the pod bay door

.: I am sitting in Starbucks on 23rd St and 8th Ave in NYC, trying to sort through the evening. Among other things and in unrelated events, I missed the Les Paul show, and my digital camera was stolen.

Earlier in the day, I saw the movie Junebug and bought a few copies of Earth Mother, the amazing new book by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by the Dillons.

A few weeks back, I ordered two tickets to see Les Paul and his trio at the Iridium Jazz Club. A friend was to meet me around 7:30, 30 minutes before the show began. She called about an hour earlier, saying she was about to leave, and would call me when she made it to midtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, she didn’t show, and as of this writing, I’m still not sure what happened to her, so I’m a bit worried. I sold my tickets to an older couple from the UK, who were really hoping to see Les Paul.

Unable to reach her, I wandered around the Broadway and Times Square districts for a while, walked down 42nd Street to the Port Authority Bus Station, then hopped an E train back to 23rd Street. Once on the train, an announcement was made that it wouldn’t stop at 23rd Street because of emergency track maintenance, so I had to get off at 34th and catch a C train the rest of the way. But while waiting there, an NYC Transit official was yelling at everyone to go under the track to the other side of the subway station, because the E and C trains weren’t running on the track where they normally do, but instead were running on the express track.

So I got up with everyone else, went to the other side, got the next C train; while sitting on it, I realized I left my knapsack on the bench on which I has been sitting while waiting for the C train ; I panicked, and when I got to 23rd, I asked the station attendant if he could call back to the 34th Station for me, and I hopped a train back to 34th.

When I got there, an old African-American lady saw me and yelled at me; she said she found my knapsack, and turned it in to one of the workers; I found the subway worker, and he had the knapsack; unfortunately, someone had rifled it, and took my maps, umbrella, and *sigh*, my digital camera.

A lapse in judgement on my part. So tonight, I am feeling somewhat deflated on a number of fronts. At least it didn’t rain today.

Today it has been raining non-stop, Manhattan is soaked, and the humidity is high. I could hardly sleep last night, if at all. At noon, I met my friends from New Haven CT, Susan and David, at Grand Central Station. We went here for some food; I had oyster stew, which was more like oyster soup. I “slurped” down three oysters in the shell. Next we road the subway uptown, and walked a few blocks in the rain to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We saw this exhibit, called Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Afterwards we took the subway back downtown, and had coffees at this hip place. It was very hot and humid there, and we stood for about 15 trying minutes waiting for a table. We walked about in the rain next, eventually ending up here for something to eat; the place is a few blocks away from NYU, and was filled with groups of preppy-dressed university students, most of them future YITs, no doubt.

When finished, we rushed back on a subway to Grand Central Station, then hopped the subway shuttle to Times Square, and walked fast to AMC Empire Cimema 25 to see Good Night, and Good Luck. This is one of the best films of the year, and is directed and co-written by George Clooney. The movie is in b&w, and takes place in the early 1950s. Based on true events, the subject matter is Edward R Murrow, the ground-breaking television show he created in the early 1950s with Fred Friendly, called See It Now, and their efforts to expose the inadequacies and lies of Joseph McCarthy and his hearings. The movie’s time period is during the height of McCarthyism, as Murrow learns of the dismissal from the US Air Force of Milo Radulovich. Murrow reports on Radulovich’s dismissal, and the fallout from the broadcast leads to a dramatic confrontation with McCarthy. The realistic feel of the film is enhanced by its black and white cinematography, attention to detail, and the use of real footage from the time period. It’s a powerful movie, with themes that resonate today. Highly recommended, see it when it comes to your town.

Note to self: when you purchase a $24 Metro card for unlimited seven-day riding on the NYC subway, don’t use it once, and then drop it on the subway tracks.

.: Greetings from a Starbucks café in NYC, where it is drizziling and about 22C, actually kind of pleasant. The flight in was uneventful, and for the first time, I ate no airline junk munchies, and drank only ice water on the two flights (Edmonton-Toronto-La Guardia). I haven’t been here since June of 2003, when Geoff and I attended SLA, but it feels like I was here last week. I’m staying at The Leo House for (at least) the seventh time, and they recognized me when I came through the door. In the immediate neighbourhood, I have noticed a few new shops and restaurants and such, which is good, and G will be pleased to know that the Krispy Kreme is still close by! 🙂 Not that I need another doughnut.

So that said, I’m off to find some fresh fruit and bottled water…

.: As mentioned earlier, it was my intention to attend the installation ceremony of the new president of the University of Alberta last Sunday, September 25th, and to participate in the academic procession into the Jubilee Auditorium, joining other faculty members for the event. This meant donning the academic dress of my degree, Master of Library Science. I arrived at the Jubilee and joined other faculty members, some of whom were being helped into their gowns by convocation staff. My gown had been misplaced, so I had to wait until it was found. I confess that I felt very special when the gown and hood were placed on me. The view from behind highlights the hood. I was not able to attend either of my convocations in the 70s. Now, twenty-eight years after graduating with my MLS degree, I was afforded a golden opportunity to wear the gown while participating in a ceremony important to my University.

