Curl Up and Read

When I got home yesterday a book I ordered had arrived in the mail. Honestly, I spend MORE of my discretionary income on books than absolutely anything else. I have on my beside table at least five books waiting patiently in line to be read, and I have two old favorites standing by. The two old favorites are both E.B. White; one is his letters, and one is a collection of essays. I love E.B. White. Like Noonan, he has a conversational, easy writing style that I just love.

The book that arrived yesterday was for "The Teenager" who I don't talk about in this blog because he has a private life and teenage years are hard enough without them being posted on the internet. But he also loves to read. And a lot of those books I order? They are for him because I totally love for him to read.

He mostly loves reading sports biographies, mostly football players. But of course we've been through the Harry Potters and the Paolini books, and Jonathon Stroud. Artemis Fowl. ALL the Buffy series books (there are LOTS of those.) I put in his hands today his first Stephanie Meyer book and he has not come up for air. I love this. The video game is off. So is the TV. He said, "Mom, this is good. I want them all." (He likes series books).

I've never read any Stephanie Meyer but she's getting a lot of buzz now with her latest release and people say good things about her books. It's just not my genre, really. But I'm thrilled that my teenager is curled up with a good book on a Friday night. My kinda kid!

Celebrity Worship

I have a lot of friends who are more tuned into celebrity-worship than I am so I am appealing to you for an answer. In this article we have the lovely Annette Bening coming down on Palin. That's fine - that's her right. I don't care. What just GETS me is why celebrities think they are more relevant than anyone else when it comes to politics just because they are famous?

Back in the "golden era" of Hollywood, when you were under contract to a studio, you did NOT discuss your politics in public and your dirty laundry personal life was also private. Actually, your private life was pretty much managed and manufactured by the studio. Times are different, celebs own their own studios and can do what they want.

I do NOT deny their right to express their opinion. Of course they can, just as I can. It's just when they get all preachy that gets under my skin. Johnny Depp comes to mind. I used to really like Johnny Depp's movies, but he got all "I hate America and I can't stand to come to America I'm going to stay in Europe until we have politicians in power that I can stand" on everybody. Gwynneth? You hate America? Fine. Stay in Europe. Shut up already.

It's not just politics. I mean I loved Tom Cruise. But he lost me long before he jumped on The Oprah's couch. Now I can't even stand to look at him. I mean, the way he tried to shut down SouthPark because he didn't like their Scientology episode....good grief. Get a grip.

There's a point when we know too much about celebrities. There is a point where it begins to damage their careers. I mean, Tom Hanks? John Travolta? They are just as political or Scientologized as others but they keep it to themselves for the most part. And I love their work. I do not care if LiLo and Sam Ronson are holding hands. Their business. I do not care if Britney is wearing underwear for crying out loud. But folks like Cruise and Depp and Gwynnie - I can't separate their work from their opinions anymore.

Do I just not GET the whole celeb thing?

Tommy Bolt

I read today that Tommy Bolt died. This is sad to me and I never met him; on top of that, he lived a long, full life. Tommy Bolt was a great golfer and when I was growing up, Golf, (yes, with a capital "G" was always on.) I come from a LONG line of golfers even though I never played. My grandfather, father, and brother played, all very well. In fact, Dad even beat Tommy once in a local tournament.

Tommy Bolt, as my Dad used to tell it, could have been a much greater golfer than he was and he was pretty damn good! But, oh the legendary temper. Bolt was known for throwing clubs; in fact, he slung one in Texarkana that my mom had to duck. My Dad knew Tommy Bolt; Bolt moved to Shreveport when he was 6. As my mom tells the story, times were hard and Tommy's family lived "over the river" in Bossier; he was a little self-conscious about his family's economic status and one night after hanging out (drinking!), my Dad was driving him home. Tommy had Dad drop him at the Shreveport foot of the bridge so he could walk home from there rather than have Dad see where he lived.

