Oh no!
I wonder if I'll have time to make it to Archer City this weekend.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
This makes me mad
Had an unpleasant episode at work yesterday evening. A male person, wearing jeans and a beige jacket and lurking amongst the shelves of the children's area of the library, exposed his genitals to a young girl browsing the stacks. (I refuse to call such creatures "men", by the way. Biologically male he may be. A man he is not.)
Fortunately, the girl was a relative of a library worker, and felt comfortable and self-assured enough to immediately tell the library staff what was going on. When the cowardly sleazebag saw her going up to the library staff desk, he bolted out the door and was gone before anyone knew to stop him.
I'm glad nothing worse happened. My only wish? That some library staffer had known what was going on in time to stop him or at least identify him. Who knows how many other kids might not have felt self-assured enough to say anything?
One of the children's librarians spent a few minutes with the girl after the library had closed, both of them "practicing" screaming at the top of their lungs. Rehearsing what the girl should do if something similar happened again. (Her response, when asked what she would have done if he had touched her? "Bite him!")
Against my will, I now feel obliged to scrutinize all unaccompanied men entering the library. When I saw a middle aged man chatting briefly with a gregarious and intelligent young girl who frequently comes to the library with her homeschooling mom, I felt obliged to stay in the area and keep both of them under observation until he left. It's a dirty world we live in.
Had an unpleasant episode at work yesterday evening. A male person, wearing jeans and a beige jacket and lurking amongst the shelves of the children's area of the library, exposed his genitals to a young girl browsing the stacks. (I refuse to call such creatures "men", by the way. Biologically male he may be. A man he is not.)
Fortunately, the girl was a relative of a library worker, and felt comfortable and self-assured enough to immediately tell the library staff what was going on. When the cowardly sleazebag saw her going up to the library staff desk, he bolted out the door and was gone before anyone knew to stop him.
I'm glad nothing worse happened. My only wish? That some library staffer had known what was going on in time to stop him or at least identify him. Who knows how many other kids might not have felt self-assured enough to say anything?
One of the children's librarians spent a few minutes with the girl after the library had closed, both of them "practicing" screaming at the top of their lungs. Rehearsing what the girl should do if something similar happened again. (Her response, when asked what she would have done if he had touched her? "Bite him!")
Against my will, I now feel obliged to scrutinize all unaccompanied men entering the library. When I saw a middle aged man chatting briefly with a gregarious and intelligent young girl who frequently comes to the library with her homeschooling mom, I felt obliged to stay in the area and keep both of them under observation until he left. It's a dirty world we live in.
London is a happening place
From Joss Whedon's blog: Advance screenings of Serenity, the cinematic continuation of the dearly departed Firefly, are taking place in London.
Also found through the same source: Doctor Who has apparently regenerated again. From the FAQ: The official World Premiere of new series starts in the UK on BBC1 on Saturday March 26th at 7pm. The North American premiere will be Tuesday April 5th 8pm on CBC in Canada. No airdate has been given for the series in Australia or New Zealand yet, and a US broadcaster has not yet been announced.
Grrrr.
From Joss Whedon's blog: Advance screenings of Serenity, the cinematic continuation of the dearly departed Firefly, are taking place in London.
Also found through the same source: Doctor Who has apparently regenerated again. From the FAQ: The official World Premiere of new series starts in the UK on BBC1 on Saturday March 26th at 7pm. The North American premiere will be Tuesday April 5th 8pm on CBC in Canada. No airdate has been given for the series in Australia or New Zealand yet, and a US broadcaster has not yet been announced.
Grrrr.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
The month in review
Aside from last week's quick post about the snowfall, I've been too busy to blog for almost a month. A quick recap of the past month:
Spent the weekend of the 13th-14th up in Ottawa, visiting Fiend and exploring Winterlude. My skating skills seem to have regressed since January. I fell down on the frozen Rideau Canal more often this time around than I did on my first visit. Could it be that I'm getting overconfident? The snow and ice sculptures, the "bed races" across a frozen lake, and the other appurtenances of the Winterlude festival are all pleasant memories, even if the ice sculptures were a bit drippy due to some unseasonable warmth the previous week.
