I Think You Are Blind to the Fact That The Hand You Hold is the Hand that Holds You Butt

Its been a productive final day before the beginning of stuff. I got the syllabus finalized for the course I'm teaching and plotted out the last of the dates etc. I'm actually really looking forward to teaching a class that doesn't focus on the practice of writing, but rather on the concepts, ideas and arguments associated with it. We're starting with Ernest Gaines A Lesson Before Dying and I don't think there is anything I'm gonna have them do in terms of theory for that first book, maybe just get into the way of talking about literature and the combination of analysis and politics that I want to develop. I am somewhat unsure of what the kids who take this class will be like. I have almost a full class and while there are some English majors, they are by no means a majority. There are also some first years and while I'm sure the first years who would be interested in taking a comp-lit class will have some idea of what they are doing, the first years I've worked with in the past might not really be able to hack what I've been thinking at this point. Thats why the first week isn't too intense.

I think Tinkerbell is a better name for a little dog than it is for a fairy, when it all comes down to it. I mean, I guess the fairy dings and rings when she flaps her wings and shit, but when a dog has a little bell on its collar and that bell jingles when the puppy runs its ridiculously cute. I am not gonna name a dog Tinkerbell or anything, but the chances are pretty high that I won't be assigning fairy monikers any time soon.

I read a fair number of blogs, not as many as some people I am aware of, but a good number. I occasssionally poke through a "sex-industry" related blog because I find them interesting as a genre and because they link off some of the City Pages blogs I dig through. Anyway, what I find hilarious is that the blogs of people who work in such industries are very rarely too explicit, while on the other hand, high school debaters have less compunction than pretty much anyone. I don't have any other blog news. I guess this paragraph is over.

Jay from Project Runway made a guest appearance on last week's The Comeback. This is a show that I didn't like at all for the first three-four episodes, but its grown on me and anytime you can find an excuse to get Jay on television is something I am in favor of. Lisa Kudrow as an actress doesn't seem to add alot, but the writing is good. The show is like a less funny version of Curb Your Enthusiasm in alot of respects, since all the jokes depend upon being in really uncomfortable situations. It would never make a top list of mine, but its worth 30 minutes on tivo.

We've been eating really well these past two days. Yesterday was chicken stuffed with goat cheese and spinach and some fresh green beans with basil-butter. That evening we decidied that we needed to make cookies, so Katie concocted a batch of her favorite Hersey Bar Cookies, which have a toffee-esque flavor and are really just wonderful. Today I made Rosemary Grilled Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes With Apples and Thyme. I think we got all these recipes out of one issue of Cooking Pleasures, and those three alone made the subscription worthwhile. The taters with apples is really a wonderful combination and one of the best recipes we've found in the last couple years, period.

Hippo just looked up at me and did the most adorable little meow dance, so I will oblige and see what the Empress wants.

Peace,

MB-K