About midnight Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub got its 875,000th click. We should make a million by September.
Maybe viewership would be higher if I retitled the blog, “I CAN HAS CHEESE HISTORY,” or if I changed the format to “Strange History.”
Eh, we’ll stick to the knitting we know. Thanks to the many readers.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
The milestone of 850,000 clicks sneaked by last week. Thanks to you, Dear Reader.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
1 Comment | Family, Personal | Tagged: Birthday, Family, Fourth of July, Point of personal privilege | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
A hole wore through the seat of the pants I was wearing the other day — a bit of a bother since it was the only pair of pants to that suit. Drat the luck. “Cheap suit,” I thought. And then I thought again, and laughed.
It’s a suit I bought from Lands End, a company of usually impeccable quality.
But, what do you expect these days?
Did I mention that I bought the suit in 1991 or 1992? The suit lasted longer than younger son James has been in school.
Good suit. Cheap, too.
I’ll buy another.
3 Comments | Life, Personal, Point of personal privilege | Tagged: Business, Clothing, Personal, Quality | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Graduation Part II comes Thursday night. James leaves Duncanville High School with good memories of the 12 or 13 hours he wasn’t doing homework this past year. The graduation is in Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas — same place all the Dallas ISD high schools hold their ceremonies. Sometimes it seems the old basketball crowds stayed after the Mavericks decamped. Remember somber and sober graduation ceremonies?
Winding up the first year in Dallas ISD, with silly tests all over the place and procedures that would make Byzantium appear the model of efficiency. I’ve never caught up from the mid-year landing here, and the next two days will be grueling, to get out on time.
Quietly, the Bathtub will roll over 800,000 visitor clicks in three or four hours from now — certainly before midnight. The Berlin Wall continues to be the major topic day in and day out, followed by Sabat’s compelling cartoon of the African tsunami of drought, and that ancient jumping goat.
So much to say. So tired.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
About midnight tonight, Central Standard Time, Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub will get its half-millionth page view. Views are rising as my schedule allows for less posting. What do I conclude from that?
And especially, thank you readers who comment.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
I was one of Bae’s kids, too.
Sad note from the Hinckley Institute of Politics (note the funeral is today, for those in Salt Lake City):
The former, present, and future interns, staff, faculty, and family of the Hinckley Institute of Politics mourn the passing of former Hinckley Institute Assistant Director, Bae B. Gardner. I first walked in the door of the Hinckley Institute in the fall of 1988. It immediately felt like a second home and the main reason was Bae. I am proudly one of “Bae’s kids.” Unless you share that distinction, it is impossible to fully convey the loss we feel today with Bae’s passing. Bae was not just an administrator to her “kids.” She was a mother, friend, cheerleader, mentor, and confidant. Indeed, she supported and sustained me from that first day as an inquiring student through the present as the Hinckley Institute’s director. Bae had the unique talent of making students feel that they had unlimited potential and the tireless ability to provide them with life-changing opportunities. The Hinckley Institute and I will forever be grateful for the legacy she established and the love she exhibited during her incredible years of service at the Hinckley Institute.
Kirk L. Jowers
Director, Hinckley Institute of PoliticsViewing and Funeral Service
Saturday, February 23rd
Viewing: 11:00 am. Service: 1:00 pm.Foothill LDS 7th Ward Chapel
2215 E. Roosevelt Avenue
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108In lieu of flowers, the Gardner family has suggested that donations may be made to the Bae B. Gardner Internship in Public Policy scholarship fund administered by the Hinckley Institute of Politics. Donations can be made online or by calling the University of Utah Development Office at 801.581.6825. Donations can also be mailed to the Hinckley Institute at 260 S. Central Campus Dr. Rm. 253. Salt Lake City, UT 84112. For more information call the Hinckley Institute of Politics at 801.581.8501.
I had applied for an internship with the National Wildlife Federation. Bae thought I had a chance at a different internship, so she copied the form and sent it to the Secretary of the Senate. I lost the NWF internship on a .01 gradepoint difference. I got the internship at the Senate, and it changed my life.
Of course, I was on the road debating when the word came through that they wanted me in Washington. Bae called me late at night at home, minutes before my acceptance would have been overdue. Four days later I was working in the Capitol. Whenever I meet with other Hinckley Interns, I learn she did more for everyone else.
My first real office was a few feet from the Senate Chamber, with a view down the mall to the Washington Monument, and a chandalier 8 feet across. I got floor privileges to the Senate, and with Mike Mansfield’s name on my ID card, I had access to the White House and almost any other government building in town.
That sort of education is priceless. Thanks to Bae Gardner.
Bae should be remembered as a hero for education, a champion for college kids, and one who played a role in more good public policy decisions than few others in history, by promoting good kids to good experience that they applied later in public service.
I wish the service were streamed on the web somewhere. I’ll bet it’ll be something to see and hear.
3 Comments | Heroes, Personal, Politics | Tagged: Heroes, Higher education, Personal, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
A personal note: My cousin, Marilyn Christian Smith Gearing, died last night after fighting lymphoma. She was about 74.
Marilyn was the daughter of my father’s sister, Marion. Her father, Roland Christian, was a minister in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, who traveled a lot. We saw him and my father’s sister about once a year, when they’d pass through our town. Other than that, we had little contact with my father’s family, and my cousins. (Isn’t that a great name for a preacher, by the way?)