With the end of my current contract at Huron State rapidly approaching and no word about renewal, I've returned to my jobhunting ways. That is to say, I am once more inundating the postal service with resumes and cover letters going hither and thither and yonder across the country with little visible result. I did have one telephone interview with a place I'll call Gulf Coast State University during the month. It seemed to go reasonably well. Although I don't have much experience performing the exact functions they're looking for, I did manage to blurt out some questions and observations which prompted actual conversation with some members of the search committee, rather than just the usual packaged rote questions and answers. Certain family and friends who reside in the Lone Star State would probably like to have me closer at hand, or at least have a free place to drop their luggage while they head for the beach. Unfortunately, it's about 1500 miles in exactly the wrong direction from some other places I'd like to be.
The Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club sponsored its usual annual train show this month. I was disappointed by the lack of modular layouts on display. Last year there were three or four operating layouts; this year, that number was reduced to one, with the rest of the show dedicated to dealers hawking their wares. I did end up patronizing the latter, though. I spent more than I should and less than I wanted to. At least I'll have some nifty toys to show off, if I ever manage to make it to a local model railroad club. And the Lionel layout at grand-dad's house will look a little spiffier next Christmas (or whenever I next get time to fiddle with it).
Unfortunately, I was back in Missouri on more sombre business this past weekend, attending the funeral of Great-Uncle S. He was not a relative with whom I'd ever spent a great deal of time over the years, but I always havd a great deal of respect for him. He was the epitome of a gentleman and a capable, responsible, sensible man in every way, and his influence on the family and the community in which he lived will be greatly missed. It is possible that in the absence of his calm and moderating influence, both may fragment and dissolve. I hope not.
My return from Missouri was delayed by the inevitable encounters with shirt-tail relatives and community acquaintances with whom one must, for the sake of politeness, share a cup of coffee, or a lunch at a local restaurant, before departing. Many problems of the world were solved, and the moral and intellectual character of many individuals not present was analyzed in deep and searching detail. Consequently, instead of making it all the way back to Michigan on Sunday evening, I found it necessary to check into a cheap motel near Fort Wayne, Indiana, at about 3 a.m. I noted that, for a cheap motel, it had a surprisingly large bed and mirror. I didn't realize until morning that it was right across the street from an ... ahem ... "gentlemen's" club. (I don't particularly want to think about why the wooden ceiling beams near the bed had bolt-holes through them.)
Accomodations notwithstanding, this proved to be a fortunate delay, since I was able to visit the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana the following morning. It's one of the best antique-car collections I've ever seen, and although the cars and displays are not arranged in any particular chronological order, it does a good job of showing that at one time Indiana was home to a number of thriving and historically significant auto makers. I knew that Cord had introduced things like retractible headlights and front wheel drive to North America several decades before anyone else, and that the Duesenberg roadsters of the late 20's and early 30's were among the most glamorous creations of their era. But who knew that the same family of companies had also introduced the hydraulic brake, superchargers, and unit-body construction? Even for those not particularly entranced by automotive engineering, it's worth seeing if one ever passes through northern Indiana with a couple of hours to spare. The cars are gorgeous, and the building, the former headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company, is a fittingly grand place in which to see them.
Unfortunately, the rather curt woman on duty at the next-door National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States was unable to provide any information about the "Samson" or "Sampson" truck which my great-grandfather is said to have driven. Also unfortunately, the Garrett Historical Society Museum, housed in a former B&O railroad depot, was closed. Fortunately, it is located next to an active CSX switching yard, and while I was parked there, a fellow ferroequinologist dropped by. According to him, the partially-dismantled Florida East Coast steam locomotive which is en route from Traverse City, Michigan, to a proposed tourist railroad in Colorado, and which has been the subject of much discussion on Michigan railroad messageboards, was in a train waiting in the yard. Unfortunately, the train in question was hidden on the inaccessible side of the yard, behind another train, limiting his (and my) ability to photograph it. Apparently he did eventually get a chance to photograph it, though, since I later received copies of the photos from him via e'mail.
Unfortunately, I had no time to wait for trains, since I was due to work the reference desk at Suburban Public Library that evening. And so homeward through the snow flurries and the slush. Waiting at home: two hungry cats, an overflowing litterbox, at least two piles of cat-puke on the carpet, and two phone messages about potential job interviews.
So it goes....
Aside from last week's quick post about the snowfall, I've been too busy to blog for almost a month. A quick recap of the past month:
Spent the weekend of the 13th-14th up in Ottawa, visiting Fiend and exploring Winterlude. My skating skills seem to have regressed since January. I fell down on the frozen Rideau Canal more often this time around than I did on my first visit. Could it be that I'm getting overconfident? The snow and ice sculptures, the "bed races" across a frozen lake, and the other appurtenances of the Winterlude festival are all pleasant memories, even if the ice sculptures were a bit drippy due to some unseasonable warmth the previous week.
