Dan Ream's Other Blog

The Day We Met President Obama on Marilea Rd

2011-09-26T13:10:00.021-04:00

(To view with captions, see Youtube video.)

On September 29, 2010 my neighbors and I enjoyed the rare thrill and honor of meeting President Barrack Obama only a few yards from our homes. The President was making a series of neighborhood visits to hear what everyday citizens' concerns were. In each of the visited cities, a host family was selected and in Richmond, that was the Perry family (Matt, Stephanie, Matthew and Lucy) across the street from us on Marilea Rd in the Stratford Hills neighborhood of Richmond. Thanks to the Perrys, many of the neighbors were invited to meet the President. Due to rain that day, it was moved indoors to the clubhouse at Southampton Recreation Association, a few doors down the street.

Our son, Paul, who had campaigned door-to-door for Obama (as had Lucretia and I) was spending that semester abroad in Madrid and was shocked to learn that the President was coming to HIS STREET! As a consolation, we offered Paul that, if we had the chance, we would ask HIS question of President Obama, which we did.

At the 17:19 mark in the video above, President Obama pointed to me and said "yes, sir?" At that moment, he had no idea what I might say or ask about, as there was NO SCREENING OF QUESTIONS and no selection of attendees by political affiliations. It was a genuine opportunity for spontaneous dialogue.

Meanwhile, sitting around a laptop computer in a Madrid kitchen with his host family, Paul got to hear President Obama answer his question.

For another perspective, our dialogue over Paul's question begins at the 6:50 mark on this C-SPAN video.

Both before and after the Q&A, President Obama met each person in the room, addressing each of us by name. His aura and charisma were amazing.

Last and definitely least, here is the "horror movie" (listen to that music!) produced by area Republicans about the President's invasion of our neighborhood. Included for some of the rain and unforgettable security images from that day (police, buses parked to provide sightline shields, etc) that even we at the meeting couldn't see.

Law For Change

2011-06-27T12:27:00.002-04:00

Found an interesting introduction to an organization that connects pro bono legal services to social entrepreneurs. It's called LawForChange

They're tearing down the VCU Larrick Center!?

2007-11-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

Larrick Center as it looks today in 2007

Although I can find few others with affection for it, I'm sorry to
learn that VCU is tearing down the Jonah Larrick Student Center
at the MCV campus in December, 2007.
Built originally as the Virginia Civil War Centennial Center
and opened in September, 1961, it has functioned for many
years as the student activities center for MCV campus
students at VCU. It was named for the former YMCA director
at MCV, Jonah Larrick.

Larrick Center as it looked in the early 1960s as
the Virginia Civil War Centennial Center

Sure, it's impractical, non-functional, and expensive to heat and cool.
Some would even say it's "funny looking", but therein lies its charm.
in fact, it always reminded me of Ream's Turtle.....

Ream's Turtle in Provo, Utah (now gone)

With the destruction of Ream's Turtle ( a skating rink converted
to grocery store) in Provo, Utah and now Larrick Center in
Richmond, it's been a tough year or two for weird building lovers.
Interesting Note:
Ream's Turtle collapsed of its own accord only minutes before its
demolition ceremony, according to the article linked above.
That somehow seems a more dignified way to go.

Missing the Igloo in Calabash!

2007-07-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

As we head to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina for our annual summer visit, our only sad note will be the absence of the Igloo ice cream stand in Calabash, which disappeared sometime around 2002/2003 between our summer visits.

Recently, I found the excellent daytime photo (above) of the Igloo from April, 2001 on Fotothing.

But our favorite photos are of our family and friends getting served delicious ice cream treats by the owners of the Igloo, John and Gloria Hoover. Like these from 2001.....

The typical scene on any warm summer night in Calabash in the early 2000s, the line at the Igloo, which was located on Beach Drive as you entered Calabash from the east.

Gloria Hoover serving Jane Berry. Note both of their smiles.

John Hoover looks on while Paul Ream holds a giant (plastic) rendition of their soft serve cones.

