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We just came home from Parents Weekend at Hendrix. It didn't go quite as planned, but I did have a great and intimate text conversation (apparently such a thing is possible) with Rachael while we were on the road back. Sometimes it's easier for her to talk to me via text than in person. So I take what I can get. She looks great, the young man she's dating is a nice guy - with some very gentlemanly attributes that only a parent of this particular child would notice - and she's making some (not all) smart choices when it comes to setting priorities. So I can't really complain.

I read three books on my Kindle while on the road and late at night and plan to review them within a few days. I have no PW reviews hanging on at the moment - I turned my last one in way early (the due date for it was to have been tomorrow) - so I can focus on reviewing the Anne Stuart, Tim Gunn, and Lucy Monroe books, and hopefully start on some other netgalley.com downloads before books from one or both of my PW editors arrive.

I tweeted today that I plan to "go underground" other than reviewing and blogging because the self-indulgence level has gone off the charts. There's another reason for it: I'm so frustrated right now about the state of our nation that I need to pull back. No more tweeting newspaper article links...or sharing Bill Maher quotes. While we were on the road on the way to Hendrix on Thursday, we vowed to stay away from talk of the news or politics and neither of us were able to do so. Then, on Friday night while we watched Bill Maher, I almost could not control myself whenever Amy Homes or that charlatan Andrew Breitbart opened their mouths. It was after Maher finished his New Rules segment that I realized I need to go on a news ban. Since much of my twitter feed is consumed with the news - and since the rest has gotten too "it's all about me" - it was pretty much a no-brainer.

Will I blog about anything other than books? Who knows? But since the average number of daily readers here on Toe in the Water is fewer than 25, I'm fairly certain those who tune in here are okay with whatever I share.

I'll leave with this small B&N tidbit: We visited the B&N-owned bookstore at Hendrix and learned that no more than 25% of the textbooks used by Hendrix students are available on Nook and that there are additional constraints to textbooks and e-book readers (laptops and printers and timing issues all play a part), leading me to conclude that while the eventual future of college reading will be electronically based, it's not quite ready for prime time just yet.

And, for those of you who haven't seen them on Twitter or Facebook, here are some photos I took with my phone at Hendrix. My DH took some excellent ones with a "real" camera, but for now these will do:

This chandelier in the student center was created by a glass artist who graduated Hendrix in 1988

Some on-campus apartments

I call this the "birthday fountain" because students are dumped there by their friends on their birthdays. They do the dumping based on the time each student came into this world; poor Rachael will be dumped in the middle of winter in the middle of the night

One of the main walkways on campus

Just one of many "thoughtful" spots on campus...this one particularly lovely

"The Pit," where the entire student body hangs out for college-sponsored events, like this month's Foam Party

The library (I didn't go close up on most shots because I wanted to include the surroundings, like the myriad of trees and shrubs that give this campus a very natural vibe

Student Life & Activity Center, which is where we started. In addition to the great art glass, the building is very tech-oriented, featuring many comfort-filled work/play stations utilizing large computer/TV screens with Internet hook-up and access to software programs. You can watch a football game, play Wii, or work on a presentation with classmates. I wish my den had a set up like this!

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