The Walls are Up

I have not been able to get to the Island to see the latest construction activity so I was excited to get this update by email today.

YouTube - Paragraphs on Padre Blvd

via South Padre Network
Thank you JW and Jackie

Weather Update

The previous post was made about 11:45 a.m. when I was sitting at my desk, perusing my daily Google reader feeds, looking for interesting items to share here, and listening to CNN. A report came on of a "massive" tornado, on the ground in Gilcrest, Colorado which is northeast of Denver.

I have never claimed to have a full measure of common sense, and one very odd trait I have inherited from my mother is the absolute inability to accept the weatherman's version of events or to be told that we must stay home. We just find it necessary to experience everything first hand, and to go where most people, at least those with brains, would avoid.

This slightly mad characteristic has led us into some interesting predicaments over the years, but today our adventure was pretty mundane.

When I heard the announcement, the rest of my pod was out for a walk, so I gathered up my keys, made sure I had my phone (for pictures), went out, got into the car, drove to the street, picked Mother up, put the Shih Tzus-Sophie and Sadie-in the back seat, and we headed north.

After about an hours wandering around, my partner in crime, informed me that she had turned the sprinkler on before leaving for her walk and the water was still running, if I had not turned it off. Now we live in a small townhome, with a little patch of dirt that has a couple rose bushes, some clematis, and a variety of herb like plants but is not large enough to contain three hours worth of water. So with visions of a garden bed being washed into the street, I stopped at Good Times, ordered 2 bambino burger specials with a frozen custard which we enjoyed while watching the clouds swirl around above us. Finally it dawned on me to call my neighbor, and I want to thank you, Mike, for saving the day or at least our garden.

So we merely used a half-tank of like-gold gasoline, tried to wash away our garden, got caught in a couple traffic jams and construction zones, consumed enough calories for a week, only to come home and view the actual tornado on the afternoon local news. We did not even get caught in the rain, although we could see it all around us.

In the spring, the front range of Colorado will frequently get some severe thunder storms often with large hail. It is also not unusual for us to have a few days with tornadic activity. This occurs when we have had warm weather and then a cold front drops down from the north.The hot and cold air don't mix which results in some severe weather. However the few tornadoes we do get are generally, small, rarely touch ground, or if they do it is for a short period over some farm ground out on the eastern plains.

Unfortunately, today was an exception. Luckily it appears that there has been only one fatality, but there is a great deal of property damage. The tornado was nearly a mile wide and traveled a northwest course from outside Greeley Colorado toward Fort Collins, Colorado and remained on the ground for much of the over 35 miles. Things are still pretty chaotic throughout much of north-central Colorado and my thoughts are for those who have lost so much, and I have a special prayer for the pets that have become disoriented and are looking for their homes and owners.

Things seem to have settled down, although Denver is still under a severe weather and tornado watch until 8:00 tonight. But Mother and I and the little bookends, Sophie and Sadie have done our exploring and will be content to spend the evening at home. No more tornado chasing for us today.

Tornado Right Now!

I am going to go check out the weather. We have a large tornado on the ground outside Denver!!

State by State

I am going to put airing this film on my list of possible events for the grand opening of Paragraphs. I need to find out how much is included about Texas.

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, which is scheduled to be published by Ecco September 16, will be the subject of the third Out of the Book film made by Powell's Books and screened nationwide in partnership with independent booksellers in as many as 100 cities and towns.

State by State features original writing by 50 prominent authors and artists. Each contributor addresses one state, including Sarah Vowell on Montana, Alexander Payne on Nebraska and Jonathan Franzen on New York. Also contributing are Louise Erdrich, S.E. Hinton, Dave Eggers, John Hodgman, Susan Orlean, Joshua Ferris and Alison Bechdel.

Approximately 10 of the book's contributors will star in Out of the Book, Volume 3: State by State, which will be shot in early June and premiere August 24 at the Bookmark Festival in Nantucket, Mass., where a full day of discussions and events will be dedicated to the book and film.

Edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey, the State by State collection resurrects an effort from the 1930s, when the WPA's Federal Writers' Project commissioned writers to describe their states.

"We're so excited to be working with Sean and Matt," said Out of the Book's creator Dave Weich. "It's a dream project. In the weeks before a momentous election, the book and film will give people a way to talk about the country that's free of political jargon and media spin."

Powell's president Michael Powell added, "We believe that independent business fosters independent thought. Nothing could please us more than to see communities come together in independent bookstores to share their ideas about what this country is today and what it still can be." (emphasis mine)

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Powell!

Via Shelf Awareness

Funniest Joke in the World

Gregory McNamee at the Britannica Blog weighs in on what makes a good joke.

