Hangout chai talk at the e-quad

Today’s “chai at the e-quad’ Hangout (2 pm Eastern Time Sunday) was like most others before it – with surprises and unexpectedly interesting topics – rain, water, books, cameras, photography, etc.

More details below – a narration and requested information.

It started out badly at 2, as I could not get my Mac to work to connect me, so I tried my PC laptop which didn’t work also, so I asked Deej where the red IPad 2 was, and that eventually connected me to Nadeem – who had been wondering patiently what the hell was going on with Philip – where was he.  We both knew that Bill K and Helen A had written that they were involved with other activities and could be at this week’s Hangout.

Weather, rain, and water was the first topic – Deej and I had just come from working for an hour in

Azalea garden plot 14 June 2015

99.1 F degree heat in our Azalea garden plot planting squash, okra, and flowers, picking up tacos for lunch on our way home. Cooling wind and threatening thunder outside was in the background, while Nadeem commented on seeing me on the screen for the first time, asked “are you feeling okay?” (sweat still running down my red face)

Here's a little rain for Nadeem.

 

He still was hoping for some 100ths of an inch of rain in southern California.  Deej asked him about water use with the swimming pools there – Nadeem said northern California was handling water restrictions better than in the south – and Deej said she had heard of the California water survey which Nadeem described – 100s of gallons of water use per person per day in many places. I agreed with David’s dire predictions and that the water crisis might be the one thing that eventually would doom the planet or almost destroy it.  Somehow we mentioned that David had just put up his Manteo, NC house for sale, as he has a much harder time using it since he’s moved from the east coast (NJ) to the west coast (SF).  $179,000 for 3 bedrooms and 2 baths is not a bad price, though.

We tried to get away from such a sad climate topics – mentioning some books. One book Nadeem had mentioned long before, and another non-academic one he had just finished (see below), and neither of them had I read as yet. He also mentioned how some books published in India were not available for purchase outside India – an increasingly strange trend, maybe because of the huge US / India book price difference.  I mentioned that our UVa Library normally used an India book vendor for books that were hard to find in the US, and he wanted to know who that was, see below DK Agencies.

We also discussed photography and cameras – I said I admired Nadeem’s wonderful photographs of flowers which he keeps putting up on Facebook – and he described how he carefully planned his flower photographs – framing, colors, angel, etc. I said I also really liked the flower photographs of a 1964 Woodstock graduate Jessie L, who has a blog and also flower photos on Facebook. And we both said we admired Mary C. L’s fantastic photography, often up on Facebook, such as her 20 or so photographs of her recent 10-weeks’ Spring 2015 journey from Ocracoke to Louisiana to Arizona to Wyoming through the mid-west and home. Nadeem described how he still had some wonderful non-digital cameras, lenses, and even film – and we speculated if their value would continue to increase as those non-digital devices became rarer.

For vastly improving the quality of photos, everyone recommends shooting only in RAW.  Most photographers now spend 20 or so minutes on each photograph, AFTER shooting, using Photoshop or Lightroom or some similar software. Ahhh, if only.

And there were other topics – but the hour-long Hangout ended around 3:15 as we went off to do our other Sunday afternoon activities. 

A surprisingly nice Hangout again at “chai at the e-quad.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

Now, my responses to some requests. I hope I've remembered most of what you (Nadeem) asked me (during today's Hangout) to send to you (and I've added to them too)

Photographer - Jessie L (Class of 1965) some good photos - she's also on Facebook
http://decisivemoments-jll.blogspot.com/

Deej’s years’ of service awards ceremony - Deej and her fellow librarians at the 2015 Awards for Service ceremony at John Paul Jones Arena, Monday June 8th.
*Video (62 seconds)
http://bit.ly/2015awardsv
*Photo album (Picasa)
http://bit.ly/2015awardsp

You asked for the India book vender D. K Agencies, which our library often times uses
http://www.dkagencies.com/

Telegraph (Kolkata newspaper) -

**2015 May 22 Fri p. 16 Politics of naming (South  Asia vs India. Swapan Dasgupta)

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150522/jsp/opinion/story_21334.jsp#.VX3cFTjbJ-

