Publishing

I heard from the editor of Spiritual Life magazine today that he likes the article I did on the treatise I had translated and that was published recently. So that will be published someday, but it takes a while for things to get into print with them. It is a quarterly, so I imagine the earliest it will appear would be about this time next year.

Still, it is good to get something accepted. Spiritual Life is a well-respected Catholic quarterly and regularly wins awards from the Catholic Press Association. Even better, they actually pay!

Deer. drums, decision

Last night we decided to go to the concert on the Square in Baraboo. On the way we saw a deer right in the middle of Berry Road. On the way back, another deer crossed the road ahead of us and over on Trout Road I saw about a dozen out in a field. A crane had flown over us on the way back, so it was a critterful evening.

There was a big turnout to hear the Od Tapo Imi Steel Drum Band. The leader is a relative local, although they are now based in Chicago. It was mostly Caribbean-type music, with a bit of Jimmy Buffet thrown in and even one Disney song from The Little Mermaid: "Kiss the Girl."

While we were there, Tom noticed that the jury bus for the murder trial was there, so we figured they were still in the building deliberating while the partying went on outside. When we got home we learned that about the time we were leaving the concert, the jury had convicted Eric Hainstock of First Degree Intentional Homicide. Tom (and Joe, if I understood him correctly) did not think the prosecutor had really proved that in her examination of the accused, but I guess the other witnesses were enough to convince the jury. I have a sneaky feeling that Judge Taggart was not so sure himself, because in his instructions to the jury he also gave them the option of deciding it was Reckless Homicide (Intentional or Unintentional). Tom thought that there might be enough uncertainty that the jury would opt for that, but that is not the way it turned out. Joe, by the way, was personally convinced that Eric was guilty of intentional homicide, but as a former District Attorney, he thought the case had not been convincingly made by the prosecutor.

At any rate, this sad chapter in the community's history is moving towards closure, with Eric requesting a speedy sentencing. I don't know if his attorneys plan an appeal.

Who's what?

Among the junk mail that came into the office recently was something addressed to me from Cambridge Who's Who. It was, they assured me, their pleasure to inform me that I was being considered for inclusion in the 2007/2008 Cambridge Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals "Honors Edition" section of the registry.

Since this was addressed to me at the law office, I can only assume they got my name off of a mailing list from Staples or some such place that sends supply orders to my attention.

Not so much, but thanks for playing!
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That picture of the Mayor of Whoville is not from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but from the other Dr. Seuss classic, Horton Hears a Who.

Suspicion

Yesterday afternoon I was questioned as a suspect in a murder case.

Sort of.

The Baraboo Public Library -- like just about every other library in the state, apparently -- is running a program on detectives this summer for teenagers. Besides reading detective novels, they have had lectures from police, the local CSI-types and such things. It's called "Get a Clue".

Yesterday they had a Mystery Game Party. Six teams of teenagers were given a description of the basic case -- the body of a man who had been missing for five years was discovered in the foundation of a library addition during construction -- and then had to go around and interview ten suspects who were scattered around in the library.

My role was Richard Eddington, an elderly man, recently voted president of the Board of Trustees of the library named for his grandfather. He would very much like to return to the days when libraries housed only aging works of literature and unnecessary talking was prohibited. He avoids the library in the hours immediately after school lets out. He was supposed to be a curmudgeon and I told them I thought that would fit me fine.

All I really had to say was, "I made no secret of my opposition to this addition. Since when does a library need beanbag chairs and a neon sign? Don't teenage students have a school library? But I'm not a violent man, and one death would not have stopped the project. I am also an officer at Crow Valley Country Club, and we had a long dinner meeting there that evening." It was supposed to be calm, stiff and formal.

We were encouraged to ham it up a bit, and I think I did that pretty well. Most of the kids seemed a bit intimidated by me.

I got hooked into this through the book club at the library, and I volunteered Tom because they were having trouble finding enough guys for the male suspects. He was a 35-year-old party-hearty guy who had once worked as a construction worker for the dead man.

It turned out we were both innocent, I'm glad to say.