I Admit, I Laughed

So, you remember when an assortment of university libraries conspired with Google to make digital copies of books they didn’t hold the copyrights to or have explicit permission from the copyright holders to make those copies? And you remember how nothing came of it because apparently you can sometimes get away with shit when powered [...]

This Seems Ill-Advised

Someone should probably tell Tim Burchett that 19 year old guys whose 15 year old girlfriend’s parents don’t like probably aren’t a danger to people in the library and that the sex offender registry doesn’t differentiate between “My girlfriend’s parents don’t like me” and “I rape babies uncontrollably.” But it’s nice to see Burchett passing [...]

How Long?

This is Mordecai Johnson, who was born in Paris, Tennessee in 1890. He’s a famous educator, though, if you don’t run in education circles and you didn’t read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s blog today, you probably don’t know him. I’ve been thinking about Reverend Johnson here all day. As you know, I am, in my own way, [...]

A Thought Experiment: The No Party System

Steve over at Vibinc posted a response to a post of mine the other day which was a response to another post I read. Woo, it’s just like in the olden days, when we had sweeping, multiplatform political discussions! I advise you go read Steve’s response, because this post is just going to be filled [...]

Happy Birthday, Mom

Not that my mom reads Tiny Cat Pants, but I will put some good vibes out here for her anyway. She’s 65 today. I tried to call her before the boys got to her, but it rolled to voicemail. I was thinking this morning on our walk about an incident that happened when they were [...]

More True Blood Complaints

I’ve decided that the fucked up pronunciation of “Samhain” is a metaphor for everything that’s wrong with True Blood this season. Would it have taken someone thirty seconds to google how to say it? Not even. And yet, why bother? Could the writers on True Blood go down to Louisiana and be greeted as conquering [...]

The True Blood Season Finale

I am completely bummed about Jesus. I am semi-bummed about Tara, but I suspect she’ll go the way of Steve Newlin, who got his just desserts. Ha ha ha ha ha. The question is whether Jason’s about to go that way as well. It was a mess of a season finale. I forgot how hot [...]

Sunday

The dog and I are half-napping off our trip to the parks this morning. First we went to Bells Bend, where we got a full nose of various allergens and then we did my park for review. No matter how many times I go there, I can’t believe how beautiful Bells Bend is. I can’t [...]

If I Have Learned One Thing This Afternoon…

If I have learned one thing this afternoon, aside from that the Butcher has a box problem, it’s that Kentucky women should not be fucked with. Holy shit. I’ve been reading about Big and Little Harpe who were two brothers/cousins back in the day who were like if the Mansons and John Wayne Gacy had [...]

Some Thoughts on Garage Cleaning-Out

One the one hand, it sucks to just have one trash can in which to put things. On the other hand, it means I can only clean for about 40 minutes, which, really, does not suck. The thing I find perplexing though is that the Butcher seems to have kept every large box that has [...]

Perfect Lunch

I spent all morning at the mechanic’s, because they’re first come first serve and I got there at a quarter til 8 instead of a quarter til 7 like I should have. But I don’t yet have to replace my belt, so that’s nice. But on the way home, I was all “What can I [...]

Roy Herron Has Some Fucking Balls

I have been trying hard to ignore the grief-porn-fest that has become the coverage of the tenth anniversary of September 11th. In too many ways, it’s become like a funeral where all of the family would like to get on to the graveyard, but people who once knew a guy who knew a guy who [...]

Lunch Might Have Been a Mistake…

Oh lord. I eat fast food very infrequently. Once a week or less. I just had Wendy’s for the first time in probably… ugh… six months? Maybe more. And I am already feeling like I may have made a terrible mistake. The kind of mistake where you wish you were in a small, enclosed space [...]

This is Why I Don’t Diss HIstorical Reinactors

Being able to see that shit helps. Even more than lines on a map. And I think the idea of having interactive, moving maps embedded in ebooks is so brilliant that I am jealous of people in the future who will have it.

Ghosts and Jeffrey

Not being a native Southerner, I had not heard of Kathryn Tucker Windham until she was mentioned at Andrew Sullivan’s blog a little while ago. I requested the two books NPL has of hers and just finished reading 13 Mississippi Ghosts and Jeffrey. I will say this: I got the shivers, hard-core goosebumps like I [...]

Traditional Men Via Men Who Wouldn’t Fare Well

One thing that kind of still nags at me about Professional Busybody David Fowler is that his organization is all about “real” family values–basically male-lead married Christian households arranged out of a mixture of love and duty. Here’s what I don’t get. And I’m not trying to be snarky. I genuinely don’t get it. If [...]

Southern Festival of Books, The Sequel

So, another exciting thing that happened Tuesday is that I got invited back to the Southern Festival of Books to read again from A City of Ghosts. Come see me, if you want! Sunday, October… um 17th, I think, at 1:30 on the Chapter 16 stage. I’ll also be there all afternoon on Saturday for [...]

Rick Perry Loves One Illegal Immigrant

People Who Should Consider Therapy

1. Stacey Campfield. Vvixen has nice analysis of his problems understanding that women don’t just come in two flavors. In good news for Campfield, though, I would say if he doesn’t think you can’t find “virgins” in a whorehouse, he’s so obviously never been to a whorehouse. Still sitting down with someone and explaining that [...]

Running around with Her Ragtop Down

Miranda Lambert is covering “Look at Miss Ohio” on her new album! Also, I have decided “Tennessee” is the best song on Welch’s new album.

Tennessee is Always Looking for Ways to Kill You

Finally, the dog and I got up to walk again. I figure, we’re too old to walk in tropical storms, but that put a damper on our walking until today. I wasn’t even half way to the big tree in the AT&T yard when I felt my chest tightening. I thought, well, fuck, this is [...]

Frank Phillips Just Called Me!

This is pretty remarkable, considering that he’s dead. And, sure, he sounded suspiciously like my dad, just using a gravelly zombie voice, but my dad and his brothers sound just the same on the phone, so it’s not out of the realm of reason that their grandpa would sound just like them on the phone [...]

I Have a “Sinister Side”!

This may be the nicest thing anyone’s ever written about me at Pith–”well, let’s just say, there’s another side of Betsy. A very twisted, macabre, sinister side.” That makes it sound like I’ll be eating Jello salad molded into the shape of Stephen King’s head any day now! Which I totally would do, if there [...]

Happiness Hangover

Yesterday was awesome, for all kinds of writing related reasons. But boy, am I wiped out today. I want to go home and curl up on the couch and eat soup or something. I need to get over my inherent Midwestern dread that something will happen to take things from me, just because I was [...]

Surprise Lilies!

Ha, I feel bad for actual photographers who read my blog. I imagine them saying “But it’s not even in focus” or “But she took that with her phone!” Sorry guys. I am just a point and shoot photographer. I’m like the dude who still drew cave paintings after paper was discovered. But hey! Look [...]