my voice? No? Well, that's because it's been squashed under the foot of aggravation. Every time I read my student's papers I'm hoping that I will at least be able to track what they are writing about; never mind how they're writing it. If I can at least follow, with some clarity, what they're talking about and where they're going with their topic, I'm fine. When it comes to HOW they write, I try not to get too freaked out. I remind myself that these students aren't what I would call 'academically minded'. Though part of me would hold them to a standard that I was used to at Ohio University, there is another part of me that is a bit more practical about such matters.

This is not the place to begin a crusade.

The University is slowly starting to up the bar on its students, but such things are done with patience and lots of meetings. Not only do the students have to be coaxed up out of their shell, some of the professors also have to be encouraged (sometimes with a lead pipe) to come out of their Ivory Tower and...well... teach.

We have some professors who are keeping their students involved and participating in their lectures and others just drone on as though they were giving a presentation to a group of people who already know what they're talking about; ignoring any question presented to them because it 'disrupts their flow'.

If your students are unable to learn the material, how can you 'Profess' to be an educator of any kind. I've had my fair share of students who just don't give a damn, but when the ones that are trying don't understand and, more importantly, can't get clarification, there's something wrong.

The job that I was hoping for on campus, apparently has been sucked through the black hole of a budget sheet. Lack of funding. So I will have to find something else to occupy myself. I have been told, several times, that I am appreciated and an asset in the Department. I love working on campus and if I had the choice, I'd continue to work there in other capacities, but that requires that they have the money to pay me.

Ok... fingers really getting cold now. Going to have to shut down and go back inside to the constant drone of 'World of Warcraft' in the guest room.

Ugh.

I wish it was warmer.

-Tom

Donkey!

donkey
Originally uploaded by Green Pilgrim

A morning in Athens with my beat-up satchel, heavily used notebook and new Donkey Coffee mug.

Life doesn't have to be complicated to be good.

-Tom

I'm a Cowboy...

Somehow this song just crawled into my head when I was reading the "Back in the Saddle" post from the other day.

I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted dead or alive
Wanted dead or alive

So I have finished the first week back from Spring Break and it's raining... again.

I wanted to work on the back yard during the break but it rained so much that my back yard was little more than a quagmire of mud. I needed to put in some additional drainage around the edge around foundation of the car port. It didn't exactly work out as I had planned.

I hoped, foolishly, that this weekend would be dry enough for me to try something constructive. Well, it seems that it's going to be mud soup once more.

For some reason, a common element in my thoughts of late has been the 'Drifter'; a Cowboy, a Gypsy, etc. This would suggest that I'm not really comfortable with what I'm doing right now. It's an accurate assessment of things to be honest. Life isn't bad right now, per say, but it's not really giving me what I want out of life.

At one time, I had an image of myself on a motorcycle or a jeep and just traveling across country with a camera to explore all the Forgotten Places. The image is perhaps a bit stereotypical; the adventurous wanderer. The mysterious wanderer with a heart of gold and a dark secret. Cliche' of course, but it's something that I identified with very early on. Short of inheriting some serious money or figuring out how to travel on the cheap (not with today's gas prices), the "Wise Wanderer" moment will be on hold for a while.

However, I'm getting a case of itchy-feet. I just don't know where I want to go.

Well, correct that, I do know where I'd like to visit, but I can't afford a trip to Japan right now.

Though I would wish to be alone as I explored the various gardens and shrines, it would be nice to be able to share the trip over and back with someone. Such moments are best when you can experience them without distraction and allow yourself to take the time needed to fully appreciate them.

Discovery is made
when the mind is unclouded.

Anyway...

This post has deviated somewhat from my original notes (yes, I made notes for a blog entry while in my office this afternoon), so I should draw it to a close.

Always the Quest,
-Tom

Back in the saddle...

Today was my first day back after our spring break...

Or as I would like to call it, "The mostly rainy, somewhat cold, but thankfully no snow" Break.

Psychology, in the morning, was fairly slow; they weren't very eager to get back into the saddle for the second half of the semester. Sociology, in the afternoon, was lively as always - quick to crack a joke and enjoy the stories passed around of someone's spring break. Criminology, late-afternoon, was a test so it was a fairly quick class.

One of my worst students is in Criminology. I say that he's one of my worst students because he 1) Doesn't come to class. 2) doesn't take notes. 3) Doesn't participate. 4) Doesn't do the reading. 5) Hasn't scored above a 40% on either of the first two exams and 6) Wrote a paper on solar eclipses that was devoid of punctuation or any sense of grammatical logic - and the topic was on Lunar influences on crime.

He is, honestly, someone that I feel should not be in school. His answer to any question probing him about why he is at Shawnee?

"I ain't got nuttin else better to do."

It's quite aggrivating.

