Episode LXXXIV: Various Small Stories

In this episode of the Ballade, three small stories that I have overlooked:

1) Slashing and Burning

Some time ago, Rafael and I went out to the country to help some folks from church, who live out in the woods on a large plot of land. Our task was to help cut down trees, chop the trunks into firewood...

...and burn off the branches and dead leaves.


Now it turns out that I was walking around pretty close to the fire, which was quite hot (occasionally disorientingly so,) and when I was done, the flannel shirt I was wearing (see below) had quite a few burn-holes in it.


2) 10-Day!

Recently we stumbled upon a very important day in history: October 10, 2010 (10-10-10, that is.) To celebrate, my girlfriend (more on that later, hopefully) and I decided to go to Arby's and order ten items off of the $1 value menu.

(Yes, we dressed in our Sunday-best attire: this was an important date!) The food was actually not half bad, it was a lovely time, and we got pretty stuffed on only ~$10.


3) How to Make a Jayhawk

KU was recently visited by Jorge Cham, who writes a popular academia-themed comic strip called PhD Comics. For instance, this one. Part of his presentation finally answered this age-old question: what kind of bird is a Jayhawk, anyway? The answer, apparently, is:


(That is: it is a cross between a Dodo Bird and Foghorn Leghorn)