Category: Of Interest

Athenae, Of Interest9 Comments

It’s Not Always About Happy

I thought of my grandmother, and my mother, and my great-aunt LaVerne, and all the women I’ve known and their white-knuckled strength in the face of the unspeakable, when I read this: When your daughter is nine months old, a neurosurgeon will say to you, “We believe resecting the left side of her brain will help control the seizures.” The seizures that she has all day, every day, dozens, hundreds; she was born with a massively deformed brain, what did you expect? You think a minute, and you realize the doctor is saying they are going to take out half … Continue reading It’s Not Always About Happy

Adrastos, Of Interest6 Comments

Small Town News

Peter Adrastos Athas

Small town newspapers crack me up. In the midst of the BP oiltastrophe, the Houma, Louisiana paper found time to run a feature that should have been called Local Woman Has Blog. I got the link from my friend Kevin and I kept waiting for there to be some sort of point to the piece but in the end it’s about some nice woman who writes a mommy blog who has fallen behind in her scrap booking. Bloggers are, apparently, everywhere; perhaps even next door… That’s small town news, Terrebonne Parish style, for today. Continue reading Small Town News

Athenae, Of Interest26 Comments

Weekend Question Thread: Unpopular Culture Edition

On Twilight: When will this end? No, seriously, I’m asking you for the time and date at which it will end. I’m looking into having myself cryogenically frozen until the moment when I don’t have to hear about whether or not that kid who washes his hair with KFC Double Downs is still dating Slumpy McDeadeyes. What’s your pop culture peeve right now? A. Continue reading Weekend Question Thread: Unpopular Culture Edition

Athenae, Of Interest

The War’s Never Over

Laid to rest at home: Glenn Elliott, Mike’s lone surviving sibling, was glad to see so many people out to honor the brother he barely knew. He was in grade school when the telegram came informing his parents of Mike’s death. “I don’t actually remember talking to Mike when he was home on leave before he went overseas,” the silver-haired kid brother said Tuesday morning. Elliott came to Mattoon at age 8 with his family from Kentucky, where he was born. The Elliott family lived on North Fourth Street in Mattoon and Mike went to school with his brothers and sisters. … Continue reading The War’s Never Over

Adrastos, Current Affairs, Music, Of Interest1 Comment

Happy Earth Day

Peter Adrastos Athas

I’m feeling vaguely tree hugger-ish today. If nothing else earth day gives me a pretext to post two early environmental tunes by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick. My understanding (probably feeble) is that these songs were at least partially inspired by the first Earth Day or as a Westwegian Yat would put it “foist oith day.” The first song, Mother Earth, starts off sounding likeMatty Groves/Shady Grove. The second, Sunfighter, is vintage Paul Kantner. Great stuff, man. Uh oh I sound like a frakking hippie. Oh well, I used to be one before I went to the snark side… Continue reading Happy Earth Day

Athenae, Of Interest

‘Safe and Respected’

Melissa: It is a space designed for care. Medical care, yes—but notjust. When you walk in, you are greeted by a nurse who signs you in and then directs you to a table with coffee and tea and water, and into the waiting area, which looks like a living room. There are upholstered couches and overstuffed chairs, an area rug, and a cherry-finished armoire and shelving, holding a television tuned not to Fox News, but the Food Network. In the corner is a game table with a glass chess set. It is bright and warm and cozy. It is the … Continue reading ‘Safe and Respected’