Sadly, No Canned Tuna-in-Oil

Sadly, there was no canned tuna-in-oil included among the artifacts from the 1959 Mooresville High School (MHS) time capsule, which was opened at last night's Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation (MCSC) board meeting.  We have some nice photos on our "treasure trove" local history blog, thanks to Susan Haynes, MCSC chief communications officer.

Click the image below to see the photos and to read more about it.

What was inside the time capsule, if not canned tuna-in-oil?

• Several editions of the Mooresville Times and the Indianapolis newspapers from the time period;
• The 1959 MHS building dedication brochure;
• A feasibility study for consolidating the schools of Mooresville and Brown/Madison/Harrison Townships (of Morgan County);
• A photo of the MHS gymnasium under construction; and
• A typed copy of the original MHS Articles of Incorporation from the 19th century.

This is all quite interesting, but it does nothing about my appetite.  Minions, make with my din-dins.

Just a suggestion, school board members.  If you place another time capsule in the current MHS renovations, you should include canned tuna-in-oil for some future feline roving reporter from our Library.  Whoever that kitty will be, s/he will surely appreciate it.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Two, Four, Six, Eight, Who Do We Appreciate?

I was never any good with cheers.  Not like Wild Thang, whose MPL cheer for PLA you saw a couple months ago.  But I am quite good at feeling appreciated, as we well know.

It was therefore something of a surprise that my name was not among the guest list for my Library's volunteer appreciation luncheon today.  April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and, particularly, April 15-21, 2012 is Volunteer Appreciation Week at MPL.  I am certainly all for showing our appreciation for our volunteers--the Library could not possibly function without them--but I would have expected at least a small can of tuna-in-oil for moi.  No such luck, it would seem.  (Icy feline glare is being given by moi to the MPL Home Page as I have my minions type this.)

Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk.  It is much better to just run right over and lap it up as fast as I can.  So let moi say that honoring our wonderful library volunteers is THE most important work our staff could do today, this week, or this entire month.  Our volunteers give SO MUCH. Their tireless efforts enable our Library to become a public service stalwart.

Hey, Is That MY Picture Up There?

It IS Moi !

Hey, if I'm included on the MPL Volunteer Wall of Appreciation, then, ipso facto, I must be an appreciated volunteer.  There's no escaping that conclusion.  That does not, however, excuse the absence of the canned tuna-in-oil.  Just saying.

Do we have photos from today's volunteer appreciation bigbash?  You betcha.

 Cover Gals (The Laminator & Ms. Mylar)

 Another Cover Gal (Mylar Jean), the Decorinator, and ObitGal

 BuilderDude, Modulation Man, & Mod Squad

 Filin' Fillie & CircMaster

 UpholsterGal

Library Friends, Indeed

Our Volunteers Are A-Number One!

 No Chocolate Mess

to Write Home About

U-Shaped Tables Actually

V For Volunteer Victories

Beneath those custom-wrapped MPL chocolate bars were custom-made pen & pencil sets emblazoned with the MPL brand.  Really spiffy gifts to show our appreciation for our great volunteers!

But, sad to say, no canned tuna-in-oil for moi.  And after my grown-up blog has garnered over 80,000 viewers!  (My kids blog has enjoyed over 11,500 viewings.)  Hey, even Scowl-Face was recognized as a volunteer, and nobody reads either of his blogs.

Thank you again, MPL volunteers!  You make our Library so much more wonderful, which is pretty amazingly fantastic.

I Didn't Even Get a Bite of That Pulled Pork,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Volunteer Appreciation News Beat

P.S.  Volunteerism is all about getting together to make the world a better place.  "Get Together," by the Youngbloods, echoes a similar sentiment.  The song was first released as a single in 1967, but its re-release in 1969 became a top five hit on the U.S. charts, selling over a million copies.

P'TOOOOWIE!

That's what I say about my enforced, unreasonably harsh, and certainly not requested dietary change.  The V-E-T, who torments moi once or twice a year, says that I may no longer eat canned tuna-in-oil.  It is allegedly too fattening.  Now, I ask you, do I have a weight problem?  The only wait problem I have is waiting too long to get my din-dins!

Now this is simply going entirely too far.  According to my journalistic colleagues at US magazine, somebody supposedly snapped a photo of moi showing a "baby bump" or a "plump rump" or some such crude descriptive.

