Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Death Penalty Support Takes a Dive

I've always found it interesting that the "Pro Life" party in the United States, the Republicans, overwhelmingly support the death penalty. A new Gallup Poll tells us that the GOP is going against the national mood in its most recent findings with 80 percent of party members surveyed favoring the death penalty for murder. Meanwhile, 47 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Independents favor death as a punishment.

The 60 percent overall support of the death penalty nationally is a drop from 80 percent in 1994. The penalty has been re-examined (and even eliminated in some states) in recent years as DNA testing, among other things, has given law enforcement a tool that can disprove murder convictions.

Since 1937, opposition to the death penalty has never reached 50 percent, nor has support for it been less than 45 percent. In 1967, opposition to the penalty outweighed support 47-42 percent. There are people, of course, who have no opinion, keeping totals from reaching 100 percent.

(Gallup chart)

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A Day of Talking Journalism at Ferrum

In the chapel I got to preach journalism.
My bud Cara Modisett asked me out to Ferrum College today where she teaches a communications class and I wound up speaking to two different classes and enjoying the heck out of it.

Cara's class was in the chapel and I got the opportunity to do my preacher gig and the second class was in a traditional classroom, where I sat among the students. The kids were engaged and interested and the exchange was invaluable.

I even brought up my most recent faux pas (see previous post) and we talked about it, filing it under journalistic integrity. The kids have a solid underpinning and I'm sure Cara has some to do with that. Thanks, Cara, for the invitation and for teaching the next generation of journalists.

This is a full classroom and me with a forbidden soda.

A Sincere Apology to All Involved

I am offering a sincere apology to Andrea Shreeman, Sara Elizabeth Timmins and the Roanoker Magazine for an error I made in a story on the two moviemakers that is in the November-December issue.

I attributed quotes to Sara E that should have been Andrea's, including one that listed Andrea's supporters for her new end of life comedy (I incorrectly called it a "suicide comedy"), and attribution for another quote later in the story was not clear.

I've been doing this kind of work for nearly 50 years and have never made that mistake before. I don't remember the last time I was accused of misquoting, either, but the quotes were correct here; it was just that I had the wrong person attributed. I spend a good bit of time and effort getting the facts correct in stories, but this time I simply failed and I have no excuse, no further explanation.

I am horrified, embarrassed and humiliated by the error. And I damn well should be.

No Writers Among Kendig Award Winners (Why?)

Roanoke Childrens Theatre: Category winner.
I was just reading the press release for this year's Perry F. Kendig Awards and was taken aback because Roanoke College and Hollins University employees, for the first time, are not eligible. The schools have teamed up to keep the prestigious Kendigs going, even though the original sponsoring agency, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge no longer exists.

I was actually going to nominate Ernie Zulia and Todd Ristau from the Hollins Theater Department for one award (performing arts) and Richard Dillard for another (the literary award, which was not given). They are all enormously gifted and deserving and each has made an indelible mark on the theater and on writing in this region and beyond.

This year, there were but three categories: Individual or Business Supporter, Arts and Culture Organization and Individual Artist categories. The first was won by Richard Krurshan, who gave studio space to artists downtown for 10 years; Arts and Culture was won by the deserving Roanoke Childrens Theatre; and Individual Artist was Harriet Stokes, an award long overdue.

I am significantly disappointed, however, that writers are no longer seen as contributors to the arts of the Roanoke Valley (Note: I have won two of the Kendigs, one with the Business Journal and one Literary Award). This is a troubling omission and it should be remedied, especially since Hollins--the school that gives us so many excellent writers and is home to the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference--is a sponsor.

The winners will be honored Nov. 3 at Roanoke College.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Family Values at the Layman Farm