**--------------- p. 17 Cast ashore “Sleeping with Jupiter" by Anuradha Roy

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150522/jsp/opinion/story_21329.jsp#.VX3chjjbJ-U

DKAgencies does not have it, but Amazon does http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/907554760

**----------------------- Then there was light Angaaray (banned Urdu short stories translated)

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150522/jsp/opinion/story_21330.jsp

DK Agencies does have this http://www.dkagencies.com/doc/from/1063/to/1123/bkId/DK46452334424672401825731371/details.html

And it is at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Angaaray-Snehal-Shingavi-Ed-Tr/dp/0670087173/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434313847&sr=1-1&keywords=Angaaray

and Worldcat http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/880831323

** 2015 May 17 Sun. p. 10 Cloud covered stars (Bengalis remember their artists only selectively, Ruchir Joshi

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150517/jsp/opinion/story_20470.jsp#.VX3dgTjbJ-U

Have a look at these 5 short videos from almost the End Of Voyage to arrival home in Ch'ville.

1.     https://youtu.be/A3w8YQafSuE Semester at Sea 2015 Truro trip from the Explorer 29th April

2.     https://youtu.be/351lagHG0Dw Happy May Day 2015 [Flowers, flowers, flowers]

3.     https://youtu.be/iFD-ibcy628 St Ives Sails

4.     https://youtu.be/PvhSwTEteO4 Queen Mary 2. A week in May (2015)

5.     https://youtu.be/VtALFq-NPXs  Semester at Sea Spring 2015 Heading home to Virginia in May

--Philip McEldowney

Yes, I really enjoy Mary C L's beautiful, unique photos and her subjects she carefully selects and composes great images.

I still haven't read “Deer Hunting with Jesus;” and you enjoyed recently reading the non-academic book "Crazy Rich Asians" Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deer-Hunting-Jesus-Dispatches-Americas/dp/0307339378/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434314253&sr=1-1&keywords=Deer+Hunting+with+Jesus 
Worldcat: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/79002718

Worldcat: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/808628122
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Rich-Asians-Kevin-Kwan/dp/0345803787/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434314420&sr=1-3&keywords=Crazy+Rich+Asians
 

In addition, here is the Worldcat list of books which we have received from South Asia, but not all are catalog as yet at the University of Virginia.
The bibliographic list is here on the Internet http://people.virginia.edu/~pm9k/area-studies/SouthAsia/new/20150528SouthAsiaBooks.html
and its title list and individual titles can be found at https://www.worldcat.org/profiles/uvalibrary/lists/3556705

That's it for now. --PMc

Everyday Home / Work, June 2015

2015 06 29 Monday
* Back to work.  Computer scan day as Peter comes down and starts scanning for malware on my office computer.  Takes most of the day until 4:30 pm. 
* Walk with Sandy and Deej talking bout posture, home access to media (cable, Amazon, computer to TV wire, Sling, HD antenna, etc.)
* Susan Heams  of HR calls about 2:30, are you retired, then why getting Va Retirement program monthly chcck? She'll look into it further
* To Yoga for oatmeal, Rebecca's for no fiber also, then CVS has it, over  to get mangos from Chinese store, and strawberry juice at Mexican store
* Made new anti-fungal copper mix, figuring a 1 to 4 ratio, spray grapes as two balloons fly over head
* Make garbonzo spicey stew, which Deej thinks too hot, to eat with her tonduri chicken
* Find it impossible to do sugar strawberries under her hyper critical tight control

2015 06 28 Sunday
*Usual breakfast
* I've reconnected with Dan and other SAS librarians on Facebook
* Help her vaccum by moving the blue couch
* Mohammed selects none of the 4 new Cairo lists which I send out
* Hangout starting with Nadeem, then Bill on and off, then Suzanne T H who's barely on there about 2:35 for 5 minutes as Bill leaves.  Nadeem fubles around for topics - but gay marriage and Obamace work, then monsoon and leeches, and rain on tin roofs. The landslide outside Parker Hall in ? 1949?
* Walk heading south and around old and new Zion Church area