Another Bolt story is that Tommy had to play in a big local tournament. He did not have any clubs; because of his bad temper he had either wrapped his clubs around a tree or thrown them into the pond, I can't remember. But he had no clubs for the tournament, so he asked Dad if he could borrow his. Dad was really nervous about it because he didn't want Tommy to lose his temper and throw HIS clubs in the pond. But he loaned them to Bolt and all went well; Bolt even won the tournament and began a come back from a long, dry spell. Dad always took a sort of silent credit for Bolt's success!

I hope Dad and Tommy are up there at the 19th hole reliving the old days.

(Photo credit: AP)

ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And As We Wait For Sarah Barracuda's Speech...

Gimme a "V"

Thank you Slate Magazine. As an English teacher I have been wondering about this word:

"Where does the expression to vet come from?

It's a figurative contraction of veterinarian. The fancy word for animal doctor originated in the mid-17th century. The colloquial abbreviation dates to the 1860s; the verb form of the word, meaning "to treat an animal," came a few decades later—according to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest known usage is 1891—and was applied primarily in a horse-racing context. ("He vetted the stallion before the race," "you should vet that horse before he races," etc.) By the early 1900s, vet had begun to be used as a synonym for evaluate, especially in the context of searching for flaws.

Through the early decades of the 20th century, vet was primarily a Britishism. It became fairly popular in the United Kingdom during the 1930s, especially to indicate the examination of candidates for military positions, as well as the inspection of manuscripts or public speeches prior to delivery. In his 1936 biography of G.K. Chesteron, William Richard Twitterton wrote: "[N]aturally each article of mine was vetted for libel with a microscope." Over the next couple of decades, it gained traction across the Atlantic. Time magazine appears to have used the word vetting for the first time in 1945... The word first appears out of quotes in that magazine in 1959

William Safire first tackled vetting for his "On Language" column in 1980. In response to a reader's complaint that Newsweek used the word twice in two weeks, Safire noted that "some dictionaries have it" and that "the Britishism is in vogue use in America today." He dedicated a second column to vetting in 1993, which is right around when the New York Times started using the expression with great frequency—in reference to Bill Clinton appointees, among other topics."

(Image credit: havenworks.com)

Revisiting Peggy Noonan

I have recently pulled off the shelf my battered copy of Peggy Noonan's What I Saw At The Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era. I first read this book in 1991 or '92 and have been a fan of Noonan's writing ever since. In this uncertain and divisive political age which has lots of Republicans and Democrats alike wishing for Reagan, I thought I might revisit Ms. Noonan.

Noonan has had a couple of great columns lately in the Wall Street Journal; the one this week addresses the Palin pick. As a writer, I love and appreciate her style. It is literate, conversational, and on point. She is not critical or bombastic. She is fair and honest. Of the Palin pick, Noonan says, "The choice of Sarah Palin IS a Hail Mary pass, the pass the guy who thinks he has a good arm makes to the receiver he hopes is gifted. Most Hail Mary passes don't work.But when they do they're a thing of beauty and a joy forever." I agree with this statement. She goes on to say that the Palin choice, if it works, will be brilliant, but if it doesn't it will be one of history's accidents.

At any rate, regardless of what side of the political fence you sit on, Noonan is a nice writer and I like the sensibleness of what she says. And I'm going to re-read her Reagan book because I miss him!

RNC Fireworks

I totally adore Shepard Smith; he cracks me up. Last week during the Democratic Convention he was streaming live on the "internets" and observing the speeches Mystery Science Theater Style with his guests. They had a nice set up in a bar with big screens and such. I stayed up long past my normal bedtime watching his antics and having a great time.

So tonight for the RNC Shep and friends were to do the same thing. Now, I have to sympathize with Shep. He has been in NOLA covering Gustav, he's been in Mississippi, he's been on-the-go for days. GOT to be exhausted. It was apparent tonight during RNC Mystery Science Theater style.

