It is hotter than hell here right now. Hotter than Georgia asphalt. Hotter than a harlot in church. Hotter than a June bride in a feather bed. Hotter than the devil’s underwear. Hotter than a $2 pistol on the Fourth of July. It’s August in Memphis. It’s hot. And it’s humid, so the heat is…
Read MoreMeet Sugarlump, my new housemate. For weeks I had been debating whether or not to adopt a cat from the local shelter, but was hesitating because this cat (pictured) started hanging around on my front porch all day and seemed to be a stray looking for a home. Eventually, I began putting out food and…
Read MoreWant to know what that colorful little bundle in the sky is in the picture above? It’s an Oregon man, Ken Couch, in a lawn chair, with 105 large heIium balloons strapped to it. Want to know the best part of the story? His destination: Idaho. Sad to say, poor Ken didn’t make it all…
Read MoreYou may wonder to yourself: who could possibly have had a sadder life than Frida Kahlo? Well, I just saw the biopic La Vie en Rose and I’m pretty sure Edith Piaf can give Frida a run for her poverty. I was only introduced to the work of Frida Kahlo about ten years ago. Kahlo’s…
Read MoreGod bless those men and women out there who have been able to remain basbeball fans over the last decade or so. (I’m talking to you, Saint Kyle!) Although there have been a couple of seasons during those years that my generally waning interest was piqued, for the most part I gave up on MLB…
Read MoreA proposition for my friends, far and near: This year is the 30th anniversay of Elvis Presley’s death. As you may know, Memphis memorializes Elvis’ death every year with “Elvis Week” in August, including a candlelight vigil and an “Almost Elvis” impersonation contest. As it just so happens, Elvis’ death (August 16) is the same…
Read MoreAs readers of this blog know, I often comment on reviews that appear in the Notre Dame Philosophical Review. Mostly, I note when the critics have landed a real shiner (like the recent tags by Mendieta and Maudlin). But, this time, I’m a bit perplexed. In his recent review of the text Entfremdung: Zur Aktualität…
Read MoreLast year, I saw Emory philosopher Cynthia Willet give two separate lectures culled from material for her forthcoming book Comedy, Friendship, Freedom: A Democratic Political Ethics. Willet’s project is philosophically astute, extrememly timely, and not a little provocative, and I am very much looking forward to the publication of her complete text. She is trying…
Read MoreI stopped at the gas station yesterday to pick up some milk and noticed that the cashier had a (pretty mean-looking) shiner on her right eye. I asked her what happened, and she told me this terrible story about her bruise: Apparently, she’s been living in Memphis for the last 3 years with no air…
Read MoreStorytelling and copulation are the two main forms of amusement in the South. They’re both inexpensive and easily procured. —Robert Penn Warren So, this entry is a bit of an elaboration on some of the things I already covered in The Quotable South, Part 6: The Drawl, but a recent conversation reminded me that there…
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