Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Ode to a bookstore
Yesterday, after braving the chilly hike to campus and the overpopulated library in an attempt to study, I rewarded myself with a trip to the Book Eddy. The Book Eddy is an amazing place located just south of campus on Chapman Highway. (Incidentally, it is very close to where I worked at the BP). It mostly deals in used and secondhand books and it is full of reasonably or under-priced treasures. I can't walk into the place without leaving with three or four books, and usually I don't spend more than $15. It's a great way to pad your personal libraries with the classics you always mean to buy, but never get around to. So I arrived yesterday at the Book Eddy's unsuspecting front doors with the intention of buying a friend a Christmas present and maybe something for myself. Well! I couldn't choose. There was a first edition printing of one of my friend's favorite authors, rare hardbacks of others, but I decided (partially because the first edition was more than my empty pockets were willing to spend) to introduce him to a new (Southern!) writer I thought he might enjoy: Barry Hannah. And what do I find but a signature on the title page!!! It seemed like a fair consolation. So I continue to wander about, looking up my favorite writers to see if there is anything interesting on the shelves...and guess what I find! A first edition copy of Charles Baxter's first novel, which is the first thing I ever read by him. I adore him Bah!!! So I bought it...and when I creepily just happen to be "visiting my friends in Tennessee" when he reads at UT next Spring, I will ask him to sign it for me! Yay! In conclusion, go to the Book Eddy!
PS - There are kitties, as well.
PS - There are kitties, as well.
• • •
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Ode to stolen goods.
Something I will miss after I leave UT: the library. With its lemon poppy seed muffins and its books, I never really had to leave.
Something I will not miss after I leave UT: walking around campus in the rain. It sucks. Umbrellas suck. They never work and they always get lost. ALWAYS.
Something I still have mixed feelings about: the toilet paper. On one hand, it's of a particularly awful quality. On the other, we stole rolls regularly for use in our home, and therefore it has saved us large sums of money over the years. Remember future students: toilet paper is expensive and necessary.
Something I will not miss after I leave UT: walking around campus in the rain. It sucks. Umbrellas suck. They never work and they always get lost. ALWAYS.
Something I still have mixed feelings about: the toilet paper. On one hand, it's of a particularly awful quality. On the other, we stole rolls regularly for use in our home, and therefore it has saved us large sums of money over the years. Remember future students: toilet paper is expensive and necessary.
• • •
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Ode to whoa this didn't have a title
Greetings! I have several bits of news!
1. I attended my LAST undergraduate class yesterday.
2. I just got back from the Phoenix poetry reading. It was quiet the turn out, and the issue looks fabulous. For those of you who already go to the University of Tennessee, I urge you to pick up a copy this week. I'm not exactly sure of the locations at which they will be distributed, but they will most definitely be in Humanities and the Communications Building. The issue is very different from anything the Phoenix has done before (I'll tease you: artwork you can hang on your wall!) and the staff and contributors should be very proud of what they have accomplished! Go Phoenix!
3. The Oxford American's annual SOUTHERN MUSIC ISSUE is on newsstands NOW! It's 192 pages, people! Unheard of in this cold economic climate! It features two complimentary CDs: one the eclectic Southern mix we have all come to love, and the other focuses solely on Arkansas musicians. I had a hand in this research!!! This is the beginning of a new feature for music issues to come in which one CD celebrates the musical heritage of just one Southern state. Your's could be next!
4. The Top Chef finale is on tonight! I hope Kevin wins. Incidentally, he owns a restaurant in Atalanta, Georgia, keeping with the Southern theme of this post.
**Correction: Last week was NOT the Top Chef finale. I was misinformed. The finale was this week. Kevin was robbed. I'm never watching Top Chef again.
1. I attended my LAST undergraduate class yesterday.
2. I just got back from the Phoenix poetry reading. It was quiet the turn out, and the issue looks fabulous. For those of you who already go to the University of Tennessee, I urge you to pick up a copy this week. I'm not exactly sure of the locations at which they will be distributed, but they will most definitely be in Humanities and the Communications Building. The issue is very different from anything the Phoenix has done before (I'll tease you: artwork you can hang on your wall!) and the staff and contributors should be very proud of what they have accomplished! Go Phoenix!