Shep was cranky as I've ever seen him (exhausted-cranky). He did not like the set, he did not like the styrofoam plates and cups; he did not like the microphones, there were no antennae; he did not have a Diet Coke, and he did not like various aspects of the engineering such as the audio set-up. He also did not like the opinions, or more specifically, the word-choice of one of his guests. Shep had a pro-life woman who was also providing commentary. All seemed pretty much okay until she expressed disfavor with Lieberman. Shep pressed her to explain why and she finally said because Lieberman is "pro-abortion." Wrong answer. Shep got angry with her and insisted that NOBODY is pro-abortion. He declared the abortion issue a "wedge issue" - divisive, hate-filled, and having no place in politics. When the woman refused to take back what she said, Shep put his laptop in his chair and walked off set.

Like I said, I totally adore Shepard Smith. I think mostly because he SAYS what he thinks (as he did tonight) and he does not back down. We all saw this during his Katrina coverage. I think, whether you agree with him in position or not, you have to respect that.

He never came back to the set during the rest of the stream; I'm curious to see if he comes back for tomorrow's streaming or if Fox even continues with The Strategy Room. The fireworks he gave us "internets" tonight was more exciting than the speeches on the auditorium floor! Get a good night's sleep Shep! We missed you tonight!

Sarah's Style

I don't know WHAT I was thinking but I decided to take a random look at the Huffington Post today. I guess with the RNC coming up tonight and Gustav blowing out I'm back onto politics. Anyway, what a handy trick for my low-blood pressure! The Huff Post takes care of that like you would not believe. Between that and Maureen Dowd's column (thanks Sarah!), I'm all riled up.

I'll not comment on Dowd as my friend Sarah handled that one. But the Huff Post - hilarious. The article that got me going is actually from The Times Online but linked on Huff (on their Palin attack page - the same page that's taking odds on Palin's withdrawal).

We are now down to attacking Palin's fashion. WHO didn't see THAT coming? We can't attack her on issues so lets attack her hair-do and her lipstick! A quote: "Miss Wasilla 1984 knows that America’s real golden age was the Eighties. Dynasty on the TV, Reagan in the White House. What could be finer?" While I do agree that nothing could be finer than Reagan in the White House, this is just petty! The article even suggests that Palin was photoshopped into a boat photo. Good grief, get a life.

I'm assuming the article is "tongue-in-cheek" because I don't think anybody takes the Huff Post seriously. Do they?

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming

Now that Gustav has settled itself into a nice, relaxing rain, I'm anxious to get back to the Republican National Convention. I watched Laura Bush and Cindy McCain last night and could not help but think what a class act they both are. As of last night, of course, the RNC had put "Country First" and the ladies made pleas for support for hurricane affected areas. I look forward to hearing more from Mrs. McCain as the convention and the campaign progress. I think she has been so understated in her accomplishments (although maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention). I knew about her adopting a child from Mother Teresa's orphanage but I did not know she founded the American Voluntary Medical Team. She's involved with more charities than I can list here. She's quite accomplished and real first lady material (yes, I know about her drug addiction/treatment; that just puts her in line with lots of today's coveted celebrities as far as I'm concerned. She got treatment and the courage THAT took can't be discounted. Ask Betty Ford).

Laura Bush has been a total class act in my mind. I love her sweet expression and her kindness. I like the issues she chose (literacy, education, children) to focus in on as first lady. I loved watching the Jenna Bush wedding coverage. I like Laura. Plus, my neice kind of said something to the effect that Laura fits our stereotypical, comfortable perception of first lady, and that's true. She wasn't in there trying to reform national agendas or stepping outside "her place" as first lady.

As for the other lady in the Republican convention, Palin, I knew it wouldn't take long for the dogs to dig up drek, but I think she will come through. If the worst they can find is a drunk driving charge from 22 years ago on her husband, that just tells me that they are digging waaayyyy toooo deep. While you lose a lot of privacy as a candidate, I still think the situation with her daughter should be kept private and as a family matter. The Clinton's demanded (and received) privacy for Chelsea; the Obama's have put their kids on magazine covers and Inside Edition; if the Palins request privacy, they should get it. I don't think this makes Palin hypocritcal at all. I think she will survive this and I so look forward to her speech at the RNC! Bring it on!

(Photo credit: CSMonitor.com Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)

Getting Out in Gustav

On the weather front, things seem to be okay. It's raining now but it's just a slow, steady rain; good sleeping weather. The "eye" is supposedly right over us and they are predicting more of the same as they have for days: rain, wind, blah.

