The Strode Tower of Power!

This gorgeous edifice is the home of the Clemson University English Department -- and Department of Languages, and pretty much every other department I was heavily involved in. It was ancient and musty and had the most terrifying elevator, a tiny contraption that fit maybe four people and sounded like it was held together with rubber bands. When the door opened, you heard a creaking succession of pings, like plucking a rubber band instrument very slowly. Visiting your adviser was a death-defying feat.

I show you the fabulous Strode because I got the best postcard yesterday. (I must confess my title was stolen from the card, which has a stylized picture of Strode on it. ) "English Majors? Tailgating?" They're doing a pig pickin' for homecoming! Now, I didn't have a whole lot of friends in English, actually, and the ones I did have probably won't be there, but I really want to go! Just to see how English majors tailgate! It would just be way too amusing. Plus several friends are going to homecoming anyway. But alas, that also coincides with mom's visit, and unless kickoff is at noon, there's no way. And that's just too much rushed driving. Oh well, maybe they'll post pictures online!

EDIT: Wow, I just went to the Languages site, and I don't know ANY of the profs! Anyone I ever had is gone, and all but one of the profs my friends' had are gone! Crazy! I know I'm getting old, but it's only been eight years! Comfortingly, I did know several English folks still. The only ones missing were a couple that really needed to retire and one that I know passed away. Good ol' English.

Trade ya!

Oh my goodness, I have a new favorite place: Trader Joe's. What a fabulous store! (The first one just opened last month in Charlotte, for those of you who live in hipper places and are laughing at me.) I wanted to buy everything, all the international sauces and the delicious-sounding prepared foods and the marinated meats and the WINE! Oh my, the WINE! I actually caught myself staring with my mouth open at the insanely cheap prices!! I can justify a 25 minute drive once a month or so for that!

A., have you been yet?!?! You would LOVE it! We should go some preschool day and just spend a couple of hours oohing and ahhing!

Fond farewell

I said goodbye to some old friends today. I've known and loved them for 8 years now, have been intimately familiar with them, but it was time. Goodbye, Let's Go Europe and Let's Go France. You served me well. You gave me hostel advice and suggested cheap, tasty eats. You pointed me at the highlights as I tooled around cities. But you are not written in Euros, and I am too old for hostels, so it is time we went our separate ways.

Plus you took up too much shelf space.

I also steeled myself to thin my L.M. Montgomery collection. The books were filling Abigail's shelves, and she's starting into the brave new world of chapter books herself, so we had to make room. No, no, I kept Anne and Emily and some other favorites, but the short-story collections are being donated to the library. Hopefully an adolescent girl will find them and give them a good home.

Musical smorgasbord!

Wow, Charlotte is actually going to be a happening place in October! And all at one venue!

10/19 -- Jay Clifford (of Jump, Little Children)
10/22 -- Guster
10/25 -- Squirrel Nut Zippers (didn't even know they were still about)
10/28 -- They Might Be Giants

And my mother is going to be here that whole week! Argh!

I'm listening to the snippets on TMBG's Web site right now, and it's really good! Really different and really good! And really different from their kids' stuff Abigail loves! But I bet they still do "Istanbul" as an encore.

Almost Splendid

I really ought to be doing other things, but it's been a while since I've posted and I've already been quite productive today, so I don't feel guilty. Plus I'm posting about a book, and that's redemptive in its own right.

This weekend, I finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini, the author of "The Kite Runner." While Afghanistan and its turbulent recent history are always fascinating, I was disappointed about half-way through this book. It seemed too pat, a bit contrived. There were too many coincidences. But it was still a good story, so I kept reading. And, satisfyingly, a plot twist arrived that made the earlier concerns no longer relevant, plus a nice bit of come-uppance for one character. Overall, I probably liked Kite Runner better since it was my first encounter with Afghanistan, but this one was also interesting as it presented the female point of view. If you're curious about Central Asia and are looking for a fairly fast read, I'd say this is a good one.