My son, Evan, and I play "Swing the Oz".
Grandgirl Madeline (pink right) bounces on the big rubber thingy.
Oz joins his sister for a bounce.
Madeline and her bud Maggie spring forward.
Evan and Oz head toward the maize.
Oz looks for a way out.
Maggie grows long horns.
Maddie shucks corn; Leah holds the bounty.
Kara and Oz at the corn crib.
All aboard (Maddie and Maggie) for the hayride.
The happy gang on board the hay wagon, heading to the pumpkin patch.
Oz runs to his perfect pumpkin ...
... and hits the deck ...
... but he claims a beauty.
Maddie shows her "healthy hotdog."
Oz recovers his fumbled corn (he was attached to that cob).
"Family values" shows in Kara's and Evan's faces.
Leah, Oz and Maggie ride the cow train.
Maggie and Maddie in the corn field. Maggie finally smiled. Pretty, huh?
Love this shot of my girls.
Here's Pampa doing what Pampa does.
Me and my buds. Oz, quit that!
Talking football with my boy.
Leah and the kidlings play "Edith Ann."
I'm too old for this, Leah!
The Layman Family Farm in Montvale is one of a group of new farm theme parks that have cropped up around the area recently, a way of showing off farm life and capping off a profitable harvest season with more profit.

This substantial farm, just inside Bedford County, provides rides, food and a lot of other family activities ($10 a head for adults, tokens $1 each to do stuff) and on a fall afternoon as pretty as Sunday's was, it's worth every dime.

We took the whole gang over yesterday and had a blast. It's a great way to play with the younger kids and to wear them out, so they'll sleep on the way home. You'll hear a lot of laughter. Nice day for the fam.

(Photos with me in them by Leah Weiss. Others are mine.)

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Times-Dispatch: Nobody for Governor

None of the above.
I find it odd that the last time--before now--that the Richmond Times-Dispatch refused to endorse a candidate for governor came in 1967 when the choices were Republican Linwood Holton and Democrat Bill Battle. Holton won and became, arguably, the best governor in our history. (Here's a look at its opinion and other endorsements.)

Problem was and is that Holton was considered a liberal. These days, he can't find a Republican he will endorse and he remains one of the most respected, even revered, men in Virginia political history.

The T-D, which always endorses the Republican, even when the Repub is Oliver North, George Allen, Bob McDonnell or Jim Gilmore, all of them awful candidates and most terrible governors. The last time the T-D story says it endorsed a Democrat was in 1973 when it went for Democrat Mills Godwin (he changed parties and became a Republican), who had already served a term as a Democrat before Holton. Governors can't serve consecutive terms here.

One of the most ingenious endorsements of this campaign comes from the Charlottesville Daily Progress, which endorsed Bill Bolling, a Republican who lost the nomination to Ken Cuccinelli--the candidate of the Tea and other parties, none of which has any sense.

(Graphic: Richmond Times-Dispatch.)

Friday, October 25, 2013

Nice Night at Patrick Henry High

(Update: Patrick Henry won 36-29--actually coming from behind at the end of the game--in a heck of a finish that we didn't have the brass to stay for.)

 This is Oz, Maddie and me in the stands at tonight's Patrick Henry-Christiansburg High football game. My son and his wife are alums of PH and the Patriots jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half before the Demons came back to close it to two TDs by the half. Then we left. Frozen, we were.

Anyhow, the game was especially interesting because at halftime there was a reunion introduction of players from the 1973 unbeaten (13-0) state championship team, coached by Merrill Gainer, for whom the stadium is now named. I covered that team as a young sports writer and remember it well. Only three teams scored on PH that year, none in the playoffs and it had a middle guard named Barry Campbell who, to this day, I still consider the best player I ever saw in high school. He was 5-9, 160 pounds and an absolute terror. Not even a college prospect, but a hell of a high school player.

Local Daily Needs Designers Who Can Do Everything

What copy editors used to do*
Roanoke's local daily, which recently "gutted" its graphics department, according to one of those designers who was canned, is looking for ... guess what? Designers.

Here's the announcement: "We want somebody with the design and topography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but also to produce informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines."

This is one of those "new reality in journalism" jobs that means you must to be able to do everything that has ever been done in order to meet minimum qualifications. Reporters are now photographers (the photo department has also been "gutted") and videographers at our local daily. Designers are copy editors. News editors are photo department heads.

I know a couple of the designers the paper set adrift recently and they're very good at what they do (one of them, Michele Crim, worked for us at the Blue Ridge Business Journal), but I don't know them to be journalists. They're designers. If you want to see what a designer does when put in a position of editorial authority, look at Bella magazine. And cringe.

Over my long career in journalism, I've had to do just about everything (including delivering papers, stuffing them with ads, selling ads, hiring and firing people, and all the disciplines in the newsroom) and I fully understand the value of a broad base. But I don't believe it's always good.

