The Carroll saga....

Another illuminating letter in the continuing saga at Carroll College. It is a little out-dated, but interesting nonetheless.

Dear Colleagues:

I think we can agree that the Faculty Meeting on Monday could prove to be
important. I, for one, am looking forward to hearing from the FEC and the
exchange of views.

For what it's worth, I'd like to offer the following thoughts in advance of
this meeting.

This is my fifth (and final) year working at Carroll College. Five years ago
I was pleased to accept an offer to teach at "Wisconsin's Oldest College."
Like others who have agreed to offer their services to Carroll, I was eager
to join the faculty of an institution which was publicly proud of its
Liberal Arts heritage, "the Princeton on the Prairie" (I was told).

My own story is not unique: I uprooted my family to move some 3000 miles
from Oregon to take advantage of this opportunity. My wife gave up her law
practice so that I might pursue my career in teaching. My two kids were
thrown into a new community.

I remember very well arriving at the College in a Ryder truck, parking it in
the lower lot because I had no other place to put it. I remember, too, the
generosity of Gary Stevens, John Clausz, Tim Fiedler, and others, in helping
me move our stuff into our rental in the Pebble Creek development. I felt
welcomed by Carroll. (The only discordant note was the fact that, upon my
arrival, I learned that the man who had actually hired me, Bob Black, had
been replaced, seemingly while I was on the road.)

So, like all of us, I threw myself into my teaching and my scholarship and
tried to make a positive contribution to the College. The first hint of
serious trouble came in the Spring of 2000. The English Department had its
annual meeting with the Administration, this time with both Dennis Mick and
Lynne Bernier. My English Department colleagues and I had spent a great deal
of time in advance of this meeting coming up with ways to "contribute
significantly to our goals of strengthening Carroll College," to quote from
Frank's most recent missive. We hadn't gotten more than four words out when
Dennis and Lynne responded, in unison, that there was simply no money
available to support our ideas. (Remember: this was the Spring of 2000, at
the height of our recent economic fortunes.) I was concerned enough about
their reaction that I formulated the "Draft Resolution on Institutional
Priorities and Liberal Arts Instruction at Carroll College." In order to
underline the concern over the direction of the College, I circulated the
Resolution only among junior faculty members, more than a dozen of whom
signed the thing. You will recall, too, that I approached all three academic
divisions with this Resolution in an attempt to spark a discussion
concerning the priorities and values of the College.

Since the Spring of 2000, the agenda of Tom and Frank has become
increasingly clear. While mouthing platitudes about "a strong, broad-based
liberal education" at Convocations, Commencements, and in directives from
Voorhees, this Administration has actively pursued policies which serve only
to downsize the College's commitment to offering a strong Liberal Arts
curriculum. The recent Strategic Directions Task Force report, clearly
manipulated by the Administration's data inputs, rubrics for manipulating
data, and choice of participating members, is merely a final, and public,
unveiling of its unfortunate Master Plan for the College.

I would like to suggest that we would do well to distinguish between the
different issues which are in play at the moment.

The first issue concerns what it might mean to be a "Liberal Arts College,"
or a College with "a strong Liberal Arts core," or some such. As a community
we have batted this ball around quite a bit since I got here five years ago
(and I'm quite sure that ball was in play well before). Tom and Frank and
their minions have argued over and over again that the changes they have in
mind do not represent a threat to our definition as a [strong] Liberal Arts
College. Indeed, they have even argued that these changes actually
strengthen the College's commitment to its Liberal Arts "core."

The fact that the Faculty of the College has, to its credit, consistently
rejected these claims has not dissuaded Tom & Frank & Co. Thus one stasis
point: the Administration arguing for one definition (as it "downsizes" and
"reallocates"), the Faculty insisting on a different definition.

The second, and more important, issue concerns the processes we have engaged
in working out our notions of what Carroll is, or ought to be. I think it is
fair to say that this Administration has claimed a tremendous amount of
authority in charting our common course. I have read the edicts handed down
from Voorhees. I have tried to work with representatives of this
Administration on governance committees. The clear message has been: it's
the Administration's way or the highway.

I understand that there are relevant historical reasons for the posture of
the Administration (and the Faculty). For good or ill, a Devil's Bargain was
agreed to in the early 1990s in response to very real economic problems at
the College. In this Bargain the Faculty ceded authority over curricular
decisions (and thus the status and direction of the College) to the Board of
Trustees (and ultimately to the Board's designee, the President).

Those of us who signed on to the College after this Bargain was struck have
never been comfortable with its terms (and, generally speaking, have not
felt bound to it). (We are not alone.)

Given all of this, I think it is understandable why many (Junior and Senior)
Faculty members have reacted negatively to the Administration's exercise of
its power.

We can argue until the cows come home whether or not Carroll, in whatever
guise, qualifies as a [strong] Liberal Arts institution. For myself, and for
many of my colleagues, I suspect, the real question concerns HOW we come to
answer this question.

If I may speak bluntly: until this Faculty decides collectively to challenge
this Administration's exercise of power and authority, nothing will change.
As we have seen, the Administration is quite eager to redefine the College
(bolstered by wonderful new books on setting our priorities, ecstatic
visions of the Promised Land, etc.) If this Faculty doesn't have the stomach
to challenge this power and authority, I don't think there's much to discuss
on Monday; we ought better to shut up and proceed with our jobs as
"employees" of the Board and its Administration.

The alternative, of course, is to reclaim our historic (and, I would argue,
appropriate) authority to chart the academic life of this institution.