So when I got to know Marilyn when I was an adult (and she about 20 years older than I), she was a constant bundle of surprises. We knew she was a nurse. Found out she was dean of nursing at Loma Linda University. Learned in one visit that she was a pilot once, the better to carry out public health missions for the State of Virginia.
Marilyn retired, and traveled. Taking up where her father left off, she’d drop in on my parents, unexpectedly, every year or so. In my father’s last two years, he was greatly pleased when she and her husband would drop in to sing at his bedside.
No, I didn’t take my own advice and debrief her fully on her life. Our history sources are leaving us. Call one of yours, today: Thank them for their contributions, and write down what you learn.
Some of Marilyn’s exploits were picked up in Loma Linda Nursing in 2003 — it’s in .pdf form, starting on page 16, with the cover photo.
Her husband, Walt, said there is a memorial service scheduled for February 16, 3:00 pm. at the University Church Chapel at 11125 Campus Street in Loma Linda, California.
More:
2 Comments | Family, Heroes, Personal, Point of personal privilege | Tagged: Family, Heroes, Public health | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
At current rates, Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub goes over 450,000 visits sometime Tuesday, February 12.
New visitors vastly outnumber returning visitors, the machines claim. Either I’m offending a lot of people, or more people than one might imagine turn their cookies off.
Thank you for dropping by.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
When do you ever see anyone say, “Finished that, now I have much more time to devote to writing on this blog?”
You won’t see it here, today, either.
A new project beckons — exciting, important, low-pay and time consuming — and I’m off. I’ll try to keep the water in Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub warm and comfortable, at least.
Readers can help out, with comments. For example, right now the post on the hoax quiz on Hillary Clinton quotes is hotter’n a three-dollar pistol — but no one’s commenting. I can’t tell where the hits are coming from. It would be nice if some of the viewers would at least comment on why they dropped by.
A few readers are engaged in conversations on a few different threads — good stuff, mostly, even with internetbloggy bluster thrown in.
The rate of posts is likely to drop from last month. I’m off for much of the rest of the afternoon, and I’ll be in the library this evening with the younger son (though, now that I think about it, the library has wi-fi; hmmmm).
Talk amongst yourselves. Register for the Stanton Sharp history seminar February 9 at SMU. I’ll post details about another Dallas history seminar set for January 26, perhaps this evening, and about another, really wonderful symposium coming up in April.
Thank you for reading; thank you for commenting. You history, economics and civics teachers, thank you for everything. You students, thank you for working not to repeat the errors in history.
Thank you.
2 Comments | Administrivia, Personal | Tagged: Administrivia, Personal, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Tangled Up In Blue Guy posted Squidmas greetings, and revealed his Squidmas post list.
With one notable exception*, it’s a list of blogs we probably ought to be reading. Seriously, go scan through and see if you don’t find one or two new listings for your bookmarks, if not blogroll.
* The Bathtub, of course.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Students and faculty at Devry University in Irving, Texas, and a few hundred others who knew him, lost a great friend when Michael Field died the day after Thanksgiving.
His memorial service last Saturday at Arlington’s Unity Church was filled with warmth and laughter as a dozen people remembered Michael’s verve and the joy with which he pursued knowledge, beneficial change, and good social interaction.
In my experience, psychologists come in three varieties: Crazy, eccentric, and real solid people. Michael was a pillar for a lot of people, able to be so solid because he enjoyed the crazy and eccentric, but was not controlled by it. I think the man never met a book or problem he didn’t relish in some way. No fewer than five people testified that Michael was, as a member of some group they nominally led, the guy who sparked great action. That was my experience, too.
It’s been nearly a decade since he left the board of a charitable institution we both served. I was lamenting that we had no one else like him when I learned of his death. Literally dozens of students at Devry told me how Dr. Field pushed them to be better and happier, when I taught there as an adjunct.
Listening at his service Saturday I was inspired again to climb back into the fray. The band of brothers is reduced — several bands, actually — but there is so much to do.
What have you done today to make the entire world better? Michael’s gone. We all have to work harder.
Smile while you do it, and enjoy the work.
Brief obituary below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Education, Heroes, Leadership, Personal | Tagged: Education, Heroes, Leadership | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
1nhjvgbfffffffffffbng
[This was written by our 18-year old. She generally putters around the kitchen and avoids the laptop when it’s there; occasionally she takes a few stabs at the keyboard of the desktop. But never before has she shown any interest in actually writing anything. Last night she said she was hungry, and she was plainly irritated that I was doing nothing to get her dinner to her. When I answered the telephone, she took the opportunity to write her own little headline and a short line for the body of the post. I’m posting it as revenge.
Did I say she is 18? You expect more?
Did I mention Meow is a cat?]
4 Comments | Humor, Personal, Technology | Tagged: cats, Humor, Technology | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Just as a huge black hole can stifle star formation, so can a blog hole stifle post formation.
Woes at work and in volunteer positions — I’ve got a huge backlog of things that should be noted here, but are not noted yet — and may have to fall by the wayside.
Things change at work soon, I hope, and that should give me more time in more timely packets to think and find the stuff that needs to be here.
Thank you, Dear Reader, for bearing with me.
Image: NASA artist’s conception of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Yes, there really are mountains of such stark beauty, in Utah, next to civilization.
3 Comments | Geography - Physical, geology, Humor, Personal | Tagged: Ed Darrell, geography, geology, Mt. Timpanogos, Utah | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
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Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
