esprit de l'escalier

Fun in the mud

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Alex, who lives on the other side of the world. A couple of summers ago she convinced me to buy these wellies. I don't wear them often, but they always elicit nice comments. I hope you all have a lovely weekend! It's supposed to be cold again. Boo.

Puppy hoopla

Like a lot of people, I've been curious about what breed of dog the Obamas would settle on and what they would name this future first pooch. According to People, Michelle Obama says the new dog will join the family in the White House in April sometime, and will be a Portuguese Water Dog. Now, there was a time in my early twenties when I used to troll the pages on Dog Breed Info, trying to decide what the best breed would be for me, and I remember thinking positively about this breed. (I'm a sucker for bearded dogs. And those that don't shed.) Of course, I wasn't in a place in my life that could handle a dog, but it was nice to daydream.

I have to say this, though, Mrs. Obama, please do not so readily dismiss the name "Frank." It's turned out to be a great pet name, because the possible nicknames are endless. I think it would be fun if the Obama girls named the dog after a former resident of the White House. Or would that seem like they are picking favorites in history?

Also, my Frank was not pleased to learn his namesake is still considered to be the fifth worst president in history. All he can do is quote the Dude, "That's, like, your opinion man."

Dear February

Frank and I are so over you.

Something to me

I'm currently enjoying Tift Merritt's newest album, Another Country. Her honeyed voice is hard for me to pass up. I especially like the first song on this album, "Something to Me."

I have to say that I love it when people tour with their beat up, old acoustic guitars.

(PS: If you missed my friend Dan on Jeopardy last night - he won! You've got another chance!)

Watch Jeopardy this week!

My friend Dan is on Jeopardy this week! Check him out tonight! (See his "Hometown Howdy" here - scroll down to the bottom to find him.)

My Dad and I used to watch Jeopardy together when I was growing up.  We enjoyed heckling the contestants (or maybe that was just me). I am usually disappointed in the little bio/story that people tell about themselves. They often seem so lame to me, although I would be hard pressed to come up with something interesting. In his little interview, my friend Dan apparently gets Alex to say, "erotic," which has to be worth watching the episode, right?

Check him out tonight! Go Dan, go!

Rustbelt Intellectual

A couple of weeks ago I found myself reading an op-ed piece in the local paper about the revolutions of Darwin and Lincoln, both born 200 years ago this year. The piece*, by Steven Conn, was eloquent in stating the importance of the lives of both men and how we especially need to turn to their revolutionary thoughts today. 

"In this year of twin bicentennials, it is worth remembering that the emergence of modern America was shaped by twin revolutions: one brought by Lincoln, the Civil War and the emancipation of roughly 4 million black slaves; the other initiated by Darwin's explanation of the natural world through the mechanism of natural selection.

On the face of it, these revolutions, profound as they have been, would appear to be as coincidental as the birthday Lincoln and Darwin share. On the one hand, Lincoln's Civil War transformed the social, political and racial landscape in ways which continue to play out. On the other, Darwin transformed our understanding of biological science, paving the way for countless advances in science, especially in medicine.

In fact, both revolutions share a commitment to the same proposition: All human beings are created equal."

I enjoyed the piece and was surprised to read it in the Dispatch. I noticed the author was a professor at Ohio State. I looked him up and found out he shares a blog with two other people; a blog that is right up my alley. It's called the Rustbelt Intellectual and it's very well written and incisive.

Check out these recent posts: Dr. No(hio) about Rep. Boehner, One Size Fits All Economics, or Bourne Supremacy. Really, just bookmark it (or add it to your reader), because all of the contributors are smart writers.

*The Dispatch won't let me hard link to it because it's over a week old, but Conn reprinted the text on his blog.

Burns photos

I feel chronically tired these days. Tired and behind in everything, from blogging to school work to sleep. I don't foresee it improving anytime soon. (I chose poorly class-wise this quarter and my schedule feels a little grueling. Or I'm just a big wimp. Or I'm just getting too old for this stuff.)  Plus I'm feeling a little senioritis - I will be done in June.  That's four months left!  I can't believe it.

Because I promised a friend, here are some photos from Burns Night - over a week ago! The party was fun, although I had woken up the day before with a cold. We had original poems read, two women who sang, some friends of mine singing/playing blue grass, it was great. I missed some friends who couldn't make it this year, but the party evolves slightly and gets better every year. (Also, at some point I need to re-do my blog so you can see photos larger! More Burns shots here.)

Fun with the blu blockers

Fun with the blu blockers
Originally uploaded by clairehelene7

We celebrated Burns Night this weekend - a week late. I'll recap the fun with some photos later, but I had to share this composite first, because it cracks me up. Here's Natasha, Libby, my brother and me modeling Eric's blu blocker sunglasses. This is just before the three of them piled into Libby's small pickup truck for a long drive back to Chicago.

Click on the photo to see it larger.