BitLit

The Professor behind "The Tolkien Professor" is one of our own!

We all love his lectures on Medieval Literature and Chaucer, but most of us spend our free academic time praying that Assistant Professor of English Corey Olsen will teach another course on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.  When he does, I've heard that he has so many students enrolled (and so many auditing) that he has to teach in one of the lecture halls - something unheard of here at Washington College, with our faculty-to-student classroom ratio of something absurd, like 1:8.  

Luckily, for those of us that can't be there in his seldom-taught Tolkien classes, Professor Olsen has taken to the web, with his website The Tolkien Professor and his lecture-style podcasts, available for free on iTunes under "The Tolkien Professor."  "In my lectures," writes Professor Olsen, "I am working through The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in detail, doing close readings of the stories (and the songs) in order to explore the fascinating details of Tolkien's world while also tracking some of the large, important themes in Tolkien's fiction."  Right now, he's in the middle of his eight-part series on The Hobbit.  

And, unsurprisingly to those of us who are familiar with Olsen's style of lecturing and his great love of what he teaches, he's #66 on the list of top podcasts on iTunes, and he's at an unbelievable #37 on the list of audio-only podcasts!  He's beating the pants of Dan Savage's Savage Love, NPR, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, Ricky Garvis, and even the Harry Potter PotterCast!

Go, Professor Olsen, Go!

KAB

Answering your emails, part 2

I promised those of you whose interest was piqued by my assessment of Pittsburgh as a geographic stronghold for zombie attack a more thorough look at Chestertown's zombie resistance.  Last week, I asked you to bear with me while I gave it a good think.  And here's what I've come up with.

Is Chestertown a good place to withstand the zombie apocalypse?  Yes and no.

Not the answer you were looking for, I know.  

Many of the things about Chestertown that provide challenges for those trying to survive are also things that one in a city situation might actually wish for.  Chestertown is exceedingly flat, and has very few tall buildings - the tallest you'll find is about 3-stories high.  No basements.  Fewer places to hide, but at the same time an exceedingly tall building isn't going to help you much (all it's going to do is trap you), a basement is always a bad idea (no exit), and the flat could provide you with a better shot across a long distance.  On the whole too many windows, but enough scrap wood to make up for it.  The population here is low, and supplies are within walking-distance.  Given these factors, I predict a very high chance of survival within the first 168 hours.  But after that?  If you need to farm yourself back into existence, this is certainly the place to do it, but I'm going to suggest that you find a way to barricade or disable the Bay Bridge.  Why?  Because the dead and diseased hoards who couldn't survive it out in Baltimore, D.C., and Annapolis will be heading this way soon and, even worse, those living souls who escape across the bridge will be coming to take your land, food, and resources.  There's also no easy route to get off of the Eastern Shore to the east.  Delaware leads to the Atlantic ocean, and the south of the E.S. is swampy.  Going North to PA is your only real option, and that way could easily get blocked if you didn't head out in the initial 72-hours.  

So, in short, yes - you can survive here quite well in the long-run - but you're going to need to 1) disable the Bay Bridge and make sure you have a clear idea of how you'll get off the Eastern Shore the back way, 2) stock pile weapons, vehicles, gas, and ammunition, because not only are the dead coming to eat you, but the living are coming to eat your food, 3) make use of local resources - barbed wire, farm equipment, and seeds - to plan early for the harvest, and 4) team up with those neighbors who have specialized talents to create a band of enough people to survive.  

Basically, the same things you would try to do in a city situation, but with more long-lasting results.

KAB

Answering your emails, part 1

Since my earlier post on Pittsburgh's strategic geographical location in the occurance of zombie attack, lots of you have been asking: "Kate, what about Chestertown?  Am I intrinsicly safe here from zombie attack, too?"  

And I can understand your concern.  A lot of you live and work here, and those of you who attend the College are here a good 8 months out of the year.  

And here's my answer:  I have to think about it.  I wasn't born and raised here.  I wasn't really planning on ever living here.  Let me mull it over and I promise you an answer soon, hopefully before the zombic apolcalypse.

KAB

Why You Need To Be Following Dan Kennedy and Warren Ellis on Twitter

Edith (the cat) has been Twittering our happenings for about two weeks now, and her list of followers and those she follows is growing.  When I helped her sign up, I made sure she was following the best and the brightest of the literary world.  So far, each morning, there are two particular individuals whose late night and early morning "tweets" bring us a nice chuckle - the kind that we need.  They both happen to be men.  Not their fault.

First up, there's Dan Kennedy.

