it's supposed to be an eclipse of the moon tonight, they showed it on the world series which was playing in st. louis only two hours away. but here it's overcast, there's no moon in sight, or maybe i just got out onto the wide open arena parking lot and it was already too late. low clouds reflecting city lights all over the place. a certain frustration in the air as there are lots of cards fans, though a sizeable minority of cubs fans have become red sox fans. saluki fans are gearing up too. that's the feeling i get from the arena parking lot anyway. back in the office, new weblogs sprouting out all over the place; students telling about music they like, building a community; my writing assistant is enjoying her job but is now on the way to new hampshire where she's buying a car which she got over the internet. people do that these days....reminds me of my ramblin' days...

It's a new term (046), with new students, new classes, new everything...some of what's happening is now documented on my professional blog; more of it is not documented at all, just happening, and floating by on the great river of life. What else is there? 1. Eli turns 3 and will have party; 2. Justin turns 17 and will have party. 3. Red Sox beat Yankees to delight of Tom & sons. 4. It turns fall in Carbondale, leaves get pretty. 5. Tom thinks of good link poetry but doesn't have time to create it....more headlines coming, but I have to catch up on some basics...

as a playwrite, i've had a minor success; a quaker play i wrote and produced a couple of years back, The Turning Point, was reproduced by some quaker kids at a regional gathering (blue river quarterly) in dubois, il...they had had a weekend of talking about peace testimony. then these kids read this play, which is about the bombing of the math building in madison wisconsin in 1970, and how you make personal choices toward violence or toward peace. i'll put it online, promise. i've thought about making it bigger, better, more accurate (if possible)...

it's fall in carbondale, october; students party a bit in october here, and even take pride in it. some of ours fall in. homecoming came and went for both the high school and siuc; both won their football games, and the weather was stunning the whole time. a stand of trees at the arena parking lot is in color too. show your colors...that's what we do...and, i slipped a word in about registering to vote, which i hope everyone does.

take a look at the professional blog. then take a look at what the students did this term, which i'm quite proud of, especially the poetry, which will give the online CESL Today a good kickoff...

have a good fall!