All the same, according to research conducted a few years back at the University of Hertfordshire, the funniest joke in the world, the one that most easily travels across cultures, is about death. It goes something like this:

Two hunters are out hunting. One of them falls over and seems not to be breathing. His friend calls 911* and cries, “What do I do?” “Well, first, let’s make sure he’s dead,” says the operator. There is silence, and then a shot rings out. The hunter returns to the phone and says, “Okay, now what?”

It’s a good joke, to be sure. But curiously, the jokes that seemed to work the best on the cross-cultural charts were just over 100 words long, with the optimum number being 103. The full version of the hunters joke tips in at 102 words, lending credence to the notion that a strange numerology is at play. Couple that with linguistic studies that suggest that velar consonants are funnier than alveodentals and sibilants and such (thus “kayak” is a funny word, “yellow” and “sassy” not so much), and we have the beginnings of a formula. Back to the drawing board, then

April Mystery Bestsellers

From Shelf Awareness:

The IMBA Bestsellers for April

The following were the bestselling titles during April at member stores of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association:

Hardcovers

1. Winter Study by Nevada Barr (Putnam)
2. Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods (Putnam)
3. Black Widow by Randy Wayne White (Putnam)
4. The Spellman Curse by Lisa Lutz (S&S)
5. Buckingham Palace Garden by Anne Perry (Ballantine)
6. Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown)
7. The Third Circle by Amanda Quick (Putnam)
8. The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber (Morrow)
8. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (Holt)
8. Hold Tight by Harlan Coben (Dutton)
8. The Sudoku Puzzle Murders by Parnell Hall (St. Martin's)

Paperbacks

1. French Pressed by Cleo Coyle (Berkley)
2. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (S&S)
3. Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett (Berkley)
4. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child (Bantam)
4. Still Life by Louise Penny (St. Martin's)
6. Murder of a Chocolate Covered Cherry by Denise Swanson (Signet)
7. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill (Overlook)
7. Hollywood Station by Stuart Woods (Vision9)
7. The Woods by Harlan Coben (Signet)
10. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber (Harper)
10. Glass House by Jane Haddam (St. Martin's)

[Many thanks to IMBA!]

Barefoot on the Beach

Remember - continue voting for SPI in the Barefoot Beach Rescue. The contest ends July 15, 2008. Everyone is allowed one vote per day. So keep clicking!!

Off-Topic - But Senator Kennedy Is On My Mind

I have just been thinking what a loss it will be if Senator Kennedy cannot return to Washington D.C.

It doesn't really matter what your politics are, the man is an institution and is able to get more accomplished on both sides of the aisle than is often recognized. He has a rare personality for a politician, one that does not need to be center stage. He is uniquely able to stand back and allow others to bask in the limelight and take credit for legislation he is responsible for getting enacted through sheer perseverance and negotiating skill. Few others have the ability to bring together all the diverse interests to get the work of the government accomplished.

So, I am just offering a prayer for his family and hoping he will survive this new trial. He is not known as the Liberal Lion for nothing, and I will certainly miss his impassioned speeches on the Senate floor.

Galveston Kemp Ridley Named After Turtle Lady

Steve Alexander reports in The Galveston County Daily News

Ila visited Galveston Island on May 1, neither waiting for the weekend nor peak tourist season. She neither searched the island for the perfect secluded beach nor carried an umbrella and chair onto the sand.

Ila did none of these things, because Ila is a female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that visited Galveston Island for one purpose: to lay eggs in the sand.

The article continues:

Christi was assigned the task of naming her and she chose the name Ila, in honor of “The Turtle Lady” of South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher, a tireless champion for the cause of sea turtle conservation. Christi was also responsible for attaching her research name, clamping onto her left front flipper a new tag bearing the number RRV383.

Via Sandyfeet

Spare Change?

The business plan for Paragraphs has been a work in process but the time has come to commit it to paper and say enough, it is finished. Like nearly all human endeavors in life, opening a small business, requires money, and a consistent and reliable source of it.

It is now time for me and my brain child, Paragraphs, to find a local bank and establish a line of credit. I view the banking relationship as a partnership. Going forward with this attitude helps me overcome feeling like I am standing on the street corner brandishing a placard, constructed from a piece of cardboard torn off an old tomato box, on which is written in crayon or a borrowed felt pen "Spare Change?"

Once a partnership has been established I am sure the day to day communications with the formidable man behind the desk will become less formal and it will be simple to convince him what a grand idea it is to advance me some more money to buy some more books . But, before that can happen it will be necessary for me to convince some Mr. Banker that he wants to, indeed cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity, to loan me money and accept my deposits.

For the small business, the business plan is the cardboard sign of the street corner huckster. And finishing a plan for Paragraphs is my mission-see I even have the jargon down-for the week.