Tomorrow is already forming into a "laundry and papers" day. I grab someplace quiet while I'm doing laundry and start to read all of the essays that I'm grading by hand. I usually try and find someplace quiet so I will not be tempted to start spewing obscenities about how my students can't write or can't hold a logical thought on paper for more than a sentence.

Ugh.

It's times like these - when I am facing the students who seriously just don't want to be in School, but also don't want to have to find a 'real' job - that I think it would be better to go off and do something else.

Like go be a cowboy...

... with a notebook.

-Me

Hobbit Homes

From: A Low Impact Woodland Home's Site

The Welsh are at it again!

Take one baby, a toddler and a building site. Mix well with a generous helping of mud, combine with 6 weeks of solid welsh rain whilst living under canvas. Do this in candle light without a bathroom or electricity for three months. Chuck in living with your father for good measure. Top with an assortment of large slugs. The result a hand crafted home of beauty, warmth and health for about £3,000.

There is also a plan underway to create an entire low impact village called "Lammas".

Bookbinding: Poor Man's Double-Fold

I'm always looking for new ways to experiment with bookbinding. One of the ideas that occurred to me was to make a double-fold book that could be made with readily available supplies; like composition notebooks.

When I was younger, composition notebooks were worth their weight in silver. They were handy for just about everything. About two years ago, I found that a dollar-store near me was selling these pocket-sized composition notebooks and I picked up a few dozen to play with.

This project involves turning two of these small, comp. books into a double-fold book. I've made several full-sized, double-folds for friends over the years and this is just an easier, quick version. Double-folds are handy because it allows you to have two separate books within the same cover. I have used the double-fold design for things like bibles, diaries, and scrapbooks. It's a handy design because you can take a finished book (in the case of a bible) and add a notebook to it for your own research or reference. I didn't like cutting the cover of the bible (I'm a devout follower of "The Book" - aka bibliophile), but the friend I was making the piece for didn't mind as it was one of the free copies of the Book of Mormon.

STEP 1:

Stand book 2 (your secondary book) up on its edge and trace it against the inside cover of book 1 (the main book you'll be writing in most of the time). Trace the width of Book 2 and give it a little bit of wiggle room. You DON'T want it too tight.

I use a clip to hold the second book upright for the picture, but you won't need anything like that. Just use a pencil or a pen to trace the width.

(* Book 1 is the book that you will constantly be referencing or writing in. In the case of the Double-Fold Bible, I put the bible there since I knew that my friend would be reading it a lot. Book 2 would be where he would write his questions and comments.

STEP 2:

With a sturdy ruler and an razor-knife, cut Book 1 at the line you just traced. I used a small cutting board under the book since I didn't want my desk marked up.

It's very important to leave plenty of room on this cut.

If you plan on adding pictures to Book 1 (for a travel-journal or perhaps a scrapbook), you will want to add half the width that you measured so that when the pages bulk up it won't strain the spine that you're creating.



When you place the two books together, there should be a little bit of an over-hang of Book 1's cut cover.













STEP 3:
To connect Book 1 and Book 2 you need a flexible binder. I used the Handy Man's Secret Weapon: Duct Tape. You could use cloth tape (aka: athletic tape) if you wanted a different look on the spine.

Scotch Tape, Masking Tape or anything that's cellophane-based won't work as its flexibility will eventually wear out.









Step 4:

Cut the strip of Duct-Tape in half (by width) and apply it to connect the back cover of book 2 and the cut cover of book 1. However, you want to leave a little "wiggle" room here as well so the books open smoothly.














COMPLETE:
Once you have taped the two books together it should look something like this.

The spine of Book 2 should line up with the edges of the pages of Book 1. If you wanted, you could attach some kind of closure mechanism (elastic or a tie) to hold the two books closed if you want.

For the purposes of this project I didn't add any closure as the books are so small they'll not need any. For a full-scale double-fold, I would recommend an elastic band around the middle or on the edge (like a Moleskine)

If you don't like what the inside of the newly bound double-fold looks like, I would recommend that you add a decorative end-page that would stretch from the last page of Book 2 to the first page of Book 1.

For the purposes of this project I didn't bother with covering the composition books. If I were finishing the project completely, I would grab construction or scrapbooking paper to cover it.

For more information on how to recover a notebook, see my earlier post.

Edit (6/20/09): The concept of the double-fold notebook can be used for a number of different functions. Double-fold books are a few-hundred years old by design. They were originally created to enclose both a journal and reference book under one cover. The most commonly found example is that of a medical journal.

So let's say that you have two books in one: the book on the left (often folded up against the one on the right) is not accessed as often. In medical journals of the time, it was where the physician (or other scientist) would record their proven formulas or concoctions that were effectual against given symptoms. The book on the right, more commonly accessed because of the design, would be a series of running entries about what medical cases they came across; essentially a "chart" for all of their clients as they were seen.

If you were using it for research, the left book could be used to record all of your formula or other established tools for your work and the other could be used to record your progress.

Good luck.

Four Easy Steps