Personal

Here it is… our tornado: I don’t know who the crazy people are who stay outside to take pictures of these monsters when they roll through town, but I guess I’m glad someone does it. It makes the following images make more sense… Those pictures above were taken by my cousin, who lives on a…

It was a rough day in Memphis yesterday. When I got to my office, it was almost 75 degrees outside, and humid. It didn’t feel anything like February. It felt like April or May… and to a native Memphian, that means it felt like “tornado season.” Turns out, it was. As I am sure many…

Every semester… and I mean every semester… I find that on the second or third day, I already feel behind. How does this happen? I work hard. I prepare. I don’t lounge around on my “breaks.” Where does the time go? Let me hazard an answer to my own question. I think the academic life,…

That image to the left there is a visualisation of the “blogosphere.” There are several such constructions on the web, and even a site that offers an interactive “map” of the blogosphere. Totally fascinating. So, yeah, I intend to keep this little dot in the blogosphere going. That will probably be the one New Year’s…

Meet my nieces. They’re 8 and 4 years old, and I am one of those aunts that really believes they are so great that they must hang the moon at night. I never, ever tell them “no” and I am sure that I am contributing to their future as juvenile delinquents. As a matter of…

August 19- a good day for babies. 1973- a very fine vintage. As it just so happens, that was my birthday. August 19th is also the birthday of Bill Clinton, Orville Wright, Ogden Nash, Fred Thompson, Christian Slater, Tipper Gore and John Stamos. And the same day that Groucho Marx died. Heady times, indeed. I’ve…

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…

Meet 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…

Want 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…