Until recently, even the Board and Frank acknowledged this authority (or at
least paid lip service to it). If you read carefully the statement released
by Frank today, however, you will notice that some slippage seems to be
occurring even as we speak. Frank notes that the Board "cannot agree to
relinquish final authority for all decisions." This is a logical fallacy, of
course, and one with pernicious import. To my knowledge, the Faculty has
never expected, or demanded, "final authority for all decisions."
Rhetorically, this establishes an unreal opposition: either we agree with
Tom & Frank's Master Plan (and are thus moderate and reasonable) or we
disagree (and are thus placing extreme demands on the College and its Board
of Trustees, demands which will implicitly ravage the College economically).


Let us state the case clearly: the real threat to the economic (if not
intellectual) livelihood of the College has NEVER been posed by those who
have advocated a continued (even increased) commitment to our Liberal Arts
core. All the talk of "entrepreneurial nimbleness" notwithstanding, Tom &
Frank's Master Plan has represented, and continues to represent, the single
greatest threat to the continued viability of Carroll College. Ask your
students. Ask their parents. Ask yourselves . . .

But I am speaking of process here. Process matters. Some questions I would
like to have answered at Monday's meeting:

1) If what we are engaged in is a rational (let alone ethical) process, how
can we explain the fact that about 18 months ago (well in advance of the
"Prioritization" analysis) the chair of the Chemistry Department was told by
Lynne Bernier that only two of its three junior members would, a priori,
stand a chance of being granted tenure?

2) Why did Lynne Bernier explicitly threaten my own position during my
4-year review last Spring (again, well in advance of the supposedly
objective "Prioritization" effort)?

{these were NOT boiler-plate, cover-the-College's-behind statements--ask
your colleagues in the Chemistry and English departments, or members of the
T&P committee}

3) What business does the Strategic Directions Task Force (or Frank, for
that matter), have in dictating how ENG 170 ought to be taught? You will
recall that the proclamation has gone out across the land that forthwith ENG
170 will henceforth focus on "basic skills." No more mucking about with,
e.g., fostering written reasoning or critical thinking (which can only yield
citizens who might, e.g., object to the brazen and egomaniacal exercise of
raw power by our President (which one, you ask? I, too, grow more confused
by the day . . .)

4) Are we doomed to repeat history? It's time to recognize the facts of the
case. Which of these claims is in dispute?:

a) Frank Falcone lost his previous job after alienating key constituencies
(including
Faculty and Students)
b) Frank Falcone lost his previous job by attempting to "reshape" his
College according
to his unique vision
c) Frank Falcone was hired by Carroll College because nobody else would take
the job
d) Frank Falcone has completely alienated key constituencies at Carroll
College (including Faculty, Students, Alums, Emeriti, Parents, etc.)
e) Frank Falcone has completely alienated key constituencies at Carroll
College by attempting to "reshape" it according to his unique vision
(reified by the power handed him upon his ascension to the throne)

We all know, however, that should Frank abdicate, Carroll College would not
be out of the woods. Frank is Tom's creature. As long as Tom exercises his
power on the Board of Trustees, Carroll will be graced by the Frank
Falcone's of the academic backwash. Doesn't Carroll College deserve better?
Don't you, and your partners, and your kids, deserve better? More to the
point, don't the students (and their parents) who pay $22,000 for the
privilege of attending Carroll College deserve better?

As I said, nothing will change at the College until the basic distribution
of power and authority is challenged (and "reallocated," to use the word of
the moment). Looking at the agenda for Monday's meeting, I can't really
predict what will happen. But I'm eager to find out.

Dave

David W. Gilcrest
Assistant Professor of English
Carroll College
Waukesha, WI 53186
262.524.7262 (office)
gilcrest@cc.edu

Paper trail....

I thought I would post a somewhat illuminating document regarding the happenings at Carroll College. It is an Adobe Acrobat document, and is a collection of some correspondence from members of the faculty to the president or to the board.

Check out this editorial cartoon from The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Thanks to Pauline and, in turn, Leanne, for bringing this to my attention.

Whack-job Alert!

The PETA drought ends. Fashion designer has the last laugh as whack-job demonstrators' plan backfires. Check out the story.

Propaganda....

More propaganda from the Carroll College Alumni Office:

Summary of Carroll College Board of Trustees Action

March 7, 2003

The Carroll College Board of Trustees met today to review recent actions on
campus, including the faculty vote of no confidence in President Frank S. Falcone
on March 3, 2003.

Thomas F. Badciong, Chairman of the Carroll College Board of Trustees and a
1962 graduate of Carroll, said the board thoroughly reviewed the faculty rationale
for its recent action.

"These are important issues that concern all of our students, alumni, faculty
and staff," Badciong said. "The trustees remain committed to ensuring the
long-term success of Carroll College and to providing the very best educational
experience for our students."

To address issues identified by students, faculty and alumni, the board
approved the following resolutions:

RESOLUTION 1: The Board of Trustees reaffirms the Carroll College Mission
Statement and Vision Statement, both adopted in May 1995, and its Statement of Roles
and Responsibilities, adopted in May 1996.

RESOLUTION 2: The Board of Trustees requests the continuation of the
prioritization process. The Board endorses the inclusion of students and alumni, along
with faculty, in the subsequent review and study of recommendations to take
place during the 2003-2004 academic year.

RESOLUTION 3: The Board of Trustees instructs the president to lead the
appropriate constituencies of the college to once again address issues of shared
governance. This process should include a clarification of the Statement of Roles
and Responsibilities.

RESOLUTION 4: The Board of Trustees reaffirms the liberal arts as the basis of
study for all students. Faculty, staff, alumni and student views should be
considered in an examination of the liberal arts core experience.

The Board of Trustees, which includes 27 Carroll College alumni, also
unanimously approved the following resolution, proposed by Mr. P.E. MacAllister,
chairman emeritus and a 1940 graduate of Carroll College:

Resolution of Support

Whereas:
the progress of the College since 1993 has been evaluated, and is both
noteworthy and exemplary, and

Whereas:
the issues raised by the faculty have been reviewed and considered, and

Whereas:
the strategic direction of the College as currently outlined is supported, and

Whereas:
careful deliberation has been given to the record of the President over the
last 10 years, including:

10 successive years of balanced budgets.

