Someone left their pillow at the Sample Gates on campus:
I think you call this a … cordless phone:
Monday
1
Oct 18
Catember Bonus
We hope you’ve enjoyed Catember as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you, and half as much as Allie likes having her head held.
Just love on ’em. (And pet ’em and cuddle ’em.)
10
Sep 18
Time for a ride
A perfectly regular day in the office, and that means there’s a need for a special early evening:
Let's go ride bikes!#TheMilesAhead pic.twitter.com/wdnybsCb3q
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) September 10, 2018
I did the usual route and a nearby subdivision, which is familiar enough. No records were broken, and no great hills were climbed. But I did find a road that is closed for re-design and construction and for a few wonderful minutes I had both lanes to myself and no traffic to worry about as I went up and down the silent little stretch.
I had the road to myself, my lecture for tomorrow already in place and the sun off to the side. It was on my left as I went uphill and peeking through the same trees, now on my right, as I tucked into the bars and headed down the same hill.
Today's ride, as a gif. pic.twitter.com/ejz2nMQJvG
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) September 11, 2018
It was as just about a lovely a feeling you can find by pedaling easily through neighborhoods.
And are you enjoying Catember? Check out more novel stuff on Twitter and there are always photos and videos to see on Instagram.
3
Sep 18
The best thing
The best thing about today could have been sleeping in. The best thing about today could have been about last night, camping out on an air mattress in the living room for no reason in particular. It could have been that it was an off day, a three-day weekend, and prior to a four-day workweek. (That’s a solid contender, no doubt.)
The best thing could have been a hot lunch date, a truly hot lunch date because the restaurant lost its air conditioning last week. On a normal day the best thing could have been the groceries we picked up, or that my car cranked dependably after I replaced the battery this weekend. Those are all good things.
The best thing could be that I made a bunch of slides for an upcoming class. The best thing might have been that I watched football, and I’m talking about that in class tomorrow. The best thing could have been any number of those regular things, or the dozens of tiny things that really make up the details of any of our days.
The best thing could have been some of the text messages I received, or an email that came in late, or the fish we had for dinner.
But, in fact, the best thing was sitting in the recliner, trying to decide what to do about lunch. The Yankee set me up for a joke, and she started laughing at it before I’d even really finished formulating the punchline, because she knew what it was going to be.
That was the best thing.
14
May 18
Where are we?
This guy just sits up there all day and keeps time. Him, a roller and a lonely squeegee. I wonder how long it took to create that. At least an hour, right? And when does that guy gets a break, who keeps things on schedule up there?
This particular art is in the Amsterdam airport:
Oh, by the way, we’re traveling. And Amsterdam was a layover, but also your first hint. We left Indianapolis this evening — it was supposed to be this afternoon, but that flight got canceled for whatever reason. So, instead of going through Detroit, we went through Minneapolis:
We saw cool clouds. I sent a picture of this to one of my former students:
He said that’s a virga cloud, which produces rain, as we see here, but the dry air evaporates it before the rain gets to the ground. He said that is what often creates the classic wispy look in clouds.
Anyway, our flight cancellation meant we got an upgrade. So we had those nice first class seats that all but turn into beds. This became a red eye, but I can’t sleep on planes. So I watch movies. Only this time the inflight selections were, I felt, somewhat lacking. I did watch Darkest Hour:
I fell asleep in the last few minutes, just before Gary Oldman’s big speech before Parliament. But I woke up in time to have breakfast, or lunch, or who knows, and watched the end of the movie. And then we landed in Amsterdam. And then another flight. And a car rental, and a brief drive and checking in and then dinner. Oh, finally food and sleep.
Where are we?
Here’s your second hint:
We didn’t have calzones, because the regional food here is bistecca fiorentina. (That’s your third hint.) Our host recommended a place, we went there, and had the bistecca fiorentina. And that was a delicious steak.
And now, the jet lag. Tomorrow we’ll figure out where we are.
