There are actually people outside walking around campus! The start of a new school year is like the coming of spring each year. Things have been just dead around here. Just like early February. But, gradually everything awakens and comes to life.
Starting to see students. Starting to see other faculty. Parking lots beginning to fill. The summer slumber is over.
This should be an interesting school year. Our department has a new faculty member, Karen Freberg, who teaches in the area of strategic communication and social media--she should fit nicely. And we are gradually instituting our new strategic communication curriculum to replace our old advertising and PR courses. Certainly makes much more sense.
Comm tech world keeps changing and that makes for interesting developments for class as well. AT&T trying to buy T-mobile as announced last spring. Now Google is trying to buy Motorola and get into the smartphone manufacturing end of things. The big keep getting bigger. Makes for good discussion with students.
At home it sucks having little kids who are now growing up---I've now got a high schooler and a middle schooler---I want them to stay little forever. It also sucks when you cut half your finger off with an electric hedge trimmer like I did last week. After ruptured disk and kidney stones in the spring, it would be nice to have a hazard free/illness free fall. Fingers crossed.
So here's to a good, healthy fall, and a great football season for my Cards, Tigers, Rams and Chiefs.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again
Back from vacation. Few days in NOLA, few days at sea, and a few days at the beach at St. George Island, Florida. Quite the traveling party. My family, and my sister's family for NOLA and cruising, with my other sister and her entourage joining us for SGI. And saw some old friends who moved to Alabama--we miss them. A few random thoughts/takeaways:
* The people of NOLA are genuinely grateful to have visitors.
* Emeril Lagasse sure can cook!
* Drago's in NOLA has some kind of fabulous chargrilled oysters!
* Despite common thought, NOLA is an awfully long way from the gulf--8 hours on the cruise ship on the Mississippi until you get to the mouth of the gulf.
* There are some very large, scary people at the buffet lines on cruises. Stay away from them or you could be trampled.
* Staring at the ocean with a vodka on the rocks can be habit forming.
* The Mayans were/are amazing people.
* The St. Louis Cardinals have a large following - on cruise ships (at least ours) and in Mexico.
* Technology is amazing--nothing like driving in the middle of nowhere and being able to use the iPad to surf the net!
* Thank goodness more people have not discovered SGI! shhh don't tell anyone...
* Eddie Teach's Raw Oyster Bar on SGI is one of the most welcoming/weirdest places on the face of the planet. And Pat the bartender is one of the best ever anywhere. His wife is great, too.
* Nothing like 4 or 5 beers, a bunch of crazed 10-16 year olds, and an underwater swimming pool torpedo to loosen you up.
* Did I mention that looking at the ocean and sipping on a vodka is habit forming?
* You smell pretty bad after you BBQ 2 dozen burgers and a dozen hot dogs when it is 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity.
* Alabama has about the most varied terrain of any state. From seashore to mountains.
* I could do this vacation thing for a living.
Too bad I guess. Back to reality.
* The people of NOLA are genuinely grateful to have visitors.
* Emeril Lagasse sure can cook!
* Drago's in NOLA has some kind of fabulous chargrilled oysters!
* Despite common thought, NOLA is an awfully long way from the gulf--8 hours on the cruise ship on the Mississippi until you get to the mouth of the gulf.
* There are some very large, scary people at the buffet lines on cruises. Stay away from them or you could be trampled.
* Staring at the ocean with a vodka on the rocks can be habit forming.
* The Mayans were/are amazing people.
* The St. Louis Cardinals have a large following - on cruise ships (at least ours) and in Mexico.
* Technology is amazing--nothing like driving in the middle of nowhere and being able to use the iPad to surf the net!
* Thank goodness more people have not discovered SGI! shhh don't tell anyone...
* Eddie Teach's Raw Oyster Bar on SGI is one of the most welcoming/weirdest places on the face of the planet. And Pat the bartender is one of the best ever anywhere. His wife is great, too.
* Nothing like 4 or 5 beers, a bunch of crazed 10-16 year olds, and an underwater swimming pool torpedo to loosen you up.
* Did I mention that looking at the ocean and sipping on a vodka is habit forming?
* You smell pretty bad after you BBQ 2 dozen burgers and a dozen hot dogs when it is 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity.
* Alabama has about the most varied terrain of any state. From seashore to mountains.
* I could do this vacation thing for a living.
Too bad I guess. Back to reality.
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