Tuition increases averaging only 3.76 percent per year, below the average for
Wisconsin and the nation.

Enrollment increases of 50 percent, from 1,336 in 1992-93 to 2,009 in 2002-03.

Annual student financial aid increases from $6 million to $14.3 million.

Expanded educational offerings, including 9 new undergraduate majors and two
new master's degree programs.

Expanded student housing to accommodate rising enrollment.

An increase in total faculty positions, from 120 to 230.

The creation, through donor funds, of six new endowed faculty positions.

A successful capital campaign, which had an original goal $25 million, but
raised more than $36 million.

The completion of more than $30 million of campus improvements.

Be it resolved that the Carroll College Board of Trustees hereby strongly
affirms the leadership of Dr. Frank S. Falcone and authorizes the board chairman to
extend his contract.

The Board of Trustees expressed its desire to have the entire Carroll College
Community work together in a collaborative fashion to advance the college and
serve our students.

"We hope that together, we can all move forward in the spirit of cooperation to
ensure Carroll's future," Badciong said.

Propaganda....

I never knew Carroll College was in the propaganda business. Check this out:

Dear Carroll College graduate,

We have recently received several inquiries from alumni regarding planning initiatives at Carroll. We want to provide you, our alumni, with access to information on these issues.

Please be assured that all of us who are members of the Carroll College community - alumni, students, faculty, staff and the Board of Trustees - remain committed to the liberal arts foundation on which this college was founded. No one has proposed moving away from our traditional liberal arts core experience for all students. In fact, we are considering ways to strengthen it.

The issue is not whether to preserve the liberal arts, but how to support them.

Please go to our web site and click on alumni for more information.


Sincerely,

Erin L. Brauer '00
Director of Alumni Relations

Tooth and nail....

More information comes to light in the recent events at Carroll College. I found this article today online, from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I wish there was a little more information available. While it is true ousting Frankie may not be a long-term solution, I think the fact of the matter remains that control of the curriculum should lie with the faculty alone. If it takes ousting Falcone to do that, then so be it.

No confidence....

Amy brought this article to my attention. It is, of course, in regards to the continuing fracas at Carroll College. I think it is a step in the right direction. I certainly hope that the faculty can continue on the path they're on, the path of regaining control of the curriculum. It's a shame that they should have to do this at all. At a private college, why should anyone but the faculty be in control of the curriculum?

Trading up....

Friday I had a day off, so I was able to take care of some errands and some other things I wanted to do.

I had called my credit union, where my auto loan is, in the hopes of getting it refinanced at a lower interest rate. After talking to a lady there, I found out she could do it, but because of Wisconsin laws, she needed more information about Maryanne. I got the requisite information, and tried calling back. I wasted a good portion of the afternoon trying to return her call and wait for her to call back, leaving her three voicemails in the process. She never did call back.

Thus I got a much later start than I wanted to in heading out to Stoughton and checking out Kayser Dodge. It turned out it was worthwhile, though. While I wasn't able to trade up to a new vehicle, I was able to trade up to a truck that's two years newer, and the payments won't be much more than what I've been paying. It was a productive day.

Blog!

Well, it look like at long last I may have this blog thing working. Took a little bit of effort, as I had to somehow circumvent the lack of FTP capabilities on Yahoo. Thanks to Charter Pipeline, though, I was able to work around it.

More news forthcoming!

Uproar....

Amy brought my attention to this article about Carroll College, which we both attended. It does not bode well. While I don't think Carroll is in any trouble of suddenly going away, it certainly faces some hard financial times. This latest debacle, a potential attempt to turn it into Carroll Technical College, coupled with the on-going fracas over fraternities on campus, will certainly cause alumni to think twice about making donations to the school. Just as I am reaching the point in my life where I can begin to consider such a thing, actions like this from the administration are causing me to consider otherwise.

Furniture....

Our new furniture was delivered yesterday. I had the day off because of my 5/4 schedule at work, and Maryanne got her AWP day switched. The delivery men arrived around 12:10, just as Maryanne was leaving to go to a meeting. The kitchen and living room both look so much better with new furniture in them.

The old dinette set went to Goodwill, along with some other items we no longer needed or wanted. The rest of the quite pleasant afternoon was spent running some other errands, though we forgot to get coasters to help protect our new end tables.

Furnishings....

A number of furniture stores in Madison had sales over the weekend. They did what they intended: packed the customers into the stores. Parking at the west-side American was horrendous. We didn't find anything we were looking for there, so we moved on to Steinhafel's. Parking was better, but we found the same situation. On our way back home we stopped at Oak Express, on the east side, and found what we were looking for, and much better parking. We ended up with a dining room table with four side chairs and a pair of end tables. We probably could have stood to buy two more chairs, but frankly, we don't have the room for them right now. It turned into a productive but tiring weekend.

Bad driver alert....

American Family Insurance employees drive like assholes. Not all of them, of course, but enough to want me want to leave nasty messages on their cars and bludgeon the drivers.

Today it was an asshole in a dark, smoky gray Pontiac Grand Prix. He was obviously in a hurry, not only to get to work, but apparently in a hurry to break four traffic laws to do so! He pulled into the wrong lane making a left turn, passed two cars at once (myself included), passed on the right, and, of course, was speeding. I hope he gets a blowout!

Moving forward....

Steve Jackson, gaming-industry guru, reflected upon the loss of the Columbia:

There's no such thing as "routine" in space. The Columbia was only a few minutes from landing when... what? Maybe we'll never be sure. Frontiers are dangerous.

