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Samford

Window tape

It is that time of year again, when the art students are covering the windows in the university center with … tape. This is one of my favorite projects of the year. I don’t see them all, of course, but let’s just go with it. This is one of my favorite projects. Check out a few of the examples:

I’ll share a few more of them tomorrow, before they take them all down. (Window art is ephemeral.)

The only story you really need today:

The walk home after the Mississippi State game was kind of surreal. People were pointing at him, smiling at him, shouting his name—or rather his new name.

Lucas Tribble is … the Mustache Guy. Well, sometimes Jumbotron Guy. But mostly the Mustache Guy, which the Mustache Guy prefers. And the Mustache Guy is kind of a big deal. People know him. Which is kind of funny considering the whole mustache thing was a Ron Burgundy inspired, month-to-grow joke for Fiji picture day a week or so back.

“I kept it (the mustache) throughout the week just to heckle my family when I saw them.”

But, if you need other stories, here’s a super creepy one:

The federal government found a clever way to make a little extra money last summer.

Some vendors who provide federal agencies with goods and services as varied as paper clips and translators were given a slightly different version of the form used to report rebates they owe the government.

The only difference: The signature box was at the beginning of the form rather than the end. The result: a rash of honesty. Companies using the new form acknowledged they owed an extra $1.59 million in rebates during the three-month experiment, apparently because promising to be truthful at the outset actually caused them to answer more truthfully.

And just to get your mind off the behavioral engineering, the weirdest, saddest, grossest story you will need today:

A Madison County family slain this summer was shot and stabbed before their home was allegedly burned to the ground by the husband and father of two of the victims.

Details of the bloody Aug. 4 slayings in New Market came out Tuesday afternoon during a preliminary hearing for Christopher Matthew Henderson, an alleged bigamist facing seven counts of capital murder. Henderson, 40, and the first of his wives, 42-year-old Rhonda Carlson, are each charged with multiple counts of capital murder in the slayings of his other wife and several members of her family.

And, finally, a story you can listen to, with Trussville Tribune editor Scott Buttram as my guest:

football / links / photo / podcast / Samford / Thursday — Comments Off
24
Sep 15

Trees, football, futbol and … well … you’ll see

I don’t really have a visual for today, so here are two trees in various stages of denial. I shot this last week on campus.

Here’s something I made for the Internet, a new sports podcast. This time we’re talking Ole Miss football:

I like how the logo just sits there and stares at you while the audio plays. Rather hypnotic.

Here’s an ESPNW feature about one of Samford’s soccer stars. Epic hourney of hope for Samford’s Jermaine Seoposenwe :

To stand on a field in the uniform of her country as the national anthem plays requires a long journey. And not just because of the flights involved.

“It’s just my family and everything that I’ve gone through to get to that point,” Seoposenwe said of her thoughts in those moments. “How hard it was getting into the national team. Just going from not wanting to play with women, or girls, to now stepping onto a field with girls that are so talented and so good at what they do.”

Here is one of the season’s more obvious headlines: For Carnival executive, return to Mobile a better moment than 2013’s ‘poop’ cruise experience. I could discuss newspaper influences and SEO demands and clickbait tactics, but, like you, I just think ‘Really? Really?‘

football / I do not know what is happening. / photo / running / Samford / Wednesday — Comments Off
9
Sep 15

The paper, a panorama, a pared piece of perspiration

I forgot to include this the other day. I took this picture during my Monday ride, when I was happily headed up the wrong road to somewhere I hadn’t intended to visit. Every now and then I find some place where the topography and the surroundings can trick you, offering this weird feeling that you’re on the top of the world.

This was one of those place. I figured a panorama would be an appropriate way to try to capture a small bit of the feeling.

Click to embiggen, and then add this sensation to the list of things a simple photograph can’t convey. And let us also acknowledge how weird that entire premise is considering you’re at about 700 feet above sea level if you’re standing on that road side. Weird, I know, but it happens.

Today:

The first print issue of the semester is here! Look for them on a newsstand near you. pic.twitter.com/TIHSRdEaTN

— The Samford Crimson (@SamfordCrimson) September 9, 2015

This is a first issue and, as first issues go it is pretty nice. We had our weekly critique meeting this evening and if this is their starting point, I told them that I think they’ll be pleased with where they wind up this year.

It stormed here again today, a big, loud, angry, demonstrative thing. I wanted to go have a big run, but the lightning was in the way. So I went to the gym, where there is an elevated indoor track. Only the football team had taken over that gym because of the storm. Some of their gyms were using part of the track. So I sat and watched them for a while.

There’s only so much you can do in terms of football practice on a basketball court, it turns out. But the coaches kept their spirits high and the players focused and they had some walk throughs and practiced some specific scenarios that they expect to encounter down the line. At the end of it all they huddled together and the head coach, Chris Hatcher, told the team how many lightning strikes were in the area. I’d like to look up that National Weather Service number for myself.

Then I ran two miles, thinking this part of life has gotten a little odd. “Two miles is a disappointment. Oh well, make up for it tomorrow.” And then realize, I’m looking forward to that.

I do not know what is happening.

cycling / photo / Samford / Tuesday — Comments Off
8
Sep 15

Back to it, then, short week edition

I love the following sentence. I managed to get in a 31-mile ride before heading off to the office today. The upside to a late night, I suppose, is a slightly later start which today meant I had the opportunity to make a few more tiny circles with my feet.

Also, I got rained on, so I hid under a nearby church’s carport.

I got rained on while driving too, but that provided us with shots like this:

Because of all of those clouds which lingered throughout the rest of the day, we had a marvelous sunset, too:

I know sunset pictures are the standard placeholder around here. And there are people who make capturing that hour of the day their life’s work. You’ll never find mine next to theirs in a sunset photo gallery, I’m sure. But it pays to look up.

We’re also looking down, into computer screens this evening. Tonight our student-journalists are putting to bed their first issue of The Crimson for the school year. I’m eager to see how it looks tomorrow.

photo / running / Samford / swimming / Tuesday — Comments Off
1
Sep 15

You can do a lot with a Tuesday

The university announced record enrollment, which is now an annual announcement. There are now 5,206 students 46 states and 32 other countries. Also, the new yearbooks, documenting last year, were released on campus today. I looked through one and noted all of the people I knew and all of the now departed seniors I miss.

But there’s always new people to meet, new things to try, new toys to explore. Today we replaced our old fleet of Panasonic DVXs with a fleet of Panasonic HC-X1000 4Ks. They look sharp. And small.

Oh the fun we’re going to have with those. All of our students shoot everything in high definition and they do good work with them. And so it was exciting to see some of them come up and help unpack these today. Christmas in September! They’re looking forward to new equipment too. And why wouldn’t they be? They’ve been using the old cameras for three whole years. That deal means every student gets to work with brand new gear at least once in their time on campus.

Our students get a pretty good arrangement, as you can see.

They’re also shooting videos on their phones, of course. Here’s one our features editor has been working on.

After the unpacking party I ran back to my office to record a podcast, it should be live later this week. It is a happy, varied sort of work experience that I have on a daily basis. I like that.

I ran by these windows a few times this evening:

Today it was a 2,500 yard swim and a four-mile run. It didn’t even feel particularly hard, which is probably a sign of something unfortunate. Swim-run bricks are easy and deceptive.

Did you see the beginning of Catember? We’ll have a new photo of Allie each day throughout the month. Be sure to check in often.