End of Week 2!

Woohooh, end of week 2. Only 14 more to go! Actually, so far, so good.

I was surprised to learn yesterday that the Super Bowl is this weekend. Already? Apparently this year's match up has failed to evoke much excitement in my region of the world, or someone would have mentioned it before now. I don't' mind. The less NFL in my life, the better. But, I really enjoy hot wings and queso dip, so I need to find out where the party's at.


In other news, sucks to be Rod Blagojavich. How many governors have been impeached in the history of the USA? Anyone know? Let me just go google...doesn't look like any of them have been until yesterday. Well done, Rod! First!

One very strange thing I've learned in the past few months: There is a list that ranks Governors in terms of popularity. I first heard about this when Sarah Palin was running for VP (she was the most liked by her constituency). I'm facinated by this, especially as I've just learned (courtesy of Wikipedia) that Rod was the Least liked by his constituency). I wonder where our Governor stands? (googling...) He's pretty middle of the road. (Too bad, especially since Mississippi LOVES to be at the top of lists...)

Some Resolutions Are Meant to Be Broken

Its January, and some people are still sustaining promises to themselves to exercise more, quit smoking, and/or lose weight. Bully to them! I am 100% behind any one who is trying to improve their health.

But there are some resolutions that I can not get behind, including:


1.) Rush Limbaugh's resolution to remain a first-class cretin.
2.) The local grocery's resolution to display Krispy Kremes in the area once occupied by Starbucks.
3.) Sweet Pickles' apparent resolution not to blog in the year 2009.

I was going to add to this my student's resolve not to register until AFTER the semester begins, but I realized there is little thought or will involved in this behavior.
(Calvin and Hobbes, trademarked and copyrighted)

Out of millions,

this is my favorite picture taken yesterday.




















Well done, Saul Loeb of Reuters! You have captured the magic of the day.

Oh Happy Day!

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics...

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more."

--President Barack Obama, 20 January 2009.

Check this out

The Ron sent me this website, and I think we need some help answering the question: Can you explain this?



Get back at me if you have an answer.

OMFG! The FIRST day of school!

The semester begins soon and there are so many things to do! Some advise I recall from reading Seventeen Magazine:

1. Coordinate your first-day outfit!
Girl, you know first impressions are everything! Lay your clothes out the night before and you will be sure that you've covered your bases. Being cute takes effort. You can't just throw on any old thing and go out the door! Do you want to look like a Lamo Laurie? Of course not! You want to be cute because *Cute=popular*. Its a simple equation, and nothing is easier than spending two hours the night before picking out the right pare of earings to go with that totally awesome sweater/skort set you got from that the highly significant brand-name apparrell store in the Mall. For ease of underwear decision-making, why not try day of the week panties? And don't forget socks!


2. Prep your Trapper-Keeper!
Nothing says, "I'm ready to take on the world!" like a well prepared folder/three ring binder. How in the world did our parents get by without these? Seriously, we have no idea. Where else can you store your class schedule, your notes in every class, the addresses and phone numbers of all your friends, and those important permission slips? Your trapper-keeper says a lot about you. It tells your teachers that you are serious about learning (when it looks well used); your parents that you have "SO MUCH HOMEWORK!" (when its stuffed); and that really cute boy in your chem lab that you would make a good partner (when its super neat!). But don't just get any old notebook! There are some really fun ones out there in every color under the sun. We like the purple one with the unicorn jumping over a rainbow--SO CUTE!

3. Do it your self Spa Treatment!
There is no time like the present for exfolliating, moisturizing, manicuring, and making yourself absolutely GORGEOUS for the first day of class. We know you can't always make it to the spa, so we've picked up a few tricks from the pros that we want to share with you! Instead of getting a facial peel, vigorously scrub your face with a combination of sugar, olive oil, lemon juice, Ponds, toothpaste, and just a drop of sweet almond oil (available at your local organic goods store). The pain means its working! After the redness subsides, cool your skin with a tincture of cucumber, mint and goats milk. Your skin will never feel so smooth! For nails, make sure you push back those cuticles before you apply polish. (Pick your color wisely: Pink says "I'm sweet and fun to be with!" Red says, "I'm too hot to handle, but you can't help yourself!" and Black says, "I'm lonely and hate everyone." We recommend you avoid wearing black if you want to get asked to Sadie Hawkins!) Don't forget your toes!

