Volume 33, No.13 Summer 2007

In Touch News for employees of the Clemson University Libraries

Deanna Swafford was Born in Seneca. She is Married and has 2 boys ages 10 & 6. Deanna loves fishing & playing baseball (she usually Don Brewer lives in Seneca. He is married with beats her husband in baseball). She loves 4 children & 4 grand kids. He was a motiva- spending time with her family, and her favorite tional speaker and has traveled all over the book is Where the Red Fern grows. She re- world. Don really wanted to enjoy life, cently saw the DVD and cried all over again. and says he is perfectly happy to dust books and clean toilets. He loves the fact that he gets to go home to his wife and they can do whatever they like. Don likes to tinker around on cars, the last Joclyn Blackwell (Mrs. J) was born in West Philadelphia. She lived Germany and Atlanta, of which was a 68 super sport Camaro. before coming to Seneca. She has 3 children and 4 grandkids, one being raised by her. Jo- clyn was a baker for Aramark. She enjoys sew- ing and makes her own drapes! Joclyn says she Robert Caban was born in Puerto Rico, and loves football and baseball, her teams being the speaks fluent Spanish & English. He’s held the Washington Redskins and the Braves. leading role in two Puerto Rican movies, was in Havana Nights (name appears in cred- Richard Meares hails originally from Hamp- its) and worked on Pirates of the Caribbean ton Virginia. He is one of eight (eight!) sib- and Bad Boyz 2. Robert has met Will Smith, lings, with three sisters and four brothers. Benicio Del Toro & Patrick Swayze. Robert’s When he’s not at the Library, Richard works at hobby is nature photography and his favorite the Oconee Lanes Bowling Alley and enjoys movies are the Silence of the Lambs Trilogy. visiting friends in his spare time. In two years, he will have worked for thirty years, but Rich- ard says he enjoys his work at the Library. Edna Sims was born in Pickens and currently lives in Seneca. She has 2 children and 7 grandchildren. Edna has been with in the Li- Shantel Gibson lived in Knoxville until she was brary for 4 years. She loves to cook, and is 11 years old, and resides in Walhalla. She has 3 famous for her potato salad. Most people may children (2 girls and 1 boy ages 14,12 & 3) not know that she loves to watch Old West- She has been working in Cooper for 5 years. erns, especially John Wayne movies. She likes Shantel loves to decorate her home & hates to old TV westerns like Gun Smoke & Bonanza. cook. She also loves to watch her children play basketball and shop. Her favorite singer is Keith Sweat, and enjoys Tyler Perry movies.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: Government Documents is giving away superseded NOAA Coastal Chart maps from various areas. If you are inter- ested in having them (for free), or know of someone that July 23 Sherry Volrath might be, you can find them in the government docu-

ment offices on the third floor near the map cases. In Touch Page 2 Vol. 33, No.13 — Summer 2007 Summer Movie Review Ratatouille

Director: Brad Bird; Voiced By: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofolo, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garret and Ian Holm; Runtime: 110 min; Rated: G

Most people think rats are disgusting, dirty creatures. I must admit I agree with them. But given Pixar’s track record, with films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., and five Academy Awards, culinary vermin seem somehow okay. Ratatouille centers on Remy, a rat with an unusually powerful sense of smell. After being separated from his family, Remy happens across Gusteau’s, a once-famous Parisian restaurant. He befriends the hapless garbage boy Linguini, and together, they rise to food stardom. Skinner, the jealous head chef, and Anton Ego, the critic who hopes to ruin Gus- teau’s once and for all, attempt to foil their success. Pixar has a way of fitting voices to their characters and have hit a home run with casting. Comedian Patton Oswalt is the perfect Remy, torn between his garbage eating family and a love of fine cui- sine. The supporting cast is equally superb, notably Janeane Garofolo as Colette the dangerously beautiful French chef and Peter O’Toole, delicious as the venomous Anton Ego (I could listen to him read the phone book). After you peel away rodents and fine cuisine, Ratatouille is, at its core, about following your dreams. The motto of the film is “Anyone Can Cook,” meaning if you work hard, any goal is within your reach. Some of the minor plot points misstep, but the overall film more than compensates. Visual representations of mixing flavors and the stunning views of Paris make for great eye candy. Those who have visited the City of Lights (such as my wife) will find them- selves shouting “I remember that street!” at the screen (and promptly being shushed by those around them). Ratatouille is a layered and satisfying dish. Brad Bird follows The Incredibles with another great movie the whole family will enjoy. It seems Pixar has another hit; Ratatouille is an Oscar-worthy delight. It gets four out of five paws: well worth the price of admission.

Lucky Sevens! Saturday was 7-7-07, a day made for the lucky. In Touch asked “What luck did you have on 7-7-7?” Here is a sampling of responses:

Susan Hiott: My twins turned 6 ½ - a monumental event for 6-year-olds Kathryn Wesley: Watched two (TWO!) chick flicks, made striding headway on a cross-stitch, and even found good leftovers for dinner! Keith Good: Won first place in a poker tournament and $35 Teri Alexander: Great nephew was born 3:00 am Saturday: Jeremy “Carter” McCollum; 8+ lbs (congratulations!) Christopher Colthorpe: Met International Hall of Fame Clown Avner the Eccentric and, due to cancellations, got discount tickets to his one-night-only show “Exceptions to Gravity” www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAi92o_2tDQ Bonnie Lanier: Enjoyed Live Earth concerts and found a website to calculate your carbon footprint: www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm Anne Grant: A good friend called for an unexpected visit Betty Cook: Spent the day with family, including grandson

Editor: Assistant Editors: Fredda Owens Sherry Volrath & Keith Good