Things, Including the Thing Things

1. Wislawa Szymborska is dead, which is sad. Though 88 years isn’t a bad run. The poem at this link is a good representation of her talent. Note how it kind of starts off being a poem you think you’re just going to kind of have to stop reading after about ten lines, just to say you “read” it when really it didn’t do anything for you. But right about the time when you feel justified in saying “oh, that’s nice” and moving on to something else, it starts to get a little weird and wonderful and not what you started with.

2. I thought this whole post was funny, but I’ve been laughing about the horse listening to NPR  all morning. Am I wrong to think that Full Metal Jousting would be improved 100% if the horses were really strange characters who had to listen to a certain amount of NPR a day? The guys would be all “I’m going to knock his tattoos off” and the horse guys would be “Not until after Morning Edition, you’re not.” Maybe it’s a schtick that would cease to be funny after three shows, but I kind of doubt it.

3. Yes, I did take a picture of a poor photo copy of a newspaper page containing a picture I wanted you to see. With my iPhone. In the natural light in my bedroom. So, yes, basically, it’s like an ink blot test. Some of you will see a house. Some of you will see a horse who listens to NPR. I hope most of you will see how cute little Ben Allen was.

Anyway, as you know, I’m trying to get a feel for the layout of the house the Allens were all seancy in. Here is the picture I have. And my question for you Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans is whether you recognize this house. Not this house, obviously, since it is long gone. But have you seen another house either in town or within easy driving distance that looks like this? Note that the entrance isn’t square on the front.