When I was hiking through the Arboretum last weekend, I was struck by the unusual blossoms some of the trees and shrubs had. You could even call a few of them “strange.”
All posts by Jonathan
The perfect encore
Last night I went to see The New Pornographers perform at the Orpheum Theatre here in Madison. While the absence of Neko Case was disappointing for me (get better soon Neko, we missed you!), the concert was a good one. But I’m not going to talk about the whole show, if you’re interested Muzzle of Bees has a good review on their website. I want to talk about the encore the band performed.
After a good long set of music, The New Pornographers thanked the crowd and left the stage. Here it comes, I thought. It’s such a cliché, the way rock concert encores happen these days.
Buds
Earthquake!
About 4:40am this morning, the sound of my alarm clock rattling on the shelf woke me up. As I drifted into consciousness, I wondered why the alarm clock was rattling. Then I realized the bed was shaking. First I thought maybe a big truck was driving by, but it continued much longer than a drive-by. As more of my brain cells began working I realized, it was an earthquake. The quake’s epicenter was near West Salem, Illinois. Did you feel it?
It was the third time in my life I’ve felt an earthquake (the other two times I was also in Wisconsin). While the tremors I felt this morning were fairly mild, it certainly is unsettling to feel the earth moving under you.
The Edgewood History Collection
One of the long term projects I’ve been involved with at work was quietly unveiled this week, the Edgewood History Collection.
The project is a collaboration between myself and several other members of the library staff. My responsibility involved designing and developing the collection’s Home and About pages, as well as the page templates for the digital collection management software (the pages that actually display the items in the collection). The software we’re using is a hosted version of ContentDM.
Some of the things in the Edgewood History Collection I found interesting include:
Dormant grasses
The Ultimate Bootleg Experience
I recently discovered an outstanding resource at T.U.B.E.: The Ultimate Bootleg Experience. Featuring both live and studio recordings (outtakes, rarities, etc.), T.U.B.E. is veritable goldmine. Some of the more interesting things I found there include:
- Joe Strummer – Solos, Soundtracks, & Rarities
- Van Morrison – Gypsy Soul (Studio Demos)
- Peter Tosh – Equal Rights Demos 1977
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 1969-08-26 – Los Angeles
(the earliest completely recorded CSNY concert) - Talking Heads – CBS Demos (1975)
- U2 – Pulled The Covers (1979-2006)
The one minor downside of T.U.B.E. is the slightly complicated downloading process. It usually is worth it however. The files are well documented, and often include cover art. The bootlegs I’ve downloaded have been of very good quality. Every time I check out T.U.B.E., I’m just amazed at the variety and sheer number of bootlegs posted on the site.
Allegra “Lee” Bloy 1929-2008
You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her, or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what she’d want:
Smile, open your eyes, love and live on.
– anonymous, some attribute it to Charles Henry Brent.
The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs
My favorite reads are those that let me escape. Whether I am bored in a waiting room, worried about something, or just trying to clear my head so I can sleep, books that can transport my mind to another place are worth their weight in gold. The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs is a wonderful example of such a book.
In The Animal Dialogues, the author vividly describes various encounters he has had with wildlife. The book is set up so each species has its own chapter: Bear, Coyote, Rainbow Trout, etc. Within each chapter are a few stories about different encounters with that species. And “stories” is an appropriate word to use here. The author’s vivid descriptions of these encounters read like a novel. Here’s an example from the chapter “Bear”:
Frozen Monona
Despite the continuing below-normal temperatures, I needed to connect with the outdoors today. Late this afternoon, I visited a frozen Lake Monona.