The heroes on Columbia knew the dangers and were proud to accept them. The team that built and launched the shuttle, no less heroes, did their best -- more than their best. We could build a better shuttle if we started from scratch today, and perhaps we should. But what we must not do is get bogged down in hand-wringing, finger-pointing, and blame-shifting.

We must continue toward space. Not because heroes died. Merely in spite of it. No frontier was ever explored without risk, and to insist that all possible risk be avoided is the same as saying "Give up and stay home." And we absolutely must not give in to those who will seize upon this tragedy as an excuse to further gut our space program. The future is out there. Resources, knowledge, a home for humanity other than this one fragile planet... we must reach space, while we still can.

We lost seven heroes yesterday. Mourn them, but honor their dream. Close ranks and go on.

No Animal House....

Carroll College, my alma mater, is in the news. They have become one of many schools to get worked up about fraternities and believe the answer to be shutting down their fraternity houses. Check out the story from the Milwaukee Jounral-Sentinel.

Engaging....

In my zeal yesterday to post about my frustrations with Madisonian drivers, I neglected to make note of some more happy news from the weekend: my sister got engaged.

On Sunday my sister said yes to her boyfriend of some time. I've lost track of that time myself, but I think it's something like two years. I don't know any more. In the end, though, it doesn't matter, because what does matter is that they're both happy.

In a hurry....

Today started off as a somewhat normal, if chaotic day. My wife began her math class at the local tech college today, and had to rise early because of that. However, once I left the house and got on the road, I should have suspected things would change. There were more people on the road than there normally are when I drive to work, and of course, most of them were in a hurry and doing asinine things like tailgating and speeding.

The final straw, if you will, came when I pulled into the drive leading to the parking ramp at work. I had made it about three quarters of the way, a distance of over a quarter of a mile, when I was suddenly being tailgated. I had seen the car before: a bright yellow Audi TT. The driver backed off, but took the first entrance into the parking ramp, and I took the second. As I proceed through the ramp on my way to spiral upwards, who should appear suddenly in front of my, nearly cutting me off, but that same yellow Audi TT. And people wonder why there's road rage.

The fact of the matter is, if you have to speed, or otherwise drive like an asshole in order to make it to work on time, you should be leaving home earlier. I try to be a defensive driver, but unfortunately all this aggressive driving is a little contagious. I find myself driving a little too quickly at times, and often have to change lanes long before I would otherwise need to for fear of being cut off or not being able to change lanes when I'd like. Driving around Madison is not very pleasant. The only blessing is that I don't have to drive on the belt-line.

Chicken!

An editorial about those whack-jobs I love to hate, PETA.

Disarming....

Gun control doesn't work. Just ask England.

Dissin' the Colonel....

Whack-jobs against Colonel Sanders - PETA takes on KFC. Read all about the fun.

The letter of the law....

Another gem courtesy of my wife, so you don't think I'm some kind of stuffy conservative:

Background: Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that as an observant Orthodox Jew homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned in any circumstance.

The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to follow them.

1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
   
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
   
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
   
4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
   
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 5:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
   
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
   
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
   
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?
   
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
   
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
    

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Jake

Food for thought....

I received this in my e-mail some time ago from my wife, and thought I would share it.

Think about this:

1. The number of physicians in the US is 700,000.
   
2. Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year is 120,000.
   
3. Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.
   

(US Dept. of Health & Human Services)

Then think about this:

1. The number of gun owners in the US is 80,000,000.
   
2. The number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) is 1,500.
   
3. The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.0000188.
   

Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun
owners.

Fact: Not everyone has a gun, but almost everyone has at least one doctor.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets out of hand. As a public health measure I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear that the shock could cause people to seek medical attention.

"Milk for the masses...."

Scottish students unite against whack-jobs from PETA. It makes me proud enough to shed a tear.

Protecting freedom....

Hunting around the internet, I found a couple of articles, one called Fun with the Second Amendment, and the other called Why We Liberals Don't Like Guns. The first article, surprisingly enough, seems fairly intelligently presented, recognizing the fact that guns aren't the cause of American crime, and removing them from the equation won't truly solve the problem. However, they obviously don't understand the intention of the Second Amendment, an intention corroborated by the writings of such people as Thomas Jefferson. Sadly, the second article simply presents them as a bunch of doddering milquetoasts, if not exactly whack-jobs, and they seem to be the people Ben Franklin was referring to when he said "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

While this might indeed seem extreme, as does wondering why anyone should be up in arms about a ban on assault rifles, stop and think for a moment. Where does one draw the line? While they may be assault rifles now, they'll be pump guns next, followed by any repeater. The laws present on the books in California prevent a champion target shooter from practicing in her own state with a small-bore, single shot target rifle. Absurd! you say? Damn right! But that's California for you.

California now... what next? Nowhere, I hope. Instead, I offer these collected quotations on the topic of freedom.

Wonder no more....

As if we needed to confirm what piss-poor drivers the denizens of Chicago are, my wife and I went to that same city over the weekend to visit with some friends. While we enjoyed our time there, there were two things we despised: the drive there, and the drive back. The worst, by far, was the hit-and-run trifecta coming out of the last toll plaza on our way in. A van side-swiped a car, taking out the driver's side mirror, and once they had pulled off onto the shoulder, the van took off. When the car caught up again they both pulled off onto the shoulder, and the van took off again. You'd think they'd both had learned their lessons, but this strange thing happened a third time. And people wonder why the residents of Wisconsin hate Illinois drivers.

Soup's on!

Campbell's is donating a can of soup (up to 5 million) to area food banks just by clicking on any helmet (We like the Packers one though) at their website. It's quick, easy and can be done once a day. It's really simple and is for a really good cause! Some inspiration -- Packer fans ruled last year, having twice as many cans as the 2nd-place team.