When newspapers consolidate--as the Times and World-News did when I was there--they often make the newsrooms more efficient and help the publication cover more and serve the community better. I have watched as our daily paper has followed that thought recently by using stories from its sister papers in Virginia (Charlottesville, Richmond, Lynchburg) to great advantage. Sometimes it works.

I will also venture that over all those years in journalism, I won more awards as a designer than anything else, which does not mean I was a good designer. Actually, I never liked it, but that's what I was asked to do. Ultimately, the awards meant I was a good newspaper designer, which is different from being a good designer. A professional designer is better at that craft than a news writer/editor pushed into it. Always. And a designer will not be as good a copy editor as a wordsmith.

So you're making sacrifices in quality for quantity. That's what we're seeing in the product that newspapers give us these days: compromise and hyper-efficiency geared toward profit.

(*This photo, from allposters.com, is Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of Lynchburg native Douglas Southall Freeman in his Richmond News Leader office. Freeman won two Pulitzers and is in the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, which also inducted moi three years ago.)
We want someone with the design and typography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but to also create basic informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines. - See more at: http://blogs.roanoke.com/timessquare/2013/10/have-an-eye-for-design-were-hiring-a-graphic-artistdesigner/#sthash.utefJeGs.dpuf

Have an eye for design? We’re hiring a graphic artist/designer!

The Roanoke Times | roanoke.com is looking for a versatile graphic artist/designer to join its newsroom.
We want someone with the design and typography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but to also create basic informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines.
- See more at: http://blogs.roanoke.com/timessquare/2013/10/have-an-eye-for-design-were-hiring-a-graphic-artistdesigner/#sthash.utefJeGs.dpuf

Have an eye for design? We’re hiring a graphic artist/designer!

The Roanoke Times | roanoke.com is looking for a versatile graphic artist/designer to join its newsroom.
We want someone with the design and typography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but to also create basic informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines.
- See more at: http://blogs.roanoke.com/timessquare/2013/10/have-an-eye-for-design-were-hiring-a-graphic-artistdesigner/#sthash.utefJeGs.dpuf
We want someone with the design and typography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but to also create basic informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines. - See more at: http://blogs.roanoke.com/timessquare/2013/10/have-an-eye-for-design-were-hiring-a-graphic-artistdesigner/#sthash.sQNMjpjh.dpuf
We want someone with the design and typography skills to not only produce dynamic sports, news and features pages but to also create basic informational graphics, including maps, charts, tables and simple diagrams on deadline. The ideal candidate will also feel comfortable editing copy and writing headlines. - See more at: http://blogs.roanoke.com/timessquare/2013/10/have-an-eye-for-design-were-hiring-a-graphic-artistdesigner/#sthash.sQNMjpjh.dpuf

Libertarian Sarvis: 'It's Long Past Tragedy'

Libertarian Robert Sarvis
According to my bud Val Garner, here's what Virginia gubernatorial Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis had to say about last night's debate at Virginia Tech between the major party candidates (to which he was not invited):

“The debate didn't offer much value for voters. This is what two men without ideas or depth look like. Virginia voters were prevented from hearing me discuss the problems and challenges we face. The Commonwealth’s electorate was deprived of an opportunity to hear about my vision of a Virginia that’s both ‘Open-minded and Open for Business.’

"We've allowed our political system to become closed off from competition and good ideas, by letting the major-party candidates choose the terms of debate and exclude candidates like me. It's long past tragedy. It's become a
complete farce."

It is truly sad that the only candidate in the race not picked by insiders and supported by corporate money is the third candidate--the one not included in the festivities. I'm not voting Libertarian--even though this party usually offers the most intelligent, thoughtful and honest candidates, as is the case here--because it is a party that is anti-government. I believe in a strong role for government and must go with the Democrats, whose candidate here offends me.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Is This a New, Improved Jean Jadhon?

Jean Jadhon from her Google + page (how she sees herself?)
Have I been wrong about WDBJ news anchor Jean Jadhon all these years or was that somebody disguised as her moderating the gubernatorial debate tonight at Virginia Tech?