Now, I know that US photographers are probably under all kinds of publishing deadlines, so maybe they think that any ol' black kitty picture will suffice.  But when someone is suggesting that these photos represent moi, we're getting into deep libel territory.  Anyone who knows moi (and, if you follow my blog, I hope that's you) can tell that these photos are of other black felines.  To-wit:

• Note BOTH ears are up-standing;
• No white mark on the chest;
• My hindquarters are MUCH slimmer and muscle-toned.

So, obviously, these are fakes.

Apparently, the V-E-T considered them to be genuine.  How else did he conclude that I needed to watch my caloric intake?  I am a freedom feline AND a roving reporter to boot.  I'm fit and trim--it's part of my job description--and that's a fact, Jack.

It is totally bogus that I have to forgo canned tuna-in-oil.  Have you tasted canned tuna-in-water?  It's hardly worth the bother.

So I hereby protest any further attempts to withdraw my favorite food.  Oh, I'll eat canned cat food--who doesn't?--but rest assured that I will not tolerate these draconian dietary measures.

Serve Moi the Good Stuff, Right Quick, Minions,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Libel News Beat

P.S.  The definitive weight parody is "Fat," by "Weird Al" Yankovic, from his album Even Worse (1988).  Weight-challenged folks might be offended, and I'm sure "Weird Al" apologizes for that.  It's a Michael Jackson video (and song) parody, really.  The original MJ song "Bad" morphs into WAY's "Fat" as a convenient monosyllabic title.  "Weird Al" often uses food as a subject for his music parodies.

What's the Big Idea?

Today (September 10) is Swap Ideas Day.  Many folks exchange gift ideas, but the day covers a much broader scope.  You're supposed to pass along your great (or not-so-great) ideas with others.

I have some ideas that would make my world a much better place.

• Increase Canned Tuna Availability for Moi.  Why is canned tuna-in-oil so expensive?  If the supply were increased, then the price would decline, if I recall my microeconomics (or was it macroeconomics?) correctly.  Which one has all those supply and demand curves?  That's the one I mean.  Who's in charge of market forces, anyway?  Well, whoever it is, we want more canned tuna-in-oil.  Send some.  Seems straightforward enough.

• Volunteering at Your Favorite Library.  Since gasoline is so expensive, you probably can't afford to travel much.  Well, everything costs more, so you may not be going to the movies as frequently, or you may have cut back on your other entertainments.  So you may have some extra free time on your hands.  Why not help out at your favorite local library?  You have tremendous talents from which your library patrons would enormously benefit.  That's true at my Library.  Our volunteers are totally pawsome!

• Read a Banned Book.  The American Library Association (ALA) is celebrating our freedom to read whatever we wish during banned books week (September 24 to October 1, 2011).  Well, not just during that one week--thankfully, our freedom to read is an everyday thing--but that's when the celebration is scheduled.  So you should read a banned book, just because you can!  My Library has a promo trailer for BBW.  No surprise there; we have videos for everything.

• The MPL YouTube Channel has a playlist especially for banned books, so you may watch our book trailers to see if anything interests you.  Click here to see this playlist.

• We Have Room(s) For You.  Did you know my Library has rooms you can check-out and use?  Well, you can't actually check them out, like a library book, but you can reserve and use them, if you have a library card, or if you are an organization or group needing larger accommodations, such as our Youth Program or Community Rooms.  Visit the MPL website for more details.

Do you have any ideas you'd like to share with moi?  I'd like to hear about them in my comments section.

I've got some truly big ideas, too, but they're too big to fit into this blog.  I'll need to do some stretching exercises, or perhaps I should use a smaller font.

Anyone Want to Pay Moi For My Ideas?  Just Asking,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Big Thinks News Beat

P.S.  Speaking of big ideas, here's "Big Time," by Peter Gabriel, from the album So (1986).

Opening a Copper Tin Full of Local History

Mooresville High School has announced a date on which the 1959 time capsule will be opened. The ceremony will take place at the regularly scheduled school board meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2013, at 6:30 p.m., at the Mooresville Schools Education Center, 11 West Carlisle Street, in Mooresville.

Mooresville High School Time Capsule (1959)
(Click Image to Bigify)

What do you think will be found inside the time capsule? Make your best guesses in our comments section.

Want to know what I'm hoping is inside?  Glad you asked.

