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Alabama

Alabama / honeymoon / photo / Thursday — Comments Off
7
Oct 10

Researching and other fun things

Spent a fair amount of time yesterday considering a study for a presentation in class this morning. And then, in class, it never came up. So Researching Media Effects today was about four critiques of four other studies, which is just as well. Five would have been too many.

After class I made a round of meetings, visiting with my comps committee. I made jokes with one professor, who gave me the two questions which will require a great deal of attention in the coming months and four hours to answer next year.

So I visited a second committee member and got two more questions that will require a similar amount of attention to detail. After that, I had a visit with my committee chair.

Then I scheduled my comprehensive exams. No turning back now. If you need me between now and January I’ll be working my way through a lot of reading material.

Framed some posters tonight.

These are posters I picked up this summer to commemorate our trip through southern Europe. I got them cheap on e-bay. Since frames are insanely expensive, indeed even a modest frame would cost more than any three of the posters, I decided to go cheap.

I only had to visit three Target stores to get the right cheap frames, too.

Now to figure out where to hang them. When they are on the walls, do be sure to ooh and aah at them when you come visit.

Alabama / friends / Thursday — Comments Off
30
Sep 10

Wordy

Did your fridge break? No problem if you have a Kelly … and if she is awesome, like ours.

She sent a box o’ noodles, so that’s lunch for the next week and a half. My Kelly is wonderful.

Took a test today.

This evening I cleaned the car. Not a blade of grass or speck of dirt can be found inside. And then I did laundry. Even blowing off a steam after an exam has changed; I must be getting older.

Received a landscaping flier in the mail today, suggesting that someone drove by, made a judgment and found me lacking. I could expound on that, but the lawn is mowed and the hedges aren’t yet out of control.

That test? Three questions. The answers turned into 10 pages and 3,300 words. That’s plenty for one day.

Alabama / photo / Samford / site / Thursday — Comments Off
23
Sep 10

Just try to relax

We have new test labs at Alabama. Today we were demonstrating how to use the equipment. Somehow, by virtue of sitting in the wrong chair I think, I became the guinea pig. One of my classmates snapped the picture as they attached my fingers and arms to sensor pads.

We have instrumentation to measure heart rate, skin conductance and other fancy things. There’s a big screen television where participants can see images and movies and commercials or whatever and the researcher can gather data on how they impact you. It is pretty cool stuff. When the labs are completed, the associate dean (seen vaguely in the background here) believes this will be a top-of-the-line research center.

And I will have graduated.

She’s wearing gloves because it “makes you look more official.”

And I used to think a clipboard and a confident wave were all you needed for credibility. Turns out it is just non-latex gloves.

Anyway, lots of studying and research today. Lots of reading. Lots of Emailing too.

I sent out scholarship letters to the last high school journalism teachers in America who had not already received them. The boss wanted saturation, so I found some 70 state and local high school press associations and then wrote to every individual teacher I know in the state. If you can carpet bomb any better your name might be Arthur Bomber Harris.

Now I’m working on another series of Emails for the next big push.

I have updated the photo gallery this evening. There are now 143 pictures online for September. And there’s still a week to go. If you’d like to look back at previous Septembers, or other months in amusing personal history, just go here.

And, in a few minutes, I’ll be along with the newest addition to the site as well. It will be simple and beautiful and I’m very excited to finally get around to it. So you simply must indulge me.

Alabama / Auburn / friends / journalism / links / photo / Samford / Thursday — Comments Off
16
Sep 10

Workshop day

We had a record crowd on hand at the Samford High School Journalism Workshop. That’s our department chair, Bernie Ankney, delivering his opening remarks. Shaun Chavis, associate editor from Health magazine, provided the keynote address.

In the morning sessions we had rooms with professors and journalists discussing news writing, layout, sports writing, broadcasting and magazine journalism. One session discussed the best ledes ever written, one nominee: Bob Considine’s story on the 1938 Lewis-Schmeling bout:

Listen to this, buddy, for it comes from a guy whose palms are still wet, whose throat is still dry, and whose jaw is still agape from the utter shock of watching Joe Louis knock out Max Schmeling.

Carla Jean Whitney talked about the gratification of magazine publication and exciting industry changes. Meanwhile sportswriter Doug Segrest of The Birmingham News does a great session on sports reporting.

I had a lot of nice conversations with teachers before lunch and then in the afternoon got to spend time with the famous Ike Pigott.

Joining him were Tatiana Richards and one of our professors, Dr. Sheree Martin, on a panel about journalism online.

We had a Pulitzer winner, Sonia Nazario, presenting in our afternoon sessions. And I presented too!

Here’s the picture of the day, though:

That’s the newest McAlister. The Yankee spent the day with him today and I got to visit for a few hours this evening. Good kid. Sleeps all the time.

They won’t put him in one of those costumes I found last night, thankfully. He’s already got an Auburn blanket. To update last night’s horror of child rearing:

That landed on The War Eagle Reader this morning. They also used the capital THE in writing the credit.

Alabama / Auburn / football / photo / Samford / weekend — Comments Off
13
Sep 10

Catching up

We have two weeks of pictures to work through here. The world simply needs to see these without further delay.

This is certainly an brightly painted building for being 170 miles or so inland. It is a bike shop. Very nice people.

This is in the comm building at the University of Alabama. Because there are comm scholars there I’m convinced that everything is a potential experiment. If there is a scrap of paper on the ground I don’t pick it up. Someone is watching. Unless they don’t want me to pick it up. So I kick it. Or stomp on it. Or pick it up and move it over six inches. Anything that might keep me from being a part of the experiment.

If you meet enough field study types you can become paranoid. It hasn’t gotten to me. Unless they want to think it has gotten to me …

Anyway. I’m waiting on the elevator and I see these two selections and think This must be another experiment.

Same brand, same filling. One is a cookie and one is a cracker. Different shapes. But 30 cents different?

(Not everything is an experiment. Though this might be one.)

Aubie is helping this cute little girl with her shoe. This is at the Florida State-Auburn soccer game. Aubie got it into the action later, as you’ll see.

The Yankee at the Auburn soccer game.

A fence. I was being artistic. You’re welcome.

Aubie takes a header.

Samford Hall on game day on the Auburn campus.

We hadn’t met this character before. I’m guessing he’s new? He says Aubie is just a mascot, and not idolatry.

Here’s the thing. It was very, very warm. But she was in the shade. Suddenly that eagle head wear doesn’t seem so silly, does it? OK, it does. But she was a very nice, enthusiastic lady. Next time I’m going to ask her how she came about this idea.

The normal membership at a Sam’s Club only gets you in after 10 a.m. Unless you have the premium membership you have to wait outside with the rest of us. It only costs you $60 more a year to avoid the masses.

I just waited the 20 extra minutes.

My view from inside the Davis Library at Samford University.

The fountain on Ben Brown Plaza at Samford University. This particular day was an organization day. All the groups set up tables to recruit curious students. This was just after they began tearing down the displays.

This joke still works. I only took the picture because I heard a girl get fooled by it.