4. Be yourself!
This is the most important advise we can give you because its just SO True, you know? Just make sure you are the VERY BEST version of yourself. No one is interest in being friends with Boring Bertha or Mopey Maude! But they'll fall over themselves to know Happy Hannah, Cheery Charla, or even, if you dare, Sassy Sally. Be yourself, but different. And remember: people like consistancy in their friends, so always be the person they want you to be (probably Cheery Charla). If "yourself" is kind of lame, consider emulating a famous celebrity! You want to be popular, don't you?

Not My Knitting Day

In the effort to make my fella a hat, I just spent the past two hours casting on 102 stitches, knitting a few rows in the round and tearing them out because: 1.) In the first instance, I knit a marker ring into the fabric; 2.) in the second instance, I knit a mobius strip (twisted the rim of the circle).

So for now, I quit. But I will try again tomorrow.

So Many Books!

I've just returned from my third trip to the library this week, in which I've walked (stumbled) away with at 10-15 books. I've got three extra-large tote bags in my office to facilitate this process and many book shelves, so everything looks in order. While I'm building upper body strength, I am also dressing up my office to look like a place where scholarship is happening. Appearances are everything.

In all seriousness, I need these books to put together course packets for the semester. It's kind of pathetic how excited I get when I find the perfect article, and the odds are good that a few of these books may produce exactly what I am looking for in terms of readability, interest and relevance. I say that knowing full well that the students will have an entirely different take on things.

REVIEW: Bud Light & Clamato Chelada

REVIEW: Bud Light & Clamato Chelada

Posted using ShareThis

A Couple Things

1. New Semester. Loads of fun on this front. I just got a second class! This is good news because I now don't have to worry about insurance, and bad news because I now have to race to put together the reading schedule and lecture plan for the semester. In general, I really like teaching--its the easiest part of the job. The hard part is all of the prep work and grading. But when I'm in the classroom, I'm usually quite content. Which is why I can't stand student evaluations.

2. Student Evaluations. I hate reading these. In general, I get good evals and the students who really enjoyed the class often like to write encouraging comments. But there is always two or three in a batch of 40 who hate me with a white hot passion. I don't know why usually, and, because they are anonymous, I'm only able to assume who wrote what. The trouble for me is not so much that a few students say something unkind, but that I let them tear me up. If students wrote things like, "She seemed OK at first, but by the end of the semester, she lost steam, and my attention", it wouldn't be so bad. But what I invariably get is something like: "I hated her," or "Worst class ever!" Really? The Worst? Ever? How do you know this as a first semester freshman? And why didn't 90% of your colleagues perceive it the same way? Is it because I thought you were a crap intellect and called you out on it? Maybe? I realize that it is in my power not to let them get to me, but its hardest in the first 24 hours. I'll say it: My feelings get hurt. Who likes hearing that they suck or are hated? Does it matter that Sally Smiley wrote that she "LOVED THIS CLASS!" or that Harry Happy says, "Definitely take a class with this prof"? No, because Andy Asshat thinks, "the best days were discussion because she wasn't talking." Boy howdy, am I ever inspired to teach another semester!

3. How is it possible to withdraw from a course a year and a half after you've failed it? Apparently this is a legitimate course of action at my university.

4. There is a cold snap coming through the mid-south and the temps are supposed to fall into the 20s for a few days. That's cold, yes. But isn't it par for the course in January? At least one really cold week? Considering the fact that folks are suffering sub-zero temps for weeks in the upper portion of the country, I find it hard to understand that panic that is setting in around here. Of course, I realize that some people do not have heating systems in their homes and that is a problem. But, I regret to say, the same is true in Iowa. Poverty is not, in spite of our other superlatives, exclusive to this state. I'm just asking for a little bit of perspective.

5. Getting to work before 10am. Today, I have failed.

Things I found on Youtube today

French and Saunders:




Shakespears Sister:




Little Britain:



The Wham! Rap:

Some things I dislike immensely

Tom Cruise











Kidney Beans

Runnin' Down a Dream

Over the course of the past two evenings, my fella and I sat down to watch the 2 disc documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called Running Down a Dream. It is, in a word, amazing. First, I knew that I liked TP&tH a lot. I knew they had loads of songs that thrill me and that the more I hear of them, the more I dig their sound. I just had no idea how personally cool Tom Petty and the band are. I mean, they are really f*ckin cool cats.

