What If the Numbers are Wrong?

I have done my fair share of alarm-raising over the infant mortality rate in this state and I, too, have spouted the “You’d be better off being born in bosnia than Memphis” line. So, I am kind of at a loss about what to do with this story. “The bottom line: Is infant mortality a [...]

“Glorious, Glorious”

I was going to hold off and just review the whole new The Joiners album closer to its release date, but I started crying and laughing on my way home from work, listening to their song, “Glorious, Glorious” and I burst in the back door and I said to the Butcher, “Listen to this,” and [...]

Bits and Pieces

–Liz has a good story about a documentary about Bells Bend. –I saw this the other day and thought, “someone should take a picture.” Well, just call me psychic blogger! Someday that’s going to be an exit from 40 onto Briley, but right now, it looks like a beautiful piece of public art that you [...]

Another Park Post

This time, the Professor came with me. The Butcher has asked that, in the future, I refrain from taunting powerful gangs, but I said, “I would tease anyone else.” and he said, “but anyone else isn’t bound to be armed.” And I waited. And I waited. And then he said, “Okay, but still. Don’t tease [...]

Exador Has Some Concerns, Which I Will Work to Aleviate

The only Irish thing I’d do on St. Patrick’s Day is back with his wife, so don’t you worry your pretty little head over it. I’ll be behaving.

Let Me Tell You a Story

Okay, I wrote this story and I was trying to decide if it worked, so I thought I’d read it out loud, but that wasn’t exactly working. So, I recorded it to listen to it. And I think it’s just right. I was worried the ending sucked, but hearing it, I think it’s just right. [...]

One Last Thing on Hardaway

He says, “The second part of that is that it’s none of your business.” He’ll stick his nose into the business of every couple with children in the State of Tennessee, but some things are not our business? Hardaway, you’re just one of us. No one died and left you king. If you don’t want [...]

Metro Water: Hell Yeah!

Okay, I called them yesterday at, what, 3:30? Who was in my yard this morning at 8:30? Metro Motherfucking Water. I about wanted to hug them, but… well… you know, they were down in the sewer system. Anyway, they didn’t find any leaks, so I’m back to TDOT to report that. And I am very [...]

The Gun Shoot

A bunch of legislators took the afternoon off to go shoot guns down in Tullahoma. I have some thoughts. 1. You couldn’t have scheduled this for a day when committees aren’t meeting and bills aren’t being advanced? 2. Equality day on the Hill was so scary and you guys are such delicate flowers that you [...]

Thank You, Representative Shaw

“We don’t just make laws for one person.”–Representative Shaw, today. 1. I’m glad someone will say it. 2. I hope Representative Shaw will feel empowered to wander around and remind other legislators of this fact. It is broadly applicable. I raise a toast to Representative Shaw. A Diet Dr Pepper toast, but for me, that’s [...]

Minorly Embarrassing

Well, the gaping hole in my front yard could be caused by a problem with the Sanitary Sewer that runs through there, so I had to call Metro Water and get them to come out and take a look at it. I told the man on the phone where I lived. He said, “Where is [...]

The Orange Cat is Insolent! And that’s a Professional Opinion!

As you may recall, my front ditch has some problem with Clarksville Pike, which it is trying to resolve through a conflict mediation strategy known as “hurl cinder blocks with as much force as an inanimate object can muster at the culvert going under the road. Now, this is a problem for me, because once [...]

My Nerdy Pith Post

Tom Wood has send me some cool, cool stuff about Payne, who died “suddenly,” whatever that might mean. One wonders. After all, regular people die suddenly and it just means they had heart attacks or massive strokes or a goat was dropped on them or something. But a guy whose house was blown up by [...]

So Cold

I have a bone-chill. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s a perfectly fine temperature in here, and the same temperature it always is, but it’s like my bones are cold and no amount of warm air at the surface can really get at it. My mind is distracted in about eight different [...]

Smell Spring Coming

It was cold when we walked this morning, but it smelled so amazing. I mean, like just after a rain clean, or like every plant has just opened itself up and let go of some chemical designed to bring spring on. I don’t know, but it was awesome. Both Mrs. Wigglebottom and I wanted to [...]

In Case You’re Interested

Here’s the Sara Evans piece I wrote over at Pith. As always, thanks to the people who deserve it. You know who you are.

Maddox and Overby, Attracting All Kinds of Attention for Tennessee

Dean Dad discusses our latest misadventure in nepotism. I stand  by my assertion that there doesn’t appear to be anything in the state law or in the guidelines of the folks who accredit Tennessee school that would forbid a qualified candidate from being hired to run a state university regardless of whether he or she [...]