Fragments From Floyd

* Thursday's lecture showed signs of severe SpringBreakitis in both students and instructor. Topic: the special senses. And the instructor brilliantly pulling examples out of thin air used all the distinctive flavors of Jelly Bellies to illustrate how the taste buds can distinguish unique flavors. What he didn't want to learn, though, was that some new flavors have been added.

Apparently, there are some Harry Potter-inspired jelly beans (I won't give the trade name to promote said product). My students enthusiastically offered to bring me some of the new flavors: grass; ear wax (this also came up again when we talked about the ear); vomit; and booger.

I wish I was making this up.

*I took my Powerpoint program to the assigned room where my little talk will be next week. And I emphasize the word little. I'd seen the room before and guessed it would seat 50. I counted yesterday: 32

He who is a good steward over little will be made master over much.

I submitted my proposal months ago not to draw a crowd but to impose an obligation on myself to put something like this together from the scraps I've accumulated over the months of blogging. I've mused about just this kind of multimedia creation, and now I've done it. So in this case, size (of audience) shouldn't matter. Something good will still come from it, just in the doing. If one of those 32 sees it, or tells someone else about it and it ends up having a life beyond the App Studies conference, all the better.

*This morning, our walnuts will be turned into future slab table tops. The saw that will do it is coming here, so I'll have pictures tomorrow. The wife of this team is coming too, because she's the design person. I'm bartering with them for the walnut, and I am ready now to replace my $10 particle-board-and-plastic laminate desk. We'll be looking at possible configurations to fit the space. I think we'll want oak, since we have one nice piece of furniture (a wardrobe just beyond the window across from where I sit) and it is oak.

*What would you advise? A friend is contemplating a second child, and assuming it will be a girl. "What names are you thinking about" Ann asked. "I like the name Stella" the friend said. Ann asked me what I thought, and I immediately pulled my tee-shirt off one shoulder and turned Brando(see the video clip.) I don't think I could ever hear that name now without reenacting Streetcar (like Elaine from Seinfeld.)

*Yesterday's cemetery image put me to mind of theDylan Thomas poem: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Read it all via the link.

*Let's see: for an even half-dozen jots....Oh yeah. My friend Colleen has done the Where I'm From exercise. Go take a look at here site, Silver and Gold.