Month: August 2010

The University of Virginia Fall 2010 practice session is just three practices old. Here’s some news and some notes:

-Marc Verica looks good early. Only one of the practices has been in shoulder pads and helmets, but Verica, who is the unquestioned starter at this point, has performed well in almost all aspects of his game. His leadership, and throwing mechanics are much improved this summer over last season.

-Ross Metheny has a slight leg up to back-up Verica at the quarterback position. Freshman Michael Strauss should be the third option at QB, unless freshman Michael Rocco keeps up his strong play in camp and London decides not to redshirt him. Most quarterbacks are redshirted under London’s system.

-Morgan Moses, the highly recruited offensive lineman, is not going to redshirt. He will crack the two deep lineup sooner as opposed to later. He needs to work on his technique and footwork a bit, but at 6-6, 350+ pounds he is a giant force on the line. Another freshman, tailback K.P Parks, could forgo a redshirt season and play right away as well.

-The battle for the starting field-goal kicker has been a tough one so far. Junior Chris Hinkebein has a very strong leg, but has not been quite as accurate as Robert Randolph. Special teams coach Anthony Poindexter made a crack at media day that all kickers have to do is kick the dang ball and they struggle so much with that one task. Other players have many other tasks they have to memorize and take care of.

-Virginia only has twelve receivers on the entire roster. Several of those candidates are walk-ons, or former walk-ons, and there is only one senior receiver on the ball club. Not a lot of back-up potential if there are multiple injuries, or if the Hoos want to run a lot of four and five wide-out sets. Kris Burd, and Tim Smith have looked very strong at wideout. Watch out for redshirt freshman Bobby Smith out there to break into the rotation early. He’s going to be a very good player for UVA.

Go Hoos, beat the Hokies. And no one loses to Duke three years in a row. Right?

Following the tragic death of Kevin Morrissey, the Virginia Quarterly Review will carry on with plans to release its fall issue, to be published in memory of its managing editor.

However, according to multiple sources, editor Ted Genoways will not be involved in the production of the issue. Sources also claim that, prior to Morrissey’s death, members of the VQR staff contacted the Office of the President to express concerns over working relationships among VQR staff members.

For the complete story, click here.

When my first tiny orange tomatoes ripened in June I was smiling and dancing about! More than the soupy air and spontaneous thunderstorms, tomatoes are summer. So, I ate four and set aside two- for seeds.

Last fall we spent a glorious sunny day at the Harvest Heritage festival. Under one of the tents were tomato samples and it was there that I found four or so delicious varieties that I wanted to grow. So, I took a taste and kept a piece from each of the kinds that I enjoyed most (And I bought several packets of herb and veggie seeds, I’m not a total free-loader!). When I got home I extracted the seeds and got them ready for the following spring. And now, miracle of miracles, I’m eating those same tomatoes off of the vine!

Tomatoes from scavenged seed (and several types of basil from purchased seed) 

Around that same time my husband went on his own tomato excursion to the grocery store and bought several different varieties of local heirloom tomatoes. Those suckers weren’t cheap but we certainly got our money’s worth: I removed seeds from those special fruits and they too are responsible for this season’s bounty.

If you want to save some of your own favorite tomato seeds here’s the method I used:

You’ll need:
-a clean cutting board
-slicing knife
-glass jar or drinking glass
-fine sieve (I use a tea strainer)
-paper towels or paper bag
-water

 

-First you will cut the tomato horizontally through the middle (stem dimple is north pole, fat middle is equator- slice through equator).
-Then squeeze the seeds and tomato goop surrounding the seeds into the glass. There are a lot of seeds in there so you can do what I did which was eat half the tomato and de-seed the other half.
-Eat or compost the skin and tomato flesh. Yum.
-Fill the glass so that all of the seeds/goop is covered by at least two inches of water.
-Set aside. I put mine on a sunny windowsill but I’m not sure if that makes things go more quickly or not.

Seeds in water on windowsill

-After about 3-4 days the water will be gross. This is a good sign as it means the goop is separating from the seeds.
-Pour the water, goop and all, into the sieve. The seeds should remain sans goop.
-Rinse the seeds and spread in a single, well-spaced layer onto the paper towel or if you are like me and don’t use paper towels, a brown paper bag will do nicely (a dish towel will most likely cause the seeds to stick to the fibers of the cloth and could make for a difficult last step).
*Make sure you label the paper if you are doing more than one type of tomato as the seeds look alike.
-Let the seeds fully dry for another day or two.
-Transfer the seeds into labeled envelopes. Seal and store in a cool dry place.

Do you save your seeds? Any tips?
 

An upbeat Teresa Sullivan welcomed members of the local media this morning in a Madison Hall conference room for an informal Q&A session. She entertained questions for 45 minutes and later hosted a grand tour of her freshly painted presidential office.

Sullivan, the eighth president of the University of Virginia, took over the reigns from John Casteen on August 1. By her account, she found the UVA “in remarkably good shape.” A recent announcement by the Princeton Review, which named UVA the best value in higher education and second best in its financial aid rankings, certainly didn’t hurt.

“I guess the only thing I would like to change is to make us number one in financial aid, too,” said Sullivan. 

UVA’s rankings are significant in view of the numerous budget cuts the University has undertaken for the last few years and the diminishing state support.

Sullivan acknowledged a few areas of concern, namely the lack of raises for faculty and staff during the past three years. “Your best faculty members are free agents,” said Sullivan. “We will do our best to convince them that the University of Virginia is the very best place for them to pursue their careers.”

Another issue on the president’s radar is the imminent retirement of UVA COO Leonard Sandridge, who has agreed to postpone his departure until June of next year, and work part-time as an adviser to Sullivan after he retires. A search for Sandridge’s successor will begin in October, after Sullivan has reviewed and studied his portfolio. Provost Arthur Garson will also leave UVA for the University of Texas.

Among Sullivan’s list of priorities is "careful attention to the internal budget allocation process," a step she says will give college deans more stability regarding their future budgets. Similar attention will be paid to UVA’s finances—from alumni donors to the school’s capital campaign—during a time of shrinking state support

More after the photo.

 

Sullivan inherited UVA’s massive $3 billion capital campaign, launched by Casteen. In 2009, the University reached the $2 billion mark. “It’s not surprising that the capital campaign has perhaps encountered more difficulties than before,” said Sullivan. Donors, said Sullivan, remain loyal to the University even during difficult economic times.

“They haven’t left us, and for the long run that is the most important thing,” she said. “I am really confident that we will do well in this capital campaign.”

Asked about the possibility of future layoffs and increases in teaching loads, Sullivan responded, “Not being able to predict the economic future, I don’t want to be committed to a policy of never." She added that human capital is the most important feature of a University budget.

When asked about campus and personal safety after the May 3 killing of lacrosse player Yeardley Love, allegedly by fellow student athlete George Huguely, Sullivan said she felt personally affected by the tragedy. While building a bubble around Grounds is not an option, the president emphasized that safety has been a strong emphasis for all students. “It has been hit very hard in every freshman orientation program. It is included in the letter that I am sending the parents, and it will be included in my message to the parents when they are here,” she said.

After the Yeardley Love homicide, Casteen advocated for a law that would require police to notify the University when UVA students are arrested. Sullivan said that since 2004, the student handbook dictated that students were to disclose their arrests to the University.

“My understanding is that we are now changing this from a passive notification system to a more active notification system,” said Sullivan. In the new system, students will have to disclose any arrests before they access NetBadge, the system by which they access their e-mail accounts and course materials; a dishonest response will constitute a violation of the UVA Honor Code.
 

Five points of interest upon the glorious arrival of the glorious weekend:

• Looking backward for a moment: Kate Daughdrill earned the sought after title of "Best garage attendant" in last year’s Best of C-VILLE for founding the Garage, the excellent garage-cum-arts space on North First St. We were sad to see her go, but judging by an article in the New York Times this week, she’s using her skill for converting cast-off spaces into works ones in a city that, by all accounts, seems to need it: Detroit. Read about it here.

In homage: Weezer’s "In The Garage"

• It’s been a great year for the Heritage Theatre Festival, which wraps up this weekend with productions of Barefoot in the Park today and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It’s your last chance ’til next year.

• Another elder statesman of local music performs tomorrow to celebrate the release of his excellent new album California. I’m talkin’ Paul Curreri, tomorrow night at the Jefferson. And y’know, he’s brave to make music about California when this song already exists.

• Tomorrow, this guy’s headed to the Albemarle County Fair to sample the indigenous cuisine of Central Virginia—the hot dogs, the corn dogs…you name it. But it also marks one of the weekends I wished I lived in Greene County, whose fair has a friggin’ demolition derby tomorrow night.

• Today kicks off the monthly First Fridays, with gallery openings, wine and cheese all across town. Make the gallery rounds and head to the Pavilion for Sarah White and the Pearls.

Ye Olde Feedback Sessionne with Sarah White and Ted Pitney.

What’re you up to this weekend?

Following something of a surprise reveal and a couple of public hearings, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Supervisor Ken Boyd’s Economic Action Plan yesterday. During public meetings, education and environmental activists expressed concerns that the plan sought job creation at the expense of those areas.

"You want to produce jobs," remarked Supervisor Dennis Rooker during a June meeting on the plan. "But you approved a budget that resulted in laying off 41 people in education. Those are jobs."

But, after a few suggested improvements (in PDF)—quarterly progress reports, and deference to the county’s Comprehensive and Land Use plans, among others—the plan passed with flying colors. Thoughts about the Boyd plan? Leave them below.

 

At today’s packed City Council Transportation Work Session, Bike Charlottesville shared the results of the Bike Ballot, a survey that followed a successful Bike Summit last May. Bike Charlottesville plans to use the nearly 600 survey responses to craft an action plan for a more bicycle-friendly community.

Respondents said on-road bike lanes (82 percent), an increase in bike commuters (50 percent) and education (44 percent) are the three most important areas to focus on in the future. In terms of connectors between the city and Albemarle County, respondents want most to see improvements to Ivy Road and 250 West (50 percent), followed by routes from Downtown to Hollymead (35 percent).

As suggested by anecdotes in C-VILLE’s “Whose lane is it anyway?” cover story, West Main Street to University Avenue was voted the city road cyclists would most like to see improved (56 percent), followed by Emmett Street to Barracks Road (51 percent) and Preston Avenue (33 percent).

For the best way to improve cyclist-driver relationships, 52 percent of the survey votes went to “DMV promotion of courteous and law-abiding interactions between cyclists and drivers." Forty-three percent want the police to not only be educated on laws that deal with bikers, but also to be able to handle accidents between cars and bikers.

At the work session, Jeanie Alexander, city traffic engineer, reported to council that the results of the Bike Ballot were consistent with the feedback she has received from both the public and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee.

Some of the challenges the City of Charlottesville faces in attempting to make the bicycle system more user friendly are the width of the roads, on-street parking and  the removal of parking on streets.

However, new ideas are circulating among city staff and the members of the committee. Among them: pavement markings and signs for better use of the roads by bikes, lane narrowing to give more space to bike lanes, and one-way streets.

 

Casein or Milk paint has been around for decades—no, centuries. It is a lime-based dry powder that when mixed with water, painted, and let to dry is an inert and sturdy wall (or furniture) treatment. A few weeks before my son, Pierce, was born my husband and I were scrambling to make a nest for the baby. Even though he would be in our room for a while, we knew that eventually we would want a safe, cozy place to put him so we could reclaim some autonomy (Did I mention that this was my first kid? Autonomy, ha!). Aaron laid down pre-finished cork and the salvaged latex house paint already had many months to off-gas.  

 

 

 

Before paint and before baby!

We decided to “white-wash” the unfinished wood wainscoting with milk paint. I went on over to Meadowbrook Hardware (…my favorite local hardware store). Meadowbrook carries paint from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company based out of Massachusetts.

Odorless, antiquey, from New England and a bit pricey, it’s the preppiest paint on the market. The detailed instructions walk you carefully through what amounts to essentially dumping the powdered paint and some tap water into a bucket. Then, after you’ve put on your old loafers, rolled up the sleeves of that ancient Brooks Brothers button-down and tightened that Nantucket belt, you’re ready to go (kidding).

I made a somewhat thin mix and used a natural bristle brush to paint the stuff on. Any drip got wiped up with a damp cloth and within an hour the whole thing was dry and ready for a second coat.

The baby’s room ended up looking cozy thanks to the milk paint and has already withstood some “antiquing” thanks to our son.

After the milk paint. 

Close-up of the knot holes and everything!

Have you used Milk paint? Success? Regrets?

Did you know that you can make your own milk paint? You can! Check out this site for a truly DIY version. 

This just in from Starr Hill Presents, via Neko Case‘s tour publicist: The redheaded New Pornographer has postponed a string of tour dates, including this month’s show at the Jefferson Theater, due to an "overextended tour schedule."

"Having been on the road non-stop since January of 2009,  Neko will be taking some time off before hitting the road again this Fall," reads the statement. "She wishes to apologize to her fans and let them know that she greatly appreciates all their support."

I guess that means we won’t get to hear her cover of Heart’s "Magic Man."

Head football coach Mike London, along with several of his top assistants, sat down and addressed the media today at the John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia starts their annual Summer pre-season camp on Friday. There will be 105 players there on Friday when camp begins. NCAA rules state that only 85 of them can be on scholarship.

Here are a couple of nuggets I gleaned from today’s press conference.

*August 6 is also the day that the Summer school session ends. Coach London will not know till Monday or Tuesday if any member of his team will be ineligible, but he did mention that frequent doghouse inhabitant Keith Payne is one student athlete that will learn his fate early next week. Coach London said that only two players will be completely held-out of practice because of injury: Brent Urban (torn ACL surgery), and Aaron Van Kuiken (wrist surgery).

*Coach London stated that the first five practices are free, and open to the public, and that the fifth practice is when the full pads come out. The first few are what he called "acclamation" sessions where the players get used to the heat and speed of the game.

*Marc Verica is the starter going into the pre-season at quarterback, and while they will use several tailbacks, Perry Jones has earned the title as the starter with his incredible work ethic. Jones, who is listed generously at 5-8, 185 in the media guide, appeared in all 11 games as a true freshman.

*Because of the scheme switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense, Lovanté Battle has been moved from safety to linebacker.

*Coach London’s Richmond teams were very balanced as far as passing/running teams, and London would like to see that continue at Virginia. London stated that the running game must take pressure of the quarterback, and that the running game must set-up the passing game.

*Defensive coordinator Jim Reid, who has been a head coach on three separate occasions, mentioned that Ras-I Dowling is not only the best player on the team, but a guy that you’d be happy to marry your daughter. Reid stated that the preseason All-American has no weaknesses on the field, nor any in the classroom. Reid also said that Dowling coming back for his senior season instead of bolting to the NFL was a huge bonus to the defense.

*Reid, who has coached for over 40 years, was a 3-4 coach until he was hired as the defensive coordinator at Boston College and Coach Dan Henning sent him to Tony Dungy and Dennis Green to learn the completely different scheme. Not bad guys to learn from, that’s for sure! Reid commented that this spring’s practices were among the most enjoyable he’s ever been a part of. 

Go Hoos, beat the Hokies!