But some things do not stop for hurricanes and one of those is Checkers. Of course she had to go out this morning. You may be familiar with my "trick" when she refuses to go out the back door because of rain; I just take her out the side door. She did not even fall for that today. Today she locked her legs at the side door, too, which required me to physically pick her up and set her in a puddle in the driveway. She shook it off and away we went.

Shopping does not stop for hurricanes, either. The teenager has to have a new pair of jeans to wear to work. We have to do it today because he has to wear them tomorrow (and he works most of today). Also the new NHL Xbox360 game is out today so... So guess who is going to be slogging around in the bad weather regardless of my best laid plans earlier in the week to just hunker down? Procrastination is a curse.

Firefly Mystery

While waiting for Gustav to arrive I was reading online and came across this article that caught my eye. It's all about the decline of the firefly. The reason it caught my eye is because this is something I have noticed for several years now so I feel sort of vindicated by this article in that now I know I was not simply losing my mind. Fireflies are, in fact, declining.

I can remember clearly when I was a kid catching fireflies. It was a rite of summer. As dusk settles on a humid summer day the lightening bugs would start to light up in the shrubs and shadows of the evening. As it got a little darker they would increase. We'd all run inside for empty mayonnaise jars, poke holes in the lid with a steak knife, and capture fireflies. The article suggests several reasons for their decline but none of them include kids with jars.

A few years ago while sitting on my deck one evening, I noticed that I had no fireflies. In fact, had NEVER had fireflies here and I live in practically the same neighborhood as my mother who had lots of fireflies. So, brilliant entomologist that I am, I went to her house, caught some, and imported them to my backyard. Where they died. Or flew home. I tried this several times before I gave up.

In Iowa, at Steve's sister's house, THAT'S where all the fireflies have gone. They are all in Sheryl's backyard. Hundreds of thousands of them. Is it the cooler climate? Is it the lack of humidity? Global warming!? I don't know. All I know is that I rather miss the fireflies. And I miss kids running around with glass jars and steak knives, stopping the hearts of safety police everywhere, trying to catch them.

(Photo credit: NationalGeographic.com)

Before the Deluge

I got out a little bit this morning to run some errands before the deluge arrives. I had to get mom's car inspected and I wanted to go by the school and pick up my textbook so I can maybe get some work done in the next couple of days.

Gustav has made landfall and all eyes are on the levees in NOLA. So far, so good. The media is, of course, in panic mode and just seems to make things worse. We have 60,000 evacuees here in Shreveport and as I was getting around this morning it was hard not to notice their presence.

My first stop was the service station for the car inspection where I visited with a pizza delivery driver. He told me he delivered 140 pizzas to the CenturyTel last night. He said they made so many deliveries last night they ran out of pizza boxes and had to deliver some in plastic bags. From there I went to the grocery store (AGAIN) to pick up a handful of things and it was packed and slammed. Long lines, full parking lot, empty shelves. Super 1 ran out of bread last night (though I think they are restocked now). Batteries are long gone.

I went by the school to get my textbook and cutting through downtown Shreveport I was stopped at a light by a guy from New Orleans who wanted directions to the Civic Center which is now open as a shelter. They had been driving in heavy traffic all night; he was in a caravan with two other cars. He was the last car in the line so he was having trouble relaying my directions to the cars in front of him. I got in front of them, finally, leading them in the right direction.

At my school, the Bearkat football team was on the practice field. They aren't afraid of any stinkin' hurricane! Go Kats!

On the way back I drove by LSUS where there is a Red Cross shelter, long since full. Many of the evacuees were sitting alongside the soccer field watching a game (or a practice, I'm not sure). Others were walking around the campus perimeter.

Our weather right now is fine; very humid, slightly breezy. The rain bands are just now reaching Alexandria. They are still expecting 10 to 20 inches of rain here over the next couple of days as this storm stalls out.

