JoePa Fired

Since this is a blog about the Barony, this rant probably doesn't belong here, but since it's my blog, here goes:

It's a grim day here weather-wise and moral-wise, the morning after the Board of Trustees meeting in which Paterno and Spanier were fired and day 6 of the now nationally-known "child abuse scandal at Penn State".  Student rioting is contained to a small part of downtown known as The Canyon and some at Old Main.  Peaceful vigils, not reported frequently, took place at the Lion Shrine and on Joe's lawn. 

If  the Board of Trustees was thinking about the buck stopping here, they probably got the fire Prez Spanier correct, and perhaps with the same line of thinking, Joe had to go, too.  But I think Joe did what was correct with the info he had.  He had to turn in a trusted friend and colleague on minimal information, which he did.  He had no reason to follow up because he had his chain of command which he trusted.  

I worry about Joe now not having a reason to get up in the morning and a place to go.  I hope this abrupt decision doesn't kill him.  Spanier has been lots of places; he'll survive in a new school begging for his name, his magic act, and his washboard playing.

I think Sandusky should (hugely) endow a center for the prevention of child abuse and cure of sexual predators; no name on the building however.  I think Spanier should endow a center for new media because of his continued belief that if he ignores a problem it will go away.  

I think all of the people in Hollywood another places of entertainment, and Washington DC and other places of politics should have the moral rectitude and ethical standards as Joe Paterno; the world would be a better place.  He spent 61 years here at Penn State walking his beliefs; he should not have to go out in a blaze of hysteria and gossip. He man responsible for this hasn't been tried and convicted, although I'm sure he will be.  

I have no intention of going off the Barony this weekend; I have everything I need for a lockdown.  The wackjobs from Westboro Baptist church in Kansas will be in town protesting something and, of course, it's the Nebraska game which is always a murmuration, though never quiet.

I think we haven't seen the end to the reaction.

Reading Commune of Women Susan Still ***On an ordinary Los Angeles morning, the lives of seven women are about to become inextricably entangled, as they converge upon LA International Airport for various purposes. Suddenly, the morning erupts into chaos, as black-clad terrorists charge into the terminal, guns blazing. As the concourse becomes a killing field, six of the women dodge a hail of bullets to find refuge in a tiny staff room. Betty, a Reseda housewife, Heddi, a Jungian analyst, Sophia, a rugged and savvy mountain woman, Erika, a top-level executive, Ondine, an artist just returning from France, and Pearl, an ancient bag lady, all traumatized or injured, barricade the door and cower down, hoping to survive...the most profound revelation of all is how each has betrayed herself. (Kindle review)

Love at First Sight

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From the moment we honeymooned in Aspen, we knew we'd be retiring in Colorado. It was clean, open, and empty. There were mountains and trees. But as one retirement passed and the next crept up, Colorado grew polluted, crowded, and expensive. The Baron wanted a timberframe home as his manor. The Baroness wanted trees and hills. We began looking around: New Hampshire had lots of timberframes. Lady Terra, in college at the time, suggested a carriage house at the foot of the manor for her Grande Entourage to rest (or party) before tackling the ski resorts. The seed was planted. Wisconsin had hills and lots of trees so we toured Green Bay. Good beer, but awfully far from those we love, and that's the whole point of this retirement plan. If we are going to move at all, then it had better be closer to people important in our lives. The Baron was working the Internet hard when he came across Dale Sherman in 2002. They corresponded. Dale sent pictures. The Baron suggested good points and bad about each. Then, Dale found a parcel that wasn't on the market yet, but he thought we'd like. It's between the new (and as yet unfinished) I-99 and the old standby I-80, on the other side of a mountain from Penn State, but only 10 miles to State College. 3.5-4 hours from Admiral von UberBaron and Lady Terra and 3 major airports. 9 hrs from Lady Ariel was a bit far, so we'd have to fly. 2 out of 3 wasn't bad.
The first sight of what was to become The Barony was in a snow storm. The only road to the top was a dirt farm path covered by 6" of snow. We took a GPS reading so we could get back without the realtor, Dale Sherman. He was good: first he showed us regular citified subdivisions; then we saw impossibly steep cliff-hanging sites better suited for a peregrine's eyrie; finally the southern face of mountain mostly covered in trees. We were looking for 10-15 acres. This parcel had 100 acres which needed to be subdivided in long political process, so we put in our request.