Want to trade national security secrets, or whisper sweet nothings in my ear? Download my PGP key here. My key ID is 0xC6F25541. The fingerprint is

57E9 D8B1 2BF3 F512 691D 65D1 DA92 E1FF C6F2 5541

Then send me some email.

I'm a member of the The Shmoo Group, an assortment of security folk with widely divergent hobbies.

Public Sightings

None scheduled at this time - but you never know where I might show up...

tbird Photography

St. Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, London - one of London's best- preserved Norman buildings The photo of St. Bartholomew published by Art+Auction

• Roskilde Domkirke, the hereditary burial place of Danish royalty and one of the oldest monumental brick buildings in the world.
• The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the University of Notre Dame campus

Portrait of the Artist as a Young tbird

Much to my amazement, and amusement, my home town of South Bend, IN has a pretty impressive presence on the Web. Here are some sites related to my early days and family history:

• The University of Notre Dame, where I completed a BS in Physics in 1987. Many of my favorite physics professors are still there. My grandfather, Otto Bird, founded the Program of Liberal Studies, in which my father and uncles all majored. I'm the first Bird descendant to major in a different program, and the first Bird woman to graduate from ND.
  
  My grandfather died in his sleep on 5 June 2009. This is his obituary as it appeared in the South Bend Tribune:
  
  

  SOUTH BEND - Professor Otto Allen Bird, Founding Director of the General Program of Liberal Studies at the University of Notre Dame, died June 5, 2009 in his sleep. He received his bachelor's degree in English and his master's degree in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan and his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto. He taught at St. John's University in New York. He was Associate Editor of the Syntopicon, the analytical index of the Great Books of the Western World, published by the Encyclopedia Britannica. He was Editor of Great Ideas Today, and worked closely with philosopher Mortimer Adler. In 1950, he founded the General Program of Liberal Studies, based on the Great Books, at the University of Notre Dame. He retired from Notre Dame in 1977. He was the author of several books, including his autobiography, Seeking a Center: My Life as a Great 'Bookie.' In 1936, he married Evelina Bills Polk, who predeceased him. He is survived by eight children: Kate Bird (Joe Volz) of Frederick, Md.; Bill (Evelyn) of Prescott, Az.; Mike (Diane) of Loogootee, Ind.; Tony (Roni) of Noblesville, Ind.; Evie Bird Haas (Dick) of Mequon, Wisc.; Chris (Erika) of Ashland, Ore.; Sarah Bird (Ken Peczkowski) of South Bend; and Barry (Charlotte Cook) of Rockville, Md. He also is survived by 19 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren and a sister, Margaret McGimsey. All five of his sons and three of his grandchildren graduated from the General Program. Visitation will be on Sunday from 2 to 4 pm at McGann Hay Funerals & Cremations, University Chapel, 2313 Edison Road, South Bend, Ind. His funeral will be on Monday at 9:30 am at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame. Burial will follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery on the Notre Dame Campus.

  If you would like to leave a comment for the family, please visit the Guest Book at his funeral home.
  
• I developed my taste for Gothic cathedrals and fine religious drama at The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and have lit a fair number of candles at the Notre Dame Grotto.
• The Potawotami Zoo, a frequent haunt for me and my paternal grandmother. A charming zoo, especially the ring-tailed lemurs. There's also a very fine conservatory.
• Celebrate the Chimps The Potawatami Zoo celebrates its 100th anniversary by decorating the South Bend/Mishawaka area with fiberglass chimpanzees.
• The Palais Royale The Palais Royale, northern Indiana's premier ballroom. Exquisitely restored in 2002/2003, it's a fabulous place for weddings, dances, meetings and other gatherings.
• The Morris Performing Art Center -- The historical pictures are very fine.
• The Fort Saint Joseph Museum, (which includes a stroll around the small town of Niles, MI, where my grandparents lived and where I spent much of my early adolescence)
• John Adams High School, where I graduated second on my class in 1983. Many of my science teachers are still there. Jack Goodman is a completely amazing teacher.
• The Saint Joseph County Public Library, where i worked in high school.
• If you fancy old classic cars, check out The Studebaker Museum.
• To check for snow or tornadoes, Local Weather from WNDU
• The local paper: The South Bend Tribune

My life with rheumatoid arthritis

In 2002, my ongoing problems with pain and inflammation in my hands and arms, originally incorrectly diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, was identified as full blown rheumatoid arthritis. I'm still struggling with the many changes this illness has made in my life.

• My DataHand keyboard makes it possible for me to continue working. I can't emphasize enough how beneficial it's been, well worth the significant cost and the learning curve. Even with the great medications I'm on, I would not be able to work full time without my DataHand.

I have an odd sort of RA, which affects my connective tissue more than my joints, and which has been very hard to diagnose and treat. I'm always on the lookout for new information about this disease.

tbird trivia and Recreational Sites

tbird's Patron Saint

St. Christina the Astonishing Just lovely -- a saint with my name who was renowned in the 13th century for her powers of flight. She is the patroness of the mentally ill, psychotherapists and madman. That might explain a lot. "She lived by begging, dressed in rags, and behaved in a terrifying manner." Clearly I don't have too much in common with her. Thanks to Keith Ashman for pointing this out.

• The Enduring Popularity of Courtly Love
• Oregon Road Conditions: very useful before I set out on the road to Ashland, Oregon, to visit Dad and Erika.
• The Castles of Wales Boy oh boy is this a cool Web site.
• The Hubble Heritage Project , "a tool for extending human vision, one that is capable of building a bridge between the endeavors of scientists and the public." (And some very fine photographs!)
• Early Music performances in the San Francisco Bay area
• Women in World History, a totally rocking document about female heroes all over the world.
• Djeser-Djeseru, the famous mortuary temple of Hatshepsut of Egypt.
• Astrophysics Preprints
• Panoramas of WWII European Landmarks - requires Quick Time. A shockingly effective presentation of some of the most weepy-making places on the planet.

A smattering of things I do in my Off Time

Some of my Favorite Writing

• Permanently by Kenneth Koch -- tbird's favorite love poem
• The poetry of Catullus
• archy and mehitabel, dedicated to the poetry of Don Marquis.
• Shakespeare's Tempest
• The amazing web site of Shakespeare's sonnets.
• The Carmina Gadelica, a collection of prayers and poems collected in places Celt over the last forty years. Fascinating.
• Random quotes about the Divine. Even one or two bits I wrote -- how embarrassing.
• The wedding ceremony I created for my friends Todd and Claudia.

7 Oct 2007

nest egg value plummets
i'll retire some day
when i need no food

candidate words blow
fall winds moan across the plains
no help, just cold rain.

Old Haiku

Last Updated: 7 June 2009
( tbird@precision-guesswork.com)