This is a must see film for anyone who loves rock music. I also recommend starting a Pandora station with this seed.

Here they are performing one of my favorite George Harrison/Beatles songs (none of TP&tH videos are available for embedding, otherwise I would have posted Refugee)

The Tao of Dog (The Bounty Hunter)

Recently, Esquire allowed Duane Chapman, AKA "Dog the Bounty Hunter", the opportunity to share with its readers what he's learned in his many years of selling vacuums, going to jail, and bounty hunting. I present to you: The Inscrutable Wisdom of the Dog...

"I usually get taught lessons the hard way because God wants me to remember."

"When I came out of prison, I remember the Warden saying to me, 'Don't marry the first waitress that says I love you.' I did."

"I speak to animals a lot. Crows will come to me. I'm like that."

"Selling a vacuum to a farmer is like trying to sell the devil a match."

Dent May and that little guitar-thingy of his

It has been really exciting to hear Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele on the XMU these past few weeks. I'm sure there are many up-and-coming musical acts who just hang out in small towns in the South, working in local bookstores, but this one is special.

Here's a taste for those who aren't already converted:


You can hear his new single at his myspace page, too:
http://www.myspace.com/dentmay

How Do I Love Thee, Bruce?

I was thinking about other songs that I've forgotten to add in the last post and decided that they fall under other categories. Here, I offer you the best of Bruce Springsteen, as compiled by a person with absolutely NO PRETENSIONS to knowing everything by the Boss. (I'm too aware that I know only the tip of the iceberg on this subject. See the author of starcasm.net for a fuller appreciation.)

(Sorry, for nearly all of these, according to Youtube, "embedding has been disabled by request." Click on the title to watch or hear the song)



Brilliant Disguise
Best Video. If you want to see why this is so awesome, you have to watch the video--he does the entire song on the set in one take. First time I saw this, I kinda fell in love with him.

Cindy
Best Little Ditty, which is to say, that this is the best of the little ditties I know by BS. I'm sure he has way more. This song sums up BS's capacity for putting to song the experience of the poor schlub, in this case, the poor teenage schlub. Perfect line: "I'm a fool for you Cindy, and I like it like that." (No video, just the song and a picture of Bruce, c. 1978)

I'm on Fire
Best Heartstopper. Also another great example of BS capacity to write a short but sweet song. This song draws our attention to another one of Springsteen's remarkable powers: the ability to verbalize the pain of yearning. The link for this is a live version that is approximatly twice as long as the video version (which was strangely distorted and desperately cheesy). Personally, I like the album version best because of the quiet that surrounds the lyrics, but the live stuff is also good. It still comes in at 4 minutes.

Streets of Philadelphia
Best Song for a Movie. He does a lot of these, and with the recent buzz about The Wrestler, this song may be displaced. This video was a contendor for best video for exactly the same reasons as "Brilliant Disguise"--his voice (apart from the background, "la la laaaas") is being recorded as he walks, and, despite his attempting to look down and out, he looks gorgeous.

Born to Run
Best song ever recorded by mankind. I'm not kidding. This is the best of the best by the best. I get so excited whenever I hear this song, like I want to make shit happen! Positive, humanity enlivening shit, mind you, but...gahhhhh! So AWESOME! (Although watching this video, I began to wonder if the E Street Band lifts weights together).

N.B., As I was searching for the videos for this list, I came across a song by Bruce Springsteen that I loathe deeply: "Santa Claus is Coming To Town". It is a sorry fact that Christmas and rock n' roll seldom mix well, and this one is no exception. Off the top of my head, the only rockin' Christmas song I dislike more is "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa" by John Mellencamp.