Paul Ream and Emily Hammer in front of the (now gone) Igloo road sign on Beach Drive.

Noted food critic and smoothie expert Allen Hammer (not pictured) in 2001 proclaimed the Igloo's peach ice cream sundae the finest he "EVER HAD", a view he maintains even now, 6 years later.

Not only was the ice cream great, but so were the Hoovers, who obviously loved sharing their ice cream with eager children and adults.

Curious about what became of the Igloo, I undertook a literature search that led to this 2002 article from the Myrtle Beach newspaper...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IGLOO OFFERS COOL TREATS AND WARM TALK
Author: Jo Ann Mathews For The Sun News
June 30, 2002
Section: NEIGHBORS...NORTH STRAND
Page: 5

The shape of the building on Beach Drive in Calabash, N.C., snags people's attention.

Once they stop at the Igloo, they place orders for treats with names such as Tropical Shaved Ice, Banana-Strawberry Cordial Sundae and Tropical Sundae.

`When I feel really wicked I get butterscotch,'' said Jeanne Deacon of Sunset Beach, N.C., as she nodded with a sly smile toward the dish she was holding.

``I like the yogurt and the people that own [Igloo]. We come down and socialize while we eat.''

``It's a landmark,'' said Kitty Whitaker of North Myrtle Beach, as she savored her dish of chocolate and strawberry sugar-free, non-fat yogurt with hard-shell chocolate on top.

``You come here and you laugh,'' said Gus Barbetta of Carolina Shores, N.C., who gets his yogurt fix on a daily basis. ``[The Hoovers] are very friendly.''

After speaking with John and Gloria Hoover, owners of the Igloo, customers are hooked. John's soft-spoken voice indicates he's willing to cater to customers' requests. Gloria's infectious laugh encourages people to talk.

``Everybody seems to have a party when they come here,'' she said.

Benches and a picnic table encircle the front of the Igloo. Other benches offer comfort and privacy at the rear. People order treats with their favorite toppings and mingle on the grounds.

``A good portion of this is custom. That's why people feel comfortable. They know we'll do what they ask,'' Gloria said.

The Hoovers, both 74, left Toledo, Ohio, and moved to Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

John retired from designing and constructing buildings and Gloria retired from teaching fifth grade and running a liquidation and appraisal business.

The idea for Igloo came to them one night when they wanted ice cream and couldn't find a place to get it.

John designed the Igloo, ordered 16 fiberglass panels and constructed the building. The couple researched the food industry and chose their current product. They opened the Igloo 13 years ago.

Customers hail from throughout the world. One man from England suggested the Igloo to friends, who followed up on his recommendation. An airline executive left his chauffeur-driven limousine to place an order. Actors from Screen Gems in Wilmington, N.C., have driven to the site. Those on golf packages return every year. Another time, a family stopped for cool treats before checking into their accommodations.

``We came twice today,'' said Jonas Butler, 9, in town with his family from Greendale, Ind.

His mother, Bridget, said her husband found the Igloo four years ago, and they go there every year.

The Hoovers open the Igloo at Easter each year and stay open every day until the end of November.

``I'd be bouncing off the walls if I didn't have this,'' Gloria said.

``This is my salvation,'' John said. ``I'd probably be in a rocking chair somewhere talking to people if I didn't do this.''

End of text.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curious, I e-mailed free lance writer Jo Ann Mathews, the author of the above piece and asked her why the Igloo disappeared between 2002 and 2003 summers. She shared this e-mail reply...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've been wanting to write a story about the "passing" of the Igloo, which I may do yet. It happens the Hoovers did not own the land on which the Igloo was built. An elderly lady did, but she died and her sons sold the land to the owners of Jersey Subs, the restaurant behind the Igloo. The Hoovers were shocked but had to get off the land. John decided to sell his structure, which was bought by a moving company in Tabor City. I suspect the Hoovers moved back to Ohio, but I'm not sure. I haven't tried contacting them. There were quite distraught when I talked to them last fall when the Igloo was sold. I knew lots of visitors would be upset without the Igloo. Hope you found another suitable ice cream/yogurt place. ....