2015 06 27 Saturday 
* Try Facetming with Julie but doesn't work - so do about a half hour over Facebook video
* Walk at 4 pm to the north with Deej - go up for Belmont Park block party around 6:15, but it's canceled. I stick around at part and take videos of scooter girl and the mother complains. I go back and talk to her to assure her that I'm local and live at 501 Druid, other large woman butts in and asks me to delete all - I agree, but I don't know how to do it on my new camera like she wants me to. Go home, upload files, and delete the videos and then copies from the Trash.  Soon McFarlan? comes by and talks with me and Deej; hope everything's settled, okay
* Go to garden, weeding more of last quarter, spraying cucmcumbers, and loading / bringing 4 wheelbarrow loads for mulch, as Emerald next door works on her garden, wanting water for her new seedlings.

2015 06 26 Fri
* No work - Home sick - also Deej

2015 06 25 Thurs
* Academic Engagement AE meets about Scholars Lab and scholars' digital research productions
* First look at the long range of shelves to decide which ones to keep and which discard - bit task
* Went by long line of Cavalier fans going to welcome heroes of the College Baseball Championship win - held at John Paul Jones arena
* bought and cooked 2 lbs of shrimp for supper
* Made June Win Week 2015 little video on garden, Fred's retirement, and the Win for UTube and Facebook
* Deej likes the Belmont Park cloud

2015 06 24 Wed
* Went and worked in the garden about an hour after work, mainly weeding with scuffle hoe, picked one cucumber.  Also weeded SSE flowers.  Deej planted zucchini in two hills
* Watched Cavalier's win College Baseball Championship until 11:45 pm

2015 06 23 Tuesday
* Meetings. First with supervisor Chris R in her office, some on my changing role, report on my monthly re-entry.  Second with Global Studies languages - Nawang reported on his Tibetan work and I wrote 4-page report and reported on my work with Middle East and South Asian languages and the Anthro, Rel St, and History department language needs and management.

2015 06 22 Monday
* First blossoms of Rose of Sharon
* Wrote draft of monthly work and met with supervisor Chris R for 1/2 hour
* Started writing report on my job and languages in the library for the Global Studies meeting tomorrow
* Did four washes
* Lisa's brother Victor died of liver problems
* Walked with Sandy and Deej
* Sprinkled but no rain - could not mow

2015 06 21 Sunday, Summer Solstice, Father's Day, Terri's birthday
* Hangout with Nadeem, Gil, David, and eventually audio with Betty - 5 of us on! Discussed weather, water, books (Moby Dick of 6 months study at Woodstock and Carl Sandburg paper), and Sandburg's songs (my and David son's 'my name is yon yonson'), memories of good Woodstock teachers, David teaching his two roomates Solid Geometry, monsoon in Florida, the Charleston tragedy (David posted David Niose's article about anti-intellecturalism in America on Facebook), the destruction of good architectural buildings in India and Delhi (including some of Charles Correa, who died just recently in the middle of June 2015, and who was a close associate of David's father), and how Internet communication is not just providing content but also changing our brains (see Shallows by Nicolas Carr http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/) Again an interesting hour long conversation.
* Fix kitchen faucet, getting repair kit at Lowe's
* Do some more weeding at garden, and forked some in back yard and planted marigolds
* Tim called about the computer and Father's Day; Julie posted 3 old and one recent photo of me and the kids

2015 06 20 Saturday
* Worked in the garden, planting flower seeds (marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos) along the south east corner; carted in two wheel barrels of mulch which Deej use to mulch corn, etc. She sprayed cucumber for bugs also, and planted two new hills of cucumber seeds
* Deej made bbq chicken breasts for the next two / three days
* UVa baseball won game putting them in the final College World Series against Vanderbilt
* I created a video 'Color' with 45 seconds on recent flower photos and put it on UTube, Facebook
* Anand is in Rome for a month teaching, also traveling around Europe