• Canned tuna-in-oil.
• Photos of moi from one of my previous nine lives.
• More canned tuna-in-oil.
• Some of those furry meeces that we felines hide everywhere.

It will probably be all manner of interesting historical stuff, which isn't really my department, so I'll probably send Scowl-Face over to report on the action.

If you're an MHS alumnus, or if you are interested in local history, you should try to attend the school board meeting.  Time capsules are amazing things.  Maybe they'll find Al Capone's treasure, or whatever it was that Geraldo didn't find on that televised opening of that vault in Chicago way back whenever.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  In this video, Geraldo Rivera recalls opening Al Capone's vault in Chicago on live television in 1986.

History is Amassed in the Details

"Living history is amassed in the details," droned Scowl-Face in his best professorial tone.  "To fully appreciate the century of public service from Mooresville Public Library, one must be prepared to wade the minutiae." When it comes to 'ol Scowlly, you had best be prepared to wade through something else altogether.  You'll see what I mean.

Scowl-Face has a legitimate point, I must concede.  Any history worth its salt or pepper (or canned tuna-in-oil) is necessarily replete with ordinary, mind-numbing day-to-day details.  Just read any of the 19th century diaries contained in the MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room collections, and you'll soon see that people recorded daily events that seem rather dull to a casual modern reader.  But it is this enormous accumulation of information--humdrum as some of it may be--that affords a complete, accurate understanding of what life was actually like way back when. Historians largely compress this material so that readers or listeners will remain in their audiences longer than thirty seconds.

It is a tribute to historical writers that they accomplish this difficult task of paring the overwhelming piles of factual minutiae into something approaching readability and reader retention.  Then there's Scowl-Face's blog.  Even bad examples can be learning experiences.

But, of course, I joke at ol' Scowlly's expense.  The Library's history is interesting to anyone interested.  I charge $4.50 for axiomatic statements, so pony-up the dough.  Or the canned tuna-in-oil.

Library History Tastes Great and is a Good Fiber Source,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Library History News Beat

P.S.  Reading one of Scowl-Face's blog posts brings to mind "Too Much Information," by Duran Duran, from the self-titled CD popularly known as "The Wedding Album" (1993).

Books Make Great Gifts, Say MEG-A-RAE

In this week's episode of MEG-A-RAE, Programma Mama and Savvy remind viewers that books make great gifts.  Not as great as canned tuna-in-oil, but maybe that's just moi.

MEG-A-RAE #17:  A Very Special Gifty Books Episode

by Savvy & Programma Mama

Maybe books about canned tuna-in-oil would be fun for moi to read.  No--that would just make moi hungrier.

People readers should check-out the books they discussed in their video blog (vlog), if they sound appealing to you, and if you have an Evergreen Indiana library card.  All the books discussed may be found in various MPL collections around the library.  You could also look them up in our online E.I. catalog.  Cardholders may place holds on the books, if they'd like!

Want to see our book trailer for one of the books Programma Mama mentioned?  Easily done.

Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo (MPL Book Trailer #103)

Great read!  Scowl-Face first read it during his freshman year in high school, which was probably about the same time the book was first published.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  I'd like to recommend a wonderful children's book that makes a great gift.  This book trailer, created by the Lady With the Red Hair, elaborates.

We Love Our Volunteers!

Although 2018 National Volunteer Week was last week, we had our annual library volunteer luncheon this past Tuesday in the MPL community room.  We even made a special video celebrating our wonderful volunteers, who make the library a much better place in which to serve our patrons.

National Volunteer Week 2018

by Mooresville Public Library

I'm not considered a real volunteer, since I'm paid in canned tuna-in-oil (a regular, in-kind salaried employee, that's moi), so that's why my photo is absent from the video.  Boss Lady has kindly included it in many displays and signs featuring our volunteers, however.

You, too, can make your life more meaningful (and perhaps get canned tuna-in-oil, like moi) by volunteering at your library.  Adults who wish to volunteer at MPL should call (317) 831-7323 and ask for Boss Lady or Lady RaDA.  (Maybe you should use their actual human names--Ms. Diane or Ms. Sandra.)  Teen volunteers should talk with Teen Titan (Ms. Megan) or visit our website's teen volunteer page.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

31,557,600 Seconds

   60         seconds in a minute
x 60         minutes in a hour
x 24         hours in a day
x 365.25 days in a year (more or less)
________________________________

31,557,600 seconds in a year

That may not be scientifically accurate, but it is close enough for us felines.  That's how long this blog has been up-and-running.  An entire year!  Seems much longer, somehow.

