The Great Johnstown (N.Y.) Flood

We had some serious flooding today in Johnstown. Several streets were made impassable by the overflowing Cayadutta Creek. I took this photo of some folks stranded on the porch of their house:

    

It sucks to be the owner of that red car, huh? I wonder if there's any danger of contamination because of the many industrial sites that were affected by flooding. The former Karg Bros. tannery site (which is right behind the house in the photo) has been cleaned up, but how many other, smaller, as-yet-unremediated toxic sites got a rinsing today?

Teaching in Cyberspace (and in Albany)

The Intro to Journalism course that I'm teaching at UAlbany had its first meeting tonight. I'm going to incorporate blogging into the course, so each student will be posting writing assignments online. The blogs will be linked to create a virtual classroom discussion, and I think it will at the very least prove a noble experiment. Check out this link to see the blog I've created to serve as the hub for the course blogs:

http://introtoj.blogspot.com

Liam and Carter's Summer Vacation

I just wanted to post some cutesy photos of the boys. Some are from our recent vacation in the Berkshires, and some are from a hike to the old fish hatchery pond near Green Lake, but mostly they're just candid moments around the house.

The only bit of news I have is that I've decided to record a new CD of kid-friendly songs. This one will be done in time for Carter's second birthday, in late November. The disc I made for Liam's second birthday was a big hit (Click to hear a sample: They're Red Hot.mp3), and after two years I have lots of new tunes ready to record. I'll be asking all of my musical friends to contribute, so it should be a blast. Leave a comment here on the blog to suggest songs I should record and/or potential titles for the CD.

Unfortunate News

Bad news from the orthopedic doctor today: My fractured pinky finger needs to be put in a splint for at least six weeks. Looks like my guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle playing will be severely curtailed for most of the summer. Damn. It's going to be a harmonica-tootin' and a capella-singin' season, I guess.

The condition is called "mallet finger," and apparently it's a fairly common sports injury. I found a helpful (though quite technical) article on the web: http://www.emedicine.com/orthoped/topic413.htm

Season's End

The Stampede wrapped up its spring season with an unfortunate loss against the Mountaineers on Saturday. I somehow dislocated and fractured the little finger on my left hand (I'd call it my "pinky," but now it's more black-and-bluey.) Looks like I won't be playing much guitar for a few weeks .. maybe a good time to work out some tunes on harmonica.

Disclaimer for the benefit of my mom and other squeamish persons: The last two photos in the gallery at left are fake ... I photoshopped them for entertainment purposes. Photo No. 7 is real.