I've always considered her the lightest of newsroom lightweights, more Betty Boop than Walter Cronkite. She is constantly posing, being cutsy, telling animal stories, doing absolutely nothing to say, "Hey, guys, I'm serious about this job." She's rarely done anything to shake my conviction that she chose the wrong profession. Until now.

Tonight she was competent, in control, confident, decisive and an excellent moderator. I don't know who would have done it better, including WDBJ reporter Joe Dashiell, whom I would have selected for the job.

When I heard that she was going to be the moderator of a debate between two people who have no business running for governor of Virginia, I thought, "How fitting." She was better than both of them put together.

So, I'll say it: I was wrong about tonight. I'll look closely in the future. Maybe I've been wrong about Jean Jadhon all along.

Photo of the Day: When an Office Was an Office

Cool office, huh? OK, a bit on the messy side, but I knew where everything was and there was a lot of "everything" involved.

This was the old Blue Ridge Business Journal office on the corner of Mountain Ave. and Franklin Rd. in downtown Roanoke, probably about 2005 or so. We were there for about five years and I had this monster office, which was great for all the things I had to do (write, edit, assign, design, photograph, plan and hoard). I was not the messy one in the company, though.

Never liked the paneling or the carpet, but if I'd had it changed, I'd have been the one doing the changing.

Jim Lindsey had three offices. Three of them. Because he kept filling them up. I mean he filled them to chin level. When one was full, he'd go to No. 2, then No. 3. When they were all full, he took the stuff home and put it in the basement. His wife at the time was not amused, but Jim couldn't get rid of anything. And he could always find it. Never figured that out. Amazing, I thought.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Tech Museum Named for P. Buckley Moss

P. Buckley Moss Museum in Blacksburg.
I'm not sure what naming the $100 million arts building at Virginia Tech has to do with what will be featrued inside, but naming it after P. Buckley Moss is an interesting move by VP-ONE. Even if she has promised $10 million to the project.

Moss, who is enormously popular and a major Tech supporter, is not often considered to be a great artist. Moss is a New York native who suffered dyslexia as a kid, but excelled in art. She sold out her first show and in 1989 opened her popular museum in Waynesboro, featuring her Shenandoah Valley art.

P. Buckley Moss
Her art is often thought of as "folk art," but she says, in an interview with Charlottesville's The Hook, "It's not folk art. It is a realistic form of stylized impressions. It starts with an abstract concept, and I make it more understandable."

Whatever it is, it sells extremely well, whether original or print and you can find it in kitchens and dining rooms all over the Southeast.

Here's the Tech press release:

Virginia Tech has named its $100 million arts center building in tribute to artist and philanthropist Patricia Buckley Moss, whose recent donation in support of the center is one of the largest gifts the university ever has received.

“The Moss Arts Center is a spectacular testament to how important the arts are to any university that values comprehensive excellence,” Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger said Oct. 23, nine days before the center was to host its first performance.

"Speaking in the center’s third-floor lobby, Steger said the university Board of Visitors’ recent decision to name the center in Moss’ honor was particularly fitting, due not only to her generosity toward the project, but to her prominence in the arts and her longtime advocacy for incorporating the arts into education.

"Moss, who signs her paintings P. Buckley Moss, has works represented in more than 200 galleries, has won numerous awards, and is the namesake of a foundation that works with teachers to promote using the arts in teaching.

“'The arts can change people’s hearts, change their minds, and change their lives,' Moss said. 'I was lucky enough to find them at a young age, and they opened up so many learning avenues and professional opportunities for me. That is why I am so excited about the impact this wonderful facility will make on thousands of people, young and old, across this entire region of our state.'

"Moss committed $10 million toward construction of the arts center at Virginia Tech. That gift and others have been critical to funding the project.

"Designed by the award-winning architectural firm Snøhetta, the 147,000-square-foot center is located near the corner of the Alumni Mall and North Main Street."

Running Hard for the State House--And Maybe a Chance Now

Michael Abraham on the campaign trail.
My pal Michael Abraham, who is running against an incumbent Republican for the Virginia House of Delegates (Montgomery County) has gone, I think, from a guy with a snowball's chance in hell of taking the seat to one with a snowball's chance in heck.