Songs that got me through the 90s

I may be one of the few people my age who did not think that the 90s were crucial in any sense. They were more or less awful; the highlights of my most awkward days. Perhaps not the whole decade, no, but a whole heaping bunch of it. So, while everyone wants to go on and on about how the experienced transcendence the first time they heard Nevermind, or how Pearl Jam finally revived the spirit of rock n roll, or even, how the movies Singles and Reality Bites SO described their own lives, I was among those who said, "BOOOOOOOOO!" These sites and sounds of the 90s were not, contrary to popular belief, alternative, except insofar as they offered an option away from Celine Dion and Garth Brooks. These were not fringe aspects of the decade. They WERE the decade.

This is not a cooler-than-thou argument. I am simply asserting my personal view that that 90s were not, as so many like to suggest, the coolest decade of all time. They were, for me, dreadful. But, because I came of age in the 90s, it should surprise no one, that I've compiled an angst-filled, mightily maudlin soundtrack of these formative years. To wit:

"Sad Song" Oasis (Noel Gallagher)

This video shown because I've never seen Noel Gallagher look so young and healthy.

"Am I Wrong?" Love Spit Love

"Get me away, I'm dying" Belle and Sebastian

"There is a Light that Never Goes Out" The Smiths

"Driftwood" Travis

"Carey" Joni Mitchell

"Grey Cell Green" Ned's Atomic Dustbin

"Stupid Day Job" Wally Pleasant

"Weeping Willow" The Verve

"Halah" Mazzy Star


The B-Sides would show that I wasn't totally depressed for a decade. More on those songs later.

Mississippi: Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rate in Nation

I've never lived in such a superlative state! This beautiful little bundle of news brings to mind two things:

1.) The lunacy of abstinence-only education, which appears to be very popular in this region of the country. I just don't even know where to begin with this. Although I may agree with the view that it is best to wait until one is of an age and condition to support pregnancy, I do not comprehend the view that teaching responsibility necessarily requires eschewing prophylaxis. According to one study:

Proponents of abstinence-only programs believe that providing information about the health benefits of condoms or contraception contradicts their message of abstinence-only and undermines its impact. As such, abstinence-only programs provide no information about contraception beyond failure rates.

This same study has found that after 5 years of federally funded programs to pursue abstinence only sex education,

Evaluation of...11 programs showed few short-term benefits and no lasting, positive impact. A few programs showed mild success at improving attitudes and intentions to abstain. No program was able to demonstrate a positive impact on sexual behavior over time. [my italics]

(Vicki Pollard and Kids; from Little Britain)

The report concludes:

Abstinence-only programs show little evidence of sustained (long-term) impact on attitudes and intentions. Worse, they show some negative impacts on youth's willingness to use contraception, including condoms, to prevent negative sexual health outcomes related to sexual intercourse. Importantly, only in one state did any program demonstrate short-term success in delaying the initiation of sex; none of these programs demonstrates evidence of long-term success in delaying sexual initiation among youth exposed to the programs or any evidence of success in reducing other sexual risk-taking behaviors among participants. [my italics]

Really, do we need to look any further than Bristol Palin or Jamie Lynn Spears for anecdotal evidence?

2.) The movie Idiocracy, which highlights the inverse relationship between intellectual acumen and fecundity. In this movie,

[a] narrator explains that natural selection is indifferent to intelligence, so that in a society in which intelligence is systematically debased, stupid people easily out-breed the intelligent, creating, over the course of five centuries, an irremediably dysfunctional society. Demographic superiority favours those least likely to advance society.^[1] Consequently, the children of the educated élites are drowned in a sea of sexually promiscuous, illiterate, alcoholic, proletarian peers. (Wikipedia)

Although not the best movie you'll ever see, it has so much potential.

And it gets right to the heart of the matter. People who believe in the efficacy of abstinence-only education are watching their sons and daughters get pregnant in their teens, and, because of their views on the sanctity of life, they are further ensuring that in every instance that child is born. [NB: I am not in any way denigrating the personal choice to keep a child]. The natural consequence is that ignorance is literally breeding ignorance. Those who believe in abstinence-only education lack the cognitive capacity to understand that the only way to stop teenagers from getting pregnant is to teach them how to avoid, in every conceivable manner (inadvertent pun), active sperm from reaching a freshly released ovum. These people should not be setting curriculum on sex education, which should be as follows:

Step one, don't have sex.
Step two, if you absolutely cannot stop yourself from having sex because you lack self control, think you love him/her, hate your parents or don't give a shit about anything or anyone but yourself--use a condom.
Step three, cut it out! You are going to get yourself and someone else into a heep of trouble that will have lasting consequences. You'll likely have to drop out of school, get a low paying job and miss out on all of the fun stuff that your friends are doing. Is having sex really worth all that? If "yes", see step two.

