Stand for something

It's been a while since I stood up here on the soapbox... so, here goes. In my never-ending fight to repair our grammatically scarred lives, I've found a great link: Commonly Confused Words

It's clear we live in a world less about reading and more about speaking. (Great news for oral communicators) However, when we have to communicate in written form, the message is all too often misconstrued or - as my people put it - messed up. We leave an unclear message in what should otherwise be one of the cleanest ways of communicating. Frankly, it's frustrating.

So, to the Merriam Webster (yes, Joyce, M-W.com) list, I'm adding a couple more:

Capitol vs Capital
The Capitol (Washington, DC) is where we spend our Capital ($)

Their, There, They're
Their indicates ownership by "them" (just as His indicates ownership by Him)
There is a location other than "here"
They're is a conjunction of They and Are


Please feel free to respond with your own peeves.

My soundtrack

When I look back, I find that music has played a large part in my life. There are songs that immediately take me to a distinct moment in my memories. For example, with no good reason, Peaches and Herb are dead set in the middle of my first musical memories. I can start to hum "Reunited" and automatically see the swing set from Playskool (years later, it would strike me odd the school intentionally misspelled its name, but I digress).

So, I've been thinking about this lately... what are the songs tied most closely to memorable moments in my life... what is my soundtrack? Well, here goes:

A plethora of ABBA, Jim Croce and Neil Diamond songs filled the first years of my life. Mom had the albums (that's not a typo). Today, I can hear just the beginning of "Forever in Blue Jeans" and I am instantly in mom's living room, sitting in the old blue recliner (since relegated to the basement) and filled with the aroma of pot roast coming from the kitchen.

In elementary school, we sang Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All," for a choral recital and I guess that was memorable, but Dr. Elmo's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was a mantra in the holidays of my youth (ok... even today). Each time I hear it, I am transported back to my Aunt's split level house in Oak Ridge, TN with a Christmas tree glowing downstairs and egg nog being poured. (And, the shameful, but beautiful joy I got from singing loud and proud with the radio near the real Grandma).

I vividly remember the bright pinks and blues from my favorite t-shirt in 1987 when I was "Lost in Emotion" with Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam and we spent wa-a-a-ay too much time at Michelle's house requesting that song on the late night radio shows. There were the days in Algebra with Ayanna and the teacher's unreasonably - impossibly - hyper flexible knees when we sat rapping "No Sleep til Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys. (we could have been STARS!!)

When I got married, I warned the DJ (also my husband's manager and somewhat, friend) he would absolutely not be paid if he played Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" because it's just OVERDONE. And, though I don't have brown eyes, the only song I requested was Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"...I've just always loved it.

As I continued college days and met one of my dearest friends, I couldn't come up with a better way to express who I was then by having my sister-in-law (local country station DJ) dedicate "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks.

Since then, life has continued to take its inevitable twists and turns. Songs like David Bowie's "Changes" take me back to all my high school friends with unimaginable futures, while "Bye Bye" from Jo Dee Messina and "Let Him Fly" by the Dixie Chicks will remind me of the sadness of letting go. And, yet that is followed by the beauty of finding a true mate in "Now That I Found You" by Terri Clark.

I could go on and on... obviously, in 37 years, there have been more than a few memorable moments and, of those, a large percentage have music that takes me back. Rather than walk you through the rest of my life, I'll just say that at points in my life, some music has been poignant while, at other times, it was just a good background song.

So, what's your soundtrack?

Odd...that's all, just odd

I might have to revisit my theory on vegetarians. I've always said that they were cowards and that veggies had no chance for escape while animals could run. With this article, I just have one question:

Do you think the mushrooms set up an ambush for the camouflaged hunters??



Aug 29 (Reuters) - At least 18 mushroom-lovers have been killed in accidents while hunting for their favourite fungi in the mountains and forests of northern Italy.

Mountain rescuers say eager mushroom seekers are abandoning safety procedures as they don camouflage and hunt in darkness to protect coveted troves, la Repubblica newspaper reported on Sunday.

"There is too much carelessness. Too many people don't give a darn about the right rules and unfortunately this is the result," Gino Comelli, head of the Alpine rescue service in northwest Italy's Valle di Fassa, told the newspaper.

