September, 2012


11
Sep 12

Glomeratas

Back to the yearbooks. This one comes in two-tone and two-texture. There’s the solid leather feel, with a sensitive plush section along the bottom. This was how they hedged their bets: Just what will this new decade be? How will it look back upon us?

You really shouldn’t judge books by a cover, but sometimes you must. Why did they need to say First in Ten? Isn’t that obvious? And how did they resist the temptation to make the first 21st century reference?

Glomerata90

It was the age of George Bush, the elder. Computers were being talked about everywhere, and only sometimes resisted. Students were painting tiger paws onto roads — and being taken to the police station for it. (These days that prank has become formalized as tradition.) The hair was big, with only a few hints of being brought under control. No one wore flannel. Yet. It was a special time at Auburn University.

Check out the 1990 Glomerata here. To see the rest of the covers in my personal collection you can start here. For a detailed look at selected volumes, you might enjoy this link. Here is the university’s official collection.


11
Sep 12

Catember, Day 11

Catember


10
Sep 12

The onomatopoeia of our appliances

Mondays are nothing terrible. Or overly much original or fun. They are inside days. There are no great pictures, or inspiring visuals with tinkling bits of bed music.

I should make more videos. I have a note, I wrote somewhere in a note to myself in one of my notebooks, that says “Shoot more video.”

Many of my notes wind up in my notebooks. Fancy that. The problem with that statement is the plurality. Many books mean less review, which means less remembering, meaning, in this instance, fewer videos.

I did laundry this evening, can you tell? There’s something about the repetitive sounds — next time don’t tune it out, really listen to what your Kenmore is trying to tell you. There’s some sort of story in that kerchunk kerchunck kerchunk, gurgle and blurble. There’s meaning in the chaos of the woosh of the drain.

There’s not, really, a meaning there. I’ve been spending a lot of time with words and commas today, and it can make you a bit silly.

And so I will leave you with this, a profound thing I read somewhere. The sentiment is more important than the original location, I think:

I do tend to repeat myself a bit, but only for the sake of emphasis.

I’m going to put this is in the signature file of my emails. This is only here, again, because it was important the first time. If I felt I’d explained it earlier, you wouldn’t be reading this. My apologies for not having enough time to make the original telling more clear.

Kerchung, kerchung, kerchung, whirrr —

I’ve noticed that the dryer, which turns itself off, can also turn itself back on for a few extra revolutions. I wonder what that means.


10
Sep 12

Catember, Day 10

Catember


9
Sep 12

Catching up

The weekly “Photos are content too!” post full of interesting or pretty or marginal things that didn’t land elsewhere.

This is Brooks Hall on the Samford University campus, which is an altogether lovely place:

Brooks

It does not seem like it should be pumpkin or squash season:

Brooks

They agree:

Brooks

All of this fruit comes from the Crape Myrtle Cafe in Auburn. Delicious stuff.

Brooks

The newest strip mall setting close to home. It is anchored by a successful CVS and includes a children’s boutique store, a “Haircut for men who need stuffed animal heads and pool tables” barber and a calorie dispensary, I mean cupcake store. In between them all is this place, which can’t land a tenant, and so has grass growing on the inside.

Brooks

Allie! Coming up in Catember …

Allie