See how abstinence is still first and foremost in the lesson plan? Added benefit: those who ignore the mandate stipulated in step one, but accept the terms outlined in step two may avoid spreading VD and lower the risk of contracting HIV-AIDS.

(World War II Military PSA)

Where does Mississippi fall in other rankings?

In 2005, Mississippi ranked 25 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in incidents of HIV-AIDS. (Bad, but not superlative).

In 2005, Mississippi ranked #15 in reports of syphilis. (OK, but...)

In 2006, the state ranked #2 nationwide in reported incidents of chlamydia. (Better, better...)

In 1997, Mississippi was #1 in reports of gonorrhea. (Now we're talking!)

Now, granted, that 1997 rate precedes the imposition of abstinence only education, but if the above report is true, that over the past 5 years the youth of this state have become suspicious of the efficacy of condoms as a consequence of their "sex ed" course work, what are the odds that that number is decreasing?

I'm not feeling particularly hopeful.

First the Cat, Now the Husband

Poor husband. His back is aching something awful. He's even to the point where in a few days he may go see someone. That is about 95% more reference to seeing a doctor than I have heard from him in years. It sucks that he has to hurt this badly before he considers getting some help for what ails him. Poor husband.

Henry's Got the Sneefles

Poor cat. He just keeps sneezing, and his nose is slightly swollen and dripping. The good news is that his eye hasn't become infected. These are the troubles of having a cat with a chronic upper respiratory infection, a condition that is pretty much standard in pound kitties. On the upside, he wants to snuggle more (probably because he has a slight fever). Poor cat.

You'll Be Slapping Your Troubles Away

Have you all seen the new product pitch from Vince of Shamwow! fame? It's awesome:



I love the way Vince throws in all kinds of buzz-worthy phrases (i.e., "You're gonna love my nuts.") He knows what he's doing! He's saying stuff that will get everyone talking about this stupid rehash of the standard hand chopper. He's brilliant!

For more on Vince, check out this article from Slate.com:
http://www.slate.com/id/2190658/

You may also be interested to learn that the Shamwow and the Snuggie have been credited with being among the top 5 eco-friendly products available only on TV, BUT YOU MUST ACT NOW!

Sunday in the Garden

Many, many years ago, the person who owned our house created a magical, multi-terraced gardenscape out back, and the skeleton of it is still in place. Regrettably, several seasons have passed since anyone took the time to prune the trees or thin the bushes, never mind weed the flat spaces. This once-wonderful area is now badly in need of attention.

One of the great perks of living in the "midsouth" (the parameters of which I have yet to discover) is that sometimes the weather is, from a midwestern perspective, unseasonably warm. Consequently, one can find time to do gardening while the rest of the country stays indoors. Yesterday I spent 4 hours attempting to acquaint myself with my back yard, and all of its botanical wonders. In the process, I discovered strange fungi (including an area that can only be described as a bed of dusty white spores and shiver-inducing jelly--white rot?); several medium-size rodent holes/warrens; and the root of a wildly aggressive thorny vine that has taken over a portion of the yard.

As a defense against erosion, my dear one and I were able to transfer some nicely composted earth from another portion of the yard to the terraces. We pruned and trimmed most of the bushes and trees, and we blanketed the area with pine straw brought up from the front yard. Had we chosen a home in the pre-planned neighborhoods that seem to be springing up around our fair town, we would have had to rely on H*me Dep*t for the compost, dirt and pine needles. These woods of ours are more valuable than we realized!

Added perk of gardening in January: NO TICKS! Woo-hoo.
Downside of gardening in general: soarness all over. Even my big toe hurts.

Five Signs You Are No Longer Interesting to Others

This list might also be described as "5 Signs You Are in your mid-30s and Lame as All Get Out"

1. You drink decaf after 2pm.
2. You find almost every bar in town too loud.
3. You knit.
4. You're not embarrassed to wear that "There's No Such Thing As Too Many Books" sweatshirt your mom bought from the NPR catalog, even if it is just around the house.
5. You have a Ph.D. in History.