Preparations

Update - Sun. p.m.: It's the calm before the storm I guess. Local weather dudes are predicting 35 mph sustained winds from mid-day tomorrow through Tuesday. Also predicting 10 to 20 inches of rain, the problem being that they expect the thing to stall out or slow down over East Texas. With Shreveport being on the NE quadrant that means lots of rain. All my preparations are done and I've prepped my mom as best I can. Steve is super busy as one might imagine. It's just a waiting game for now.

They are paying attention in NOLA it seems. Most are following the warnings and getting out. There are, as always, a few die hards who are refusing to leave.

As for our local situation, KTBS is predicting heavy rains and winds of 30 to 50 mph on Tuesday and heavy rain at least through Wednesday of up to one foot. So I've been making my little humble preparations. I went to the grocery store today to stock up on the necessary junk food (honestly, I am within walking distance to TWO grocery stores should anything drastic happen...) and bottled water. I'm not sure why I bought water - we've never lost water here. We almost always lose power though, so I stocked up on batteries. I got lucky really because I'd been hearing stories of how scarce batteries are already getting around town. At Super 1 I went straight to the battery section and it was wiped out. But when I got to the checkout line, there were a few remaining packages of D and C batteries hanging by the candy and chapstick displays. Score!

I also went to BestBuy and got a car charger for my cell phone, which I needed anyway. So if I lose power and can't blog, I will still be able to tweet on Twitter which posts to my blog (see it, on the right!). I am off now to secure my yard furniture; plastic lawn chairs and deck umbrellas don't hold up too well in 35 mph winds. I also need to move my mother's car to my house as I am on much higher ground and her driveway always floods. This is all so minor compared to those poor folks down south all along the coast. I'm am doing some serious praying for them. Imagine the nightmares this all brings back.

The panic in the media as this storm approaches is clear; I remember so clearly Janice Dean on FOX as Katrina approached. I knew it was serious when I listened to her. I'm getting that same feeling from her again although she is still hoping for a blessing for NO and a shift from Gustav to the west. Since Gov. Jindal cancelled school for the next 3 days, I hope to get some much needed work done and some MUCH needed housecleaning done. (Actually, I will probably do nothing but sit in front of the weather forecasts for the next 4 days, but I'll seriously try to make an effort.)

(Photo credit: NOLA.com Damien Weaver)

Incoming

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal just closed schools in 30 parishes (including mine) through Wednesday because of Hurricane Gustav. Our local weather is predicting sustained winds of 40 + for two days, downed trees, flooding, and possible tornadoes. Steve's police department is going to 12 hour shifts and our evac shelters are filling up. Local stores are running out of bottled water already as well as batteries. I have rounded up all the batteries in the house I can find and started gathering candles. I'm rolling up the patio umbrellas and putting up the outdoor cushions. We are charging up iPods, laptops and cell phones! They are predicting Gustav to be a category 5 by the morning as it goes over the open Gulf waters. So continue to keep La. in your thoughts and prayers, especially the coastal areas. Jindal says this one is as bad as it gets.

A Storm is Blowing

"We've taken in all the balcony furniture, all the pool furniture, the marquees, tied up what needs to be tied up, cut down any coconuts," said hotel manager Dan Szydlowski"

Folks all over Louisiana, and other places, are getting ready for a hurricane. Gustav is headed our way. Even though I'm in northwest Louisiana, we are expecting to be affected as well, not just with sheltering evacuees but by some nasty weather. Gustav is a Cat 3 right now which means as it continues its inland track, it will still likely create havoc with our local weather. In Shreveport, we've already received nursing home evacuees. Shelters for both humans and pets are in place and are already receiving people.


My thoughts and prayers are, of course, with all those south of me that are going to be and are currently being affected by Gustav, especially those Katrina survivors who must surely be having nightmare flashbacks right now.

(Photo credit: AP: Thunderstorms from Hurricane Gustav are seen off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

Opening Day!

LSU opens its season today against Appalachian State. The 4pm game was moved to 10 a.m. because of incoming Hurricane Gustav, and will be broadcast on ESPN Classic.

