No One’s Really a Fan of Democracy

Who said it’s the worst form of government except for all the others? I think about that frequently. Because, yeah, people really, really don’t like it. And I think sometimes, like here in town, they don’t even realize they don’t like it. But really, acting like it’s somehow outrageous that the city council doesn’t fall [...]

Work Begins and Continues on the Sexy Zombie Story

So, yeah, I decided for October, instead of doing a bunch of short stories, I’d do one medium story and serialize it a la Dickens. I think you’ll like it. So far, it’s the story of the great-grand-daughter of a con artist who accidentally ended up with psychic powers who, herself, though supernaturally powerful is [...]

Flowers and Beetles

 

I Also Have Non-Depressing Questions about Ramsey vs. Planned Parenthood

1. We all know that late Friday afternoon is the place news goes to die. And yet, we all also know this defunding is being accomplished via political pressure not via vote. Plus, liberals in this state have no power and the Democrats rich enough to raise a fuss are busy fighting Jason Holleman. So [...]

Tennessee is Defunding Planned Parenthood

The news came out late this afternoon, straight from Ron Ramsey, followed up shortly by coverage at In Session. Yes, people, fucking Ron Ramsey is bragging about this, but on a Friday afternoon. I don’t know what to make of it. Please someone tell me a.) there are grounds for a lawsuit; b.) Ramsey is [...]

It’s Hot and I’m Grouchy

Oh, so grouchy. So very, very grouchy. But I will say this for this weather–the pepper plants love it. I’ve been watering the big bed because it’s been so hot and I just… I don’t know… it’s not like I’m watering the roses, which might like it, or the willow. But I just want to [...]

Heavy the Head that Wears the Crown

Seriously, Governor Baby has been in office only a half a year and he’s already sending out his flacks to rewrite history? Mark Cate says: When asked which legislation was the most difficult for the governor to sign, Cate said it was House Bill 600. The bill that Haslam signed forbid localities from passing anti-discrimination [...]

At Night I Wake Up with the Sheets Soaking Wet

Since there’s nothing to be done on the manuscript but wait, I’ve been trying to keep myself busy working on other things (sadly, not the quilt, but I have to tell you, the thought of working on it in this heat, even in air conditioning, makes me grouchy. I should have never started the quilt.) [...]

Paul Stanley Puts the “Ass” in “Classy”

Gee, Paul, is there any woman you’ve slept with you won’t throw under the bus to make it look like what you did was only just as bad as what they’d done to you? Hint: You know what really fucks up children of divorced people? When their high-profile dad airs their mom’s alleged dirty laundry [...]

You’ll Be Sorry When I Die a Virgin

I swear, I will attempt to grow a potato in the shape of James Baker and give it to you if you can come up with any other plausible meaning for this song other than “You’ll be sorry when I die a virgin.” I mean, I am certainly familiar with the “you’ll be sorry when [...]

This is Why We Nashville Democrats Can’t Have Nice Things

If you are a Democrat in Nashville (or hell, probably the state, considering how much pull these people have), you should go read Stephen George’s Scene story about the council race against Jason Holleman. This, right here, is why we can’t have nice things–because the party is run by an unelected oligarchy who actually talk [...]

Two Things I Put Together Just So Every Post Today Has Two Things

1. We watched True Grit tonight. Wow. I mean, really. Wow. And I laughed so hard when she was all calling Frank James “trash.” I mean, I guess I should stick up for my neighbor, but… well, he was a murderous thieving ex-Confederate guerrilla bank robbing murderer. So, what could I do? 2. I got [...]

Two News Items that Made me Raise my Eyebrow a la The Rock

1. I find it interesting that these stories never have any quotes from the women who might be affected. The actual main stakeholders in the story, the people whose lives will be at risk. There’s never a quote from them. It’s honestly as if the reporters (and it’s not just Sisk; it’s systemic) believe that [...]

Two Thoughts About Hatecrap

1. I’m struck by this effort to rally people to counter-protest the Westboro people who are coming to protest a kid’s funeral here in town. And I realized it’s never occurred to me to ask this question–how do families come to discover that Westboro is planning to be there? Because it seems to me that, [...]

Well, I Think Being a Poem Star is Awesome, Myself

Ugh, Twitter. I was having a fight with Matthew Hurtt, which is, frankly, the internet equivalent of trying to fish just one piece of spaghetti out of a boiling pot. You know there’s something of substance in there, but getting hold of it and getting it out is difficult, to put it mildly. Anyway, so [...]

The New Guy

This band’s lead singer left them either right before or right after their album hit. He had a pretty distinctive voice, so you wonder, do they find a guy who sounds similar a la Journey or Judas Priest? Or do you go for someone who has his own sound? They went for someone who has [...]

My Next Dog will be a Bull

I’m finally getting the hang of this eyedrop crap, which is good, because at $35 a tiny bottle, it was killing me every time I dripped a drop on my lower eyelid instead of in my eye. And I’m even getting the hang of walking the dog in glasses, which is also good. But today, [...]

Political Penises in the LOC

Okay, one of you is going to know the answer to this story problem: Anthony Weiner tweeted his wiener, accidentally, to all of Twitter, which means it is now in the Library of Congress, where Twitter archives all our tweets. Is this the first political penis in the Library of Congress? The Butcher and I [...]

I’m Totally Sending This Article to My Dad

Out & About has an article about Stacey Campfield. I was going to commend his use of ‘acme’ in an almost non-awkward sounding way. But instead, I’m stuck on this part: To his credit, Sen. Campfield has managed to stand proud as a single man among a family-obsessed constituency. Like it or not, there is [...]

Fine, Taylor Swift, I Give Up and Like You

If you want to write a country song that gets on the radio right now, the easiest path seems to be one of those The List songs. Now, The List song in country music has a long and illustrious history. There’s the The Old Guys List where once or twice a generation, someone gets depressed [...]

Start Here

If I die mysteriously in the next couple of days, please pass along to detectives that I stupidly fiddled with my foxglove (sadly not a euphemism) and then stuck my hand in my mouth when I became convinced there was a bug in it. And then, I have been eating off of the dirty dishes [...]

The Cedar Was 52 Years Old, by Ring Count

 

Whoa

Over at Andrew Sullivan’s, he’s collecting links to a bunch of pundits who are sitting around talking about what should and shouldn’t be illegal for grown adult people to do based on whether they’d like the legal right to keep their daughters from it. I give you three guesses what gender all the discussion-havers are. [...]

If You Go to West Virginia, You Will Lose Your Head

I’m halfway through Witches, Ghosts, and Signs by Patrick Gainer, which, yes, sounds exactly like Signs, Cures, and Witchery which I read last weekend. And it deals exactly with the same groups of Appalachians, there in West Virginia. And yet, it is exactly 1.45 billion times better than Signs, Cures, and Witchery, mostly because Gainer [...]

Two Quick Things

1. I’m glad this is now a discussion you see in the media. It’s been a discussion women have been having for a long time. Shoot, it’s been a discussion we’ve been having here for a long time. I wonder if the difference just comes from that WIN panel, having political reporters in a position [...]