I amuse myself with the belief that I was once a very effervescent person, if perhaps to some a little annoying in my buoyancy. I'd like to believe I'm less annoying now (I'm certainly less buoyant), but it pains me to feel that I've become so...I don't know...old.

So this is maturity. I'd prefer sagacity.

Swollen Hands

I just went for a healthy stroll, and I'm surprised to discover that my hands are too swollen to take off my ring. You'd think as a species we'd have evolved away from such things by now; we've been upright for some time.

I'll need the swelling to subside if I'm going to do any knitting today. Yeah, that's right. I've learned to knit. Its addicting and its interesting to me. Too bad its one of the five signs you are no longer interesting to others.*

Apparently, I'm still being vetted by Ravelry because its been two weeks and I still haven't been invited to join. There are other sites, I'm sure, but everyone seems to like this one the best. I'm thinking about making something to wear while I sit here at my computer that will allow me to discard the blanket. Even in warm weather I find myself with a chill in this back room.

*See next post.

Piling Straws One By One

Ever have one of those days when the tone is set too wrong from the start to get it right? Where all the little irritating things that one brushes off daily become so glaringly obvious that one can't seem to avoid them? I'm having one of those days today.

More often than not these follow days set aside for rest. Yesterday, for example, was "football day" in my house. I wasn't exactly involved in this "national day of rest", but my partner did enough watching for the both of us. Instead, I worked on some stuff for school. Either way, neither one of us did much around the house. Not surprisingly, the place has fallen victim to our inattention. So I wake up this morning and see as sure as the nose on my face that we live in a pig sty (I realize I'm exaggerating here, but this is a matter of perception). Our clothes are piled up all over the bed and laundry rooms. Dishes are strewn around the kitchen, dining and living rooms. Used Kleenexes are littering the surfaces around the couch, which is itself misshapen from hours of lounging. The bathrooms are playing host to colorful colonies of mildew and there is hair--cat, dog, human--on just about everything.

The irritation that I'm feeling is provoked by the certainty that I'll be cleaning this all up by myself. And that some one I love dearly will credit himself with having started the dishwasher.

Syllabus Crafting

Anyone who has put together a syllabus is well aware of how time consuming it can be. Each semester I strive to craft an impeccably written, iron-clad instructor-student contract, but too often I end up with some grammatically embarrassing, loop-hole riddled list of suggestions that the students seldom read. I've polled many people on this topic and almost no one agrees on how to write an attendance policy, or how explicit to be about cheating sanctions. Generally, I agree with those who look upon the syllabus as a cudgel for beating students who get out of line. The more rules one outlines, the more powerfully one can assert ones will when needed.

In general, I have great respect for students. I believe that 85% of them are honest and reasonably ambitious. Most of them have integrity. As many of you have learned, however, there is always one in every class who confirms our worst suspicions about the average student. This person becomes the unworthy representative of the whole, the one we all talk about when asked, "So how are your classes coming along." (Some of you actually know my students by name, which means, I must admit, I need to stop being so explicit in my rants). This student will surprise us with his/her audacity, misplaced creativity and general lameness. We write the syllabus as an anticipated rebuttal to all of the bullshit they can muster, and we hope (perhaps naively and cowardly) that we will be able to refer the student back to the document as a way of saying, "Thems the rules!" I always imagine that if I tell the students up front how its gonna be, they will discard their lazy habits and shape up just for me. I also imagine that the semester-long performance of being a good student will become habit, and, consequently, they will become ideal citizens. There is no small measure of megolamania in these fantasies of persuasion. But I'm afraid of being too cynical about my potential to influence so many people with whom I spend +/-42 days a semester. Does anyone have any tried and true suggestions that I should keep in mind before I take my syllabus to the copy machine?

