Anthropologizing Ohio State

Orson of EDSBS goes all anthropologist on us on a Saturday gameday in Columbus. He nails the Ohio State fan quite well.

Save Money, Go To College

Looking to cut costs but still want to travel? The New York Times recommends going to college. In a manner of speaking. College campuses and the towns that host them have art museums and public lectures, culture and sporting events, places to eat and drink and things to do, libraries and bookstores. I always find that one of the pleasures of research trips is getting to experience another college. Late next week I will leave for a trip that will encompass The University of South Carolina, where I am a fellow at the Institute for Southern Studies this year, and The University of Virginia, where I will be participating in the Virginia Festival for the Book and attending a reunion of fellows at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Gameday at Williams

Donnie Baseball asked for it, and I responded. Here is an expanded version of my views on ESPN's Gameday spending their Saturday in Williamstown for the Williams-Amherst game (which Williams won 20-0).

An Indie Rock Road Trip

The travel section at The Washington Post recently had a story on indie rock and college towns. The author, Ben Brazil, focuses on three towns, Athens, Chapel Hill, and Charlottesville, with which dcat has more than a passing familiarity, though one might think that in terms of a confluence of music and universities, Austin, home of both South by Southwest and Austin City Limits would warrant mentioning, especially as Charlottesville, much as I love it, has as its claim to fame the Dave Matthews Band -- perfectly cromulent, but not exactly cutting edge infie fare. I'm sure others will have their favorites as well. The article is int he travel section, so the relative proximity of Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, and Athens was obviously a factor in its construction, but places such as Columbia, Missouri and Lawrence, kansas might warrant their own trip.