Typewriters strike back

 These sorts of articles are written pretty regularly, but it’s always nice to read them.

Click-clack comeback: Toronto shop thriving amid typewriter renaissance

Knights and Dragons

 Today was the day that is the real focus of our trip: the football game between the Army Black Knights and the UAB Blazers.  The group of about 60 UAB fans made the journey from Birmingham to the US Military Academy at West Point NY to watch the game at Michie Stadium.  Our day began just after 7 am as we met in the lobby of the Knickerbocker Hotel for the bus ride to Pier 11 at the tip of Manhattan.  There, we boarded a Sea Streak ferry for the two hour ride up the Hudson River to West Point.  The ferry ride on the perfect cloudless day provided incredible views of the city of New York as well as the countryside upstate.  The fast catamaran vessel carried us swiftly up river with a comfortable but very breezy ride.

We arrived at West Point, and after a brief shuttle from the dock, sat in our seats in the stadium. A good hometown crowd turned out to watch their team, while we Blazer fans attempted to support the team in spite of our small numbers.  And the dismal play of the team.  UAB football had been on the upswing in recent years, with multiple postseason bowl appearances and a conference championship.  But after the sudden unexpected retirement of beloved head coach Bill Clark due to health problems, the team has been quickly dismantled.  Clark was replaced by Trent Dilfer, a Superbowl winning NFL quarterback with no previous college coaching experience.  The risky pick has not paid off as Dilfer has shown no coaching ability in the past two seasons as the Blazers have descended into ineptitude.  Most fans devoutly hope for a coaching change at the end of the season, if not before.  So it was no surprise that Army beat UAB 44-10.  Still, the experience was a memorable one, being my first visit to one of America's military academies.

After the game, our group returned to The Knick by bus.  A small group of us then set out walking across Times Square to Junior's, a well known restaurant.  Initially dubious about visiting what I assumed was just an overpriced tourist trap, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole visit.  We were able to get a table with only a very short wait, the food was impressively good, and the service was superb.  Junior's is most famous for their cheesecake, and it did not disappoint.  I recommend the reuben and French onion soup.  After dinner, we made our way through the raucous Times Square crowds one last time for our last night at The Knick.  Tomorrow, the journey home to Birmingham.

#winasone

 The day eagerly anticipated in the Deep South is here at last: College Football Season is fully here.  Sure, there was a "Week 0" game last weekend in Dublin, Ireland.  But with the kickoff tonight of the UAB Blazers vs Alcorn State Braves at Protective Stadium, the season is officially underway.  Second year head coach Trent Dilfer expects an improved Blazer defense this year to support the impressive offense led by quarterback Jacob Zeno.  On a warm late summer evening, the Blazers will work towards getting the season off to a strong start.  While I certainly hope for a good result from the Blazers, I also am looking forward to one of life's guilty pleasures:  stadium food. 

Addendum: UAB won, 41-3. Go Blazers!

It's in the mail 8

 This morning, as the nation struggles with a widespread computer network malfunction, I ponder a simpler time when communication didn't depend on digital equipment.  So today I focus on another in an ongoing series of postal collection boxes.  This one is outside the door of Jefferson Tower, part of the sprawling complex of buildings that comprise UAB University Hospital (which was just - once again - named the best hospital in Alabama and one of the tops in the country.)  JT, as we UAB employees call it, is a 1940s era high rise structure that was once the main hospital building in Birmingham.  It replaced Hillman Hospital, the adjacent building which was built in 1888 as a small charity hospital.  So for over 100 years, doctors, nurses and countless patients have passed the site of this mailbox, and no doubt many sent letters from it to tell friends and family of their medical condition.  Hopefully for most, it was a message of good news.

Imagine, Dragons dancing

 March Madness is upon us.  This weekend, the various conferences concluded their tournaments before Selection Sunday ceremonies Sunday evening.  In the AAC, the UAB Blazers coasted to a comfortable 85-69 victory over the Temple Owls, who fell just short of an amazing Cinderella story tourney performance.  A conference cellar-dweller all season, Temple went on an impressive four-game run to earn a spot in the final game.  But the Owls could not overcome the hot shooting Blazers, who repeated the beatdown they served Temple ten days prior in the regular season.

Under the leadership of alumnus coach Andy Kennedy - the author of UAB's winningest four season stretch in school history - the "Bartow Standard" has returned to UAB.  Blazers once again join the Big Dance, and face San Diego State University (ranked 25 in this week's USA Today rankings) in Spokane, Washington of Friday.  Should the Blazers upset SD State and advance to the second round, they will likely face in-state neighbor Auburn, winners of the SEC Tournament Championship.  Such a matchup would give many Alabama college basketball fans a difficult choice of who to root for.  Let the madness begin!

Win as one

 

Today was the last home game of the 2023 season for the UAB Blazers.  The Blazers managed to muscle through to a 34-24 win over Temple.  It's been a disappointing season for the 4-7 Blazers, and with one more regular season game to go, they have no prospects of post-season play.  Disappointing, too, for first year coach Trent Dilford, who came into this season with such high hopes and expectations.  But today, Blazer fans appreciate a hard-won victory, and nurture hope for the future.  Go Blazers!

Here be dragons

 The 2023-2024 college men's basketball season tipped off this week, as the UAB Blazers played the Morehouse College Tigers.  Morehouse, a historic HBCU and alma mater of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. has a surprisingly strong hoops team who gave UAB a good game.  The Blazers are coming off a successful 29-10 season last year where they went to the NIT Championship game.  In the off season, they lost a few star players to the NBA, but return standouts Eric Gaines and Tony Toney, among others.  Coach Andy Kennedy returns in his fourth season as head coach.  Coach Kennedy was a star player for UAB when I was a grad student there in the late 1980s, and it's great to see him earn success as he leads his alma mater.  High hopes prevail for the Blazers this season, and with season tickets, I hope to witness every home game of the season.  By the way, The Blazers beat Morehouse in this exhibition game 70-88.  Go Blazers!

TGIF

 It’s been an especially busy week in the lab, and I’m happy that some light is now showing at the end of the tunnel. Soon, I’ll head home for the weekend…to do household chores. A full weekend of long neglected yard work awaits. At least the worst of the summer heat seems behind us. But lawn mowing and that sort of stuff is never my favorite task. Might I grow eager for a return to the lab by Monday?

Imagine Dragons

 Approaching a religion in the Deep South, college football is well and truly underway. This year, we are enjoying season tickets to games of the UAB Blazers.