Good-bye....

On Thursday, October 3, 2002, my father passed away quietly at home. He was 55 years old. He was eulogized by friends who loved and respected him. The service was performed by Pastor Vance, who may not have known Dad very well, but nonetheless conducted a beautiful service. I'm sure it was all quite more of a fuss than Dad would have wanted, but anything less would have been insufficient.

No sense of humor....

Well, it looks like PETA can't take a joke. Barnes & Noble removed the review that I previously linked. Now we can say that not only is PETA a bunch of whack-jobs, but they're whack-jobs without a sense of humor.

It lacks flavor....

Check out these reader-submitted cookbook reviews at Barnes & Noble. In honor of PETA.

Off the market....

Well, it's official now: I'm a married man. It all happened on Saturday, September 21, 2002. Frankly, even four days later, I'm exhausted. It hasn't all quite sunk in yet, but I'm happy. Everyone had a wonderful time at the ceremony and at the reception. Maryanne and I enjoyed a brief honeymoon before returning to Madison and returning to reality.

Wacky....

If you haven't checked out Fark yet, you really should. Lot's of interesting news stories here, and a wealth of stories about whack-jobs. Why, just today I found this article about some of the more over zealous proponents of environmental causes.

Bizarre....

My favorite whack-jobs, PETA, are in the news again. Check this out.

In God's name....

Their collective heart is in the right place, but the folks at the ChildCare Action Project (CAP) come across as a group of trite prohibitionists in an age when political correctness, morals, and ethics are beaten beyond recognition. It pains me to see what some people will do in the name of Christianity.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy birthday Mom!

Shining in the dark....

Maybe I should start a page about police stupidity. Following in the footsteps of the Fitchburg police office who executed the Hail Mary exit, last night was the night for the police of the city of Madison to shine. Five squad vehicles (and I say vehicles because three were cars and two were SUVs) all converging on the scene of some hubbub about 9:00 last night and not a one with their headlights turned on. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to know that Madison's finest are apparently unaware of the Wisconsin law that requires headlights to be turned on after sunset.

Setting an example....

When I was driving home from work Monday, I saw someone make a Hail Mary exit, starting in the left-most lane behind me and somehow managing to exit on the right in front of me. While it didn't really bother me, per se, since I've been known to do the same thing myself on occasion, something did strike me as interesting: the driver was a Fitchburg police officer, and he didn't use a turn signal. I'm so happy to see law enforcement officers setting a nice example for us civilians.

Lake effect....

It has been far too long -nearly a month- since the last time I posted any news. In that time I have gotten a new job and moved to Madison, Wisconsin. It's quite a change of pace moving from a small town like Algoma to a city like Madison. One of the biggest noticeable changes has been the weather: I really miss Lake Michigan! I now truly appreciate the lake effect, for there has been some very humid weather around here.

But "it does a body good...."

I read this article on Ask Yahoo! about why the winner of the Indy 500 drinks milk. I was very disturbed to find those whack-jobs at PETA want to do away with this longstanding tradition, claiming milk to be a "beverage born out of cruelty to baby calves" and a "racist drink." Of course, this isn't the first time PETA has done something fairly ridiculous; it seems that most of their hare-brained schemes tend to backfire. Maybe they should devote their time to more constructive things.

Forget Geico....

Today is my 25th birthday. I'm a quarter of a century old now. The good news is that this means my auto insurance rate will be lower.

Excitement!

Two posts today. Can you believe this shit? I can't.

I am quite ecstatic over the fact that it may seem, at long last, that Deep Purple's tour stop in Milwaukee may be confirmed. Tickets don't go on sale until Saturday, though, which leaves me plenty of time to get a confirmation of that fact.

The first of May....

Well, today is the 1st of May. It should be a time when we know it's spring, but here in northeast Wisconsin there is actually a chance of snow in the forecast.

Dead end....

After conducting a brief test, I have found further evidence of GeoCities' shortcomings in that it does not support PHP. I also doubt it supports CGI/Perl scripting of any sort, at least if you do it yourself. So far about all it does seem to support is HTML and JavaScript. I'm very disappointed by it all. I'd love to learn some PHP, and get back to some CGI/Perl scripting, but sadly, using GeoCities is like a one-way street that ends in a cul-de-sac.

Going down....

You know, I used to be such a fan of Yahoo. They had a monstrous index, free e-mail, free web-hosting, free games. I was even willing to put up with all the ads all over the place (with the help of Panicware's Pop-Up Stopper). Now, they're charging for everything, and it's reaching the point where there are a lot of limitations. There are lots of things I'd like to do with this website and can't, and you now have to pay if you want to access your Yahoo mail with a POP client or forward your Yahoo mail to another account. I almost hate to say it, but Yahoo may be headed for the shitter. Not financially maybe, but as far as my opinion of it goes.

Unexpected....

I should have posted much sooner, like Monday. Monday was the day Wayne Harmann, the owner of Harmann Studios, my employer, died suddenly and unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack. The situation, of course, has caused a lot of grief for friends and family, which includes the employees of the company, because of our size. The visitation was held Wednesday evening, and the funeral mass was Thursday morning.

With this turn of events comes a bit of uncertainty about the future, but indications are that the family wishes to continue in the business. On a personal level, I am glad, since it means I will continue to have a job. On a wider scope, I am glad as well, because it means that the family is finding a way to move onward.

Hilarious!

The Fox network has done it again. Last night I was actually able to watch an entire episode of "Greg the Bunny." This show is hilarious. I'm sure using puppets helps. The lines would be funny spoken be actual actors, but when spoken by puppets they're hilarious. It's pretty twisted humor. That's probably why it appeals to me so much.

Dream on....

