Still sick. The good news is that I’m now convinced this is only sinuses or something of that nature. Anything more serious would have surely developed by now. My throat actually feels a bit better. But while there is improvement there, I now have a persistent cough. And I’m achy. And also, the joyous non-breathing that comes with sinuses.
So a few days of that, then.
Pulled out the red pen today, and then I used it on things:
That pen is simply resting on a copy of today’s Samford Crimson which is now going online despite two separate site issues this week. Because when you’re coughing and can’t breathe, you want plugin glitches and database issues to deal with, too. But those are resolved, everything is back up and working now, and so I spent this afternoon pouring over the print version, hence the pen.
That image was treated in an iPhone app called Big Lens which I got for free. It does a decent job of what you’d ask of it, which is to give the illusion of depth of field with a free app.
I love my phone, but every time I make one of these app-tweaked pictures I just want to go grab my real camera and apologize to it.
Took a field trip with a class to Intermark Group today. The students learned a bit more about public relations, advertising, how social media ties in, account executives, the creative design, media buying and so on. This is a great tour and I’m proud every spring when they invite us back. The folks at Intermark have always been very welcoming and friendly and share a lot of information.
We also got a tour of the ever-impressive Vazda Studios. Want to work in video production, audio engineering or CGI? That’s a tour to take. The students always enjoy their day at Intermark, and this year was, happily, no exception.
The city looked like this when I left the firm:
That’s the City Federal building rising in the center. Not a bad view on the north side.
One thing I wanted to share on Monday: the president at Samford, Dr. Andy Westmoreland, sends out an email to everyone on campus each Monday highlighting the success, impact and value of a Samford student, alum, program or faculty member. It is usually the best Monday morning email I receive. This week’s was especially nice.
Just in case you missed this news a few days ago, here’s the inspirational account of the impact of one of our graduates from the McWhorter School of Pharmacy:
What started as a concern for an abducted child turned into a social media phenomenon that has drawn national media attention and will send the rescued child and his family to Disney World. And, it was the simple idea of a Samford University alumna that set it all in motion.
Carrie Kreps of Vestavia Hills, Ala., a 2002 McWhorter School of Pharmacy graduate, said she was “deeply affected” by the Jan. 29 abduction of a 5-year-old named Ethan from his school bus in Midland City, Ala. Ethan ended up being held hostage for 7 days before his dramatic rescue. While following news reports of the situation, Kreps suggested to her Facebook community that when Ethan was released, she wanted to send him to Disney World to help create happy memories that might replace the terror-filled memories of his abduction. After Ethan was rescued and a friend of Kreps got approval from Ethan’s family, she began an online fundraiser called “Send Ethan to Disney World”. In one day, the goal of $7,000 was met, and as of Feb. 9, more than $10,600 had been pledged by nearly 300 donors. Gifts ranged from $5 to $500 and averaged about $20 per donor. Kreps is working with a Dothan, Ala., travel agency to arrange for the trip. Any remaining funds will be added to a trust fund that has been established for Ethan.
Kreps’ efforts drew national media attention from NBC’s”Today Show,” CNN, ESPN and other media outlets.
Dr. Westmoreland has a traditional conclusion for these emails, “The world is better because of Carrie Kreps.”
Now back to grading things.