I love LSU football and come from a long tradition of LSU football lovers. My dad never missed it. I did not actually go to an LSU game until I was grown; I think I was about 26 or so, but I'll NEVER, EVER forget the first time I walked into Death Valley. There are almost no words for that first experience. The whole experience was fantastic: the crowds, the smells of the food being prepeared by the tailgaters, the friendly, jovial, intoxicating atmosphere. The band marching through the streets to the stadium was thrilling. The stadium itself reminding me of the Roman Coliseum; inside, the crowds moving like cattle to their seats. But then, coming through the little tunnel from underneath the seats INTO the stadium absolutely took my breath away. That first sighting of the field - a huge expanse of brilliant green grass, the brilliant lights, the band on the field in performance, and the crowds. OMG the crowds. Every single seat was filled and everyone was moving and yelling and wearing purple and gold. For a newbie, a novice, it was quite breath-taking. And I was hooked. So I'm putting out my LSU flag today, maybe making some gumbo, (even though it is 95 degrees today) and getting ready for some football!

Getting to Know Sarah Palin

When I heard that Sarah Palin was John McCain's pick for VP, I have to admit, I kinda liked it. My friend Sarah in Atlanta has been picking Sarah from Alaska for a while now, and I've been doing a little research on the Alaskan governor. Then Steve called me and he's all "Did you hear this?! I am NOT amused!" I told him, "I don't HATE it; this might be kind of good."

As far as the experience question, give me a break. She's more qualified to be President than Obama is; she has at least held executive office as opposed to his 143 days in the Senate and his "community organizer" experience before that (what IS that, anyway?). I love her take-no-prisoners attitude. I love that she stands on her own principles and doesn't play the game of politics. She's smart.

This has got to be killing the Obama camp; the Republicans got the woman on the ticket, and as Rush Limbaugh pointed out today, she doesn't have to wear pantsuits and her husband isn't a crook. She has at least visited soldiers in Iraq (proving she knows her way around a gun) and visited wounded soldiers in Germany. She returned to office three days after giving birth in April - that's TOUGH!

I'm liking this choice. I will leave you with this quote from Limbaugh's program today which had me laughing until I cried:

"He actually said in his speech last night -- the audience sort of looked a little stunned. He said, "I am my brother's keeper." He actually said it. His brother lives in a hut! On twelve dollars a year! His brother lives in a hut, a shack, a six-by-nine-foot hut outside Nairobi. He is his brother's keeper? He hasn't even sent his brother a "Hut, Sweet Hut" sign to put up inside the hut. If he sent his brother 20 bcks, he's come close to doubling his annual income. He is his "brother's keeper." About all they have to say is, "I'm troubled by her lack of experience." This is going to come back to bite them, and I'll tell you something else. The Democrats are going to send out their liberal women. They're going to send out the Madeleine Albrights. (I welcome that, by the way.) They're going to send out their Jane Fondas. They're going to send out all of their women. I'll bet you we don't hear much from Hillary, and I'll bet you we don't hear much from Bill -- except he's probably trying to get her number right now." (Quote from RushLimbaugh.com)

The thing that strikes me about Palin is that I do NOT question her patriotism or her loyalty to her country as I do with Obama (and Michelle). I'm sure we'll hear shady things about her rousted out by the political-types, but I seriously doubt that Palin would have attended a church for twenty years listening to her pastor damn America. This woman hunts and eats moose for crying out loud (a fact that Steve hates). I think after we get to know Sarah we will find it to be an inspired choice! Can't WAIT for the RNC!

Louis Van Thyn

Update: 4/28/09: Sorry - The Times link in this post is no longer active. I should have copy/pasted the article!

I was saddened this morning to see that we lost Louis Van Thyn. Louis and his wife Rose are remarkable people and have done so much for our community in sharing their story of the Holocaust and the story of their lives. I first met them when I was a participant in Lisa Nicoletti's Holocuast seminar at Centenary College a few years back, sponsored by the LEH. Rose and Louis came to speak to us and, as it was every time she spoke, it was a very emotional event. Louis was Rose's "designated driver" but that day he shared a bit of his story, too. I encourage you to go to this Times link and read about their lives for a really inspiring story. That Louis and Rose were able to live such full and happy lives after the war is a testament to the human spirit.

