The Tennessee State Library and Archives Tree Has Issues

I can only assume Governor Haslam is somehow to blame. I don’t know why I felt compelled to wander over to the Tennessee State Library and Archives in my back yard, but I noticed it is covered in bugs. Ants, it looks like. But they’re coming in and out of these holes in the trunk. [...]

Fine, Let’s Just See if England Will Take Us Back

We now have to have a special committee of super-powerful congresspeople and booby-traps written into agreements just so that people will do their damn jobs. In other words, everyone is conceding that we suck at democracy. Well, I guess it’s good that our elected leaders are finally finding some common ground. It just sucks that [...]

“Frank” is Sad

“Frank” is short and sad and sweet. It may be a little too Dollhouse in the ending, though. I might have to rework that some. We never do end up meeting the Doc, except once in a dream. But a draft is done. I don’t know what I’ll do with it. Nothing until I do [...]

Hurray, Rain!

I’ve been cheering on Don all week, just because we here in the South, even up in Tennessee, depend a lot on tropical storms and hurricanes to keep us from despair in late summer. This, too, probably does something to develop the peculiar regional character–you realize you’re hoping for the kind of storm that kills [...]

I Will Say This for the Butcher

When you tell him to get you a 9×12 pan because your old one is shot, dude does not fuck around. This pan could bake cakes and carry troops into battle. If I’m ever in a gunfight, I will strap it to my chest. I literally thought it was two pans, it’s so heavy. But [...]

When I Feel Like I’m Winning, When I’m Losing Again

I thought we’d talked about “Sundown” but I’m not finding it in my archive searches, so now I’m suspecting that I just talked about it with Elias. But this song… it’s not my favorite song. It is the song that still, every time I hear it, makes my stomach drop, like someone dangerous has just [...]

Either a Front is Coming Through or My Head is Trying to Kill Me

Woke up with a headache. Not as bad as yesterday, but enough to get me down about the prospect of walking the dog. So, I went back to bed and got up only when the dog and I would normally be getting home. I’ve had two scenes in my head for weeks–one is of a [...]

That Might Have Been Too Many Pills

By the end of my afternoon, I had a migraine like a full-grown wild turkey sitting on my forehead shitting wild turkey poop right into my eye sockets. Even to drive home, I had to have sunglasses on, visor down, and I found myself putting my hand up a couple of times to block the [...]

Remulling A CITY OF GHOSTS

I have some copies around the house. I got a bunch for the JCC thing and sold a bunch, but still have a bunch in my dining room. Here we are two months out from October and I’m wondering  if I should give it another bout of publicity and, if so, what kind. Ha, this [...]

I Don’t Think This is a Translation Error

I honestly cannot believe this story. I want to have cogent things to say about it, but I don’t. Some of the commenters over at Jezebel are saying that this sounds like a translation problem. But that’s not what it sounds like at all to me. It sounds like a deliberate misconstruing. To get from [...]

Important Lesson from the Cool Springs Barnes & Noble

If you are talking to a group of people at a Barnes & Noble, don’t make fun of The Sexorcist until AFTER you ask what the people in the group write about, otherwise you’ll find out there’s an erotic romance novelist in the audience too late.

Waiting for a Train

Actually, I’m waiting on the Butcher, but I’ve been in a “sing songs to myself” kind of mood today. If he gets off work in time, he’s going to drive me down to Cool Springs. Which is good. I don’t want to suffer from any Williamson County cooties. My car claimed it was 107 when [...]

Help Me Understand This

Is anyone leading the Republican party in Congress at the moment? I mean, I know Boehner is the Speaker, which is supposed to be pretty powerful. And Cantor keeps saying stuff like he’s got some pull. But I honestly have never seen anything like this. Boehner can’t put forth a proposal his own side will [...]

Captain Morgan Seduces Everyone WITH HIS EYES!!!!

People, what the fuck is this?! WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. THIS?! Everything about this is just as white-washed as fuck. I guess as Jack-White-washed as fuck. White guy playing the blues. White “servant” in Santo Domingo in the 1600s?! I should hate this. I should be laughing about how ridiculously stupid it is. But I [...]

What day is it? What time?

Lord, people, I wish I could tell you about my ridiculous day. But alas, it’s all work related, so I can’t. On the other hand, I’m going to be at the Cool Springs Barnes & Noble tomorrow night at 7 talking about publishing. It’s not quite clear what about publishing, but I plan to hit [...]

Tied Shoelaces and Dead Relatives

I’ve been waiting for the funk to lift for basically ever, it seems like. But it’s funny how the little things do it. Not having to tie my shoelaces twice on a walk seems to have opened up just a tiny crack for a bit of non-funkiness to creep in. I had a nice meet-up [...]

I’ve Been on the Floor, Looking for a Chair

I was trying to find a good Youtube version of Joan Osborne’s “Dracula Moon,” but there isn’t one. I did spend some time being reminded just how good Relish is except for that one song, which will remain unnamed. There are these moments in pop culture when you hear someone–like Joan Osborne, say–and you think [...]

Fine, Something is Wrong with Me

I now hate the whole “You can do what ever you want so long as you put your mind to it” bullshit thingy. Saying. Aphorism. Whatever. Today, an awesome opportunity sat in my lap and whispered naughty, naughty things in my ear about the places that opportunity would take me, the things we might do [...]

It Worked!

Indifferent children’s knot is glorious! My laces stayed tied the whole time. I haven’t tried to untie them yet, but, for now, I am reveling in the joy of a walk unencumbered by shoe-tying every thirty steps. It’s amazing how that put a spring in my step throughout my walk. You never know what’s going [...]

True Blood, Through Fingers

Oh, lord, I had to watch about half of this episode through my fingers. I’m glad to get rid of Sam and Tommy’s parents, but I have concerns about the viability of a non-murderous skin-walking Tommy. I fear for Sam. What if Tommy offs him and then poses as Sam, thus letting them keep both [...]

Nashville in the 1850s

I was driving around trying to get an idea of what Nashville in Jack Macon’s time would have been like. In 1850, there were about 11,000 people living in Nashville. But more importantly, almost all of the “old” buildings downtown wouldn’t have existed yet. If you check out this picture, c. 1859, from the TSLA, [...]

They Have that Bumpy Bike Thing at Hamilton Creek Park

The Smell, an Update

Man, this has been some riveting blogging! So, I only had a tiny bit of bleach left, but I used that on the part of the drawer that appeared to be bloodstained with potato juice. Then I rinsed and soaked the whole thing with vinegar and then let that evaporate, which took a couple of [...]

The Rug was Framed!

The rug, it turns out, was a patsy. Did the rug smell bad? Yes. Do I regret my $20 Wal-mart purchase of a new rug? No. But was it responsible for the seeping fetid smell throughout the house? Turns out, no. That was the ten pounds of rotted tomatoes potatoes hidden in the back of [...]

Bleh, Foul Mood

My mood has lifted somewhat. I felt like the Butcher was ditching me, but, after talking to him on the phone,  I realize he’s ditching our company. When Dad called to talk to the Butcher and discovered he wasn’t here, I could hear in his voice that he didn’t quite buy that the Butcher had [...]