With the end of my current contract at Huron State rapidly approaching and no word about renewal, I've returned to my jobhunting ways. That is to say, I am once more inundating the postal service with resumes and cover letters going hither and thither and yonder across the country with little visible result. I did have one telephone interview with a place I'll call Gulf Coast State University during the month. It seemed to go reasonably well. Although I don't have much experience performing the exact functions they're looking for, I did manage to blurt out some questions and observations which prompted actual conversation with some members of the search committee, rather than just the usual packaged rote questions and answers. Certain family and friends who reside in the Lone Star State would probably like to have me closer at hand, or at least have a free place to drop their luggage while they head for the beach. Unfortunately, it's about 1500 miles in exactly the wrong direction from some other places I'd like to be.
The Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club sponsored its usual annual train show this month. I was disappointed by the lack of modular layouts on display. Last year there were three or four operating layouts; this year, that number was reduced to one, with the rest of the show dedicated to dealers hawking their wares. I did end up patronizing the latter, though. I spent more than I should and less than I wanted to. At least I'll have some nifty toys to show off, if I ever manage to make it to a local model railroad club. And the Lionel layout at grand-dad's house will look a little spiffier next Christmas (or whenever I next get time to fiddle with it).
Unfortunately, I was back in Missouri on more sombre business this past weekend, attending the funeral of Great-Uncle S. He was not a relative with whom I'd ever spent a great deal of time over the years, but I always havd a great deal of respect for him. He was the epitome of a gentleman and a capable, responsible, sensible man in every way, and his influence on the family and the community in which he lived will be greatly missed. It is possible that in the absence of his calm and moderating influence, both may fragment and dissolve. I hope not.
My return from Missouri was delayed by the inevitable encounters with shirt-tail relatives and community acquaintances with whom one must, for the sake of politeness, share a cup of coffee, or a lunch at a local restaurant, before departing. Many problems of the world were solved, and the moral and intellectual character of many individuals not present was analyzed in deep and searching detail. Consequently, instead of making it all the way back to Michigan on Sunday evening, I found it necessary to check into a cheap motel near Fort Wayne, Indiana, at about 3 a.m. I noted that, for a cheap motel, it had a surprisingly large bed and mirror. I didn't realize until morning that it was right across the street from an ... ahem ... "gentlemen's" club. (I don't particularly want to think about why the wooden ceiling beams near the bed had bolt-holes through them.)
Accomodations notwithstanding, this proved to be a fortunate delay, since I was able to visit the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana the following morning. It's one of the best antique-car collections I've ever seen, and although the cars and displays are not arranged in any particular chronological order, it does a good job of showing that at one time Indiana was home to a number of thriving and historically significant auto makers. I knew that Cord had introduced things like retractible headlights and front wheel drive to North America several decades before anyone else, and that the Duesenberg roadsters of the late 20's and early 30's were among the most glamorous creations of their era. But who knew that the same family of companies had also introduced the hydraulic brake, superchargers, and unit-body construction? Even for those not particularly entranced by automotive engineering, it's worth seeing if one ever passes through northern Indiana with a couple of hours to spare. The cars are gorgeous, and the building, the former headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company, is a fittingly grand place in which to see them.
Unfortunately, the rather curt woman on duty at the next-door National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States was unable to provide any information about the "Samson" or "Sampson" truck which my great-grandfather is said to have driven. Also unfortunately, the Garrett Historical Society Museum, housed in a former B&O railroad depot, was closed. Fortunately, it is located next to an active CSX switching yard, and while I was parked there, a fellow ferroequinologist dropped by. According to him, the partially-dismantled Florida East Coast steam locomotive which is en route from Traverse City, Michigan, to a proposed tourist railroad in Colorado, and which has been the subject of much discussion on Michigan railroad messageboards, was in a train waiting in the yard. Unfortunately, the train in question was hidden on the inaccessible side of the yard, behind another train, limiting his (and my) ability to photograph it. Apparently he did eventually get a chance to photograph it, though, since I later received copies of the photos from him via e'mail.
Unfortunately, I had no time to wait for trains, since I was due to work the reference desk at Suburban Public Library that evening. And so homeward through the snow flurries and the slush. Waiting at home: two hungry cats, an overflowing litterbox, at least two piles of cat-puke on the carpet, and two phone messages about potential job interviews.
So it goes....
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