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Friday / movies — Comments Off
14
May 10

Friday is Pie Day

Wednesday was my last day of classes. Summer began. We were out of town yesterday for a pre-planned trip.

So on this, my first day of the summer, I went back to work.

But only for a few hours. There was a camera to be checked back in. There were a few more things to do around the office. There was one more cafeteria lunch to eat. Fridays are two buck lunch, featuring delicious fried chicken, vegetables and two full desert bars (which I narrowly avoided today). That can’t be passed up.

And then the boss and I sat down to do a little research. We’re looking for living relatives of the founder of the original journalism program at Samford University. Jasper Hutto started the program in 1916. His youngest daughter died just last year. She still has two sons, Hutto’s grandson’s living today.

We’re hoping to find out if they have any memories of their grandfather that we can add to our department’s history. (Samford’s journalism program is one of the oldest in the country.)

So that was the afternoon of my first summer day. Not a bad use of time. I’ll probably go back one day next week to do a little more work.

Finally got a haircut this afternoon. I tried earlier this week, but the wait was too long. I returned to the same place today. I drew the woman with the two pack a day, big bottle of bourbon habit. She’s a nice lady, very talkative. Her voice is deeper than Bea Arthur’s.

She gives a good haircut, though.

For Pie Day we visited the Homewood Jim ‘N’ Nicks. The McAlisters were there. So was Andre. This was the restaurant that was in the Western Sizzlin ad I put on Tumblr last week.

We came home and watched The Dark Knight, which I picked up at the library last week. We’d watched it opening weekend and again at the dollar theater. I’m still finding new things in the movie.

We watched Swing Vote last night. I feel asleep toward the end, so I don’t know if Kelsey Grammer or Dennis Hopper was elected. I have a theory that anytime you fall asleep in a Kevin Costner movie that’s a sign you shouldn’t watch it again.

I was going to watch another movie tonight, but I felt the urge to nod off during a history of Appalachia. That’s also a sign.

movies / Samford / Wednesday — Comments Off
12
May 10

The end of spring

One last hint of winter over the weekend. Sunday and Monday, in the second week of May, we never got above 60 degrees. All that’s over now. We touched 86 today, and it felt warmer. The gentle kiss of mild temperatures will go the way of the cool soon enough. Summer is almost upon us.

I know because the semester ended for me today. One last set of final presentations this afternoon, just like yesterday’s, neatly wrapped up the term.

It has been a productive one — taught two classes, worked with the paper, took two classes, presented six papers at conference — and it seemed to stretch longer than usual.

Finished the newsroom’s recycling, wrote up a policy memo or two, had a big lunch and worked on cameras with the rest of my day.

I bobbed and weaved my way through rush hour traffic. Stopped by the hair cutting emporium, where the wait was too long. I have a strict half-hour wait policy on cheap haircuts.

So I went to the library instead. Picked up a big stack of movies for the next week. I started with the television series and then moved from the A’s and moved all the way through the Z’s in an orderly, alphabetical fashion. Got nine DVDs, went through the self check out and escaped the library without anyone even glancing in my direction.

The Yankee and I visited the grocery store, where I learned there is such a thing as pure blended fruit to go. I’m a bigger fan of Van-zilla. I also learned about mojo chicken, which we had for dinner tonight. Pretty good stuff.

We watched Hancock, from the library. Zeus on a bender is a funny idea. Superheroes with consequences is worth considering. And, sure, this is a comic book movie, but it could have been better.

After that there was Leatherheads, which was OK, but I’d expected more. The blurb on the back of the DVD case promises “hilarious screwball antics!” I remain unconvinced.

On IMDB Hancock earns .4 more of a star than Leatherheads. In a real star that would be a lot of hydrogen. Amongst Will Smith fans and the forgiving nature of community movie ratings I’d think the distance is pretty narrow.

That sort of depth of insight will only improve around here now that the summer is upon us.