(Photo credit: Val Horvath/The Times)

Mystery Science DNC

I am such a nerd-with-no-life that I had a huge time last night watching the Democratic Convention streaming over Fox News on the internet. I am a long-time fan of Shepard Smith and when I heard he was going to be streaming (no script) live (no telling what he will say) on the internet (no rules) I had to tune in. When he plugged the stream during the Fox Report as "Mystery Science DNC" I knew I could not miss it. I always thought Mystery Science Theater was hilarious!

And sure enough, I was not disappointed. During the big speeches last night, Hillary's included of course, Shep and his panel turned their backs to the camera, donned aluminum foil antennae, and commented throughtout the speeches. At one point Shep even resorted to whistling "God Bless America" underneath part of Hillary's speech. And at no point were they hateful or disrespectul of any of the speakers. In fact, Shep would interject with e-mails from folks watching the broadcast and if they were hateful or rude he would chide them harshly. Fair and balanced!

I will tune in tonight for "Mystery Science DNC" as Bill Clinton gives his speech. Shepard Smith without a script and unrestricted is always good entertainment. Plus he's cute as all heck.

Deja VooDoo

Is this picture making anyone else nervous? I wasn't in New Orleans during Katrina but Shreveport was bad enough. Steve was down there right after as part of the evacuation effort of the convention center with the police department and he brought back some rough stories and some photos. Nobody wants to revisit that! Maybe Gustav won't take the track they are predicting; we shall hope not! I'm concerned about the rebuilt levees and how much NOLA can take given that they have not yet fully recovered from Katrina. The emotional wounds may not EVER heal for many.

As a teacher in Bossier Parish, I can tell you that we absorbed a lot of students into our school after Katrina. I now know what shell-shock looks like. Many of those kids had such a haunted look in their eyes that it would break your heart. Some of them stayed on at our school and graduated; some moved back to NOLA, some moved and settled elsewhere.

So I'm saying a little prayer for New Orleans today.

Where In the Hell Am I?

Rush Limbaugh cracks me up! On Barack Obama's now famous gaffe at the DNC last night, Limbaugh said, "The good news...is that Obama was broadcasting from a stranger's house and not a relative's hut!" I wonder which of the fifty-seven states Obama really thought he was in?

(Photo credit: RushLimbaugh.com)

IS There a Mouse in Mom's House? (Part 4)

Honestly, this rat is so smart I'm going to hate killing it; well, not really. As you may remember, my mother saw a rat in her house a few weeks ago. I've set out glue traps AND D-Con and so far no rat, dead or alive. There are, however, signs of rat. Such as the half-gnawed glue trap with black fur stuck in it a couple of weeks ago. He chewed himself free. For a while I was convinced that he was living IN my mother's couch because that was really the only place I've seen those lovely rat droppings. And that's where the half-gnawed trap was. At that time I loaded the underside of the couch with four glue traps and one tasty D-Con serving. Ever since then - nothing.

I was in my mother's kitchen the other day and by the portable dishwasher I saw rat droppings along the baseboard. I rolled out the dishwasher, and while the evidence is not overwhelming, I think Mr. Rat may be taking refuge either in the portable dishwasher (which is seldom used) or somewhere else in the kitchen. I pulled one of the four glue traps from under the couch and have placed it under the dishwasher. I've also placed another D-Con tray under there. So as it is now, I have one trap and one D-Con under the dishwasher, and 3 traps and a D-Con under the couch. There are six other glue traps scattered in discrete places throughout the house (well hell, I can't put them where Mom can see them because she thinks Steve killed the rat with a broom; yes, we are both going to hell).

Every single time my phone rings my heart jumps because I know it is my mother calling to report a rat sighting. That's guilt working for you. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, as they say. I know this isn't over but the pressure is KILLING me!

