This song has been running through my head for days. I figure the least I can do is embed it in your consciousness as well.
Update: Are you able to get this to play, or does it just say “Buffering” forever? I can’t get it to play, but my Marc Cohn song plays just fine. If you try it, let me know the result.
Update 2: The song is playing for me now. Let me know if that is not the case for you.
[tags]Al Green, Let’s Stay Together[/tags]
While flipping channels in my hotel room in Memphis, I came across a blues guitarist I’d never heard of before. Her name is Kelly Richey, and she fronts the Kelly Richey Band. She has some serious chops. She was described once as “Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman’s body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out.” I’d say that’s about right, based on the show I saw. Now I’m determined to see her play live on her tour. She’ll be breezing through Marietta twice. You can listen to her as part of the Roadhouse podcast below (and for a while, in the left sidebar under “Listen”). As a bonus, you get to hear some other great blues you’ve never heard.
[tags]Kelly Richey, blues, guitar[/tags]
I returned this afternoon from chaperoning a field trip through Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama and Memphis, Tennessee. I am tired and have a lot to do to prepare for school tomorrow, but if you are interested in my trip, you can learn more at my education blog.
We had two medical problems — one student’s diabetic injection needles were misplaced and another broke his nose (a colleague and I took him to the ER), some stress, and a lot of fun.
We spent the bulk of our trip in Memphis. Our guide said that Memphis gets under your skin, and that once you visit, you can’t wait to go back. I think he was right. This was the theme of our trip:
[tags]Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn[/tags]
I reviewed the movie Freedom Writers, starring Hillary Swank, at my education blog.
[tags]Freedom Writers, Hilary Swank[/tags]
You know, all the comic strips I read when I was growing up are disappearing. Calvin and Hobbes has been gone for some time now. Bill Amend just decided not to do daily strips for Fox Trot — which makes me wonder if he is preparing himself to stop doing the strip altogether. I just read online that For Better or For Worse is ending this year. Now, I probably haven’t read that strip regularly since I was in high school in the late 1980’s, but it’s always been there, and I always thought it was interesting that the characters in that strip really aged. I admit every once in a while I checked in to see what everyone was doing. And Elly Patterson reminded me of my own mom. When I checked the strip website just now, I learned that their birthdays are only eight days apart.
After a marathon viewing session of all three Lord of the Rings films several weekends ago, I began re-reading the books. I purchased The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books in a nice boxed set. I first read the books about 15 years ago while I was in college at the behest of my friend Kari (who would become my roommate the following year). I really enjoyed them. It is an interest I shared with my father, who has re-read his pristine paperback copies with Tolkien’s artwork on the covers countless times over the years. He seems to be able to recall the smallest detail from any of the books. I decided the time had come for a re-read. I may have re-read the books some time in the last 15 years, but if so, I can’t recall it. And exactly how many times have I read the Harry Potter books? Don’t ask. I can’t remember. It’s been that many. And The Lord of the Rings definitely merits a re-read.
The first thing that struck me once again was how fully realized Middle-earth is. Tolkien invented places that became real, languages that became real, people that became real. Tolkien’s books were the first adult fantasy fiction I had read. I thought, wow, fantasy is great stuff! I’ll read more! I tried other books and quickly came to discover that Tolkien outstrips them by a wide margin. I never did finish that Terry Brooks novel I picked up. Now it’s years later, and my daughter Sarah is in love with fantasy fiction.
I really love Frodo after seeing Elijah Wood’s portrayal of the character. And let’s face it — Orlando Bloom just made Legolas cool. Gandalf was always my favorite character. Some of the humor in the novels is left out of the movies. I did love the landscape and the costumes in the movies, however. The old adage remains true — the movie is never as good as the book.
Warning: Spoilery stuff in the next paragraph. Skip it if you need to.
One of the things that strikes me most is how intelligent Merry is in the novels. He isn’t given much credit in the films, but he’s really not as blundering as he’s portrayed. It really bothered me that the movies gave away that Eowyn was Dernhelm so early. In the books, this isn’t revealed until she and Merry kill the Witch-King, and I like it better that way. I found it interesting to read again about what became of Merry and Pippin later in their lives (there are bits of this information in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings).
</spoiler>
It has been throroughly enjoyable to go back to Middle-earth, and I advise any of you who haven’t been there to take a trip soon.
Bad Behavior has blocked 15716 access attempts in the last 7 days.