Beyond that window is a brightly flaring tree. Beyond that tree is a campus covered in low clouds. Beyond that non-fog is rain.

And that’s what the world looks like today.

The big JMC Advisory Council was today, where the faculty welcome back alumni, recent grads and local industry pros to get a ground-level sense of the industry and where we should be heading as a department. These sorts of meetings can be insightful, particularly if you’re prepared to hear what the advisory council comes to say. When this happens there are many thoughtful nods, supportive gestures of considerable heft from important people. Also, there are snacks and jokes.

I found myself taking minutes of the meeting. Never done that before. I typed, single-spaced, eight pages of notes.

Outside of the room where this took place were two floor-to-ceiling book shelves filled with old books free for the taking. I went a little crazy. When I stacked them up later my haul was up to my knee. A lot of writing books and a few tomes of literature, which will all look good in the office, and then a few more that will look good as I read them.

One day. I now have two full shelves of books at home waiting to be read.

Shot this video and edited it on my phone, for fun, while waiting on a table at dinner tonight:

I hate the music to it, but it was the only track that fit the edited footage of nothingness that I had on my phone. I need more bumper music! He said to an uncaring world.

“You and everybody else, bub.”

My in-laws are here. They flew in today for a weekend visit, since we don’t have the chance to make it New England for Thanksgiving. Also, they’re missing the first snow fall of the year, apparently. That’s early and unwanted by everyone in their part of the world, but they’ll be enjoying sun and a breeze here.

I really think they come for the football. They were down for the Homecoming game last year. This season we’ve upped the ante a bit, having them for a conference foe in pitiful Ole Miss. Next year they’ll have to come for a more heated rivalry.

Anyway, I was editing that video as they made it to the restaurant. The Yankee, her parents and Brian, who is also in town for football, went to the charity home run derby at the baseball park tonight. I made it home in time to put our name on the wait list. We had corn nuggets and fried pickles and sandwiches and a lovely time all together at dinner.

Feeling sort of wimpy, I may have to call it an early evening. This was a fairly long day after about four hours of sleep. (I was writing things.)

So, just so you don’t go without, YouTube Cover Theater, where we demonstrate the power of the video camera, the Internet and passion for music, in the form of talented people covering tunes because they like the way they sound. This week’s featured artist is Ray Charles.

We’ll start with people in wigs and bad hats covering the tune that was the precursor to soul music:

Who likes harmonica?

Ray. Willie. Must have it here:

Ray Charles covered a lot over his great career. Here he is re-imagining Eleanor Rigby: