Back to school

Been hanging out on the Ball State campus. Some observations:

1. Tons of fall foliage (good) and bricks(okay).

2. If you are vegan you are outta luck. Meatless choices for lunch were grilled cheese, pizza, cheese sandwich, or pasta with cheese. I was afraid to try the Mexican or Chinese food.

3. Tons of school spirit. Maybe 80 percent of students are wearing Ball State gear. Is that because of last night's big game?

4. Where are the skaters, punkers, and crafters? Everyone looks super "normal" around here. But that's who you have to watch out for; there was a shooting here last week...

5. Nice art library with a nice print collection and cool miniatures from India.

6. At the snack area where we're planning the presentation, the employees (older and younger) call everyone "hon."

7. The thermostat of the building where we're staying is set to winter mode, but today's nice and sunny. So it's uncomfortably hot. This is where the talk takes place, too, so I hope our audience doesn't pass out. It starts in less than 3 hours.