The ceremony was glorious. Our new president, Dr Indira V Samarasekera, is, to be blunt, amazing. Her installation address was powerful, heartfelt and very moving. I urge you to read it, and to share in her vision for our campus. (Audio and video versions are also available.) I have worked at the U of A for 22 years, and look forward to a few more under her leadership. She is relatively young with energy and enthusiasm to spare, unpretentious, accessible, humble, and inspiring. One of my proudest moments as an employee of the University of Alberta was while listening to her speak of what lies ahead, her goals and visions, and of the University’s burgeoning potential.

But I digress. 🙂 A week from today I will be in NYC. A number of activities are already in place. On Saturday, friends from New Haven will come to Manhattan on the train, and meet me at a Dean and DeLuca’s somewhere near NYU. We’ll spend the day doing whatever, and try to see a Broadway show in the evening. On Monday night, ny friend Noella and I will see the Les Paul Trio at the Iridium Club. Les Paul is one of the electric guitar pioneers, having worked on prototypes and ideas in the 1940s. The legendary Gibson Les Paul model first appeared in 1952. On many a previous trip to NYC I have wanted to see Les Paul perform; now in his 90th year, I will finally make that happen.

The next night, Oct 11, my Baltimore-based friend Mary and I have tickets to see some band called U2 at Madison Square Garden. The seats are behind the stage, but whattheheck, it’s U2, and I can share the experience with a good friend. Wednesday night I’m off to Brooklyn for dinner with very special friends, Leo and Diane Dillon, whose latest illustrations appear in the new book, Earth Mother, which will be released in a few days. I hope to have a few copies for them to sign for me, along with other recent titles. Saturday I’ll attend Jessica‘s wedding in Summit NJ, with Noella if she can make it. The rest of the trip will fill in itself as the days progress: movies, maybe another play, walking, photography, visit with my friend Sekeena, two or three visits to the Strand, and on.

Tomorrow and Sunday I’m volunteering at the Edmonton International Film Festival.

.: I have made progress in writing the draft of my first column for IRSQ. I spent most of today in my office, and a couple hours this evening, working on the column. Writing for me is a painfully slow process, having never studied it formally, and I often feel like I am in way over my head. Relief will be the felt when the essay is ready for submission, because it will be one less thing to do before leaving for NYC on Oct 7. I am still working on four presentations, three of which will be delivered next week, and one on Oct 17, the day after I return from NYC. That day, I will be attending the first of two conferences over a five-date period, but will come to campus to deliver a lecture to fourth-year chemical engineering design students in the afternoon.

On Sunday, I will be attending the Installation Ceremony for our new University President, Dr Indira Samarasekera. Because librarians at the University of Alberta are academic staff, we are eligible to wear academic apparel, i.e., the cap and gown, at functions such as convocation. University staff members were invited to attend the installation ceremony, and I accepted. I also accepted the invitation to participate in the academic procession, meaning I will be in academic dress appropriate for my degree (Master of Library Science), and will enter and sit with other faculty in a designated area in the Jubilee Auditorium during the ceremony.

I believe in the celebration of an accomplishment. A little pomp and circumstance, an acknowledgement of an achievement, is deserved and good for the soul. I missed the convocation ceremony for each of my two degrees, one in 1975 (BSc, U Manitoba) and one in 1978 (MLS, U Alberta.) When I am in academic gown at the President’s installation on Sunday, it will be in her honour that I am doing so, and I will be proud to be there on her behalf. On a personal level, it will also be an quiet opportunity to gently honour myself for six years of university education between1971 and 1978, which have brought me to where I am at this very second. Here’s to me. Finally.

Speaking of work, I recorded my first podcast. It’s called the iPod Walking Tour – Main Floor Services, of the Cameron Science and Technology Library. BTW, it’s the English version. 😉

.: I’ve been busy on two fronts: work, where I am preparing lectures on various aspects of research and information gathering skills for four different classes, three in mechanical engineering, and one in chemical engineering. As well, I am now a column editor for the journal, Internet Reference Services Quarterly, and need to compose my first submission before leaving for NYC on October 7th. Best working title for the column so far is Digital Musings.

At home, I’ve been working on the main floor bathroom renovations: painting as much of the walls as I can before having the toilet removed to finish the job (so to speak), and installing vinyl tile on the floor. I hope to have this finished by the end of the month, but will need help from friends to complete the work.