Blowing & Drifting

Yesterday, Carleton dedicated its second wind turbine, a gift from two alums that will significantly cut the College’s energy costs and reduce its carbon footprint. In true Carleton fashion, the dedication ceremony was neither too formal nor too casual – a low-key gathering at the turbine (a mile or so east of campus); some remarks [...]

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Today I read a story in a Runner’s World special issue (unfortunately not online, though excerpted here, and not unlike this other RW story on the race) about the Dipsea Race, a 7.5 mile trail race every June in Marin County, California, from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach – up and down and up and down [...]

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Here’s Julia reading her “lovey poem” at Sibley Elementary’s “Beyond Words” literacy festival: Julia’s Poem from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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I keep thinking that a “book trailer” is something you attach to a book to haul stuff (bookmarks, a highlighter, etc.), but it’s actually a short video promoting a new book, such as Torn: True Stories of Kids, Career & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood, in which my wife has a great essay.

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Vivi cuts the rug to a few seconds of tinny Disney-fied calypso music. Dancing Queen from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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Following on yesterday’s post about my experience in Steve Kelly’s jazz history course, here are the best ten songs that I heard for the first time in the course. 10. Coleman Hawkins, “Body and Soul” (1939) 9. Nina Simone, “Love Me Or Leave Me” (ca. 1965) 8. Count Basie Orchestra, “One O’ Clock Jump” (1937) [...]

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Let’s go to the video. 33 Seconds of Sledding from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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Starting my ride this afternoon, I rode past plumes of dust and chaff from the soybean harvest across the road from our house: Just a minute later, I had to stop for wildfowl: a group of wild turkeys meandering along the road after being driven from their home fields by the harvesting. I stood stock [...]

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Here, have 57 seconds of life at our house: Vivi Dancing from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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Every Bad Plus album has one original track that defines that album for me: “Big Eater” (YouTube clip) from These Are the Vistas (2003), “And Here We Test Our Powers of Concentration” (YT) from Give (2004), “Anthem for the Earnest” (YT) from Suspicious Activity? (2005), “Physical Cities” (YT) from Prog (2007). I think all of [...]

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Friday was flood day in Northfield. Others have covered the freak storm and flash flooding in great detail, so here I’ll just post a short clip of the river flowing well above flood stage, as seen from the Second Street Bridge in Northfield, MN. Cannon River Flood at Northfield from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo. The [...]

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Tuesday night, on the recommendation of a librarian with awfully good taste in books and movies, I watched Sweetgrass, a 2009 documentary about sheepherding in Montana. I was riveted by the movie, and I recommend Sweetgrass to anyone who likes documentaries, cinematography, landscape photography, or, for that matter, the American West or sheep or wool. [...]

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After about 7″ of continuous rain in Northfield, Minnesota, things got kinda crazy. Every low spot on the Carleton College campus – even usually-invisible depressions around trees – had filled with water. The squirrels were using tiny rowboats to get to the trees. Usually the “waterfall” on the Cannon River near Bridge Square in downtown [...]

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Julia caught a little stomach-flu bug late on Saturday, keeping her up (and puking) for some time overnight  and leaving her worn out on Sunday. This meant that I spent pretty much the whole day with Vivi – taking a nice long bike ride/walk in the morning and then heading out to the Defeat of [...]

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On Friday night, the girls played some more “monkey in the middle,” which they call “Ball Thief.” Here are 23 seconds of them are in action: Ball Thief from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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