Michael, an outspoken liberal in a district that is something else, could well benefit from both the sudden revulsion of anything Republicans and a statewide ticket that could well be a sweep. It is increasingly looking like the Repubs' 2-1 margin in the House will shrink significantly. Michael could benefit because his opponent is colorless, clueless, thoughtless and comfy with his corporate donations.

Here's Michael's take in a facebook post:

"Speaking of crap tons of money, let me tell you what it's really like out there. I'm running for the Virginia House of Delegates, 7th district. My opponent is a one-term incumbent who ran unopposed in his first race. So it was just handed to him. This time, I decided to challenge him.
Virginia has no caps on what can be given or from whom. but it must be reported and it is displayed for all to see at www.vpap.org

 
"Last time I looked at the top 25 donors,, all my opponent's money came from corporations, PACs, organizations, or special interest groups and all of it came from outside our district. All of it! All of my top 25 were people. Real, breathing people (as opposed to corporations, which are people my friend, according to some). He will outspend me 3-1 or more. I am not in anybody's pocket. But I can't work for the people if I can't win.

 
"Would I like to have some of his money? Sure. I need to compete. Much of his money came to him solely because he is an incumbent. Many organizations apparently have a vested interest in the status quo. But the system is broken. Badly. And this is just the money side of things. We haven't even begun speaking about gerrymandering and voter suppression. 

 
"Let's start committing ourselves to elected officials who will fix this. 

 
"Thank you. Now then, back to campaigning. Less than two weeks left."

GOP Wants Roanoke College's McAfee's Help with ACA Troubles

John McAfee during Roanoke College address
Now this is your modern Republican Party:

Alarmed about everything having to do with the Affordable Healthcare Act, Republicans on a House of Representatives committee looking into oversight of the ACA has asked a man once accused of murder--a man with strong ties to Roanoke College--to examine what's creating the glitches in the program. John McAfee has an honorary PhD from Roanoke College.

This is not to suggest that McAfee (a Roanoke college grad, math, 1967; benefactor; 2008 commencement speaker) would not be qualified. He's the founder of McAfee and Associates, the Internet de-bugging service that made him a gazillionaire before he wound up on the run from various governments in South America.

According to NBC's online news, "The committee thinks McAfee might have some idea how the technology was screwed up on the rollout of the ACA."

McAfee founded the antivirus software company McAfee and Associates and sold it for about $100 million in 2004. He lost most of that in the housing market crash of 2008.

A few months ago, McAfee headed for the hills when his neighbor--with whom he had a disagreement over his barking dogs--was found with a bullet in his head after the two had an argument (I keep telling you people that barking dogs are damn serious). McAfee was caught in Guatemala and shipped back to the U.S., but has never been officially charged, which makes him eligible, I guess, to be a GOP expert witness.

In his Roanoke College address (here), McAfee explained his lifestyle with this, "We could begin with my work ethic. Work has never appealed to me, and the bulk of my career was spent avoiding it. My rhythm was working until I had saved enough money to travel the world for a year or two. Then I would quit and travel the world. Wherever I ended up, when I ran out of money, I would get another job. As a consequence, the longest I ever held a position was three years, and that was while I was at McAfee. And my average position lasted about 18 months."

"It would be nice to say that after I achieved a degree of financial success, that my habits changed, but that was not the case. After three years at McAfee, I had had enough. I hired an executive to replace me, resigned, spent two years on the road, and never went back."

As somebody once said, "Nice work if you can get it."


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

A New Link for Cold Case Fans

If you're interested in following cold police cases--and I know some of you are--my bud Alice de Sturler has found a new group that might interest you (it interests her).

She's written about it on her blog (here), so follow the link and see what you think (hey, I made a rhymie). Alice taught about cold case blogging at our Writers Series class a week ago and she was dynamite.

Hey, Oz! What Color Is Your Pumpkin?

Oz went pumpkin hunting Sunday and came home with a big white one. I have no idea where he got the idea pumpkins were white, but the choice seems to be a happy one.

Photo of the Day: Guess What This Is

Nope, it's not a bug, it's a turtle, a tiny turtle. I found it in Wasena Park today and took it off the road. It settled into the sand next to the river, happy as a ... well ... clam. The little guy should be safe now. Smallest turtle I ever saw.