Let There Be Light - Anodyne Infrared Light

For the past four weeks or so I've been taking my elderly mother to physical therapy twice a week for treatment on a compressed nerve which has caused neruopathy in her hands (and to a certain extent, her feet). I don't want to go too much into her personal issues here, but I did want to say a couple of things about the treatment she is getting because it was new to me.

I'm a real believer in physical therapy. After a car accident almost 10 years ago, I had to go to physical therapy for a while. The short version is that it took lots of tests and lots of doctors to finally figure out that a facet joint was knocked out of place in my neck. After a few weeks of physical therapy, which in my case included mild traction, my very gifted therapist one day said, "Here, hang on, I'm going to pop that thing back in now. I think the traction has done its job." And BAM -- he turned my head one way and pushed the other way on that joint with his thumbs and I was cured. It was miraculous. I believe in good physical therapy.

So as far as my mom goes, they've had her on something called anodyne therapy. The layman's explanation is that these pads are strapped to your hands and feet (where peripheral neuropathy occurs) and the pads emit what was described to me as "an almost, but not quite, infrared light" and the whole basic idea is to stimulate the circulation. There's no pain or discomfort, just a soothing warmth. We go twice a week and they alternate treatments from 30 minutes to 45 minutes and then back to 30.

After seven treatments, it seems to be working. I don't want to jinx anything, but for the past week and a half mom has been saying that the flexibility is greatly improved in her hands even though they are still totally numb. Yesterday she told me that she thought she could almost feel in her right hand (she bites on her finger to see how much pressure it takes to feel it!). She says she doesn't have to bite as hard to get sensation. Dubious, but still progress. After today's treatment, she said she could feel her toes for the first time in months. She said, "I'm a little excited!" Cautiously.

I'm not sure this will fix it all; there is still the compressed nerve to deal with, but for patients with neuropathies, this seems to be something hopeful. The girls at Tri-State Physical Therapy are awesome; they are compassionate, kind, funny, and skilled. I can't say enough good things about them. A patient really bonds with his physical therapist. I know this from personal experience and I see it in my mom too. Neuropathies are fairly common in diabetic patients (which mom is not) and I'm hoping that this treatment gains more widespread acceptance if it does, indeed, help. The research I've found on it is there, but there's not a lot of it. Lot's of places don't even offer it. Not all insurance companies pay for it because they see it as experimental.

But for us, for now, it seems to be working. Knock on wood!

(Photo credit: anodynetherapy.com)

The Reading Debate

There was an interesting article in the New York Times last month concerning what it means to read in the digital age. As an English teacher, I found the article rather intriguing. The focus was on how kids these days are reading and the debate about whether reading online is really "reading," the point being that reading online is not the same as reading in a traditional book for example. That seems obvious, but obviously traditional books have a clear beginning, middle, and end whereas online kids surf from link to link to link. No wonder attention spans are shrinking.

I'm not knocking reading online. I read all my newspapers online and I read lots of magazine articles online. What intrigues me is the debate around it and also the potential. The naysayers contend that reading things like MySpace and FanFiction is the equivalent of "empty calories." I can see this side of it; surfing from one link to the next requires a shorter attention span, yet on the other hand, so much information is so much more easily accessible than it was before the internet.

As a teacher, I find sites like The Orwell Prize and The Samuel Pepys diary both innovative ways to get kids to read literature. The diaries of both George Orwell and Samuel Pepys are posted online daily as a blog. I don't know too many high school kids these days who would pick up the multivolume Pepy's diary but they might read it online. As both blogs come out daily in single date entries it goes back to that short attention span thing, but at least kids would be reading. Both sites, of course, include hyperlinks to more detailed information.

In the New York Times article, there was a quote from historian David McCullough: “Learning is not to be found on a printout. It’s not on call at the touch of the finger. Learning is acquired mainly from books, and most readily from great books.” I like the stodginess of McCullough!

Since I am an old fogey and did all my college research in books (remember those old green Reader's Guides?) , I'm just a purist for books. I love the crisp pages and the smell of ink. I adore musty, moldy old library stacks and could get lost in them for days. I like being able to touch the words. But I also think that internet reading has something to offer kids and as a teacher I see it as a tool to be used rather than a scurge to discourage.