Thanks for contacting me.

Jo Ann Mathews
The Sun News
May 27, 2003

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although I can't find what became of the Hoovers, I have found another Igloo in their former hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Could it be theirs? I hope so!! Photo below from Flickr

If you know more about what became of John and Gloria Hoover
or if they own the Toledo Igloo, please let me know!

Fudan University student Roseanne Jiang's 2006 visit to Richmond

2007-07-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

Fudan University visiting student Roseanne Jiang's blog posting about visiting our home in Richmond, Virginia in July, 2006...

( from http://rosannejiang.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!EF889EB37273390C!893.entry )

07，24，06

After a long class, we had a nice visit to the Dan Ream’s house today. The nice American librarian has already given us a memorable introduction for VCU library. His sense of humor made everyone enjoyed the whole introduction lecture. And, we all like his clear standard American pronunciation! Someone even said he can try a radiobroadcaster.

The visit to his house is also memorable. Houses are scatted in the serene and beautiful neighborhood. You can feel the harmonious American family life once you come to his back yard. Dan’s dog welcomed our guests from China. She is so pretty and docile that we heard no bay when the strangers come by her. The house is so neat and clean, you can imagine what a capable housewife there lives. The living room decorated much like a multifunctional hall. The librarian couple decorated the living room with books and music instruments. A familiar feeling like you enters a small library! From Dan’s house, it explains that how he could be so erudite and scintillating, here comes the old saying “Books are the best teachers”.

Dan’s wife made a nice and delicious dinner! She held a small Barbeque party at home! Before we eat, everyone hold their hands together and praise something they especially wanted to send their thankfulness. I think the little ceremony can strengthen family ties and make every family members appreciate what they have. I don’t know whether it is a traditional American dinner culture, but it really works for a educated family such as Dan’s. I love the Barbeque and the bean source his wife cooked! Yummy! The bean source taste like some Chinese cuisine, it reminded me Chinese food. Although I got quite used to American food, I still prefer riceJ Oh, I nearly forgot the self-made ice-cream! It is amazing that Americans can make ice cream all by themselves. The ice cream used fresh fruits and milk; it is more natural and less sweet. Dan’s dessert is the highlight of the whole dinner.

We toured around his neighborhood and talked a lot with his wife and son. All of us feel so easy and comfortable to chat with the easy-going, erudite and nice American family. We talked about American talk show hostess, American presidents, American cars and Chinese cuisine, one-child policy, so on and forth …We learn more about each other’s culture from our conversation. I really appreciate such an opportunity to be a guest in an American family to have an understanding of their ideology, culture and living styles. Thx, Dan Ream! If you ever have the chance to read my blog, reply to my blog

Photos posted by Roseanne..

Library Music Video of the Year!

2007-04-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

A music video (4:10) by New Zealand band Haunted Love.
Filmed on location at the Dunedin Public Library.
Camera work by Claudia Babirat, direction and
editing/effects by Don Ferns.
Starring Haunted Love (Rainy McMaster and Geva Downey)
See their Myspace page.

Rosie Days!

2007-03-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

My illustrious cousin, Rose Marie Kintzel,
better known now as Rose Kromrey, isn't feeling well today,
so I'm posting a bunch of my
favorite photos of her in hope of bringing her a smile or two.
(She appears above with my Aunt Irene in August, 1969)
Despite rumors to the contrary, she did not
dress like a pixie every day.
Rather,this was her work uniform at a health spa.

There's even more here
Hope you enjoy these, Rose!

Christmas Rhapsody

2006-12-15T09:11:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite recent Christmas songs is a collaboration by two groups, Pledge Drive and One of Each, Christmas Rhapsody an excellent parody of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in which the parody is even better than the original. And best of all, they share it freely on the web for anyone who wants to download it, both here and with lyrics, here.
Happy Holidays!