So early this morning sometime I had this very unusual dream. I won't go into much detail. Let it be sufficient to say that it involved some people and places from my past, my college years, more specifically. I suspect it all has to do with watching "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" on Fox last night. I'll be sure to watch next week to see what other fucked-up images my brain can produce for me during R.E.M. sleep.

April Fools!

According to John C. Dvorak, I should be posting here everyday, while I'm at work, complaining and using blog slang ad nauseum. While the piece seems to be tongue-in-cheek, that's not going to stop me from saying that John C. Dvorak is a strange man.

In local news, we're having a wonderful snow storm today. The temperature is hovering right around 32° F, meaning it's a sloppy, messy, and dangerous snow storm. Just in time for April. Maybe it's Mother Nature's April Fools' joke.

Blogless....

Well, it seems that yet another month has gone by without me posting any kind of news or commentary. I'm sure you're all thinking, "Terry, how could this happen?" Well, it's pretty easy, really. You just don't post anything. Call me crazy. "You're crazy!" See what watching too much Match Game does to you?

So, to update you on a few things.... It may actually look like spring is on the way. And those of you who know me well know that spring is my favorite season. Also, the blog thing didn't happen. Seems I need PHP code to do it. I don't know PHP code, and even if I did, I don't think GeoCities would support it (they're funny about writing your own code). So, unless those web gurus on the GeoCities team can generate a blogging tool that's not fubar, or unless I move this site somewhere else, there won't be a blog here, at least not in the true sense of the term.

A blog only in name....

Well, it seems that I've neglected to post any kind of news update for over a month. Shit happens. Either for lack of material or lack of motivation, I hadn't done anything here. Sue me.

While this little news and commentary thing amounts to a web log (a "blog" for all the technophiles out there), I have yet to get the motivation to use one of the many web logging services out there. Maybe it's a fear that it won't use my style sheet properly. Maybe it's a fear that it won't archive properly. I guess some research is in order.

Happy Birthday!

A very happy birthday to my fiancee!

Senseless....

Well, there's not really that much to comment on, but since I'm sitting here kind of bored and unmotivated, I thought I would produce a news update. You may ask how I can produce a news update without news. I'm kind of wondering that myself. But since I also use this space for commentary, I can do what I like. It's my website, after all.

I had no idea planning a wedding would be so time consuming! While there's a marginal sense of urgency for the time being, there's no need to panic yet. The date is set, the church is reserved, and the reception hall is reserved. However, there remains plenty to do.

Looking ahead....

Well, here it is, the year 2002. I'm hoping 2002 will shape up to be a better year than 2001. Not that 2001 was terrible, although after September 11 it was pretty much dominated by thoughts of what happened and the consequences of those events.

I spent a lovely New Year's in central Wisconsin with my fiancee, keeping busy with friends and future family. It was all very pleasant.

This website is averaging about 1,000 hits per year. I suppose that's decent for what is basically a personal website. More hits would be nice, though.

We are not amused....

The winter solstice finds us in conditions not very much like winter here in northeastern Wisconsin. The temperature finally plunged down to normal levels, but there's been no snow to speak of.

Something happened to one of my favorite websites, the Centre for the Easily Amused. You'll notice that's not a link. That's because as far as I can tell, the Centre is no more. I don't know what happened to it. If they had announced a move to some other URL, I wouldn't have known about it because I hadn't visited in so long. I don't know where I'm going to find my useless links from now on, aside from the occasional e-mail.

Betrothed....

Well, I went and did it: I'm finally engaged. I kept teasing Maryanne that I'd have to buy Crackerjack and find her a ring that way, so I hid the ring in a box of Crackerjack. You can imagine her surprise when she pulled the prize out of the box and found the ring inside. It was kind of amusing, really; she looked at the ring, then at me, then back to the ring, then back to me. Such excitement.

The weather is finally turning winter-like, with temperatures heading toward the freezing range. Now snow here as of yet, but I'm hoping for a white Christmas.

Something to think about....

Here's a holiday thought from Scott Adams' Dilbert Newsletter 39.0:

"I've written and rewritten this section a dozen times. My problem is that no matter how much I write, I keep condensing it down to the same thought: This holiday season, as we laugh and eat and shop and enjoy friends and family, our soldiers are in Afghanistan risking everything for us. Some of them won't come back. The rest will never be the same.

"Every one of them volunteered. They think we're worth it.

"Let's prove them right."

Unseasonable....

Thanks to some unseasonably warm weather, it seems more like spring than autumn. But in Wisconsin the weather can, and will, rapidly change.

We're exactly one week away from Thanksgiving. Which sets me to wondering why so many towns and cities are already putting up their Christmas decorations. I, for one, have always felt it appropriate to wait until after Thanksgiving to think about such things as Christmas decorations. While it is possible that many places have chosen to take advantage of the nice weather in their holiday fervor, my opinion is that they should have waited a week. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Into the unknown....

Autumn is truly upon us and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. The prelude to the holiday season has begun as people and businesses get serious about Christmas shopping. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. We head towards a new year with an uncertain future.

An anniversary....

Today marks the day that my girlfriend and I have been together two years. It's sometimes hard to believe I've spent two years of my life with the same woman, but there you have it. It's been wonderful. We attempted to celebrate it this past weekend, but events saw fit to louse up my plans. It was disappointing for both of us. Life's full of disappointments, but having the right person by your side makes it a lot easier.

Good times....

I had a wonderful weekend on Lake Wisconsin with my friends. We also saw Devil's Lake State Park and some of Wisconsin Dells. The weather was clear for the most part, and the autumn colors made for beautiful scenery in central Wisconsin. I'm sure the good company helped make it such an enjoyable time.

Don't call him Wesley....

