Charlottesville Words » Indiana

Hello, Shoals, Indiana!

Elizabeth McCullough — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:55:28 +0000

If you’ve stopped by my blog while googling “Shoals, Indiana,” I’d love it if you would leave a comment somewhere. Let me know how the Catfish Festival went, what you’re planning on doing at the fair, how the softball team is treating you. Sure, I still get The Shoals News, but it’s not the same as hearing from someone from home.

Will Shortz to speak at UVA

Elizabeth McCullough — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:40:38 +0000

This one is going on the calendar for sure:

Will Shortz
Location: Chemistry 402
Date and Time: Wednesday April 2, 2008, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM (EST)

Description: Come see Will Shortz, crossword editor of The New York Times whose puzzles appear in the Cavalier Daily. He is puzzle master for NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” and founder of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Along with writing/editing more than 150 books, Will Shortz is the subject of the acclaimed 2006 documentary “Wordplay.” A graduate of UVa Law School, class of 1977, he also holds the world’s only college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles.

Contact Information
Kate Becker
757.567.4571
klb6y@virginia.edu

Yeah, yeah, UVA Law School — but guess where he got that degree in Enigmatology? My alma mater!

Three Days of the Night of the Living Cicada!

Elizabeth McCullough — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:24:20 +0000

For the past week, a slim envelope has been taunting me from its comfortable seat on the living room ottoman. I know what’s in it; the problem is, it’s addressed to Mr. Glass, and other than those pesky financial forms and records (URGENT! Last Notice! You May Already Be A Winner!), I keep my mitts off Mr. Glass’s mail. And Mr. Glass himself? Has been out of town for the last week and a half.

But after he gets home tonight and has had some time to rest from his labors, O, what a mighty unveiling there shall be! At long last we will feast our eyes on the contents of that package — a movie seventeen years in the making — THE CICADA EARTH. (No, I don’t get the title either.)

What’s so special about this movie? It contains illustrations derived from Mr. Glass’s photos of the great cicada invasion of 2004.

If you like cicadas (and who doesn’t?), you can find some fun stuff here.

Christmas, Hoosier style

Elizabeth McCullough — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:01:44 +0000

Behold how they roll in Indiana:

Freddy Krueger Mellencamp @ Orbit

Elizabeth McCullough — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:26:23 +0000

Sorry about the awful photo; it was the best that I could do.

“Freddy Krueger Mellencamp” at Orbit last night was a big hit with this homesick Hoosier. Part Farm Aid, part Nightmare on Elm Street, the show was true to its billing, right down to the cigarettes rolled up in a t-shirt sleeve. At first I was afraid the band might actually be intending to poke fun at the musical stylings of one of Indiana’s best known natives, but the show was pure tribute to the singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, philanthropist, and shiller of American-made products.

Mr. Krueger was given his full honors as well and gave a frighteningly good performance. There was rain on the scarecrow, and blood on the plow. Best of both worlds.

The question is, of course, how can they top this performance next year? Some suggestions:

A Nightmare on E Street
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Darkness
Stephen King Crimson
Night of the Grateful Dead

The possibilities are endless. Or not. We’ll see. Leave your scary suggestions in the comment section.

Bloomington does it again

Elizabeth McCullough — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:20:50 +0000

National Geographic Adventure Magazine names Bloomington, Indiana, one of the 50 Best Places to Live. And which Central Virginia university happenin’ town is not on this list? Is there no justice in this world? Did I bring bad mojo when I moved here? Is it the gangs? The security cameras?

Surely not.

A little taste of home

Elizabeth McCullough — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:39:25 +0000

The Indiana State Fair, always a culinary leader, has banned trans fats from its concession stands. I know, there’s nothing wrong with a deep-fried Pepsi ball or a deep-fried Snickers Bar that eliminating trans fats is going to cure. I assume it’s just a PR move.
You don’t have to spend much time in Indiana to realize that this is the state of the corn-fed guy and gal. The frustrated food section editor of my hometown paper once ran a recipe for Deep-Fried Sugar-Coated Lard Balls and actually got letters from readers who complained that they couldn’t make the recipe work out — the lard balls kept melting in the deep fryer.

Bloomington, Ind. : A great place to live

Elizabeth McCullough — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:22:46 +0000

Bloomington, Indiana, the hometown of my heart, hit the number one spot on Mother Earth’s 8 Great Places list.

Charlottesville, why aren’t you on this list?? You’re a great place to live for all our citizens! Or something like that.

Funny, I don’t look Midlandish

Elizabeth McCullough — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:04:54 +0000

I can never resist an accent quiz. Tip of the hat to lowercase liberty for this one.

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far)Midland (“Midland” is not necessarily the same thing as “Midwest”) The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it’s a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn’t mean you’re from the Midland.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

More on Kurt Vonnegut

Elizabeth McCullough — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:01:34 +0000

Tributes to Kurt Vonnegut are popping up all over. Here are a few: