We Have Days Yet to Live

So, if Days of Our Lives is through with cast-cutting and ready to move into the future, where does it go from here? Well, let's see what's left to work with first. At their core, good soaps are about families, so what's the score on that front these days?

HORTONS--Salem's premiere family has fallen on hard times of late. There simply aren't that many left. And those who are left make infrequent appearances.

Alice (rarely appears)
Maggie
Mickey (rarely appears)
Doug and Julie (still pop up from time to time)
Lucas
Will (Just returned)
Allie (baby)

BRADYS--In somewhat better shape. At least most of them appear on a regular basis.

Caroline
Max
Bo and Hope
Sami
Stephanie
Chelsea (soon to be leaving)
Ciara (baby)
Roman (rarely appears)
Grace (baby)

KIRIAKIS

Phillip
Victor
Brady

DIMERAS

Stefano
Tony (soon to be leaving)
Anna (I guess leaving too)
EJ
Nicole (if the wedding happens)
Johnny (baby)
Sidney (baby)

CARVERS

Lexie
Abe
Theo

FREE FLOATERS

Daniel
Chloe
Melanie
Kate
Mia (will undoubtedly be gone once the baby story wraps up)
Dr Baker (ditto)
Rafe

By the way, my divisions are totally arbitrary in some cases (such as placing Kate's sons in groupings with their father's families instead of with her). Others would probably do it differently. That's totally cool.

So, if that's the lay of the land, then what's to be done? Here's what I think.

There's still some deadwood. I think the trimming stopped a little bit early. A couple more judicious cuts could be made without affecting story too terribly. If they're not going to write for Roman, for example, they should cut Josh Taylor loose. And, honestly, would anyone really miss that whiny Melanie? For the most part, I think I could do without Dr Daniel as well, even though I'm nuts about Shawn Christian.

The veterans that are left should be played as frequently as possible, in meaty story. It's so delicious to see Victor and Stefano leading their families against each other these days! We need more of this, please. But Maggie (with or without Mickey) and Caroline need stories! I've loved Maggie the meddler throwing herself in the middle of the Daniel-Chloe-Lucas situation. Those recent scenes with Lucas in the bar, were a good reminder of what a powerhouse actress Suzanne Rogers is. More of her please.

Using the vets more often won't completely make up for the loss of John and Marlena, but it would help.

Salem needs more Hortons! They are the show's first family and their simply too thinned out. Aging Will and bringing him back from Switzerland was a good start. Bringing back Abby would also fill a gap in the younger crowd that's going to be created when Rachel Melvin leaves the show and Chelsea Brady is no more.

I know the Jeremy Horton thing a while back was a bust, but maybe it's time to try again. I like the idea of a Horton who isn't quite so goody-goody all the time. I think that, in a good story, the character could work. Especially if his return was followed by the return of his father Mike. Salem Hospital should always have a Horton working there.

Speaking of returns, what about bringing Bill Horton back from Africa, or wherever that clinic is located? Get some known name to recast the role on a short-term contract of 6-8 months and bring the character back home with a tropical disease to die. That would give the regulars on the canvas some meaty stuff to play, while keeping the character around long enough for viewers to both get used to him and care that he's dying. Plus, it might springboard some other short-term returns. And it would give Lucas a chance to have some interaction with his father.

A few more Bradys wouldn't hurt either. Bring Eric back. Sami shouldn't be left without any of her siblings, especially since her mother is gone. (By the way, now that Sami's back in Salem, I really want to see her grappling with not having her mom around, please.) Recast Shawn and get Martha Madison back as Belle. This would fill out the age gap between Bo and Hope and Ciara, return a favorite couple to the scene and bring back one of the best young actresses the show ever had.

The show's greatest strength is its couples. Days is known for creating legendary couples, probably moreso than any other show. Bo and Hope. Marlena and John (and before that Marlena and Roman). Doug and Julie. Mickey and Maggie. Shawn and Belle. These are couples that, no matter what happened, the viewer, and everyone else, always knew where their heart lay.

The show needs to get back to this concept. Stop splitting up Bo and Hope for stupid shit. This is a couple that should be facing all their obstacles together.
Not only has the show stopped creating couples like this, they've been actively torpedoing some of the couples that should and could be of that caliber. Why are Lucas and Sami not together? Why are Brady and Chloe not together?

As far as creating couples go, please, please, please, find someone for Max who is not his niece! I'm sorry, but adopted Brady or not, that's creepy! Darin Brooks is a cutie pie, a strong actor, and needs to be part of a fantastic coupling. Otherwise, I guess he'll be paired with Sami next!

It's time for Salem to become a little less hetero. Both As the World Turns and All My Children have done a good job of integrating gay characters into their core families. I'm thinking an Eric Brady-Jeremy Horton coupling would put the perfect gay spin on the classic Brady-Horton romance. In addition to fleshing out two characters that are relatively blank canvases at this point, it would also add story possibilities to their suggested returns.

Don't forget the connective tissue! It's the friendships and family ties that make soaps work. In between all the couplings and drama and big story, we have to see these little bits that remind us how the different characters are connected to each other. Please don't "island" characters in story so that they only interact with the same characters day in and day out. I know it's a cheaper approach, but the show is better when we see Stephanie having a heart to heart with her grandmother Caroline or Aunt Maggie getting involved with Lucas or Hope.

This also means that absences have consequences. Sami and Marlena were close. Marlena's departure leaves Sami with no immediate family in Salem, except for Roman. I want to see this worked into Sami's story so badly. She needs to miss her mother and commiserate with her father over it. Bo and Hope need to invite their niece over for dinner, so she won't be so lonely. I'd love to see Brady and Sami talking about missing their parents for a couple of scenes. There are all kinds of possibilities here. Hey, it would give Roman something to do!

Give Kate a life. Or at least a love life. I love the way she's playing Chloe right now. It's much more subtle than she's been in the past. But, now that her cancer scare is over, I'd really hate for her to go back to doing nothing but meddling in her kids' lives again.

There's a lot of real talent on the show now.
With the departures of Drake Hogestyn and Stephen Nichols, Days has lost two members of the macho bluster-snort-glare school of male soap lead acting, which is a good thing. With Josh Taylor's Roman currently without a storyline, that leaves Peter Reckell as the only b-s-g actor with lots of screen time, which is a lot easier to tolerate. For once, the show is populated with a lot of folks who are both good-looking and decent actors, with only one or two exceptions. This, of course, is a very good thing.

NEXT: Are there really Days without Marlena?

So how did I do?

Well, the results are in, and, as I feared, this was my worst time ever for the 5K. Still, I've let myself go so much over the last year that it's kind of surprising I could even finish at all this time. I've managed to drop a few pounds over the past several weeks. Not much, but it was enough to enable me to do the walk without being uncomfortable, over-tired, or overly winded. Still, I'm nowhere near where I should be or even where I used to be, in terms of physical shape.



Still, this is one of my best overall rankings. Typically, I end up in the bottom 500 or so participants. I can consistently walk a 15-16 minute mile when I push myself, which is a pretty good clip, but when 75% of the participants are runners, well, there's no way I'll ever be in the top 50% of the finishers. So, I'm pretty tickled to move up about 300 in the overall rankings.

My ranking among men is pretty much what it usually is, as is my ranking in my age range. I'm always on the tail-end of both groups. Whatever my reasons for doing this, it's certainly not to be the leader of the pack!

Some thoughts on the 2009 Anthem 5K

I've been doing this for several years now, and it's just dawned on me that I have no idea why. Initially, I started walking the Triple Crown races as a fitness thing, but I don't think that's really the reason any more. I never seriously train.* I only participate in these races, plus the Derby Festival Mini-Marathon, never any of the others that go on throughout the year. My times never improve. I'm still just barely dragging my ass across the finish at the longer races. And I'm still fat. So fitness as a motivator is just right out.

The races do raise money for a worthy local charity, which is nice. But surely it's a lot easier just to write a check than to shell out 35 bucks, get up at the crack of dawn, wander aimlessly through the streets of Louisville, sweat profusely, and spend the next day nursing aches and blisters? Surely.

So, for the moment, I'm leaning towards a combination of Spring fever, temporary insanity, and possession by evil spirits to explain my behavior, but while I ponder this mystery some more, here are some thoughts on this year's Anthem 5K, the first leg of the Triple Crown of Running.

The race started 30 minutes earlier this year, and I was almost late. I got there with no time to stretch or warm up, which explains today's extremely achey calf muscles.

I rode the back up bike downtown to the starting line. It's not that far from our house, and the combination of closed streets for the race, plus limited parking downtown, makes the bike a good choice. My bike has a flat, hence the back up bike, which, I discovered en route, has no rear brakes.

The race had a new route this year, which was both good and bad. I loved walking through one of the older neighborhoods down by the river, but one of the things that keeps me moving for the last half of any of the races is knowing what's coming up. When I'm getting tired and running out of steam, knowing where the mile markers are and which streets we'll be taking helps motivate me. I can only make it through the last three miles of the mini by counting off the streets in my head.

There was a woman at the starting line waving what looked like a plastic version of Thor's hammer. I'm still pondering that one.

One of the discouraging things about being a walker in the 5K race is the realization that by the time you reach the first mile marker, the fastest runners are crossing the line.

I had on of my worst times this year: 51 minutes. Usually, I'm at least 5-6 minutes faster than that.

But I did cross the finish line in time to get a couple of Cinnamon Crunch bagels from the Panera booth. Sometimes they run out of them before the walkers show up.

The walkers were sequestered up an alley this year, in order to allow all the runners to start before we did. Thanks to this arrangement, it was eight minutes after the start of the race before I crossed the starting line. and despite this arrangement, there were still runners trying to bulldoze their way through the walkers. (And complaining because we were in front of them.)**

It's beyond me why the rules say no strollers allowed, but the race marshalls never say anything to the folks who bring them. Last year, I was almost run down by a woman running with her racing stroller in front of her.

It was a gorgeous day for the race. Sunny and warm, it felt like the long winter has ended at last.

When I crossed the finish line, the DJ was playing (and I'm not making this up) "It's Raining Men!" Fitting.

I certainly enjoyed participating again this year. I just wish I knew why I did it.

Next race: Rodes City Run (10 K) in a couple of weeks.

*Well, I did join a training group last year, to somewhat less than satisfactory results.

**I get tired of the complaints about walkers I hear. I pay the same fee as those guys do to be there. I try to start as far back in the crowd as I can. But there's always somebody back there trying to push through. I'm not sure what else one can do.

These Are the Days of Our Lives

I pulled the latest Soap Opera Digest out of the mailbox last week to find the news that Days of Our Lives has let another popular veteran couple go. This time it's Steve and Kayla, played by Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans. Adding insult to injury, instead of a send-off into the sunset of happy soap-couple land, the characters are going to simply stop appearing. In fact, their last scenes have already aired.

I can only imagine the outrage on the soap internet over this. (I have to imagine it, as going to soap sites and boards scares me even more than going to the comics internet. Some of those people are looney!) But as far as I'm concerned, it's not a bad move.

Most soaps have spent the last couple of years bringing back favorite characters from the past in desperate attempts to boost ratings. It's a problematic approach. For one thing, it's not cheap, and most shows are pretty cash-strapped these days. For another, once you bring someone back, you need to write for them and use them. Unfortunately, most shows only have the idea for the initial story to bring the characters back (and usually it's a 'big event' kind of thing), but very little idea how to fit them into the existing canvas afterward, resulting in very expensive supporting characters and fans who feel like they've been deceived by the promise of old characters who rarely appear.

As far as I'm concerned, bringing back Steve and Kayla a couple of years ago was an ill-advised move made during James Reilly's last disastrous turn as head writer. As the ratings continued to plummet, the show started going crazy bringing back old faves, only to sideline them in some of the lamest stories, doing nothing but rehashing things they did on their original runs.

Look! Frankie Brady's back! What's he doing? Well, he's kind of trapped in a really dumb story that's trying to recreate his teenage love story with Jennifer Horton! Oh, and there's Carrie and Austin! Doing what? Recreating their endless romantic rivalry with Lucas and Sami. Yay! Just what we wanted to see! And so on and so forth.

Even though Steve and Kayla's recent run was mostly handled by other writers, thus avoiding the Reilley re-run run around, it pretty quickly became obvious that no one knew what to do with them. Once Steve the mind-controlled killer suddenly became Steve the loving husband again, there went their story. Everything else fell way flat. Kayla preggers? Please! At her age? Ava, the mobster moll from Steve's amnesiac past? Yeesh!

Where they seemed to work best was as supporting characters--parents to Stephanie, siblings and friends to Bo and Hope. I do think the show will be poorer for cutting out yet another bit of connective tissue that binds the families together, but these are characters with too much history and too much potential to be reduced to that role alone. It's better that Days cut its losses and move on.

According to SOD, Executive Producer Ted Corday has said that the cast-cutting is over. The show is now in its lean, mean fighting shape for its fight for survival on NBC. I'm not sure that Days really has a fighting chance here. NBC over the past decade or so has demonstrated that it is more than willing to give soaps the ax, even shows with 40+ year histories like Days. And fan confidence in the show is pretty low right now, largely due to the firings of Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. For too many people, John and Marlena are Days of Our Lives, and those people are pretty pissed off right now. All in all, it's going to be an uphill battle.

NEXT: Some thoughts about what the show needs to do now.

Cashing In

Roger's post last week about Johnny Cash reminded me that I had been saving up some Cash videos in my drafts waiting for a chance to turn them into a post or two. Reading his reflections brought to mind a few of my own and finally prompted me to put my own Cash post together.

(You can call it riding Roger's coat tails or copying his inspiration, If you insist. Me, I call it synergy!)

Cash was pretty much a standard musical presence in my house, it seems. My mother was always particularly fond of Southern and bluegrass gospel tunes. I have a lot of memories of her singing with the radio or by herself, especially when she was doing the dishes.

One that she sang quite often was "Daddy Sang Bass," usually the chorus. When I was about five years old or so, or so the story goes, I hit the age where I was too old for the nursery at church. They didn't have children's church at that time, so I had to go to "big church" to sit with my mother and grandparents. Knowing my mother, I'm sure that I must have gotten many lectures reminders about the importance of sitting quietly in church and behaving and all that. Knowing my grandmother, she probably had a purse full of mints to keep me quiet.

So, the first Sunday in "big church" comes around, we're all assembled. In good Baptist fashion, the first hymn is announced. Everyone stands. My mother helps me to find the right page, so I can be like the adults. And everyone starts to sing.

Now at this point, I'm an early reader at best. Mastery of the hymnal with it's strange layouts and musical notes is probably beyond me. Not too mention the fact that I'm not familiar with the music in "big church." Nonetheless, Mom notices that I seem to be singing along with everyone else.

Curious, she leans down to hear what I'm actually singing:

Daddy sang Bass
Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there

At which point, she says she had to sit down to keep from laughing loud enough to distract everyone else.

That was the Statler Brothers and the Carter Family singing along with him, in case you didn't know.

When I was in middle school, I had to have surgery. It had to be rescheduled a couple of times because I kept getting sick right beforehand. My dad was stationed in Germany at the time, but we were living in Kentucky. When the surgery finally happened, he came home for a couple of weeks on leave. He brought my a stack of 8-tracks (God, I am old) to listen to while I was in recovery. The two that I remember most were greatest hits collections--Beach Boys and Johnny Cash. I played both of them over and over and over.

Both of these next two songs were on the Cash tape. I've always loved both of them because they showcase his sense of humor, an attribute that I think gets overlooked a lot of times when people are discussing his life. I do have to admit, though, that I really didn't "get" the second one until I grew up and started voting. When I was a kid, I thought the line about the Methodist was pretty funny.





I'm not sure whether either of them truly qualifies as a "hit" per se, but they were a part of that particular tape. Until the internet came along, however, I couldn't get Keith to believe in the existence of either song! They're just not what people think of then they think of Johnny Cash, but they're among my favorite Cash tunes.

Another much disputed song in my house is this one. For years Keith tried to tell me that I was getting confused about the old Kenny Rogers song "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)." As if!

January is the cruelest month...

Actually, the quote is “April is the cruelest month,” but, for me, as far as 2009 is concerned, April is going to have a long way to go to make up for January. I’ve been sick twice, for several days at a time, which stole large chunks of the month away from me. Plus, for the past several days, we’ve been exiled to a hotel due to a power outage caused by winter storms. And now, the month is over and I’ve not been able to do half of what I planned on doing, including that the weekend trip that the aforementioned storms scuttled. So you can see I’m not that enamored with the month at this moment. Oh well.

The whole storm thing has been fascinating in many ways, annoying in some ways, and terrifying in others. The weather started getting bad last Sunday and Monday, with the first snowfall. By Tuesday, we had graduated through snow and sleet to full-fledged ice storms. Wednesday, we awoke, along with much of the city and a good part of the state, to no power.

Keith went to work, but I decided against showering in a freezing house. We called the vet as soon as they opened to see about boarding the cats. Luckily the vet’s office did have power. Bennie is 16 and doesn’t handle the cold very well at all. We wanted to get her some place warm, if at all possible. They called back after ten and said they could take them. Keith didn’t even have the car dug out at this point.

He kept digging and I went on a hunt in the dark for the cages. I only found two, so the boys had to share, which normally causes problems, but they were so freaked out by the cold that they just went instantly still and quiet in the cage. Bennie was so freaked out by everything that she didn’t even run when the cage came out, which is her usual behavior. I was thankful for that. She’s fat. She’s old. But when she wants to get away from the cage, she’s fast. Running after her through the dark house would not have been fun. I’m old. I’m fat. And I’m slow.

She did however, immediately commence her cries of protest at being in the cage. And she didn’t stop until we got to the vet. Honestly, for an old lady, she sure can curse.

After finally getting the car out (which took several more minutes after the cages were loaded), we discovered that the easiest routes to the vet were blocked by fallen trees. At this point, none of the streets were cleared of snow, ice, or debris, so the five minute jaunt to the vet took half an hour. At one point, we were actually stuck half way up a huge hill with an SUV barreling down at us. The one slightly clear lane up the hill zigged and zagged around piles of fallen branches. Avoiding the SUV (who never stopped or paused once), cost us our momentum on the hill, so we ended up backing down the hill, around the branches and back to level ground. And all the while, Bennie kept up her monologue of profanities.

After the cats were dropped off, Keith went to work and I went home. After spending the day constantly adding layers and blankets, I told Keith there was no way we could stay in the house. Coming home night after night to a dark house was bad enough when the power was out in September. There was no way I was even going to consider throwing freezing cold into the mix. Especially since, based on past experience, it could take several days for the power to be restored.

I packed several bags with clothes, computers, munchies, medicines, and reading material. When Keith came home, we loaded up and headed out. While we were loading, our neighbors were packing up too. We had no idea if we could find a place to stay or not. We checked out a couple of extended stay motels, but one had no power and the office at the other one was closed. Then we passed a Red Roof Inn with a sign advertising weekly specials.

Just as we were walking in, a woman was turning in her key. Her sister had called her and reported that the power was back on at her house. When we asked for a room, they gave us her key and told us it was our lucky day. They’d been turning folks away for hours.

Incidentally, there’s a Waffle House in front of the place, and it just happens to be the same Waffle House Keith and I went to the night my father died. Coincidence?

The room isn’t much, but it is warm. It’s been interesting trying to fit both our plus-sized persons on one full-sized bed, but we’ve managed. We’ve been kind of treating it like an unexpected vacation, so it’s been a fun change of pace. The only downside is missing the kitties.

We’ll be checking out tomorrow and heading back home. The power is on and there’s lots to do back there. Plus, we’ll have three petulant felines to appease. The temp's rising and everything is melting!


Fascinating things about the aftermath of an icestorm:

Seeing all the trees bent over double from the weight of the ice. It’s beautiful, creepy, and dangerous all at the same time.

The way everything is encased in ice. Not covered, but more like coated all the way around.

Hearing the ice crack and pop when it starts to melt.

The sky was grey for days! Combined with all the ice coating everything, it was like living in a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale or a Little Nemo comic strip.

Turning on the national news and hearing stories about Kentucky. For some reason all the coverage centered on the little burg west of here where I grew up. Nothing is more bizarre than seeing Leitchfield, Kentucky on CNN! (By the way, I still cannot reach my mother. Been trying for days.)

Driving through familiar areas at night. Between the lack of power and the ice everywhere, even places that I know like the back of my hand were strange and unfamiliar. It’s really unnerving to drive down a street and realize that the only light for blocks is coming from your headlights.

Sentiment for Innaugural Day!

I'm sure it's a much over-used line today, but our long national nightmare is over!

DAY ON!

Today is the only national holiday that is also officially recognized as a day for national and community service. I'm getting ready to head off to a clothes closet for kids who need assistance just being ready for school. I've worked in some form of social services all my life, but this is the first time I've ever consciously taken part in an MLK Day service project.

Part of it is my new job. Community service is what we do. Members of my team are all over this town today, helping out. Several of them designed the projects they are working on. I'm really proud of all of them. In the short time I've been with this position, I've learned so much and grown at least a little.

I was raised with an understanding of my responsibility to the world around me and to the other people who live there. When I was still a part of organized religion, one of the conflicts I frequently had was with the idea that all we had to do was offer Jesus to others and everything else would be okay. I knew too many people who were content to save souls, but leave the bodies to starve.

In my time, I've organized marches and rallies, sat on boards, raised money and awareness, worked in shelters, planted trees, given out food, written letters to the editor, and a whole bunch of stuff I can't even remember. But, somehow, for the last ten years or so, I've been content to go to work, rationalizing that, since I was doing social service work, I was giving something every day and nothing more was really required of me. Maybe it was burn out. Maybe it was middle age malaise. Maybe it was whatever happens when you settle down with a partner and have a mortgage. Maybe it was just hibernating.

Coming out of it now, is, as I said, at least partly due to the job, but it's also the timing. We have a president who values community service enough to make today a part of the inaugural activities--a president who believes that we are strongest when we help each other and our communities. It's taken a while to get here, but I'm starting to get in touch with that spirit within me again. Maybe I'm starting to see, that for all the good work all our social service agencies do day in and day out, that something more is needed to make real change--something that taps into the spirit of who we are and what we can be.

Or maybe I'm sounding too much like an advertising slogan or a sermon. I was afraid I was going to end up going that route and get carried away. Regardless of the rhetoric or the flourishes, this is a day to help. A day to give. A day to serve. If you don't have anything lined up for today, go to the MLK Day web site and see what's happening in your local area. It's not too late.

And to close, let the Indigo Girls say it better than me:

In Canse You Were Wondering...

This is my favorite Iris Dement song:



Seems kind of fitting for a Friday. Maybe there'll be some romance for someone tonight?

Forgot the camera, but still have some things to say about the flea market

Finally felt like crawling out of the grave and deciding to live on Monday. Just in time to return to work. Oh well. It's a living, as they used to say in the old cartoons. Still playing catch up, but do want to dash a few lines off about the flea market.

Despite my best intentions, I managed to get out the door on Friday without a camera, so this is a somewhat photo-less flea market report.

Flea markets and the like have always been in my blood, it seems. In the little town where I grew up, there was a flea market every Wednesday at the county stockyards. In fact, we always referred to going to the flea market as "going to the stockyards" which confused some of my friends. During the summer, I'd hardly miss a Wednesday. Surprisingly, that flea market still takes place, every Wednesday, even thought the spot where it does is now the Wal-Mart parking lot.

The main attraction for the flea market in those days for me was as place where I get get older comics cheaply--usually for 25 cents or less. At that point in time, there was no comic store in my life, no conventions, no mail order, certainly no Ebay, so what I had was the local flea market and my two little legs to carry me there.

I remember one time the local paper did a feature on the flea market and mentioned in passing a "young man looking through piles of old comic books for a quarter." I was totally convinced they meant me, so I clipped the article and kept it for years.

As I got older and moved away, I discovered other flea markets, along with other ways of dealing in second hand goods--thrift stores, yard sales, used book stores, etc. One of the best avenues in Louisville is the monthly Kentucky Flea Market, which is held at the state fairgrounds. I go at least once a year with my mom and try to talk Keith into going as often as I can.

Since this was New Year's weekend, the show actually had two halls full of dealers, instead of the usual one. I always like those, because the second hall is typically just antique dealers and I really do like to go look at that type of stuff. I could browse in a good-sized antiques mall for hours, without ever buying anything, and be quite content.

Typically, when we go to the flea market on a Friday, it's not that crowded. In fact, that's my favorite time to go, because you can take your time and really look at stuff without having to fight the people. I don't know if it was the holiday or what, but the place was packed this time. Packed full of people. Annoying people. The kind of gather in clumps in the middle of the aisles, not moving one way or the other, totally blocking traffic in both directions. The kind of people I have made a resolution not to kill or belittle or knock down this year. ARRGH!

ASIDE: I'm not a kid person, I admit. I don't have them and am kind of glad to be in a state of life that they're not going to be a part of. I understand bringing your kids to things that they'll enjoy, but I don't get all the people who bring all the kids in strollers (some as young as six months) to something like this. The kid cannot possibly be having fun surrounded by a forest of legs and not being able to see anything. The parents can't be having fun having to push the kid through the madness. And I'm definitely not having fun trying to maneuver around the one in front of me while the one behind me keeps bumping me in the ankles! Isn't that what sitters are for?

Anyway, Keith and I kept getting separated by the crowds, which made things a lot less fun for both of us. It's hard to point out stuff to each other when you're not together. And since one of us, who shall remain nameless*, forgot his cell phone, we were out of touch a lot, which led to lots of waiting and wondering, especially since the nameless and phoneless one is prone to easy distraction and can take quite a while to work through things.

We spent some time later trying to figure out what kind of effect the economy was having on the flea market. It seems to me like there were as many people as usual there with carts full of purchases, but that may not mean anything. According to the paper, some dealers said there sales were back up after a bad summer slump due to gas prices, but were still off from last year. But, Keith overheard a couple of dealers of the "As Seen on TV" crap who said that they were selling out of things with two days left to go.

I know in the antique wing lots of dealers were offering specials, but I still saw a lot of sales taking place too. There seemed to be fewer of the "banana box" dealers--those folks who buy out of date and near out of date goods in bulk (in banana boxes) and sell stuff at a buck or so a pop--but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Row after row of that kind of stuff becomes old fast. And the ones that were there had tightened up considerably, so it didn't look like they had taken over the place.

In terms of my purchases, I had a pretty good day. The antique wing yielded some inexpensive additions to my collection of religious paraphernalia. And surprisingly, I was able to get some nice comics in both the antique and non-antique wings at reasonable prices, including several issues of Little Lulu and Sugar and Spike, which made me happy! i also got a couple of Dennis the Meance giants from the 60's in beautiful shape for a buck each!** Plus I got a couple of very early Rhonda vincent CD's, from the days when she was still part of the Sally Mountain Show.

My own comic shop always sets up at the flea market with some quarter boxes of comics and overstock CDs for sale. One of the many many things to love about my shop is the music selection. Since there are two branches of the store in Nashville, they always have some great folk and Americana selections, especially since every few months the stores swap out their overstock.

I spent a little bit of time there talking to the store manager, since she was working the booth alone and it was a little slow right then. I made sure she got some of the holiday goodies I left at the shop for the staff and told her about my new job, since it will enable me to actually begin placing orders again.

We also talked about how the economy is affecting the store. I had been a little concerned because I knew that they had stopped buying stuff from people for a while. She told me that they had to do that because they got flooded with people selling stuff when the gas prices were so high, so now they're basically overstocked and need to let that thin out for a bit.

But she also said that, overall, they had not been as badly affected by the recession as they thought they would be. Sales are a little off, but not as bad as they could be, which was nice to hear. I've been concerned about them, since a) small/local businesses get hit hardest by economic downturns and b) contrary to what some may say, they're not selling necessity items.

Still, I was surprised to hear that someone had started a rumor in town that they were going out of business. It hasn't seem to hurt them, but that's not the kind of thing they need to have happening right now. One thing that I do think will help them weather this storm is their history. They've been around for over 30 years now. I first shopped there my senior year of high school, when I was 17. They've obviously got staying power and a pretty loyal customer base. It was good to chat with her for a bit.

And, finally, I can think of nothing better to wrap this up than this little ditty by Mexican pop group Flans about finding true love at a flea market:



All together now:

"Entre cuadros y revistas,
camisetas, discos y jeans,
Entre cuadros y revistas,
camisetas, discos y jeans"

Some of my favorite shopping experiences in Mexico City were in settings like this.

*We must protect the innocent, you see. And I tell you, this person really is innocent. Forgetful, but innocent. And quite charming too!

**Which is not to say that there weren't dealers asking outrageous prices for mediocre stuff in even worse shape, but I'm focusing on the positive and not the asshats.

When the dead walk, the content sleeps

I'm just a bit under the weather: aches, cramps, fever, stomach issues and the like. I'm thinking the sweet sleep of oblivion might be preferable to trying to sit up and actually trying to do something productive. (Although there is so much to do right now...)

See you on the other side.

In the meantime, here's the opening sequence to my all time favorite telenovela, Preciosa:



Wow! That was on the air like ten years agi. Where does the time go?

Happiest of the Newest and all that somesuch...

Okay, I made it mostly through December posting, until after Christmas at least. I'm not claiming any of it was especially rich or meaningful, but it was content. I also learned the value of the Blogger post-scheduling feature. Unfortunately, the streak ended when I went for my annual post-Christmas house-sitting venture. I've never had problems with internet access over there before, but I couldn't get online this time to save my soul.

So, after that, I took a couple of days hiatus, but I'm back. it's time for one of my favorite New Year's weekend activities: The Kentucky Flea Market! It's a two-winger this time, which is always good for finding some cheap comics and other stuff. I'm trying real hard to remember my camera, so I can photo-blog this.

I'm on forced leave without pay today, like all of my colleagues in this recession-riddled city, but that's actually turning out to be a good thing, since I've got a lot to do at the house and I wanted some extra down time before I "officially" start my new job on Monday.

Thinking blogically, I've got a bit of an idea about what I want to do over the next couple of weeks: some cheesy DVD reviews, a couple of graphic novel reviews, my take on the best (or at least my favorite) music of 2008, my goals for 2009, stuff I'm looking forward too, and a couple of regular features I'd like to unleash once my scanner gets hooked up again. Oh yeah, and I have some bleated gifts for a few bloggers, plus a rundown on the holidays here at chez Evans-Mitchell.

But for now, the flea market awaits, as does breakfast, so I must hie me hither!

2009 might actually me the year I become a real blogger. It only took five years, but I'm somewhat of a late bloomer.

So here, celebrate 2009 with some classic Linda Ronstadt:



Ever notice how her best stuff was also her saddest stuff?

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

And now that we've successfully restored our Lord and Savior to His proper spot in His own birthday celebration, Jesus and I wish you all a Happy Christmas! And a blessed New Year!

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

On the 24th of December, my favorite infrequently updated blog gave to me...

Cordero!

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

Makes a great gift!

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

...with Gumby and Jesus holding hands! Isn't that what this holiday is all about?



By the way, this is a parody of the "Otters Holding Hands" video that I featured a while back.

A Holiday Gift From Me to You!

You had to know this one was coming. I mean, really.

Since I've been giving the gift of music for the holidays here at the Eddie-torial HQ, it was inevitable that one of my gift-giving days would feature my beloved Goddess of Music, the inimitable, ineffable Emmylou Harris.

She's spoken a lot in interviews and concerts about how she is drawn to songs that reflect the more moody, melancholy side of life. As a person prone to both moodiness and melancholic phases, I can totally relate. I love happy fun music too, but the stuff that truly resonates and sticks with me is the darker stuff.

I think that explain the appeal that Americana music has for me, especially songs based on bluegrass and traditional tunes. Like a lot of people, I sometimes look to entertainment media as an escape from the pressures of life. More often, though, I look for entertainment that actually helps me cope rather than escape. You can only escape for sho long, eventually you have to return. I tend to prefer stuff that sticks with me and reminds me that not only to other people have to put up with a lot of shit too, but that they can and do survive and cope.

In that spirit, I give you Emmylou Harris:

This duet with John Prine is a hoot. He wrote the song, which is a little off-color, and originally sang it with Iris Dement. The video is totally crappy, but it's worth enduring to see Ms. Emmy do that hip shake on the chorus! She really hams it up!



This is from her latest release, about which I have more to say later. That's Buddy Miller playing the guitar with her. The doomed love of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.P._Carter was probably one of the first celebrity scandals in country music. BONUS: Go here and see the family tree of this legendary family.



An oldie, but an absolute favorite--"Rose of Cimarron."



You know when Steve Earle and Emmylou get together the results are going to be: a) extremely good and b) extremely sad.



Happy Holidays from Steve, John, Emmylou (the Goddess of Music) and me!

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

Putting the Christ back in Christmas...

it is absolutely appalling to everyone here at the Eddie-torial Headquarters the way that Jesus has gotten pushed to the side during the celebration of His own birthday. This whole insistence that there are other celebrations taking place this time of year, most of which are older than Christianity is galling to the core. In an effort to combat this encroaching liberal, secular war on Christmas, we have scoured the YouTube to bring you the best in videos expressing the proper sentiments of reverence for our Lord and Savior. From now until December 25, we will be presenting one each day to restore the Christ to Christmas. We hope that they bless you richly.



Happy holidays, indeed.

On the 17th of December, my favorite infrequently updated blog gave to me...

...French hipsters dancing!



Nouvelle Vague: Dance with Me

Merry Christmas Bully!

Been watching quite a few cartoons lately. More than in years, in fact. Part of it is that there are some shows on Cartoon Network that I'm enjoying right now. Part of it is that Cartoon Network has been showing some longer animated features I've wanted to see. And part of it is my old friend Boomerang and the nostalgia thing. I've even been dipping into my stack of unwatched anime DVD's. But all of that is a subject for another time.

Nevertheless, all of this consuming and thinking about animation has made me think about one of my favorite bloggers, namely Bully, the Little Stuffed Bull. Bully's one of my blogging heroes. Not only is he the cutest blogger out there (sorry Dorian!), but he writes with a combination of wit, innocence and insight that continually supports the central tenet of his blog: Comics oughta be fun, and if they aren't, then shame on them! He's also incredibly well-read.

Many bloggers have a regular weekly feature or two that keeps content flowing to their blogs, but Bully may actually have more than anybody else: Wodehouse a Week, Separated at Birth, Ten of a Kind, and my favorite: Saturday Morning Cartoons, a celebration of the best and most fun animated material YouTube has to offer. (now you see where this post is going...)

So, when I started to think about saluting some of my favorite bloggers and giving them gifts for the holidays via my blog, Bully was easy to "shop" for. I'm giving him one of my favorite video--Chicos de Barrio doing the Mucha Lucha theme song, featuring a gazillion clips from the show.

¡Es la tradición!



Merry Christmas, Bully!

Let's not cop out again, shall we?

So much that I really want to write about, but I can't because it's work-related. Discretion is the better part of valor sometimes. Not that all of it is negative, mind you. I'm in the midst of getting a promotion and a permanent slot under a director I've been trying to work with for over a year now. Still, there are some long shadows hanging over our department, leftovers from really bad choices for management, and the economic situation is starting to hit us hard. We're not out of the woods by any means, but things look a damn sight better at the end of the year than they did at the beginning.

This Christmas will mark seven years in the house for us. We moved in Christmas Eve 2001. We gave the movers a ginormous tip to get us in the house as soon as humanly possible. Then we set up the bed, took a long nap, and got ready for Christmas. Since we had no tree, we bought two Santa statues at a department store and set them up on a little cart the previous owner had left in the house. We put our presents on the cart. It was a sweet spot in a chaotic spot.

Keith freaked me out this afternoon, returning from his camping trip with a huge gash on his head. (Who camps in December? Not me for sure!) He slipped on some rocks in a lake bed and gashed himself on a sharp rock. He's a little sore, but seems to be okay. He's now banned from wintertime camping.

This is going to be one of those weeks where getting work done is a challenge. We have a holiday party for our department tomorrow afternoon. I've got a pot of chili going for it right now, and I still have a cake to bake. On Wednesday, I have an out of town meeting for the new position. Thursday, there's a retirement lunch for a colleague, then I have to do a training all afternoon. Friday is a staff meeting for the new position, where I'm going to be introduced to the team I'll be leading. This is followed by yet another holiday get-together. Compounding this is the fact that I moved inot a new office right before Thanksgiving, and I'm still unpacking.

When I start in the new position in January, I'm going to have to hit the ground running. I've got several slots to fill, a renewal grant to write, a report to prepare, and an evaluation to conduct. My predecessor would stay until 9 or 10 at night to get everything done. I don't intend to do that.

Hopefully, I'll get my baking started (and finished) this week. I've got the ingredients assembled. I just need to get my pans and racks up from the basement and get started. I'm hoping to make some new hard candies this year. This is also going to be the year that I'm going to best my nemesis: old fashioned chocolate fudge. It's been two or three years since I've been able to get a batch to set up right. We'll see. If I remember to set up the laptop in the kitchen, I might liveblog one night of baking. Or at least live tweet.

Despite the lazy tone of my tweets today, I did get a lot of cleaning in the kitchen done today in preparation for the baking. I still need to vacuum though. I also need to get the living room straightened so that we can get the tree. Last week was so crazy, though, that I really did need the rest this weekend.

My, what a Chatty Cathy I've been tonight. With such a boring post. This is what I mean when I say "rambly" in the blog description. Oh well.

I Got Nothing People!

Absolutely nothing!

Not even a video.

That's sad.

But I'm braindead. Really.

Come back tomorrow.

Bye.

Good night.

A Holiday Gift From Me to You!

Okay, so it's not exactly classic rock, but it is the music of my younger days. There's just something about 80's pop that both cheers me up and calms me down after all the stresses of the day. Partly, it's nostalgia (of course), but partly i think it's because there has never been another period where mainstream Top 40 radio was so much sheer fun.

Since I know that this is a busy time for everyone, I offer two classics to release your mind from the cares of the day and send you on a trip to your happy place.

The Bangles:




The Go-Go's:



Love the headband Belinda is rocking in this one!

Of course, if the 80's music brings with it such a happy, fun vibe, why are my two fave Top 40 bands from the period groups who sent through such rancorous break-ups?

Ah, but that is a question for another time. In the meantime, enjoy the music, dance a little, and enjoy best holiday wishes from Belinda, Jane, Charlotte, Gina, Kathy, Michael, Susanna, Vicki, Debbi, and me!

Can't Believe I Forgot Hazel!

Keith called me at work this morning to point out that I had forgotten to include the great and ever fabulous Hazel Dickens on my list of legends I've seen perform. Not sure how I managed to do that, but I did. I was as excited about seeing her at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass a few years ago as I was to see Emmylou. (Believe it or not.)

In penance, here's Hazel herself in action:



Forgive me, Hazel. No offense intended.

I'm all done in and off to bed for the night.

On the 10th of December, my favorite infrequently updated blog gave to me...

...The Romeo Flynns!

RIP Odetta

I was really shocked to read about Odetta's death a few days ago. We were fortunate to see her in concert a couple of years ago. It was obvious then that she was feeling the effects of age--she wasn't able to leave the stage and come back out for an encore, so she graciously accepted our applause onstage and then launched into her encore--but her voice was strong and she was wry and witty the whole night.

Her death has got me thinking about other "living legends" of music that I've been lucky enough to see, as well as the ones I never got to see and wish I had, and the ones I would still like to see while I still have a chance. Which then got me thinking about posting about it. Which then made me say, "Oh why not?"

To make one of these lists, a performer has to have been alive and performing during my adult lifetime. No fantasies about time traveling to see Patsy Cline, Hank WIlliams or Buddy Holly. I'm limiting to my adult years to focus in on the time when I have both my own income and the ability to decide how to use it.

The "legend" part is harder to pin down. For me, I think it would include someone whose career began either before I was born (1964) or within a few years of that blessed event, whose career has continued to the present, and who is regarded as having had a significant impact on music. I think that's a workable definition for this purpose. I know it's all still relative and we could argue all day about who is or is not a "legend." But I wanted to limit the boundaries a bit so that this would not turn into laundry lists of my favorite artists.

So here we go:

ARTISTS I NEVER GOT TO SEE

Bill Monroe (who performed for free in a park down the street from our apartment a couple of years before he died. I still kick myself for not going. Keith went. I didn't. I am an idiot.)
Lily Mae Ledford
Johnny Cash
June Carter Cash
Utah Phillips


THOSE I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE

Odetta
Ralph Stanley
Bob Dylan
Doc Watson
Jean Ritchie
The Holmes Brothers
Earl Scruggs
Homer Ledford

THOSE I WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE WHILE I HAVE A CHANCE

Willie Nelson
Loretta Lynn
Joan Baez
Pete Seeger
Rambling Jack Elliott
Richard and Linda Thompson

Actually, I guess I've pretty lucky overall. I have gotten to see some great performers from previous generations. My regrets list is short (although missing Bill Monroe will be such a mark of shame for me). And my still to see list is manageable as long as everyone stays in good health.

The most interesting part of doing this little exercise was dealing with my arbitrary dividing line. If I had just shifted it another decade, I could have included so many influential favorites on the seen list: John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, and of course Emmylou Harris, But then my not seen list would include both Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. And my regrets list would have to include Townes Van Zandt.

Under the weather

I'm not feeling well. Came home from work early to get some sleep. Going back to bed. Have a video of a cat fighting a printer to tide you over.

Small Talk

Don't feel like writing a lot tonight, so I'll be doing some links and bits instead. For anyone wondering after yesterday's post, the forgiveness phase has apparently kicked in, although Kosh is still very clingy.

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Last night was Bardstown Road Aglow, which is one of my favorite times of the holiday season. I'll probably write it up tomorrow. I took the camera, but it was too cold and windy to mess with.

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Roger is giving away some free stuff, and you still have time to sign up for it!

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Top Shelf is having a holiday sale. So is Bloodshot Records. One ends this weekend, but the other one goes on until the end of the month. One of them is one of my favorite comics publishers--home to talents such as James Kochalka and Jeffrey Brown. The other is one of my favorite music labels--specializing in subversive country bands and home to Justin Townes Earl, The Gore Gore Girls, and the my much beloved Meat Purveyors.

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If you're looking to make some socially responsible choices this season, Alley Cat Allies is a cause I support. They work to protect feral cats by educating community leaders, lawmakers, and local governments about the effectiveness of Trap-Neuter-Release as a humane way to control stray cat populations. A feral cat that is captured and sent to a shelter will inevitably be euthanized, because ferals are difficult if not impossible to socialize to humans, which makes them unadoptable. You can make donations as gifts in honor of friends and relatives here.

World Wildlife Fund has a fabulous selection of gifts that educate about endangered species and the risks to the environment posed by climate change. You can adopt a species in someone's honor and receive an adorable plush toy version to give your honoree!

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And just because I feel like it, here's a video of the Cherryholmes step dancing:



Good night!

Merry Christmas Bennie, Kosh, and Chiquito!

We had to board all the cats yesterday, so we could have some stuff done on the house without worrying about them getting out. None of them like these little ventures to the vet, especially Bennie, who sits in her cage and does the feline version of cursing at us the whole way there. You don't have to speak feline to know when your sweet, stripey little baby is telling you to let her out of the fucking cage or there will be hell to pay.

We're about to go pick them up, which means another car ride with Bennie in her cage telling us to go fuck ourselves. Honestly, the mouth on that girl. She didn't learn it from me, I swear. This will be followed by a period of hiding from us every time we move, lest we lose our minds again and shove them back in their cages.

Next will come the shunning, which is something to be experienced. You know you've pissed off your cat when he comes room, looks right at you, sits in the middle of the floor and turns his back to you. Nobody pouts like a cat, I'm telling you. Kosh and Bennie both can be prone to drama, so sometimes we have absolutely no idea why we're being shunned, only that one of them has some sort of beef with the management.

Somewhere in here will come the acting out. Kosh and Chiquito will get into a fight or two and run wild through the house. Then they'll jump on Bennie. This is their way of showing us how upset they are. "Look what you made me do. You put me in the cage and took me to that place, so I just have to be bad right now. It's your fault. Yes, it is. Not me. You." That's what they're saying.

Finally will come the clinging. No lap will be empty and Kosh will climb into someone's arms to be held. There will be lots of purring and rubbing and stroking. This is actually the bargaining stage. "If I love you lots and lots and never, ever let you out of my sight, then please please please don't ever do that to me again."

Yes, there's nothing like the after effects of cat trauma. Really.

So, in an effort to appease the furry little critters, I'm offering this gift of a video about a guy who maybe loves cats a little too much. Kind of like a couple of grown men who shall remain nameless.

Merry Christmas, babies!

A Holiday Gift From Me to You!

Kasey Chambers is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I love so many of her songs, but this is my favorite. In fact, I'd probably include it on my list of absolute favorite songs ever. I'm drawn to songs that are both incredibly beautiful and incredibly sad, and "The Captain" certainly fits that category. It's both disturbing and captivating. We saw her i at a club here in Louisville a couple of years ago and she did a solo acoustic version as her encore. It still makes the hair stand up on my arm just thinking about it.

Every so often over the past couple of years, I'd do a search on YouTube for the video, but could never find it. So, I was really surprised to recently turn up not one, but two different videos.

The first one features the version most folks know from The Sopranos. I'm a little annoyed that it's so badly synched, but I'd still like to offer it as a holiday gift:



This version features Chambers and her husband Shane Nicholson. They released an album together this year, which I think is easily one of the best of the year. While Chambers' original version is moving, this stripped-down, understated cabaret-style version is heart-wrenching. I can't get enough of it.



Happy holidays from me and Kasey and Shane!

Fan Entitlement....

Dorian's post comparing video game fan-entitlement and comic fan entitlement got me to pondering something that has bounced around my brain for a couple of years now. I honestly think that when it comes right down to it, neither group can hold the overly-developed sense of entitlement candle to another sector of rabid obsessed fandom: soap opera fanatics.

I'm being serious, here. I don't care how many comic nerds there are pissed because DC won't honor the continuity they established in their Teen Titans/LSH slash fanfic. They simply cannot hold a candle to the hordes of women who grew up watching All My Children while their grandmother was baby-sitting them, skipped high school every time Erica Kane got married, scheduled their college classes around the show, and have named their boys Eric, Kane and Lucci because they didn't have a daughter they could name Erica Kane.



Oh yeah, and they're pissed because ABC won't honor the continuity of the Adam Chandler/Palmer Corlandt slash fanfic they wrote.




Reading soap mags can be pretty annoying these days, since they're full of the same complaining about the same couples not being together any more. Hell, the editor of one mag has a weekly column that serves as nothing but her fan entitlement forum.

What puts soap fans in a league by themselves is their mastery of one particularly annoying technique of self-expression: the fan campaign. These folks take going overboard to a whole new level. Whereas your pissed off self-entitled comics nerd puts a petition up online and rants on every forum he can find, soap nerds devise new ways to give postal carriers back strain.

Let's say that on the venerable soap As the Years Go By fan favorite couple Joaquin and Marguerite are split up. JoaMar* fans group together online to bitch and wail and gnash teeth and a plan is born. They will show those producers and writers! They will teach them to split up a favorite couple! They will convince them to put JoaMar back together posthaste! And they will do it by mailing them something that will express their anger, their frustration, and their dreams for a happy ending for the couple. They will mail them...toothpicks!

It might be that Joaquin is known for having a toothpick in his mouth. It might be that "Toothpick" was his pet name for Marguerite. It might be that the sharp ends of the toothpicks represent the agony that pricks at the heart of every true JoaMar fan. Or it might be that toothpicks were the first thing someone thought of.

Regardless, soon these pissed-off entitled fans are flooding the mailboxes of the studio, the networks, the producers, the writers, and even the actors with boxes and boxes of toothpicks. And they will keep it up until their beloved couple are reunited...or until some other offense raises their ire and sets off a new campaign.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing in comic nerd world to compare. A true self-entitled soap fan can set off a campaign at the drop of a hat. All it takes is a break up or story development they don't approve of. My favorites are the campaigns to keep certain actors on shows. Like getting boxes and boxes of cotton swabs will make someone change their mind about leaving a place where they don't want to work any more.

Sadly, like in comics, it seems like producers are more and more willing to pander to this group, resulting in big event-oriented storylines that run out of steam, endless retreads of past plots, and constant attempts to lure past popular performers back to shows that inevitably end up not using them or trying to recreate twenty-year old love stories that are always less interesting than the originals. And the ratings continue to decline.

Soap opera nerds. Fear them. Avoid them. Like Dorian says, "Nerds ruin everything." It doesn't matter what kind of nerds they are.

*Where do you think tabloids got the idea for combining names into stupid combos like "Brangelina"? They got it from soap fans who've been doing it online for ages!

On the 3rd of December, my favorite infrequently updated blog gave to me...

...Dolly Parton singing songs for Captain Kangaroo!



I mean, really, what more could you possibly need? I kind of miss the days when Dolly played her own guitar all the time.

The Boys Have Arrived!

I hereby declare that the holiday season has officially begun!

30 Days Hath December!

ITEM! It's cold and snowy here making it the perfect night for a pot of beans! Mmmm! Beans!

ITEM! Yes, I know thst most of what I'm writing tonight, along with most of what I wrote over the Arkansas trip would have made better updates for the Twitter thingie than blog posts, but I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting again. Please bear with me.

ITEM! Speaking of the Arkansas trip, it ended quite well. I met parts of Keith's family that I had not met previously. I discovered the wonder of shopping at Fred's. We found a coffee shop that makes a decent latte in small town western Arkansas, believe it or not. Keith mother is having a lot of trouble with her knees and a recent surgery has not seemed to help, which was hard to watch. I think it's the first serious indicator we've had that she's getting older. I was glad I was able to go this time. I really do treasure his mom.

ITEM! Meeting the other sides of his family made me think about how similar our upbringings actually were. We've both known for years that we're both small town rural boys who went to the big city to become who we really are, but I don't often actually see him in that setting very often. Or vice versa, for that matter. We met in Louisville, so we didn't see each other in our settings of origin until much later. Even the meeting of the mothers took place up here, so I always tend to think of us in terms of who we are and who we have become instead of where we came from. It's comforting to me somehow to know that there's such similarity to our backgrounds.

ITEM! We were so tired from traveling that our own Thanksgiving was kind of anti-climatic. We slept very very late and didn't eat until even later. But it was very yummy, nonetheless.

ITEM! Not to Roger Green: I'm not oing any more!

ITEM! The annual day after T-giving shopping was kind of anti-climatic as well. I stood outside our beloved Half Price Books for their gift certificate giveaway, only to watch them run out about six people in front of me. Still, their 20% off early bird special allowed me to pick up several hefty graphic novels for less than ten bucks each, which was nice. My comic shop also had a 25% off special on Friday, so I dropped in there too. otherwise, it was a dull day. There were no lines anywhere we went.

ITEM! December is going to be nuts this year. In addition to the usual holiday whirl, including the baking spree to come. Saturday is Bardstown Road Aglow, one my favorite events of the season. I'm in the midst of changing jobs at work, trading in my current position of uncertainty and instability to a new more stable job, that even brings a slight promotion with it. The switch is not official until January 1, but I'm learning the ropes right now, plus doing my old duties, which includes traveling weatherization trainings around town to help our clients prepare their houses for winter. In addition, I'm teaching an adult ed class for our school system. Thankfully that ends soon, but I still have my last lessons to prepare.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...................

In the midst of all that, I've decided to try to blog every day this month, because things weren't quite crazy enough, you know? Whatever. So, this month, look for holiday gifts for my readers (ha!), presents for my favorite bloggers, and some other stuff, including a bunch of rambling babbling crap passing for writing.

Six days on the road and I'm going to make it home tonight

Okay, not really. The six days part, that is. We will be home tonight. We set out from Arkansas yesterday. Made it to Nashville last night. Going to do some outlet shopping today and then point the old Buick towards the homestead.

I've been missing my kitties something awful. We had to board Chiquito due to some of his more anti-social tendencies, and I'm afraid it might really freak him out. Plus, I've been seeing black cats everywhere, which almost seems like some sort of sign. So, I'm worried about Kosh. Our cat-sitter says everyone is fine, but I'm still a little concerned. The last trip we both made to Arkansas ended with Basil being put to sleep a few days later. I'm a little nervous. I can't help it.

In thanks to Keith for handling to driving chores so well, here's Lucinda Williams singing about one of the places we passed through on our journeys:

Arkansas Traveller

I've found the place where the people telling the racist jokes are actually Obama supporters. Seriously!

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Zen Party trail mix rocks! Rice crackers rule!

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Seen on church signs:

"God loves you and sent His Son. He approves this message."

"God's economic policies never fail. Let's talk."

It's touching to saee how politicallly aware these Arkansas churches can be.

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We blew a breaker in our hotel room last night. Too many devices recharging while the heat was running.

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Believe it or not, you can find a place in small town western Arkansas that serves a wholesome, yummy vegan meal.

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I love visiting with Keith's family. I hadn't been able to go for the past couple of years, and I've really missed them. I'm glad I was able to this year. We've spent last night and today with his mother and visited two of his aunts today. Tomorrow, we're going to try and squeeze a little shopping and photography in with the visiting.

Some thoughts while traveling to Arkansas

Where did November go? This month has been a surreal whirlwind. I think I worked more hours this month than I ever have. I have three major tasks happening at the same time at work, plus a second job, and a new position that I'm starting to transition into. And now it's time for the trip to Keith's mother's.

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Seen on a bumper sticker:

"I started out with nothing and have done a pretty good job of holding on to it."

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Why is it that we can never get out of town until at least 2:00 p.m.? Even when we plan to do so much earlier?

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Tennessee has more state parks than anywhere, I think. Or at least it seems so by the signs on the interstate. I swear we passed an exit last night that had signs for something like a dozen parks.

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If they're all that close together, then why not just lump them all together in one mega-state park?

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Which Jackson were Johnny and June singing about? I always thought it was Jackson, MS, but given that he was from Arkansas and they lived in Nashville, it very well could have been Jackson, TN.

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Keith's growing tendency to shout "Loser!" at every car we pass that has a McCain/Palin sticker is starting to become worrisome.

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I'm surprised that internet travel sites haven't put them out of business, but those free magazines with hotel coupons in them that you get at rest areas and restaurants along the interstates are the bomb! Especially, if you're not sure how far you're going to make it in the first day of your trip, so you're leery of making a reservation somewhere.

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Welcome to the South, where there's a Waffle House at every exit!

I'm Michael Edward Mitchell and I approve this birthday present

Dear USA,

Thanks so much for the lovely birthday gift. It's exactly what I wanted! You've finally made up for that awful 16th birthday gift you gave me in 1980.

Love,

Eddie

Highway 60: The Yard Sale! (Continued)

Okay, so here's the run down, in as condensed a form as I can put it.

Somehow, despite our best intentions, it was after well after 10 before we were on the road Saturday. Even though Highway 60 runs through Louisville, the sale didn't start until Meade County, which is to the south. So it was after 11 before we were in sale territory. We clearly had a lot of territory to cover and not a lot of time to do it in.

Since we knew we'd be coming back on Sunday, we decided to limit our stops to our side of the road. We planned on hitting whoever was still set up on the other side during the return trip. We also didn't plan on trying to make every stop, but we'd play that by ear. I had looked up info for the main stops in a couple of counties, but I stopped with Hancock, which was as far as I thought we'd get.

A couple of things to understand about these 100+ mile sales, for the uninitiated:

First, it's not 100+ miles of shoulder to shoulder yard sales. I think every person who lives in those seven counties would have to have a sale for that to be possible.

Second, this is mostly rural territory, which means it's not densely populated. It also means that large stretches of 60 are your typical country road with lots of hills and curves and narrow spots where it wouldn't be safe to set up a table full of junk to sell.

So what you get are lots of places where several folks have set up together, followed by several miles of no sales whatsoever. Then you have the towns, where there are lots of set ups all over the place. And you also have the more traditional front yard set up from time to time.

Still, even though it wasn't mile after mile of endless sales, it was still pretty slow going in spots. We were on the road for well over an hour before we even left the first county.

We ended up not hitting every single sale, which is a good thing, as we'd probably still be out there if we'd tried. But we hit so many that it all seems like a fantastic blur.

I do think we saw every kind of set up possible: in the service bays at gas stations, in front of abandoned stores, in fields, beside fields, under huge trees in the yards of farm houses, grocery store parking lots, and on and on. There were private sales. Group sales. Benefit sales. And every other kind of sale you can imagine.

And not every sale was on the highway either. There were countless signs directing bargain hunters off onto side roads. We passed those up for the most part, since you just can't do everything.

Probably the hardest part of the day was spotting sales far enough in advance to plan to stop. Traffic was heavy in some places and there wasn't always a place to run around or back up. Many of the houses are set back from the highway and it was easy to miss a sale set up near a house with a huge front. Still, we did make plenty of stops.

And the stuff! Old stuff. New stuff. Junk. Crap. Cool treasures. And the totally unexpected. (More on that next post.) And the prices were simply rock bottom. I only bought one or two things that cost more than a dollar and most were a quarter or less. There were quite a few folks who were obviously out for the bargain shopping and found it--trucks full of furniture and vans full of clothes and stuff.

We had tons of fun. We got yummy cider from Spencer's Orchard and kettle corn fresh from the popper. We actually heard a woman yell for Billy Bob to go get Butch because someone wanted to buy his lawn mower! (You can't make stuff like this up.)

There was a little bit of a worry towards the end of the day Saturday, since we weren't quite sure where we were going to stay the night. We were trying to get into a state park, but the one in Owensboro didn't have a campground, so we were pushing on to another park in Henderson, trying to get there before the park gates closed. This meant that toward the end of the day we passed up a few sales. But we did get to the campground in time, found a spot and even got set up before it got dark.

Sunday, on the way back, we spent more time in Owensboro and Henderson than the day before, and then repeated our pattern on the way back. All told, we hit five of the seven counties, which is pretty good for a spur of the moment thing. In fact, that was two more than I orignally thought we would get to.

I did hear from one of the vendors that further down the road in Union County there was so much yard sale action that traffic was backed up for hours, but we missed that fun. Still, there's always next year!

Next: The scores!

(EDIT: Your Eddie-tor went back in 10/8 and cleaned up some of the text to make things a little clearer and neater.)

Keith and Eddie's Excellent Yard Sale Adventues!

Narrator*: It all started last week, when Keith came home from camping.

Keith: Hey! They're having a yard sale on Highway 60 next weekend.

Eddie: Really? I didn't know they did that.

K: Yeah. I saw the signs on the way back.

N: So Eddie hopped on the internet a few days later to check it out.

E: Hmmmm....175 miles.....seven counties....sounds like fun to me!

N: And so, a few days later...

E: Honey, why don't we do the Highway 60 Sale this weekend? We can just go until we're tired and turn around and come home.

K: Okay.

E: Really?

K: Yep. I'm game.

N: The counter-proposal** came the day before they left.

K: Honey, what would you think abut making an over-night out of it?

E: What do you mean?

K: Go until we're tired, find a place to camp, and spend the night, then come home on Sunday and hit some more sales.

E: Do we have enough time to get everything ready?

K: It's already ready. I haven't put the camping stuff away yet.***

E: What about food?

K: We'll get some stuff tonight and take it with us.

E: Okay.

K: Really?

E: Sure. Sounds like fun.

N: And so the next day, the boys loaded up the car and set out west looking for bargains.

More to come!

*This works best if you imagine the narrator sounding like Waylon Jennings, a la Dukes of Hazzard. Waylon frequently makes guest appearances from beyond to narrate our trips.

**There's always a counter-proposal. And sometimes a counter-counter-propsal!

***Truth is, in the summer the camping stuff never gets put away!