Well, since this is the place for commentary, I guess I can comment on other things other than the news, and avoid cluttering up the rest of my website with inane babble. Right now I'd like to comment on Wil Wheaton's website, though I'm sure I can think of a better method of doing such things. Anyway, check out the site. It's actually pretty damn amusing, and has some interesting links.

A season of change....

Autumn will soon be officially upon us with the approaching autumnal equinox, and the change in season brings with it other changes, as well. The horrific events of September 11, 2001, have brought a somber mood to the United States, as well as feelings of anger and resolve. The events have, for the most part, united our nation, despite cowardly actions against Moslem Americans and disagreement on what actions should be taken. I do not envy those who must make the final decisions.

Time flies....

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, marking the unofficial end of summer. Students are returning to school, tourists are going home. Where does all the time go?

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary!

Live music....

On Saturday, August 25, my girlfriend and I attended the Black Crowes concert at Oneida Bingo & Casino in Green Bay. There was no opening act. The show started on time at 8 p.m. The band played a 2-hour set (2 hours!) before leaving the stage, then came back for a 10-minute encore. The show was definitely worth the money. The Black Crowes put on an excellent live show.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my (paternal) grandfather's birthday. Happy birthday, Grandpa!

Last night our family went to visit my grandfather in the nursing home. We brought my parents' puppies. It was nice. I think Grandpa enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my (paternal) grandmother's birthday. Happy birthday, Grandma!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!

In memoriam....

A website in memory of Jerry Sese has been created. You can find it at www.inmemoryofgeraldsese.org.

A matched pair....

My sister and I gave our father an early Fathers' Day gift: a rottweiler puppy. He liked it so much, he got another one himself. The pair are known as Wolfgang (Wolfie) and Bitte.

Older....

So here it is, my 24th birthday. I don't feel old. At least yet. Maybe later. No pun intended.

Time....

Today marks 18 months that I've been with my girlfriend. Wow. That's a long time. It doesn't seem that long, though. They've been 18 very wonderful months.

May is just around the corner. With it comes those May flowers, and my birthday. In eight days I'll be (gasp!) 24 years old. Where does the time go?

Easter miracle....

Well, it turned out those April showers brought not only April flooding, but on Easter Sunday it brought a stuck truck as well. My mother, hoping to take advantage of the nice weather, set out to dig up some grape vines. Driving through the field, she decided to take the low road instead of the high road, and it proved to be our undoing, as the mud captured the truck. Over an hour later we were still stuck. We were thankfully rescued by a 4x4 and a tow rope. Perhaps it was an Easter miracle.

"Water, water everywhere...."

"April showers bring May flowers." Well, not before April showers bring April flooding. Even around here, so close to Lake Michigan, there is flooding in low-lying areas as rivers and creeks swell and overflow their banks. I haven't seen a spring this wet in quite some time.

Equinox....

Spring is here. Astronomically anyway. It's my favorite season.

Little ones....

Congratulations to my friends Pauline and Narf for their expected child. It makes you feel old when your friends start having children!

Eulogy....

In loving memory of Gerald F. Sese... born to life December 5, 1972, born to eternal life February 26, 2001

You are not forgotten, loved one
Nor will you ever be,
As long as life and memory last
We will remember thee
We miss you now, our hearts are sore
As time goes by we'll miss you more
Your loving smile, your gentle face
No one can fill your vacant place.

Jerry was eulogized as a warrior: strong, loyal, dedicated, honest, sensible. He was dependable, a pillar to lean on. He may be gone from this world, but as long as we remember him he will live on in our hearts.

So long....

Jerry Sese passed away last night. The following is adapted from an e-mail by Zach Schmidt.

• Monday, 02-19: Jerry has been feeling sick for about a week, including headaches and fatigue.
  
• Tuesday, 02-20: Jerry is admitted into Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and diagnosed with acute myelomic leukemia (AML).
  
• Wednesday, 02-21: Jerry is moved to Froedert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and a catheter is inserted for chemotherapy.
  
• Thursday, 02-22: Jerry is in good spirits, commenting on how cute the nurses are, and is actually looking forward to chemotherapy.
  
• Friday, 02-23: Jerry wakes up, vomits, and loses consciousness. He is rushed for a CT scan which shows a huge area of bleeding in the frontal lobe of his brain. ["We feel that at that point we lost him." - Zach] He has brain surgery to remove the bleeding and part of the brain. He becomes unresponsive and is put on a ventilator for the rest of the weekend. Family and friends visit all weekend, who have to go up in small groups because there are so many.
  
• Sunday, 02-25: Jerry carries a fever which when treated with Tylenol reaches 101° F; untreated Jerry's temperature spikes up to 110° F.
  
• Monday, 02-26: A chemical trace in Jerry's brain reveals brain death. The decision is made around 4:45 pm to turn off the ventilator. Zach later says, "Its with great sadness that we lost Jerry today.... His heart was so strong, it didn't want to stop beating. That guy never quits! THIS SUCKS! [sic] He didn't feel any pain, except for the vomiting, but we all know that he was no stranger to that after a night of Jack Daniels'. ...Let's... celebrate Jerry's life, and not grieve his death."
  

So it is with a heavy heart and teary eyes that I will say farewell to a man who despite his intimidating stature and demeanor was a wonderful person and a great friend, a man who always put his friends before himself. I am thankful to have known him. May he rest in a better place.

No biting!

The dog my father got for Christmas has been returned to the shelter from whence it came; the dog is a biter. The dog was willful to begin with, and had a tendency to not mind a person. Unfortunately, my parents found out the hard way just how willful it was.

A new season....

It's been almost two months since the last time I posted any news or commentary here. That's a long time, though with the holidays and whatnot in the middle of that, it went much faster than you might imagine. Or perhaps not.