3. The Oxford American's annual SOUTHERN MUSIC ISSUE is on newsstands NOW! It's 192 pages, people! Unheard of in this cold economic climate! It features two complimentary CDs: one the eclectic Southern mix we have all come to love, and the other focuses solely on Arkansas musicians. I had a hand in this research!!! This is the beginning of a new feature for music issues to come in which one CD celebrates the musical heritage of just one Southern state. Your's could be next!
4. The Top Chef finale is on tonight! I hope Kevin wins. Incidentally, he owns a restaurant in Atalanta, Georgia, keeping with the Southern theme of this post.
**Correction: Last week was NOT the Top Chef finale. I was misinformed. The finale was this week. Kevin was robbed. I'm never watching Top Chef again.
• • •
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Ode to a song
Hi. Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. I'm supposed to be doing homework and stuff, but I'm listening to covers of "Love Hurts" on Youtube and decided to share with you all.
Composed by Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant, "Love Hurts" was first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960. Here's a video of them preforming it at reunion concert:
Okay, and here is an awesome cover by Roy Orbison:
Are you loving it yet? Here is my FAVORITE example, by Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons:
According to Wikipedia, the song is best known from Nazareth's 1975 cover (see below). Side note: What were people thinking, aesthetically, in the '70s?
I was reintroduced to Love Hurts last year, when Jenny Lewis performed it at the Bijou. Here she is!
In conclusion, this song is amazing. And now, I suppose, I will continue with my studies.
Composed by Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant, "Love Hurts" was first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960. Here's a video of them preforming it at reunion concert:
Okay, and here is an awesome cover by Roy Orbison:
Are you loving it yet? Here is my FAVORITE example, by Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons:
According to Wikipedia, the song is best known from Nazareth's 1975 cover (see below). Side note: What were people thinking, aesthetically, in the '70s?
I was reintroduced to Love Hurts last year, when Jenny Lewis performed it at the Bijou. Here she is!
In conclusion, this song is amazing. And now, I suppose, I will continue with my studies.
• • •
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Ode to messed up industries
Hello, kids! Hope all is swell. Listen, I'm graduating in 18 days. I'm leaving Knoxville in 19 days. My first grad school applications are due in 20 days. I am not ready for any of that, nor do I think I'll be ready for it in 18, 19, and 20 days, respectively. But, it will be okay.
I'm quitting my part-time job next week. I worked at a BP. I didn't tell you, interwebs, but that's what ended up happening after Hargreaves closed during the summer and I came back to school jobless. It's not a bad gig, actually. I know everything about tobacco products, for example. Now, I don't smoke, but I feel irrationally sympathetic. Call me crazy, call me romantic, if you like, but I have a particular affection for some cigarette brands, most noticeably Winston Lights. Allow me to explain:
One day, the R.J. Reynolds reps cam into the gas station to change prices and pontificate excitedly about cigarettes. Think Thank You For Smoking, if you've ever seen that movie. So, the Pall Mall brand is R.J. Reynold's "work horse," meaning, the company makes a lot--if not the most--money off this low-priced, "generic" cigarette. Behind the counter where I stand all day, a large Pall Mall advertisement covers the rows of Winstons (a "premium" cigarette), and below the sign are several rows of Pall Malls. I feel bad for the Winstons. So I asked the rep, "What gives? Why isn't the Pall Mall sign covering its own brand?" The rep happily explained that Winston is a dying brand. R.J. Reynolds spends little to no advertising dollars on it anymore because it's an "older" brand--for "older" people--and that young people aren't attracted to it and the "older" people were going to die soon and that would be the end of that. Sort of jarring to hear, right? Pall Mall, on the other hand, just rakes in young smokers --so the company tries to utilize as much space as they can advertising the cigarette that makes the most money. I suppose that makes sense, but poor Winstons! I feel for the underdog!
Besides that, one of my favorite customers (who is cute), smokes Winston Lights. He doesn't even have to tell me which cigarette because I already know. I just get the pack of Winston Lights. One day, I gravely relayed the dying brand information to him, that Winstons were going extinct. He said "How soon?" And I said, "Uh, like 20-30 years." And he was like "Oh god. I hope I've quit smoking by then." And then I liked him even more. He had a good head on his shoulders, that one. This smoking thing was just something he did to be young and reckless. I can relate. Sometimes I drive down the street without my seat belt. Oh, how the adrenaline flows!
Also, someone who I admire greatly smokes Winston Lights and sometimes I want to knock the cigarette out of his hand and shout "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE," even though he sort of looks cool because he's one of those people, and even though it is absolutely none of my business and I really shouldn't care or fret about his impending death because that is a creepy and insane thing to do. But I've seen things, man. I've seen folks with cavernous and creased faces throw change on the counter and request their favorite three-pack special in a barely audible rasp. And then they stop coming in because they are dead. Poof!
But I guess when you are young and pretty, you might be able to get away with these sorts of things, smoking ciggies and such. I don't know. Like I said, I don't smoke, but I can appreciate the more romantic and nostalgic qualities of cigarettes. Certain types of people smoke. Writers, for example. They are known for smoking and drinking heavily and being really badass and cool. I want to be a writer and, by extension, badass and cool. Does this make me more tolerant of smoking despite the proven health hazards? Yes. Is that a young, foolish, naive way to reason with the situation? Probably. But I can't help it if smoking makes particular breeds of people look cooler. That sort of connection has probably been instilled into my young, malleable mind since birth, through advertising and movies. We're back to the idea of romanticism and nostalgia. And maybe in America, that habit is harder to break than nicotine.
No one cares about cigarettes anymore, do they? This is old news. Sorry.
For the record, I think the whole tobacco industry is really effed up (which is probably why it fascinates me) and here is an old Winston advertisement to prove it:
I'm quitting my part-time job next week. I worked at a BP. I didn't tell you, interwebs, but that's what ended up happening after Hargreaves closed during the summer and I came back to school jobless. It's not a bad gig, actually. I know everything about tobacco products, for example. Now, I don't smoke, but I feel irrationally sympathetic. Call me crazy, call me romantic, if you like, but I have a particular affection for some cigarette brands, most noticeably Winston Lights. Allow me to explain:
One day, the R.J. Reynolds reps cam into the gas station to change prices and pontificate excitedly about cigarettes. Think Thank You For Smoking, if you've ever seen that movie. So, the Pall Mall brand is R.J. Reynold's "work horse," meaning, the company makes a lot--if not the most--money off this low-priced, "generic" cigarette. Behind the counter where I stand all day, a large Pall Mall advertisement covers the rows of Winstons (a "premium" cigarette), and below the sign are several rows of Pall Malls. I feel bad for the Winstons. So I asked the rep, "What gives? Why isn't the Pall Mall sign covering its own brand?" The rep happily explained that Winston is a dying brand. R.J. Reynolds spends little to no advertising dollars on it anymore because it's an "older" brand--for "older" people--and that young people aren't attracted to it and the "older" people were going to die soon and that would be the end of that. Sort of jarring to hear, right? Pall Mall, on the other hand, just rakes in young smokers --so the company tries to utilize as much space as they can advertising the cigarette that makes the most money. I suppose that makes sense, but poor Winstons! I feel for the underdog!
Besides that, one of my favorite customers (who is cute), smokes Winston Lights. He doesn't even have to tell me which cigarette because I already know. I just get the pack of Winston Lights. One day, I gravely relayed the dying brand information to him, that Winstons were going extinct. He said "How soon?" And I said, "Uh, like 20-30 years." And he was like "Oh god. I hope I've quit smoking by then." And then I liked him even more. He had a good head on his shoulders, that one. This smoking thing was just something he did to be young and reckless. I can relate. Sometimes I drive down the street without my seat belt. Oh, how the adrenaline flows!
Also, someone who I admire greatly smokes Winston Lights and sometimes I want to knock the cigarette out of his hand and shout "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE," even though he sort of looks cool because he's one of those people, and even though it is absolutely none of my business and I really shouldn't care or fret about his impending death because that is a creepy and insane thing to do. But I've seen things, man. I've seen folks with cavernous and creased faces throw change on the counter and request their favorite three-pack special in a barely audible rasp. And then they stop coming in because they are dead. Poof!
But I guess when you are young and pretty, you might be able to get away with these sorts of things, smoking ciggies and such. I don't know. Like I said, I don't smoke, but I can appreciate the more romantic and nostalgic qualities of cigarettes. Certain types of people smoke. Writers, for example. They are known for smoking and drinking heavily and being really badass and cool. I want to be a writer and, by extension, badass and cool. Does this make me more tolerant of smoking despite the proven health hazards? Yes. Is that a young, foolish, naive way to reason with the situation? Probably. But I can't help it if smoking makes particular breeds of people look cooler. That sort of connection has probably been instilled into my young, malleable mind since birth, through advertising and movies. We're back to the idea of romanticism and nostalgia. And maybe in America, that habit is harder to break than nicotine.
No one cares about cigarettes anymore, do they? This is old news. Sorry.
For the record, I think the whole tobacco industry is really effed up (which is probably why it fascinates me) and here is an old Winston advertisement to prove it:
• • •
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ode to a bowl of corn.
I am eating a bowl of corn right now. Just a bowl of corn. And it is delicious. I just got back from hearing Dorothy Allison read on campus...what a beautiful, beautiful soul. If I ever grow to be half as talented or funny or confident or comfortable with myself...well, I don't even know. I feel so inspired. I know that sounds lame, but really. She asked who in the room were writers and a few people raised their hands (I didn't). And then she warned us that everyone else was going to be critical of us, of our work, and would try to bring us down--we have to be proud and supportive in our own community or we wouldn't survive! We couldn't afford to be meek or timid. Except she said it more powerfully and elegantly because when she asked, for a second time--who here is a writer--people's hands shot up. They stood up, even. I didn't. I regret it now.
Dorothy Allison teaches writing and I think she would be a GREAT teacher...she just has this way about her--she would give it to you straight, no bullshit. And I don't think she has a condescending bone in her body, which...well, just wait 'til you get to college and you'll know what I mean. I think I need someone like her, a powerful female influence. That's one of the reasons I am applying to MFA programs...not that I don't adore my writing teachers here but...okay. Listen. The other day I was talking to my writing professor and, somehow, we got on the subject of what makes a good first grade teacher. He said something like "At that age, the most important thing is that the teacher make your kid feel good about herself, and maybe teach her some letters." And I thought, "Hey! That sounds like what you did for me!" I didn't say that to him, obviously, but it's a legitimate comparison. If I didn't have someone to encourage me and to make me believe in myself--I don't know if I would be writing like I am right now. I feel like, after that first semester, he picked me up, put me on my feet and said "You will write"--hahaha, whether that was his intention or not. Well, now...I think I need a firm hand. I want to play with the big dogs! Woof!
In other writing-related news, I am...on the verge of getting all of my applications together. My personal deadline is December 1...and I have basically everything done, I just have to tie a few loose ends...put paper to envelop, cursor to "submit" button, and money into the wallets of many many people who are not me. It's been a long, turbulent journey. Wanna know where I'm applying? No? Well too bad! In no particular order:
University of Minnesota
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
University of Maryland
University of Wisconsin
Southern Illinois University
Vanderbilt University
Ole Miss
University of Arkansas(sy!)
University of Iowa
University of Wyoming
University of North Carolina--Greensboro
That's a lot of schools! I hope one takes me! That's all I will say.
Oh yeah, and I'm graduating in a month.