Your first taste:

DanKennedy_NYCDone w/ my research. My next book will feature: vampire(s), dog, divorce, wizard, self discovery, vatican, and weight loss.5 minutes ago from web
We've had the good fortune of seeing Dan Kennedy read at the Rose O'Neill Literary House twice.  In Spring 2007 he was here as part of our Humor & Satire Festival, and he read from his book Loser Goes First.  In Fall 2008, he was good enough to saunter back down our way and read from Rock On: An Office Power Ballad.  Both times I think he witnessed me choke on my own spit and turn red from laughing - he's good.  The audiences ate him up.  I wish he'd do birthday parties and bat mitzvahs.  At this point, if we invite him back again, it's just going to look suspicious.  If he writes a sequel to the Twilight Saga with me as the heroine, maybe.  Maybe.  
Why we love Dan on Twitter: His posts say it all, perfectly, in exactly the alloted number of words.  He's got the craft mastered.  
Further proof:DanKennedy_NYCAtt. apartment 6-B. It's 3:29 AM, your Zone® meal delivery is still downstairs, your TV is on, and it smells like your smoking weed: D+about 16 hours ago from web
And now, Warren Ellis. 
Your first taste:\warrenellisThe medical detective show you never expected: Einstein's preserved brain & Rasputin's preserved penis, fighting crime with science & magicabout 2 hours ago from web
I don't actually know that much about Warren Ellis.  I know that he's British.  I know that I've been meaning to read his book Crooked Little Vein.  And I know that he's the one responsible for the fabulous comic Transmetropolitan.  Sadly, he's never read at the Rose O'Neill Literary House.  I would hope to change that, but transatlantic flights aren't easy on the budget.  He'd better let JK Rowling sit on his lap if we're going to fly him over.  
Why we love Warren on Twitter:  I'm starting to really suspect that he is Spider Jerusalem, and that Warren Ellis is actually the made-up character instead.
Further proof:warrenellisGood morning, 32174 people. Good morning, sinners.about 13 hours ago from web
EdithWhartonCat@warrenellis Aw, goodmorning to you too, Warren Ellis.about 11 hours ago from web in reply to warrenellis

KA Bursick

Day, I hate you.

It started off gray, then became sunny, then gray, and now it's going back and forth between the two.  If I had my druthers, it would choose gray and stay there.  Firmly.  The world has no business being both windy and sunny at the same time.  

Last week gave the impression of not being a terribly difficult summer, but I'm starting to think that was just the summer shock talking.  This week has been rough - lots of alone time in the office and plenty of reminders that there are few places to go and BE in Chestertown. 

Things that make it better:

1.  Owen.  Though he's only in the office 50% of the time, it is a very awesome 50%.

2.  Visits from students.  Kristin's been stopping by the most, but I saw Challys yesterday, and that was wonderful.  

I moved my work out onto the deck for the last 30 minutes of work in an attempt to not feel pent up anymore, and have let Edith out with me.  The trick will be finding her to put her back in 20 minutes from now.

KAB

A little thing we like to call "historical reenactment," and the historical pre-enactment that is Pittsburgh

I'm big on historical reenactment.  It's like a factually-correct Renn Faire, with slightly less-fun costumes and absolutely less-fun mead.  

The Chestertown Tea Party happens every year on Memorial Day weekend.  (Whether it actually happened in the 1700s is a matter of some contention among historians.)  Chestertown is thought to have taken their Boston comrades seriously, resolving to forbid the import, sale, or consumption of tea in May of 1774, and then gathering to march down to the brigantine Geddes and tossing her cargo of tea overboard.  What a splash.  While it seems to be a matter of historical record that such a Resolution was passed, it's only local legend that they tossed the tea overboard.  I'm skeptical.  Doesn't matter.  Every year, like clockwork, the town dresses itself up and heads down to the river.  "Tea" goes in, and so does one lucky town celebrity, voted upon by the town itself.  This year, both my boss' boss (the Dean of the College) and Owen's mom (Mayor Margo Bailey) are on the ballot.  I can't wait to hear how it all goes down.  Check out the website to see what vendors will be in town and to look at the schedule of events.

There's not much historical reenactment here in Pittsburgh, unless you count reenacting the hey-day of the steel mills (poorly) or pre-enacting the industrial/fallout/zombie apocalypse (very well).  I was surprised to see that Pittsburgh was included as an entire downloadable (DLC) level in Fallout 3 - the second of five.  It takes you through the charred remains of the industrial raider town now known as "The Pitt."  

Just a matter of time, if you ask me.  