Val's Dropping Out of the News Rush; It's a Loss

Val Garner
My buddy Val Gardner (with whom I often have a briskly disagreeable relationship) announced yesterday on Facebook that she's shutting down Roanoke Free Press because she only has two hands and one head.

Val has done yeoman's duty with this politically-significant website since she left the little right-wing Roanoke weekly, the Star, because ... well, because of a lot of things. She's been trying to supplement her retirement income with the Free Press, but advertisers aren't easy to catch these days, especially when you're selling the Internet.

Val does what she does--covering local politics--as well as anybody in this area has in a long time. She is passionate about it, knows it, understands it and has a feel for how people are directly affected. She has her preferences and her biases and makes absolutely no bones about them, but even the people on the other side of the political aisle from her respect that she will be fair.

I hate to see her stop and, frankly, don't expect it will go that far. We need more like her, not fewer.

Can Dems Take Advantage of Huge Lead in Va?

This, fresh off politicalwire.com:

"A new Rasmussen survey in Virgina shows Terry McAuliffe (D) has jumped to a 17-point lead over Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the Virginia gubernatorial race, 50 to 33 percent. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis is a distant third with 8 percent."

The underlying message here is that  even with the worst Democratic candidate for governor in my memory, the Republicans have gone so far away from reality that they're losing in an epic landslide. This has a very strong national message that the GOP will strongly deny, opening the way for taking back the House next year and re-taking the presidency in 2016.

It has more to do with people being anti-Republican than pro-Democratic. The Dems are actually hovering in the center of the political spectrum, but the demonization of the party--especially on talk radio and Faux News--is so thorough that people will hate them no matter what they do (including adopting Republican programs like the ACA).

Dems need to be careful and responsive if they are to take advantage of this gap. Redistricting is looming and it is crucial that the Democrats take state general assemblies and governorships in order to turn the corner here and take back the government. It is not a certainty by any means, but now it looks possible.

Death of the GOP in a Nutshell

Carlo Key
This is a campaign ad for Republican judge Carlo Key of Texas, who has just switched parties, leaving the Republicans because:

"I cannot tolerate a political party that demeans Texans based on their sexual orientation, the color of their skin or their economic status. ... For too long, the Republican party has been at war with itself. Rational Republican beliefs have given way to ideological character assassination. Pragmatism and principle have been overtaken by pettiness and bigotry. ... I cannot place my name on the ballot of the political party that is proud to destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of federal workers over the vain attempt to repeal a law that would provide health care for millions of people throughout our country."

Monday, October 21, 2013

Photo of the Day: Holding Down the Fort in Vinton

This is the staff of the Vinton Messenger in about 1982 or '83 (best guess). That's ad rep Sara Wooldridge on the left and Nita Echols, the office manager, on the right. Santa was a grumpy old local man whose name I don't recall. I do remember that he didn't have the disposition to be Santa, though he had the look. The beard was his.

Sara does artwork in San Fran these days and Nita is still anchoring Vinton--from Dick Cranwell's office. We had a grand time over there. Sara and Nini (which is what I called Nita) were two of the best people I ever worked with, even though the gig wasn't exactly at the top of the journalism ladder.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

'Magic Flute': It's for Somebody Else, Not Me

Leah and I were on the way home from our first opera a little bit ago when she turned to me and said, "I never loved you so much as when you turned to me as the intermission curtain came down and said, 'Let's escape.' It was painful."

This was our first--and likely last--opera and I won't fault Opera Roanoke, Mozart, "The Magic Flute", the cast, the director, the set designer, the lighting guy, or a shirt and pants that fit me a bit too snug around the edge. We just didn't like it. It's not our bag and it is not likely to be. But I think we're both glad we went in the same we would have been happy to have survived our first plane crash.

The reasons for the awkward fit for us are basic: a story that edges toward the moralistic/simplistic children's book, rather than literature, music that is tuned to an ear that is not mine and an ambiance that is simply foreign to my taste. (Leah, who majored in music, agreed on all points.)

I will say that the full house was fully appreciative, laughing, clapping, leaning forward in seats and enjoying the experience in a way I did not understand. I'm tickled they liked it. I'm glad we have good opera here. But I still don't like it.

Today's Photo: Tinker Mountain in the Fall

Leah and I went for a walk on the Hollins campus this morning and this was part of the view: Tinker Mountain in your face.