Carbon Copy

The Buick

Sometimes at work, I get to take the Buick Le Sabre out for a spin. Well, that's not quite accurate. It makes it sound like I'm joyriding when really I'm running errands. The thing with the Buick, though, is that it makes even running errands feel like joyriding. It drives so smooth and it's so luxurious inside. I know it's kind of an old lady car, but I don't care. I love it. Yesterday, I got to take it all the way across town.

Check out this spacious interior:

I always feel awesome when I'm driving the Buick, like I'm totally sophisticated. However, it's really hard to take a sophisticated self-portrait when you're driving, so I came up with this one.

Sometimes driving the Buick is not that great, though, and here's why - the radio. I never know when I'm going to be taking the Buick out, so I never think to bring a CD (or even a tape because the Buick has a tape deck even) with me. I get stuck with the radio. Most of the time, it doesn't please me.

Do you know how many worship stations there are here? Luckily, I can change the station with my thumb as I drive, which makes it a lot safer. (The safety factor is probably canceled out by the camera factor, though.)

After skimming many a station, I finally came across one that played Starship, Huey Lewis & the News, and MC Hammer. I totally rocked out. But again, it's hard to take a self-portrait when you're rocking out and driving, so it turned out like this.

In conclusion (because I don't know how else to end this), driving the Buick all the way to Art Sign and back was pretty much the best hour of work ever.

Friday at Luxie's

Last Friday, Erica and I tried unsuccessfully to have a grading party wherein we ordered pizza, watched tv, and graded papers. You can see why this failed. I think I got two papers done. Eventually, Cristen came over, and we gave up and gave in to meeting up with Kara at Luxie's.

Grading papers made Erica really thirsty.

And then she turned kind of surly.

But we laughed because that picture reminded us so much of this one:

Erica and Kara can both raise one eyebrow, à la Scarlett O'Hara.

I tried to get a good picture of my new haircut.

Cristen sat next to me in the booth, so I didn't get to pester her with my camera as much as the other two.

At one point, Kara and Cristen got into an intense discussion about music while Erica and I busied ourselves with our cameras. I always bring my camera with me when we go out. It gives me something to do.

Cristen borrowed my camera for a while and got all artsy:

Meanwhile, I fiddled with the salt shaker, trying to get it to stand on one end. Eventually, I gave up. Erica, however, persevered and after much concentration managed to get it balanced precariously.

Me and Cristen:

This sequence of self-portraits follows my mood through the night (not really):

Bogged Down

The seriousness of school, as much as I've tried to avoid it, is catching up with me. This last week I've had a short paper and a longer paper to write, along with grading the first assignment that my kids turned in last week. I only mention it because I wanted to explain my long absence. I kept thinking I would get through this little quagmire of actual work, but so far no luck. Somehow, there's always reading, research, writing, and planning to do. I miss the summer.

But... less than two weeks till New York City!

Last Night

Softball Game

Last Friday, I went to cheer on Erica and History's Mysteries during one of their softball games. It was beautiful afternoon. The sun was in my eyes. The cicadas were buzzing. Summery, even though I'm ready for fall. I was all set to cheer for Erica, like any good friend, but when she first got up to bat, I have to admit I was a little doubtful about Erica's talent.

Luckily, she proved me wrong, and I was able to cheer for her in full confidence.

She was even a fantastic third base-person and caught a line drive! (I didn't get a picture of that, though, because it happened so fantastically easily and quite unexpectedly.)

Sometimes there wasn't a lot going on at third base, though, so Erica passed the time doing a little dance and sending me signals.

The History Department played a pretty good game, but it wasn't enough to beat whatever other department they were playing (no one really knew who they were). The agony of defeat was written all over Erica's face.

Maybe next time.

It's Time This State Became Politically Correct

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I think I'm going to start a petition. I just need to decide which name would be best. Rather than "Indiana," we should try one of these:

a) Native Americana
b) First Peoplesiana
c) American Indiana

At first, I was thinking option a, but lately c has been growing on me. Some might say this is taking political correctness a little too far, but I say that just means you're a gun-toting, Bush-voting, Wal-mart-shopping (instead of Target) redneck and maybe you need to rethink where you stand. Seriously, smart people believe in political correctness.