I nearly bought the game just to play through the wreckage of my hometown.  I was pleased to see that the storyline involves retrieving a cure that was developed for the mutations plaguing the town.  Apparently the "water from the nearby Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers ... became irradiated, and altered the area's inhabitants in mysterious ways over the following decades."  Ain't that the truth!  The settlement is also divided into two districts:  Downtown (home of the slaves) and Haven/Uptown (home of the slavers).  Somebody did their homework.  (I do wonder: what local talent/researchers do they hire when recreating a real city in a videogame?  Do they employ mappers to map out Project Gotham Racing's streets so precisely?)  

Of note: the fourth dlc pack takes place in Point Lookout State Park in Maryland.  According to Wikipedia, "Unlike other areas in Fallout, no bombs were dropped on Point Lookout.  Humanity has left it behind and it is now described as a large swamp wasteland."  Sounds like the Eastern Shore in July if you ask me.  

Some parting shots:

It seems to me that this is the Liberty Bridge, though there's speculation online that it could be the South Tenth Street Bridge.  Southside behind you to the right, Dormont straight behind you, and Mt. Washington behind you to the left.  Heading straight into downtown.  Fort Pitt Bridge to your left.  If it's the South Tenth Street Bridge, either the Fort Pitt Bridge or the Liberty Bridge have sunk into the river. 

Oakland, this is your future if you don't get your act together.

Unless things have really changed, this map is slightly off.  Yes, there's the Point to the left, but Downtown should be to the immediate right of it.  There are no Steelyards in the Golden Triangle.  And how Oakland came to be a Haven is beyond me.  This map also confirms that the bridge on the left is the Fort Pitt Bridge.  

The bigger question here is: Why is the Fort Pitt Bridge out of commission, and why has Mt. Washington and the South Hills turned into a Train Yard/no man's land?  Those who know me know that George A. Romero's Land of the Dead was a highlight of my 2006.  Romero's no dummy.  He, too, postulated that post-apocalyptic/zombie survival would be concentrated in the Golden Triangle, with the bridges and rivers being used to block incomers.  His city plans didn't extend into the Oakland area, but he also indicated that the South Hills would become deserted.  This really stinks for those of us that live in the South Hills (and North Hills, and beyond Oakland), but it mimics what I think will happen once gas runs out but before people realize they need to head out to land that they can cultivate.

It's good to be home.

KAB

Blogging from the 'Burgh

And that, right there, is the one and only time I will ever refer to my hometown, Pittsburgh, as "the 'Burgh."  The alliteration was too good to pass up this time.

It's green and cool here, despite actually being a few degrees warmer than Maryland.  It was so nice that I went out for a quick walk before the sun went down, taking in the trees, the hills, the shadows, the stone houses, the houses with basements - all those things that you can't find in my area of Chestertown.  We also ordered delivery sushi tonight for dinner.  Trust me, you don't miss it until it's gone.  

I inevitably suffer from insomnia when I head back to my roots, so I've arrived prepared with the Paul Barber book and William Gibson's Neuromancer.  Ever since Edith Wharton (cat) started following WIlliam Gibson on Twitter, it only seemed right that we finish his book.  I'll read it aloud to Edith when I get back.  

Right now, we're taking in something else that they don't have in Maryland - hockey.  

KAB

Hump Day

It's been a morning of paperwork done while waiting for Owen to arrive from his other job.  We've got some errands to run.  Edith's in need of cat food, and our 3rd (and very-near-final) group of Lit House posters are finished at the framer.  Now all we need is a ladder and a hammer and we can spend the next week figuring out where to hang them.  

---

And, now that we've gone to get these items, it's time to go back to paperwork!  I've seen online that alums are astounded that Edith Wharton (the cat) is still alive.  She's looking incredibly good for a cat of 16 years and 2 months.  Yes, she is still ornary if you pet her too much, but I find her rather sweet.  

KAB

Follow Edith Wharton, Lit House cat-in-residence, on Twitter

Edith Wharton, our famous Lit House cat with a somewhat ornery temper, is SO over this blogging thing.  She's gone and gotten herself a Twitter.  

Follow Edith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithWhartonCat.  She's a literary cat, and has seen a lot.  She's been at every Lit House event for the past 16 years, and has even been fed salmon sushi by Neil Gaiman.  She'll be giving you the low-down on her daily life at the House and updating you on our events and visitors.  In turn, she'd love to follow you on Twitter!

It's a lazy life, being a literary cat.

KAB

Marta explains the Lit House - better than I can

I saw that Marta Wesenberg had posted her Lit House website project on our Facebook page.  It's a solid online account of what life is like here.  Yes, it's my office.  It's also the creative home-away-from-home for our undergrads.  You can view Marta's Lit House website HERE.  

You can follow the Lit House on Facebook HERE.  

You can follow me on Facebook HERE.

And you can, of course, follow Edith Wharton the cat on Facebook HERE.  

KAB