In the New (School) Year

So classes are going, and I'm swamped with grading (already? yes! I can't believe it either!), but we did have the chance to see some basketball before it all got started.

Seattle U is making the move back to Division I, and next year they'll play their home games at the Key Arena in the Seattle Center (vacant, alas, now that the Sonics have been stolen moved on). They had one game there this year, and the tickets were free . . .

They're not great, but they won (good thing--the other team was 0-14, so a loss to them would have been, um, unfortunate), and it was a good time.


In other local news, we had some snow, some buses were late, and LOTS of people complained. Or a few people complained really loudly? In any event, I got mad and wrote a letter to the editor, and it was printed! Yay for me and newspapers!

And then literally the same day it was announced that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which began (with a different name) back in 1863, is being put up for sale, and will likely be shut down by March.

So yes, I read that story after having a couple of beers with my colleagues after work on Friday, so maybe that was a factor, but I had tears in my eyes as I read it.

Just so stupid and short-sighted. Newspapers and the sort of journalism they produce are not only super cool, they're also so important. Damn it.


Let's end with something a bit lighter, eh?

On a tip from my mom (thanks!), Emily and I checked out this fun performance of a tango piece by Ástor Piazzolla, one of my favorite composers. The group is the Ridere String Quartet. Good stuff.

You can download the entire episode from iTunes, and also watch it online through the PBS website.