Anticipation

You know what I'm really excited about? Well, other than New York and the fact that gas prices are going down everso slowly. The fact that I'm visiting Mike and Amanda in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. I thought about it all afternoon. I'm totally practicing my yahtzee technique. Last time, I got two yahtzees in one game. I know I already blogged about that, but I don't have too many examples of either luck or success in my life so I have to remind people of the few things I have done.

Anyway, this semester would be really awesome if it weren't for school. It's ok, but school just seems like the stuff in between all the real stuff.

M. Ward: Post-War

I am really loving the new M. Ward album. I have a new favorite song every day. Here's today's:

Poison Cup

Cox's Pub

After our welcome back party for the American Studies Department (which was really quite scandalous), a group of us went to Cox's Pub to enjoy the karaoke. Spanke is a star there and has his own entourage. Well, mostly it was us, but we were quite the supportive entourage. Here he is. Check out those mic skills.

Most of the time, though, we just sat around and laughed and took lots of pictures. I borrowed lots of these from Erica's camera, too.

Here are the newlyweds, Kate and Spanke:

And Erica, Melissa, and Cristen, looking a little surly:

Me, Kevin, and Cristen:

Me, Cristen, and Erica:

More pictures:

I liked the smokey/lighting effects when I turned off the flash.

Cristen enjoyed it, too:

Although, it did bring up some ghostly pictures showing Erica's split personality:

This guy's stage name was Bubble Butt. He really knew how to put on a show.

This little outing brought all of us a little closer.

Mmm... maybe a little too close.

The disappointing part of the night was that I didn't get to sing. I was totally planning on dazzling the crowd with my amazing rendition of Roxette's "It Must've Been Love." Guess it'll have to wait for next time.

What do...

Tobias Wolf

Charles D'Ambrosio

Sherman Alexie

and The New Pornographers

have in common?

They are all people I will see at the New Yorker Festival when I go to New York City in October. Yay!

Handshake

Yesterday after I conferenced with one of my students about his paper, he gave me a handshake as he was leaving. He probably didn't mean anything by it, but it made me feel good. Like I had passed the test or something and was finally welcome.

Apparently it was short-lived, though, because today in class, he pretty much just sat back and didn't say anything. Typical.

Feast of the Hunter's Moon Sampler

Last year I missed the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. I was quite disappointed because apparently it's the biggest thing in re-enacting to happen in Lafayette. I had planned on going this year, but turns out I will be out of town during that weekend. Fortunately, I was able to make it to the sampler version of the feast, which is less crowded and without the Colonial Tavern or other food. But the great thing about it is that I got to talk to all the different costumed individuals (because it was an assignment for my ethnography class). I found out lots of things about how the little children would make wool thread, blacksmithing, and the clothing needs of voyageurs.

This is how you make some wool thread. You take a clump of wool sheared from a sheep, and then you use these brushes to untangle it all. Then you spin it around a spindle. Little children would do this before they could even walk. I asked if they at least got to tell stories or hear stories during their hard labor, but the lady didn't know. Apparently, she had just learned how to card wool that morning. It takes muscles to card wool.

Apparently, you dye wool with onions and then you can make a delicious French onion soup for lunch. You can also use Elderberries and other berries and roots to dye wool.

Here are some ladies spinning (not the new kind of spinning but the Rumplestiltskin kind):

Activities for the whole family abound. The tykes can make their own candle or roll loops down the hill.

Join the ladies' lacemaking circle and catch up on all the village gossip!

Or stop by the blacksmith's and talk shop about anvils and ... other blacksmithing stuff. (Did you know you can buy an anvil on e-bay? Some fourteen-year-old was talking to the blacksmith about that.)

Don't forget to visit the Fort! Fort Ouiatenon was built in 1717 by French settlers as a trading outpost. Inside were furs and other goods - including totes and tee-shirts! - to further illustrate the bartering so important to the early economy of the area.

There are maidens wandering the feast.

There were also voyageurs camped under their boat. Decency doesn't allow me to post (or even take) a picture of these explorers. Apparently, trading hasn't been terribly profitable for the voyageurs because all they could afford to wear was a blousy shirt belted at the waste. No leggings or footwear. You might want to avert your eyes when the voyageur bends over to pick up the beaverskin. This also applies to the Wea Indian Tribe Village. When an old white man walks around wearing a skimpy loincloth flapping in the breeze, re-enacting has gone a little too far.