Songs and stories

Here’s my proposal for a simple logo for the Summit City Fencing Club. I think it’ll look good on our T-shirts.

The BP Gulf oil spill is now anywhere from 19 million to 39 million gallons.

But that large of a number is hard for the human mind to grasp. The help, The Associated Press gives us this metaphor:

“In the worst case scenario, if 39 million gallons has spilled, the oil would fill enough jugs to stretch from the Louisiana marshes to Prince William Sound in Alaska. That’s where the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989, spilling nearly 11 million gallons.”

OK, so that’s not really helpful at all. Now the *distance* is too large to imagine.

Also unhelpful was an earlier AP story, which said:

“Under the highest Gulf spill estimate, nearly 39 million gallons may have leaked, enough to fill 30 school gymnasiums.”

Honestly, are all school gymnasiums the same size?

So I searched for the capacities of several northeast Indiana bodies of water and discovered that my own sense of volume estimation is way, way off.

First was Lake James in Pokagon State Park. If you count all three basins that comprise the lake, Lake James contains 10.8 billion gallons of water. That’s billion, with a “b.”

Next, I thought maybe the Hurshtown Reservoir would be more help. But i was wrong again. That reservoir contains 1.8 billion gallons of water.

I need a lot less water. So I called Natalie Eggemann, the public information officer of the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department. She called around the department and discovered that Reservoir Pond contains 5.5 million gallons of water.

So the Gulf oil spill is at least four or maybe up to seven Reservoir Ponds.

Is that surprisingly small to you? Or maybe surprisingly large?

Above photo from August 1950 at Reservoir Park in Fort Wayne from News-Sentinel archives

Here are some of the links from Kevin Mullett’s Social Media Optimization seminar today.

What am I missing? Leave a comment below!

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Hey there! Long time no see. But I wanted everyone to know that I’ll be at the Blue Lion Coffee House in Pierceton, Ind., on Saturday, March 20.

I don’t know what time I’ll be performing yet, but once I get the details nailed down, I’ll post ‘em!

Update: I’ll start at 8 p.m. and play for maybe an hour. Hope to see you there!

Go over to Hannah Bushong’s MySpace page to hear a ni-i-ice version of “Christmastime Is Here” with Hannah on vocals, myself on piano and Tim Bushong, the showoff, playing every other instrument you hear.

Very well done arrangement!

If you’re here after seeing my concert at Buck Lake Ranch: Welcome! Let me tell you what’s going on:

• Download a couple of free songs on my Free! page.
• Listen to some songs from my instrumental album, “Wordlessly,” on the store page. You can also find out how to purchase a CD or find it on iTunes.
• Preorder my new album, “Daylight,” which will be released later this year, also on the store page.
• Look for me on Twitter or on Facebook. Links are near the bottom of the sidebar.
• And then be sure to sign up for updates, either by RSS or email. Look for the Get Automatic Updates headline at the top of the sidebar.

I hope to add more shows and more songs later this year. Thanks!

Another concert in the Angola area! This time, I’ll be playing at Buck Lake Ranch on Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m.

Be assured I’ll be there, even though you can’t find me on the Web site. I called. It’s a sure thing.

The concert is actually a ministry of Country Road Lighthouse Ministries, and yep, there I am on its Web site. Whew!

In any case, if you’re in the area, or can be, stop by. It seems to be free, although an offering will be taken.