2015 06 19 Friday
* Got Arabic ordered books to Judy in Acquisition and Lok Subha directory to annual serials
* Reviewed 4 issues of library magazines
* Mailed in 2015 Fed taxes and tried working on Virginia taxes
* Calvin Hsu has left the building
* Cavs lost to Florida the World Baseball series
* Planted moon flowers while Deej mowed front yard
* Cooked the last 2 pork chops

2015 06 17 Thursday
* Completed donated book title, worked on new books for public display
* Worked on trying to do electronic Fed taxes
* Talked to Dell guy for almost an hour, arranged for new $1330 XPS 8700 iCore 7 Windows 7 12GB and 2TB, but won't come until June 29.  Got Aqueel to start at their $799 base price
* Ate the last of Deej's kale / bean / sausage soup with one of the pork chops

2015 06 16 Wed
* Worked on and produced an image poem with the dragonfly on catmint

2015 06 15 Monday
* Back to work - new Middle East and Pakistan books
* Finished blog on yesterdays hangout with rain and recent garden videos attaching garden plot plans
* Exchanged my TV box hoping to get the DVR program to work
* Walked to Corner, but even CVS did not have good local postcards

2015 06 14 Sunday
* Loafed around until about 11:45 am
* Garden - scuffle hoed weeds among corn sprouts, dug 7 squash/zucchini holes and Deej planted each, planted two okra rows, while Deej planted flowers (cosmos, marigolds, and zenias) along the south west fence.
* Hangout at 2 didn't start as the Mac wouldn't configure for video conferencing, finally got on around 2:20 on the red I-Pad 2 with Nadeem and hanged out with him for about an hour - rain, water,  books, and cameras.
* Went to the downtown mall and saw the insect photos hung in the trees - a colleague of Kathy H's in Mosambique.  Walked home to get my 10,000 steps.

2015 06 13 Saturday
*No UVa work
* Facebook - took a photo of my two ship ids and put up a post - Please don't use my ids, China, US, etc
* Tried to get DVR to work on my TV. Argued with Comcast about refund for no DVD; technician said box is broken and I told him I take the Scientific Am box in and exchange for a Cisco one
* Swept the kitchen floor as Deej asked
* Too hot to mow or garden (it showed 99.5 at 1 pm); watched UVa beat Arkansas in World baseball, bought cards and HD antenna and selfie stick. 
* Cut up and ate mango for afternoon snack
* Walked late evening and then night - about 3500 steps each so over 10,00 today again
* Trying to figure out Dell past and future computers
* Found address to send the Panasonic DMC-ZS40K to in McAllen Tx

2015 06 12 Friday
* Work 1)- Persian (10?) books, looked through, made 2 copy Xeroxes, located in Alderman ; Pakistan, about 10 English books, also located in Alderman with green circled slips
* Work 2) - emailed and put on Facebook my video and photos of the Monday 8 June 2015 Awards ceremony, which Suzanne B asked if she could link to - yes.
* Walked without Deej, who did not show up by 3:30 pm, it had rained some. Went to Corner, but even CVS did not have good postcards, and Mincers had none
*Home  - did not get out 2-week recycling bin in time, neither did Ned, though both of us rushed out at 7:20 am but missed the pickup
*Finance - paid for medical, house taxes, and Principal insurance online through Credit Union

2015 06 11 Thursday
*Work.  Put in a fund request (adjusted) for Pakistan / Iran Overseas operations, reduced from about $10,000 monographs to $3,000, in order to use AL-APV-SA fund of $4,206 at the end of the year
*Work 2) moved PL480 books for review or 'decision' from end of  wall to side wall with Jean C's help; but she's designated books as anti-PC as 'problem' books such as "Arabic problem books" whereas French books are not designated as 'problem books' !
*Walked with Sandy and Deej at 2:15 to 2:45 between my 1 pm AE Team meeting over at Clemons learning for an hour about 3rd floor digital, video, sound offerings, and 3 pm re-location of shelfing
*Home Made a lentil, chicken curry supper, had to run out and get ginger (and hot pepper) so I also got large dark Bacardi run and 2 smaller mango rums.  Cut up a mango for the curry desert.