Seventeen people have died in nine days -- six in 48 hours alone -- mostly from sliding off steep, damp slopes in the northern mountains, la Repubblica said in a story headlined "the massacre of the mushroom hunters".

Another person has been missing for more than a week, it said.

Ansa news agency said a man who had been hunting mushrooms was found dead on Sunday in the Alpine region of Valtellina.

A combination of August thunderstorms and hot weather has led to a bumper mushroom crop that has drawn the first hunters of what is expected to be a boom season.

It's the most wonderful season of all!

"It's FOOTBALL time in Tennessee!!" - these words alone elicit chills and thoughts of Fall afternoons, roaring fans and the wonderful sound of Rocky Top playing endlessly. It is, without question, my favorite time of year.

Football season in the South... I'm sure there are similar seasons elsewhere, but it's a special time. Friendships grow, rivalries are renewed and fans hold their collective breath and pray to their higher beings for that one awesome play that puts their team on top.

School fight songs quickly replace the everyday ring tone on cell phones and kids - just like at Christmas time - have dreams filling their heads (this time of Quarterbacking or Cheering, rather than Sugar plums and toys).

Whether you hunker down with the UGA Dawgs, purposely misspell "Go" for LSU (GEAUX TIGERS!) or wear on everyone's nerves with obnoxious colors, coaches and players (most commonly Florida teams)- right now, we're all unbeaten!

It's GREAT to be a Tennessee Vol! Let's play ball!

The best way to fly... off the handle

There are very few things (in fact, I can't think of another) I would label as magnificent. That's just not a word I use often mostly because, used more often, it would lose its significance. That said, I found one this week: Steven Slater's exit.

"JetBlue flight attendant Slater made his great escape via a plane's emergency slide on Monday afternoon after a scuffle with a passenger. The passenger reportedly cursed at him and dropped a bag on Slater's head. Slater took to the airwaves, saying a few choice words over the plane's intercom and announcing, "It's been great." He then grabbed some beer, his luggage and slid off home. Those plane slides always did look like they'd be a much more fun way to leave the plane than walking down to the tarmac." ~ Washington Post

And, now, for a little musical humor, Jimmy Fallon:
Get Two Beers and Jump!

Eulogizing Alex

The year was 1986 and we were starting high school. There were so many new faces and a few stood out. Alex was one of those guys...as soon as you met, you felt you had known him for years.

When we first met, Alex was an imp. He was the kid with the biggest, goofiest smile. He had the quickest wit I'd ever known.


Alex kept your attention because you never knew what was coming next, but you knew it would be good. But he was more than just the funny guy. Alex had depth. He worked as an editor and cartoonist for our school paper (later, he'd play similar roles at Belmont University), he played several instruments and led the marching band.

Several years after we left high school, Alex laughed as he told me - in his earnest desire to understand the size of Nashville, he asked a professor at Belmont about population. She snidely remarked, "well, it's no Atlanta." He never did get her answer... (this type of remark is one we had both become accustomed to receiving - if you joke around, people think you are always joking).

But Alex, like everyone, had a serious side. He loved playing the violin... and, as with everything else he did, he was amazing.



His memorial service was bittersweet. His family originally planned for 50 people, so there were three rows for guests. By the time the service began, the number of rows had more than doubled and the chairs lining the walls were all full. Alex's college Violin professor came and played his favorite Bach concertos. His childhood pastor spoke lovingly of him as the "sprite" we all imagined the 7-year old Alex would have been...and, his adult pastor, while stating Alex had a very strong faith (though he had been disappointed by the church and had investigated other beliefs), said with a laugh in her voice - he could even be irreverent.



That's the Alex I will remember - the one that could get you to relax and just experience the joy of life.

All for one...one for all

We've travelled together before - and we do it well. We share an interest in getting to know the area from a local's perspective and we share the belief that good people attract good people.



This weekend, we went to Savannah - for a very quick girls weekend. Past trips have led to memorable stories(some repeatable, others not). This trip was no different! Suffice it to say, in a single night we were able to meet a world-renowned artist at Club One (escort her out of the club, sit on the hood of her car and talk for a while), toast to those who've gone before at Kevin Barry's Pub and become legends at Saya Lounge.

Love my girls!



As Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."