In my boredom I decided to update this and tell all my readers (I hope I have some readers) that I went to the fine city of Waukesha on Saturday to see my friends from Carroll College. It was loads of fun, and it even provided me with two new quotations for the Quotation Page.

Tax season is also upon us. I've filled out all my forms all by myself. The next stop is to Xerox them for my records and send them off in the mail.

Five years....

As of yesterday I've had a counter on my website for five years. I may as well consider it the fifth anniversary of my website. It's sometimes hard to believe I've been online for that long.

Gratitude....

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Or maybe it's just down the street. In any case, it's a time when we should all think and reflect and give thanks for those things we are grateful for.

One whole year....

My girlfriend and I just celebrated our one year anniversary.

September....

I have left this news page un-updated for far too long! Far too long, indeed, since a lot has happened. My (former) roommate and best friend got married in September, I moved at the end of September, and my mother hit a deer with her car, or rather, the deer hit her.

In even more recent news, I took a trip to Waukesha this weekend, and was able to spend some time with some good friends of mine.

Poorly done....

Last night on Monday Night Football the Green Bay Packers were defeated in one of the most poorly officiated games I have seen in some time. I'm not just saying that because of the Packers' loss. There were a lot of missed calls, and a lot of bad calls. Perhaps the officials should take a cue from the NFL teams and use the preseason to sharpen their skills.

Robbed!

On Saturday the 22nd I became the victim of a crime. My wallet was stolen from the men's locker room in a health club in Madison, Wisconsin. I don't expect any sympathy. It was a lesson well learned. I was very disappointed, though, since it seems the thief was only interested in the cash, and the loss of the other items, such as my driver's license, severely inconvenienced me. I hope that someday the thief will know the same feeling I experienced.

Back the truck up!

I am now the owner of a new truck. It's not new, it's used, but it's newer and better than what I was driving before.

Birthdays....

Yesterday was my sister's birthday and today was my best friend's birthday. Last night we celebrated them both with Pat McCurdy. It was one of Pat's best shows, and a hell of a way to celebrate.

It's official....

The Summer Equinox marks the official, astronomical (and astrological) start of Summer. I am a little sad to see Spring fade away into Summer, but I also look forward to the good times that Summer is sure to bring.

Wedding bells....

Two of my friends from college were married on Saturday, once again making me feel old, and making me ponder when I will tie the knot myself.

The wedding and the following reception were an opportunity to see some old friends and share the joyous occasion. It gave me reason to reflect a bit on my past, and offered new hope for the future, as well.

At last....

At long last I have gotten a cascading style sheet to work. Rejoice!

Memorial Day weekend is on its way. It is the unofficial start of summer, and more or less the official start of the tourism season in Door County. You can look forward to heavier traffic when traveling to or from that place.

Birthday....

Today (at 10:35 a.m. CDT, to be precise) I turned 23 years old. My roommate called me Old Man. He's not much younger than I.

Getting older....

It is now May. What a glorious month. Spring is in full swing. My girlfriend and I just celebrated our six-month anniversary. And in one week I will be 23 years old. It's so exciting I can hardly stand it.

The U.S. DoJ has proposed that Microsoft be split in two as a remedy for MS's alleged monopoly. In the words of my roommate: "It's capitalism. If Adam Smith were here he'd laugh at them. Then he'd die, because he'd be really old."

America's longest pastime....

Yesterday was opening day for MLB. I can't say I was excited. I have never been excited by baseball. That may sound sacriligeous to some of you, but I don't care.

Baseball is supposed to be a summer game. Why then does it start in April and run until October? I realize that the weather in many parts of the country is pleasant then, but for much of the country, it is not. Just yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers/Cincinatti Reds game got postponed because of rain. Why start the baseball season when you know there's a good chance there's going to be rain in most of the country?

I understand that there is a difference when speaking about school sports; baseball and softball must be a spring sport. But the professional season is far too long. I'd suggest at least waiting until May to begin, and ending in September. Not enough, you say? I don't think so. Baseball has the longest season of any professional sport. Even shortening it by two months would still leave it the longest in numbers of games played, I'm sure. Even the NBA and NHL can't compare. And they're typically more exciting to watch.

Remedies....

Spring is in the air; unfortunately, it is in the form of rain. Nonetheless, the season of growth and renewal is upon us. Life returns to that which was dormant over winter, and warmth returns to the land. I love spring.

A federal judge has decided that Microsoft broke national anti-trust laws, and before too much longer will recommend remedies. I have been a long-time supporter of Microsoft, very much liking their products. I find the whole idea absurd. But in the face of the judge's decision, I hope Microsoft fares well. Windows is not the only OS available, and IE is not the only web browser available. Those who want to use other products do. If we really want to go after someone who has a monopoly on operating systems, why aren't we pursuing Apple Computer?

One of the suggested remedies in the Microsoft case has been allowing other companies to borrow source code and build their own operating systems. This will be no help. We'll spawn dozens, maybe hundreds, of operating systems that may or may not work together; Windows at least gives us a standard. Sharing Windows source code is like telling John Grisham (or your favorite best-selling author) he has to let other authors use the same characters, settings, etc., he uses so that they can be successful too.

Home seet home....

I arrived home from my Florida vacation on March 26. It was the best vacation I've ever had, I think. I was able to share it with some very good friends, which made it that much better.

Vacation....

This time next week will find me on vacation in sunny Florida. I can't wait! Is it Friday yet? No? Then I'm "Sure Happy It's Thursday!" Get it?

Changes....

Still more changes have been made to this site. As usual you can read about them on the About This Site page.

Let me call you sweetheart....

I have made it through another Valentine's Day. This one, though, was probably the best one I've ever had. Thanks go out to Maryanne, my sweetheart, for making it such a great day.

More changes....

Some more changes have been made to this site. You can refer to the About This Site page for more information.