But now it’s Saturday, and time for some potpourri, I think.
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Much of this week was occupied by faculty in-service meetings, which ate up Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday and Wednesday. A personal highlight for me was a session with our Dean of Students, who discussed the school’s disciplinary process. As has been the case for a good thousand years or so, the primary disciplinary issues are matters like alcohol use and opposite-sex visitation. However, there are sometimes more interesting cases, like the kid who was running a tattoo parlor from his room in the Freshpeep dorm last year. It was discovered when a student showed her school-logo ink to… the Dean. She asked where the student had gotten the work done — and away we go. Apparently the work was pretty good, and the student had a “bring your own needles” policy, but the administration decided that this particular bit of entrepreneurial activity had to cease.
Thursday, meanwhile, was the fourth and final Freshman Orientation/Registration day, which meant I spent the morning scoring placement exams and spent the afternoon in the library, getting class schedules squared away. As the Spawn was working in the library that afternoon, she was available to give me a ride home, which was nice because the weather has returned to “inside of Tarzan’s loincloth” levels.
I did find time to post my syllabi online, just in time to change a couple, because…
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… As nearly everyone knows, Monday’s eclipse is drawing a huge amount of traffic and infrastructural strain to the greater Real City/Mondoville area. Meanwhile, our upperclasspeeps are supposed to be moving in over the weekend and checking in on Monday, with classes starting Tuesday morning. However, because of the likely chaos, the administration decided last week to move check-in to Tuesday morning and start classes that afternoon. All my classes are morning classes (I’m done with my classroom time by 10 or 10:40 each day), so this means that my upper-level courses suddenly became a scratch for the first day. In turn, this means that those classes won’t be meeting at all this coming week, because…
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… I had already cancelled classes for Thursday and Friday, because as the result of some unexpected developments, I’ll be attending the Killer Nashville writer’s conference this week. As a matter of fact, I’ll be appearing on a panel Friday, discussing blogging for writers. Doubtless I’ll post reports along the way. I have to admit there’s a part of me that finds it really cool that I get to go to this event in my home town. Although I’m not a big deal as a writer, it’s nice just be recognized as something like a pro.
Similarly, I’m pleased to observe that I’ll be at Bouchercon in Toronto this October. It’s my favorite city anyway, and the chance to combine a visit with meeting and reconnecting with the nice people in the crime reading and writing community is a bonus. I’ll be speaking as part of the “Author Speed Dating” event on Thursday morning, and there may be other things going on as well. Again, I’ll keep everyone posted. And speaking of performing…
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… I’ll be doing some of that this evening, as the Berries will be playing the New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia as part of “SolarFest.” In some respects it’ll be old home week, as we’ll be sharing the stage with our friends in Pig Head Dog, Turbo Gatto, and the New York Disco Villains, but we don’t get to the NBT that often, so it should be a really good time.
It’ll also be the final performance of this particular Berries lineup, as guitarist Lex Martin will be honorably discharged in order to spend more time in his Upstate hometown. He’s a fine musician and even nicer guy — it’s been a pleasure working with him, and I think the show will be a fine send-off. We go on at 8:30, and I hope we see you there! Gig report tomorrow.
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And to wrap this installment up, here’s a bit of rock and roll for you. This is a number the Berries cover on occasion, from rock’s annus mirabilis of 1966. The Nightcrawlers were from Daytona, FL, and this was their hit. It’s amazingly simple, with a nursery-rhyme sort of feel, but it makes people smile. And who can resist the charm of a song with an earnest “Oh gol-durn” in the lyrics? Here’s “The Little Black Egg.”
See you tomorrow!
Professor Mondo 