List Mania

So at the start of a new semester, I always find myself making lists. Most of them are to-do lists: what do I need to do to get ready for classes, what do I need to do for each class, what do I need to do with respect to fellowship applications and, of course, what else do I need to do that's somehow incredibly important but doesn't fall on those other lists.

Then there's the occasional update to one of my Top Ten Lists. My newest addition squeaked in at #10 on my list of

Top Ten Things My Life Would Have Been Complete Without

#10. Attempting to accelerate up to the speed limit on an interstate in a car whose transmission was "slipping" (AKA it wouldn't shift gears).

#9. Under-rotating a front tuck off the high beam.

#8. Flying a plane with the door open.

#7. Skiing. Or perhaps, more specifically, falling while skiing.

#6. Having a tree (or part thereof) fall upon any structure in which I am currently residing, especially when I am in charge of Girl Scouts also residing in that structure.

#5. Hydroplaning, skidding on ice, or any other vehicular loss of control (especially in a bus). Bonus points if the brakes give out while you're at it.

#4. Shattering glass all over myself.

#3. Having a trailer come unhitched from the back of the SUV at 65mph in rush hour traffic out of Norfolk (note: said trailer was still chained to the back of the SUV).

#2. Grading midterms at a funeral and final papers in an ICU waiting room, all in the same semester. And throw in studying for comprehensive exams, just in case that's not enough.

#1. Having an asthma attack, especially those that result in visits to my friends at the ER.

Welcome to Urbana-Champaign

So I'm playing catch-up a bit here, because I actually arrived in Champaign on Wednesday afternoon after a 5-hour car drive from Dayton, Ohio. (That drive was preceeded by a 9-hour car drive from Virginia.)

I'm staying in an Extended Stay Hotel about 2 miles north of the University. It's a typical motel-style hotel, complete with funky smell from the ventilation system that doesn't keep the smoking and non-smoking rooms hermetically sealed. My asthma loves it already. But the price is right and the people there are uber-friendly and helpful, so I'm not complaining (too much).

The biggest problem I foresee right now is my location. My motel is in the middle of EVERYTHING. Seriously. From Radio Shack to David's Bridal. And don't forget the bizillion places to eat (all within walking distance) - Lonestar Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Taco Bell, Subway, Burger King... To get to campus I have to bike past: Panera, McDonald's, Olive Garden, Barnes & Noble, and ToysRUs. And that's just the first quarter mile.

On to the work stuff. UIUC's rare books & manuscripts library is fantastic, and so are the people in it. Alvan took my down into the sacred vault - the stacks where all the books are stored - shelf after shelf of ancient folios, quartos, and octavos! It was like heaven in an air-conditioned warehouse.

A massive storm rolled in when I first arrived on Wednesday, which would have made the perfect setting for a murder mystery. I can see it now:

It was a dark and rainy afternoon at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). The staff of the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library huddled around a battery-operated radio, listening to the weather report: hail, tornados, and severe thunderstorms. One of the interns had just gone down to the stacks and brought a flashlight, just in case the power failed. Because of course, on a day like this, the power inevitably would fail at some point...

Other random items of note:

1) The coffee shop (located in the underground tunnel with connects the various libraries, because we wouldn't want to overshadow the cool agricultural experiments going on next-door) only serves loose-leaf tea and calls Earl Grey "China Grey." Must be a copyright thing. I decided to bring my own Twinings tea bags from now own because, well, it's Twinings!

2) I asked Valerie about a staining pattern on one of my books today... and she sniffed it. Oh yeah.

Research accomplished so far:

I've read a bunch of copies of Recorde's Grounde of Artes. So far nothing too exciting, but I'm going to shift over to almanacs next week and then am expecting to find gold! This is based on what Alvan's told me about his own research - but more on that later. I think this is enough blogging for a Friday night!