Dorothy Allison teaches writing and I think she would be a GREAT teacher...she just has this way about her--she would give it to you straight, no bullshit. And I don't think she has a condescending bone in her body, which...well, just wait 'til you get to college and you'll know what I mean. I think I need someone like her, a powerful female influence. That's one of the reasons I am applying to MFA programs...not that I don't adore my writing teachers here but...okay. Listen. The other day I was talking to my writing professor and, somehow, we got on the subject of what makes a good first grade teacher. He said something like "At that age, the most important thing is that the teacher make your kid feel good about herself, and maybe teach her some letters." And I thought, "Hey! That sounds like what you did for me!" I didn't say that to him, obviously, but it's a legitimate comparison. If I didn't have someone to encourage me and to make me believe in myself--I don't know if I would be writing like I am right now. I feel like, after that first semester, he picked me up, put me on my feet and said "You will write"--hahaha, whether that was his intention or not. Well, now...I think I need a firm hand. I want to play with the big dogs! Woof!
In other writing-related news, I am...on the verge of getting all of my applications together. My personal deadline is December 1...and I have basically everything done, I just have to tie a few loose ends...put paper to envelop, cursor to "submit" button, and money into the wallets of many many people who are not me. It's been a long, turbulent journey. Wanna know where I'm applying? No? Well too bad! In no particular order:
University of Minnesota
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
University of Maryland
University of Wisconsin
Southern Illinois University
Vanderbilt University
Ole Miss
University of Arkansas(sy!)
University of Iowa
University of Wyoming
University of North Carolina--Greensboro
That's a lot of schools! I hope one takes me! That's all I will say.
Oh yeah, and I'm graduating in a month.
• • •
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ode to street cred + less cool stuff
FRIENDS: Our new football coach Lane Kiffin has been named dropped by none other than Mr. Lil Wayne, whose mixtape "No Ceilings" has leaked before its October 31st release date. In the mixtape, Mr. Wayne remarks, "smoke weed, talk shit like Lane Kiffin." Please note: the mention of illegal activities and the flagrant use of language in the above quoted material does not necessarily reflect the attitudes of this blogger. However, one fact can be--no, MUST be--gleaned from this incident: Lane Kiffin is totally cool. If we, as a nation, hadn't known that before, we certainly know it now. Kudos to you, Lane Kiffin.
Mr. Kiffin's tweet on the matter: "looking forward to another great practice today and a huge game saturday...also a huge shout-out to Lil Wayne for boosting our street cred!"
Street cred, indeed.
In other news, I would like to apologize for my recent short, boring blogs. I have been very busy lately, what with getting ready to graduate in December and applying for grad school. I take the GRE on Monday--I expect a bloody massacre--but at least that will be out of the way. I really don't have time to be writing this right now--but I have recently received statistics confirming that people really do read this thing! A readership! Who knew! I would like to give a big shout out to all the readers in the following countries:
Everyone in the UK!
Republika ng Pilipinas! (the Philippines!)
中國! (China!)
Australia!
O Canada!
Éire! (Ireland!)
भारत गणराज्य! (India!)
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden! (the Netherlands!)
Bundesrepublik Deutschland! (Germany!)
Република България! (Bulgaria!)
*sorry if I made mistakes with the names!
I know you exist...you cannot hide from me any longer.
Mr. Kiffin's tweet on the matter: "looking forward to another great practice today and a huge game saturday...also a huge shout-out to Lil Wayne for boosting our street cred!"
Street cred, indeed.
In other news, I would like to apologize for my recent short, boring blogs. I have been very busy lately, what with getting ready to graduate in December and applying for grad school. I take the GRE on Monday--I expect a bloody massacre--but at least that will be out of the way. I really don't have time to be writing this right now--but I have recently received statistics confirming that people really do read this thing! A readership! Who knew! I would like to give a big shout out to all the readers in the following countries:
Everyone in the UK!
Republika ng Pilipinas! (the Philippines!)
中國! (China!)
Australia!
O Canada!
Éire! (Ireland!)
भारत गणराज्य! (India!)
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden! (the Netherlands!)
Bundesrepublik Deutschland! (Germany!)
Република България! (Bulgaria!)
*sorry if I made mistakes with the names!
I know you exist...you cannot hide from me any longer.
• • •