Humans like annual celebrations, so I think my people readers would appreciate something deeply meaningful and worthwhile.  So would I, but I've got to finish this blog first.  Then I'll make for the canned tuna-in-oil, big-time.

We could review my inaugural blog posting.  Good for a few laughs, I'd venture.

We've covered considerable ground during this past solar revolution.  Over 400 blog posts with roughly 50,000 viewings.  I'm pleased with the results.

We still need something special as a celebration, however.  Let's see what's on YouTube.

I know exactly what they're saying.  So do my loyal feline readers: Sparkle the Designer Cat, Tober (the Thorntown [Indiana] Public Library Cat), Browser (the Pine River [Minnesota] Public Library Cat), and my British kitty pals Bea, Buttons, and Timmy.  I suspect that Morgan the Library Bunny (at Morgan County [Indiana] Public Library) and Keisha the Spaniel also know what this feline pair is talking about.

But we're not telling.

What will the next year bring?  Lots of canned tuna-in-oil, I'm hoping.




Thanks For Following My Blog,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Annual Anniversaries News Beat

P.S.  Reminiscing about the past year reminded me of "Goin' Back," written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King (1966) and performed by the Byrds as a single (released October 20, 1967) as well as on the LP, The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968).

P.P.S.  I would be remiss if I didn't include as a musical closer "Reminiscing" (1978), by the Little River Band.  If memory serves, this was the group's biggest hit single.

P.P.P.S.  Reflecting upon passing years made me think, as I often do, of George Harrison (1943-2001) and his first solo album, All Things Must Pass (1970), which included the title track on side three, track five of the three-disk LP set.  You may not have known that the Beatles first recorded a demo of the tune, but it was not released as a Beatles song until The Beatles Anthology 3 (1996).

Agua Muy Caliente (or Not)

The staff lounge at my Library is now in hot water.  Cold, too.  Also room temperature.  All kinds of water.

What Be This New Beastie?

Hmmm.  Curiouser and Curiouser

See those round disks beneath the spots marked "hot, cold, room"?  Looks like a miniature version of the transporter from Star Trek.

Transporter Pads from original Star Trek TV series (1966-1969)

It's too small to transport my human co-workers, who are, frankly, on the beefy side.  (Just kidding!)  Even I couldn't fit into that transporter space.  So what else could it be?  Once again, I consult my authoritative source for all things sci-fi in appearance.

"Odd.  I didn't ask for Earl Grey," mused Captain Janeway

(Kate Mulgrew) as she stood beside the food replicator

(Still from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

That's what it must be!  A food replicator.  But what type(s) of food will it replicate?

Again with the picture

See that little mug-looking thingee that has the warning symbol inside it?  That looks like a mug.  That's definitely a clue!  And atop the transporter pads are those markings, "hot, cold, room," which I'm guessing have something to do with liquid temperatures.  (I am that good.)  Then there's the brand name, Culligan, which appears on the upper left side of the unit.  Culligan is known for water-related products.  Ergo, I conclude that this grey box is actually a beverage replicator from Star Trek.

"But I wanted ice cream, not low-fat yogurt,"

whined the guest-starring youngster

to Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry)

on the original Star Trek TV series

(Dialog Replacement Theater courtesy of moi)

So Boss Lady sprang (sprung, as a past participle, would require a helping verb) for a beverage replicator for the Library staff.  That was both kind and thoughtful.  But what about a full-fledged Star Trek food replicator?  Something that could replicate, say, canned tuna-in-oil.  Imagine moi telling the computer to replicate that.  "Canned tuna.  In oil.  Room temperature."  It works better if you imagine that my voice sounds like Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).



"Tea.  Earl Grey.  Hot."

(Click to play video clip)

 

 

Apparently, our beverage replicator is not voice-command enabled.  You have to press the buttons above the words "hot, cold, room."  Then water pours into your mug or cup or whatever at the appropriate temperature.  Not exactly 24th century technology, but it will do nicely, thank you very much.