Top 5 Overlooked Things that Make Oxford Great

Those of you who live in or have recently visited Oxford are aware that of all the places to live in the region, this small town is pretty exceptional. Many people know that it has one of the best independent book stores in the country, some of the finest restaurants in the region, and a thriving literary, arts, music and cinema culture. But there are somethings about this community that one can really only appreciate after living here a time. As a way of giving thanks for landing in such an extraordinary place after so many years of academic wandering, here is my list of the Top 5 Overlooked Things that Make this Town Great. They are:

1. The Public Library. Admittedly, this is not the finest public library in the country. By a long shot. Its pretty shabby and reflects the state's general disinterest in literacy. But it is a really great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. This site meets all the requisites of a "lending library": it has books, it is generally quiet, its kid friendly, and it smells of mildew. In the year I've lived in Oxford, however, I've been excited to see that someone on staff shares my taste in books and that person has been ordering lots of new and interesting things. It is a rare occasion when I spend less than 30 minutes here. When I do, I thrill to see the same things: Young men and women who do not have PCs enjoying access to free computers; children picking out bedtime books with their parents in tow; old men sleeping in corner highboys on the second floor; middle-aged women trolling for decorating or cooking ideas in non-fiction. The second floor is pretty quiet most of the time as few people actually hang around up there (which is kind of sad if you think about it too long), but that ensures a quiet space to study for the select group of college students who would deign to visit some place so common. The Oxford Public Library is wonderful because it is one of the few truly integrated public spaces in this town (in terms of class as much as race). If you love books, you really should give this place a shot.

2. The Farmers Market Store, North Oxford. While I am not on a first-name basis with the owner/operators of this modest establishment, it gives me great pleasure to know that people who appreciate the fundamentals of buying locally do. The folks who run this place are among the most generous people you'll ever meet and they are really great resources for information about the region. Why just the other day I got the low down on how to properly slow cook mustard greens (the trick is to use a low boil, and don't skimp on the bacon fat). The Farmers Market Store is the only place in the region that sells edible cactus, curry powder and scuppernogs (when in season), and there is absolutely no point going anywhere else in town for pork, as this shop is now the official off-site vendor for Stan's Meats. For some reason since I moved closer to the Store, I've gone there less than I did when I lived on the other side of town; but I made a stop there the other day that renewed my appreciation for this honest little place. Let's all endeavor to shop there more; it will be good for everyone if we do.

3. Sweet Pickles and the fun he brings. (NB: SP is neither "overlooked" nor a "thing" per se.) I haven't seen much of SP this semester in large part because I haven't been out as much as last year, but I do enjoy hearing about what he's been up to whenever I can. The New Year's Eve party held at K and L's last night was great fun (thanks guys!), but there was a certain je ne sais quoi missing that seems to affect everywhere he is not. Actually, that really ought to be SP's tag line: Sweet Pickles, "That Certain Tu Ne Sait Quoi!"

4. The Woods surrounding Faulkner's home. I was walking the dog through here the other day and couldn't believe what a great workout I was getting as she dragged me up and down the manicured trail. This is one of the few woods that aren't creepy if you are alone, mostly because they aren't that expansive and they are wedged between the university and a historic landmark. If you are reading this, TB, we really needed to get back into having our afternoon walks here.

5. Avent Park. This is just down the road from our house and we like to walk the dog up there. Its really just a park, but there are so few places like this anymore. Its grown quiet since the weather turned cold and wet, but when its warm you can see kids running around on the great wooden playscape, teenagers playing team sports, college students frisbie golfing, and other adults strolling the trails. Its a great outdoor community center and its free and open to the public. Maybe one day we'll bring our tennis raquets and enjoy the new courts, too.

Other places, such as TB and JH's toasty living room, or KW and LH's expansive backyard, are not accessible to the general public, but they do deserve props for making Oxford so livable.

Happy New Year!

I've decided in this New Year to make some changes to the fan club. To wit:

1.) New look! I resolved to spend a portion of this first day of 2009 retooling the blog and a new layout is part of my new initiative to post more frequently. I was getting bored with the old look, although I still like it. I'll give this a try for a while and see how it goes.
2.) No more third person. Who was I kidding anyway? There's only one fan of Will Cooley here.
3.) I'll spend this year moving away from the general theme of glorifying all things WC. It was fun while it lasted, but I really thought that he'd google himself by now. So, while I'm keeping the title, I'm moving on with my life and leaving the concept for the archives. Few who read this blog know WC, so I doubt most of you will miss my increasingly infrequent references to him anyway.

Out with the old, in with the new. Happy New Year!