Rip It Up

Gainesville

Got your blog posted, Mom. I wish we could figure out what it the problem.

I don't know much about HD Radio, but I know someone who knows a little bit about a lot of things... and I'm sure he'll be able to help. The other thing to think about is satellite radio-- hundreds of stations. Subscription based. We can't get decent reception here, although we have the equipment and the subscriptions, so I recommend caution. Also, it's really wretched excess. Usually 1-2 radio stations you like are plenty. The problem is identifying them amid the multitudes.

And isn't it strange how the best music one hears anymore is in TV commercials? God knows you won't hear any of it on plain old radio...

Ack, bad news about Ben injuring himself! All part of Life, of course, but it's so painful to see the little ones learn lessons of caution in such a hard way. Head first is not always the best course of action, alas.

Great post, Sandy. Thanks especially for the chicken recipe-- I have it on my menu plan for this week, probably Sunday. Sounds yummy. This week is going to be fun-- I asked Bill for requests, and got back a bunch, all things I've done before, some that surprised me. I'm only too glad to have suggestions. The planning is the hardest part for me.

Yes, I did get the recommendations for the slicer. Amazon now shows a newer one, the 645, for an additional $100. Not sure it's worth that much more, but what the hey-- it's a Christmas present, right? I want to get a good one soon, before that salami I brought back from Cali is solid crust. I've sliced into it a few times by hand, but it's hard to get it really thin.

The crossword craze comes and goes with me, mostly goes. I figured you'd have done them, which is why I mentioned the detail. Since you enjoyed that, I'll include it again whenever I actually buckle down and try to finish one. Sudoku goes much faster (usually) and is even more abstract. How easily I do them (factoring in the difficulty level) gives me a pretty good indication of how sharp I'm going to be on any particular day.

Birds-- I envy your knowledge of them and opportunities to see/hear them (yours too, Mom). It's so rare that it's quiet enough (no AC or heat or neighbors mowing lawns or blowing leaves) to actually hear birdsong. Recently, though, I did hear one for several days that keep doing a "deedily, deedily, deedily" thing. Finally caught sight of it right outside the kitchen window-- it had a round head and a prominent black stripe across its eyes. Was it a Chickadee? A warbler of some sort? All you real birders are saying, "Well, DUH!" but I'm clueless. I must have been asleep when Dan was handing out the bird lessons.

Congrats on your eBay purchase. Be very careful, though-- it's terribly addictive. I had to go cold turkey after buying more 40's Loony Tunes than I could reasonably absorb, let alone get unpacked. The wake-up call was when I finally opened a shipment and found it had been water damaged-- if I'd opened it at once, I could have saved them.

I don't find it strange you should envy my work with the comics collection. It's enormous fun! I couldn't make it out of bed early enough this morning to be there at 9:00 (when Bill had a meeting), but he came home and got me at noon and I had the rest of the day. Got into some nitty-gritty sorting of Alien / Predator and their various permutations and cross-over titles, all '90's stuff. It's quite an education. I realize how much the collection needs me, though, when I heard the LTA who's been handling it refer to something in the Ault collection as part of the "Carl BANKS" stuff. Argh! I'd seen this in the finding aids, but thought it was a typo!

Once I finish getting the rest of the data entry done, I plan to concentrate on straightening out the Ault Disney boxes. Spent a couple of hours yesterday at home working on rationalizing that part of the finding aid and breaking it into box lists. Then we'll see what's really what.

Going into the Lib at noon worked out really well-- too bad I couldn't do that any day. I was able to get some home Blessing and laundry done. Parking is the problem, of course. And taking the bus would require a walk of over a mile along busy 441, and waiting in a rather unfriendly place for the once-every-30-minutes bus. Not doable.

Finished Will in the World tonight. Can't remember when, if ever, I read every word of a 17 page bibliographical essay at the end. I was surprised that at how many of the authors and works were already familiar to me. Way cool! I recommend the book, but also the DVD of the PBS series, In Search of Shakespeare. That really helped anchor all the background in my head.

Love hearing about the progress on the kitchen. And look forward to garden reports. I'm thinking about arranging a trip up north this summer as a pilgrimage to the best academic comics library, Michigan State, combined with a Garden Visitation. When would be best?

'Nuff for now. It's Friday night, and though I didn't just get paid, I feel great all the same.