Tuna-Flavored Tea Works For Moi,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Staff Amenities News Beat

P.S.  Ensign Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) argues with a replicator in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.  I can just imagine how many times this would happen if replicators really existed.

Baked Beans Are Off

As Sparkle the Designer Cat correctly stated, felines need make no new year's resolutions, since we're already perfect and, therefore, have no need to resolve for further improvement.  Humans, of course, need all the help they can get.

Nonetheless, I'm resolving to demand (as special din-dins) something other than canned tuna-in-oil.  Namely?

The Spam Sketch from

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970)

There are, of course, many human foods that are unsafe for felines and slobberdogs.  The sodium in Spam could pose problems for us kitties, and the protein and fat content may not be optimal for feline digestion.  But, surely, an occasional nibble wouldn't hurt. 

Canned Spam from Hormel Foods

I'm not giving up canned tuna-in-oil, which I only am served on a much-too-intermittent basis.  But it's time to expand my repertoire of special n'yum n'yums (and jokes, for that matter).

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  "The Spam Song" appeared on the album Monty Python Sings (1989) and on several other record collections (as well as in the TV series).  Thirty seconds of masterful musical marketing, Hormel.  Just saying.

Our Favourite Things

Sparkle the Designer Cat blogged about receiving a Favourite Things Award (it's British, as you can tell from the spelling).  I thought I'd list some of my (and my feline friends') favorites.  We begin, naturally, with the MPL feline roving reporter.  As always, click the images to bigify.

 Cauli Le Chat

Favorite Thing:  Canned Tuna-in-Oil

Okay, that's a no-brainer.  I blog about my favorite food all the time.  I know that photo isn't canned tuna-in-oil, but you get the idea.

Junior of Junior's Farm

Favorite Thing:  Blanket Curling

Junior (of Junior's Farm), MPL arts & crafts special feline correspondent, enjoys curling up in comfortable blankets.  It's an artsy-fartsy thing.

Gracie ("Baby")

Favorite Thing:  Privacy

"Baby," MPL homeland security extra special feline correspondent, likes privacy, and LOTS of it.  Encroachment on her turf spells trouble, as these scurrydogs well know.

 Harley Quinn

Favorite Thing:  Watching Television

 Mister Meowgy, Too 

Harley Quinn, MPL feline "cub" reporter, and Mister Meowgy, whom we first met via Drawer Dude and Buffalo Gal, both love laser mouse and watching television.  In fact, they'll go for any flashy thing (eye-roll). 

Biscuit (left)

Favorite Thing:  "Scurrydog TV"

Biscuit, who is chief of Feline Enforcers XIV, likes to watch "scurrydog TV."  Being an outdoor kitty, he could play chase with them, but that's too much work.

We've got more kitties where I hang out (when I'm not spending time around my Library), but these are the ones we've featured in this blog.

What's your favorite thing?  Comments, please and thanks.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Where Are My Royalties? Just Asking

Although we wound-up this feature last December, I couldn't help coming out of retirement to ask this important question:  Where are my royalties, minions?  Just asking.

Royalties for what, you may ask?  (Go ahead.  I can wait.)  Well, Scowl-Face recently presented a program about Samuel Moore, founder of my hometown, Mooresville, Indiana. He created a video in which "Samuel" addressed folks at the Old Settlers Picnic in August, 1885.  Considering that there were no digital recording devices back then, it's surprising to hear "Samuel" speaking to the crowd. He sounded just like Scowl-Face.  A lot.

"Narration" of Samuel Moore at the Old Settlers Picnic (August 1885)

(Dramatic Reenactment)

At the 2:27 mark in the video, you'll see the East Fork of White Lick Creek.  Notice the prominent presence of moi in the lower middle-right.

Click Image to Bigify

Correct moi if I'm wrong, but that photo first appeared in this blog.  Its use elsewhere entitles yours truly to some canned tuna-in-oil (as royalties), I'll wager.  Make with the chow, minions!

Apparently, Scowl-Face's program was well-received.  There's no accounting for taste.

The Samuel Moore presentation was part of a Celebrate Mooresville's Heritage series that my Library is presenting as part of the Indiana Bicentennial (1816-2016).

Click Image to Bigify

I immediately noticed one glaring omission among the program subjects.

Obviously

When will MY program be featured, Boss Lady?  Just asking.

Don't forget those cans of tuna-in-oil, minions.  I must be well-fed in my retirement.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat