swirling in my head this saturday morn...

"It is impossible that a Christian can truly follow Jesus and not suffer for Him. The question is how much will we volunteer for? That depends on what we think the Good News is... And what abundant life really means."

-Bryan Kelly, Common Ground Montgomery

an unfortunate dental milestone

Here's my advice for anyone who's getting a root canal:

Don't watch a video of the procedure on YouTube the night before.

Even if it is a cartoon.

I had an emergency root canal today. It involved a cracked tooth, not decay, lest you think all those circus peanuts are to blame.

It was my first root canal, and I feel like this means I have one foot in an early grave.

What's next, wooden teeth?

(That one's for you, Kate)

ps. It didn't hurt.

I am so, so thankful for laughing gas and anesthesia.

"Who told you you might meddle with such hifalut'n foolishness, hey?"

It's been years since I read Huckleberry Finn.

I am no acclaimed literary scholar, nor am I easily offended by issues of artistic integrity. But when I learned of the new edition of Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer that will soon be released by a local publishing company with all 219 uses of the N word replaced with "slave" and references to Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer changed to Indian Joe, I was frightfully taken aback.

I'm not sure what kind of a right I have to speak to this. I'm white. I have no idea what it feels like to be the object of racial slurs. Exept for that one time this kid called me White Chocolate back in 2006. Apples to apples here, as you can see.

So you can imagine my apprehension when I found out that I might be interviewed for CBS's 60 Minutes on this issue. I could handle the .18 seconds of the back of my head appearing on Anderson Cooper, but you might remember my reference to the damage I could have done had they handed me a mic.

So would you mind if I used you, my certain mass readership, as a sounding board for a minute?

All I can say is this: I don't know what it's like to stumble across a word in literature, in school, that is deeply offensive to my heritage, my ethnicity, my ancestors.

But isn't it more dangerous, more risky to sugarcoat here? Especially when it comes to classic literature? Should this not spur on the hard conversations that none of us really want to have with each other in the company of mixed races? Or, ahem, when you're the only white girl in the room?

It's not easy, it's not comfortable, and it's not supposed to be. But it's the reality of our country's past, and we're not doing ourselves any favors by pretending it wasn't as bad as it was. Nor or we doing ourselves any favors by acting like there aren't still remnants of that history in all of our lives today in some way, shape, or form.

My biggest question here has little to do with what Mark Twain would think, because the truth is that the stories ARE no longer under copyright, and besides, he seemed to be of the sort that was okay with tweaking, changing, and messing with his works after they were penned.

My biggest question is this: Is it WORTH it to alter such literature so that it becomes easier to deal with the language that reminds us of our past? Is it worth it to tweak classics so that the at times shocking reality of our own history is a little easier to sidestep, particularly in the classroom? How relevant is it?

Quite relevant, I think.

Now granted, I'm speaking out of a mere 5 years experience in the classroom compared to Alan Gribben's 40. Also granted that the term "slave" isn't quite sugarcoating. But I feel certain that Twain's use of the N word 219 times was purposeful, and I don't think it's ok to undo that intentionality for the sake of not having to deal with the explosive nature of the word in the classroom.

Because what is Mark Twain if not explosive?

And how is this still-uncomfortably-real kind of tension to be dealt with if not head on, regardless of the comfort level?

So there you have it - my very white, somewhat naive take. Hand me a mic at your own risk.

the power's still on

I am NOT complaining (goodness knows every bit of rest I can get is a gift from above), but a hint of cabin fever is settling in over here in my neck of the snowy woods. Today has been nice, but school's been cancelled tomorrow also. I'm starting to wonder how I am going to pass this time holed up in my smallish condo.



On one note, why can't my bangs look as good as hers?

On another note, here's a little of what I've been doing today.

I just baked a loaf of beer bread, and with some basil pesto, mmmm...

Also I have Eastmountainsouth on repeat...I forgot how much I love them. This may or may not be because I first heard them on the movie Lucky Seven back in 2002. Go listen to "Still Running."I watched the first disc of this with my cup of coffee this morning...SO good!! It made me want to start writing a book immediately. It also made me very excited that it's part of my job to teach and hopefully impart a love and appreciation of story to impressionable minds. I know. Don't take me seriously.

Speaking of good stories...and Mere, I'm spoiling the surprise...this is what's on its way to you...I am more excited about this book than I have been about a work of fiction in a long while. I've not read beyond the first page, but based on the reviews, I'm already sold. It definitely has the potential to be overly philosophical, in which case I might promptly return it to the shelf, but I'm really hoping for a winner here.
And finally, this vagrant showed up at my door this afternoon, to my delight.

So tonight we'll hole up and watch the championship game (ask me if I care who wins), do yoga, check The Bachelor on commercial breaks (there's a girl on there this season with fangs) and make a list of things to do if we're shut-ins again tomorrow.

Any suggestions?

winter weather tip

"And remember: Your electric can opener won't work if your power is out."
Thank you, Birmingham radio.

Hope your power stays on.

a payback I can bear

I suppose it should be assumed that when friends do favors for me like dress up in full Dickensonian garb and adopt a British accent before a gaggle of 12 year olds, payback is inevitable. Except for Benj, for whom this was the norm.

All I can say is I hope Greg had as much fun as Ebenezer Scrooge back in 2007 as I did yesterday roaming the woods in a full body bear suit for his music video, replete with a tweed fedora. Let the record show that there was also a bear dance-off.

This is a jury of bears. Can you pick me out? Judge bear (aka Greg/Ebenezer) is at the far left in the blue robe. The defendant is in the chair with his back to you. And just beyond the shrubs there is renowned music video producer and co-writer, Patrick Sadler. Chances are you've heard of him- he's worked with the likes of Keanu Reeves and Barbara Streisand.

All rise for the judge.

In case you couldn't tell, I am the grey wolf-like bear on the front row, far right, with the intimidating stare.

And here we are with Prosecutor Bear.

Also known as Eli. Don't you love his well-placed bowtie?

This music video is for a song called Understanding by Greg Summerlin. I'm sure it'll climb the charts on BET in a matter of hours once it's released, so keep your eyes peeled.

Hope you all had the loveliest of Christmases. I would've blogged about mine, but really it mainly consisted of laying around in pj's, drinking hot tea, snuggling with the Pita,

watching It's a Wonderful Life, and yes, an Amy Grant and Vince Gill Christmas concert at the Ryman. I am admittedly an Amy Grant fan, but Vince is a little shrill for me. Still, it really was a good concert (don't hate) and an even better Christmas.

Happy end of 2010, all!!

playing hookie

I'm playing hookie today.

Well, I guess it's not really hookie if I straight up told my principal I needed a mental health day or else bodily harm to MANY 12 yr olds was IMMINENT.

So.

There's that.

I'm sitting on the couch, coffee in hand, fireplace roaring, with Pippi and a stack of essays at my feet. Guess I can't really get away from the 12 yr olds, but at least from here I can't do anything to them that will require I hire an attorney to help me keep my job.

What are you all doing this chilly weekend?

I'm heading to an annual retreat with my dad and grandparents that I LOVE - last year was my first year to go, and it was seriously a highlight of my YEAR.

Probably not many of you have heard of Dudley Hall (Successful Christian Living Ministries) - he is one of the best teachers of scripture that I have ever heard, bar none. And the music...oh, the music. I die. Let's just say it's a bluegrass lover's paradise.

This teaching and music is precisely what I need this weekend.

retreat ri -'trēt n: 1: an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable; 2: a place of privacy or safety; 3: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director.

Yes please.

Hope you have a restful weekend.