And thanks to electech.co.uk for the great penguin animations!

The best online librarian yet?

2006-10-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

It's Ms Dewey at http://msdewey.com/

A new search site called Ms. Dewey features a woman who makes funny comments related to topics that are typed in at the bottom of the screen. The search results then pop up in a scrolling list in a window on the upper right.

She seems to get bored when the user isn't typing in topics, saying things like "Hello, type something here," while pointing to the search box, and tapping the "glass" screen and asking "Anyone there?" She also pretends to cast a fishing line at the user and reel him or her in. But most of the time she stands around alternating between looking bored or being inviting.

She may not be the most effective online librarian, but at least the most entertaining one so far!

And here's more about the "star" of Ms. Dewey, Janina Gavankar, who, acccording to David Ewalt's blog at Forbes.com, is apparently brought to us by Microsoft to promote their Windows Live Search search engine.

Does Joe Biden Hang Out at Helen's Famous Sausage House?

2006-08-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

Helen's Famous Sausage House in Smyrna, Delaware is the kind of place that makes exotic travel all worthwhile. It's even rumored that traveling businessmen book overnight stays in nearby Dover, not to go to the track or casinos at Dover Downs, but actually just in order to eat at Helen's.

Don't just take my word for it. Read the raves of Roadfood.com experts Jane and Michael Stern right here....

"While most of Helen’s clientele stop by for sandwiches wrapped to go, it is possible to dine here. Place your order at the counter and carry it to one of a few tables on ground level opposite the instant-order counter, or proceed up a couple of steps into a dining room decorated entirely with pictures of Elvis. This is Roadfood extraordinaire!"
- Michael Stern, 6/16/2001

And- Helen's is endorsed by renowned Delaware gourmet Steve Newton and his team of taste-testers, John Phillos, Lisa Olson, Terry Plummer, and Kathy Graybeal, shown below (in makeup and disguises) doing an undercover taste test.

Dieters, scroll down no further! Here comes Helen's pork chop sandwich!

A final, archeological note, from Michael Stern at his Roadfood.com review...

"Although a common icon of barbecue restaurants throughout Dixie, the happy pig is a rare sight in the North."
- Michael Stern

This brilliant insight may in fact prove Delaware Senator Joe Biden's recent declaration in South Carolina..."My state is anything [but] a Northeast liberal state." How could Delaware be a northern state so long as pigs are smiling on the Helen's sign in Smyrna?

Heck, in Dover they not only smile, those pigs even fly over the barbecue palaces!

Case closed!

The "Hype Machine" .....Why, It's Even Better Than Radio!

2006-05-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

The Hype Machine audio blog aggregator
sits atop my blogroll at Bloglines every morning, apparently the first of my 100+ blogs to reach the bloglines maximum of 200 postings before the counting stops.

The Hype Machine apparently finds blog postings that contain .mp3 files, such as podcasts and music blogs that offer music tracks for review. Sometimes new, sometimes old, sometimes bootleg concert recordings, sometimes excellent radio broadcasts of live performances, I've found the Hype Machine is a great way to hear new music for free.

Along the left side of the Hype Machine, below the motto "Listen to Blogs Your Way!"
will be today's date and a list of blog postings containing songs. Click on "listen" below any and a pop-up window will play that song or any other posted that day.

A right-click on any song title in the pop-up player offers a "Read about this song" link that takes you to the original blog posting containing the .mp3 file you are hearing.

Not quite free Napster, but very nice!

Midnight Ukulele Disco

2005-11-11T15:51:00.000-05:00

Much as I love seeing and hearing the Rolling Stones,

sometimes I'm in the mood for....something else.
Something like Midnight Ukulele Disco!

George Harrison on ukulele

Have a gander at the Old Spice Boys great performance of Rag Mop,
my mother-in-law's (Evelyn Ochs) favorite song!
........and yes, her daughter has good taste too!

Here's a good video introduction
to the Midnight Ukulele Disco phenomenon.

Ruth Harrison, Reference Librarian

2005-11-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

Garrison Keillor is at it again!

He has a new series on Prairie Home Companion entitled Ruth Harrison, Reference Librarian. Click on Ruth's name to hear a recent episode.
Or here to read the transcript

The Markel Building found

2005-06-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

Another Roadside attractions web site of note is Roadside Architecture by Debra Jane Seltzer with a neat list of Virginia notable sites, including Richmond's Markel Building by local architect Haig Jamgochian, below.

InfoTrac and the Man with No Pants

2005-06-02T15:31:00.000-04:00

Error spotting is the pleasure of many a librarian.
I was reminded of one of my favorites (below) from a 1999
e-mail list-serv posting I made on the Web4Lib group that now shows up when you search "dan ream" in Google.

As I posted then.....

This was the first match to my rap music and violen* keyword search.
Most other INFOTRAC citations to that same issue of Rolling Stone
magazine contain this same photo.

--Dan Ream
Virginia Commonwealth University Library
Richmond, Virginia

P.S. And to those who asked--no, I didn't notify INFOTRAC.
I knew they'd surely kill it and it was just too much fun as it is/was.
Analogies to the "let's dissect the alien" motif of 1950s sci-fi movies are
welcome ;-)

Great car commercials from the 1950s and 1960s

2005-05-24T14:19:00.000-04:00

Found this great web site called Classic Car Spots
streaming car commercials from the 1950s and 1960s.
Best one I've seen so far is the funny 1965 Volkswagen commercial.

5 great dumplings for a dollar!

2005-05-10T13:33:00.000-04:00

Had a fun trip to New York City with the high school musicians from the Maggie Walker Governor's School. One highlight was the gang of us (12 or 13) strolling Little Italy and Chinatown on Sunday, May 1st and finding fantastic fried dumplings at 5 for $1 and later having a neat dim sum lunch at the Jing Fong Palace--total bill $50 including tip for eight of us! After reading about $36 for Rancid Chicken on the freakonomics blog, I feel luckier than ever!

It's RoadFood

2005-05-05T10:18:00.000-04:00

Found another fun web resource in RoadFood.

Based on Jane and Michael Stern's classic book Road Food
(now in its 6th edition, published April 12, 2005), this web site adds
a restaurant search engine (for special road food establishments only, of course) and forums to talk road food with similarly afflicted fans of such eating.

I especially like browsing state-by-state. Virginia listings include Five Guys in Alexandria and the Virginia Diner in Wakefield. Amazingly though, the world's finest barbecue establishments, Pierce's Pit in Lightfoot (near Williamsburg) and Buzz and Ned's in Richmond are both missing, though Buzz and Ned's gets great reviews in the
forum section!

A Napoleon Dynamite Soundboard!

2005-04-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

I never heard of a soundboard before, but this Napoleon Dynamite soundboard is, as Napoleon would say, "sweeet". It requires Flash software , but all you do is click on the words on screen and hear Napoleon say them aloud. If you haven't heard about the film Napoloeon Dynamite, ask your nearest teenager "with skills".

Roadsideamerica

2005-04-20T15:21:00.000-04:00

I'm drawn like a moth to the flame to the web site known as Roadsideamerica, especially the Muffler Men Home Page , which chronicles the whereabouts of an abandoned race of roadside statues from a long gone auto repair chain.

Roger, the Wooden search engine, (whatever that means) allows you to search a place name, like "Richmond, Virginia" to pinpoint the oddest tourist attractions in your state or town.
Entries for Richmond, Virginia are rather mild on the weirdness scale, but that's Richmond, ranging from the Giant Milk Bottles of the Richmond Dairy Company to weird-and-wonderful Hollywood Cemetery to the legend of the body in the General A.P. Hill monument on Hermitage Road. For my own personal tour of Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery, see my "In Search of Mary Munford" web site. As we say about Hollywood Cemetery...it's so popular, people are dying to get in!

Learning to blog

2005-03-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd try this out and see how blogging works!