Posts tagged ‘Culture’

Oct 15

Pop Quiz, Hotshot!

I always get blog crushes. Some of them go the way of schoolgirl crushes, fading back into the mutual oblivion from which they sprung. But some of them have turned into truly lovely friendships. In that respect, my cup runneth over; I’m so fortunate.

Anyway, a blogger I’m crushing on right now is Clay Morgan. I know, you’re probably so shocked to hear that – but it’s true! I’ve really enjoyed his site, claywrites.com, and I loved his new book. Clay blogs about pop culture, history and the meaning of life, and his posts usually give me a lot to think about. And if you’ve been here a while, then you know I love that.

Clay recently submitted to an interview by me (and let me tell you, I did not know what I was doing). I’ll be posting it in pieces to finish out UNDEAD month, and yes, I squeezed that much material out of him. Poor man. He’s got patience, I’ll give him that.

Today I’m sharing something I had a lot of fun with: a Pop Quiz! Go ahead and play along at home; you know you want to.

So I think I won, don’t you? Yes, I know that wasn’t a contest. Don’t be silly.

But those voices in my head are totally real. No matter what that picture of Clay said.

♦

ps: My favorite part is when Clay has such a hard time deciding between his beloved historical figures. I almost felt bad for making him choose. But not bad enough to let him out of it.

Sep 27

2 Comments

A rose by any other name would not be a rose.

Sure, it would smell as sweet, but would it still retain it’s significance?

Could the rose have blossomed into the token of love that it is, had it been named something less attractive? What if the lovely rose had been called a kelminet? Would the same flower with a different name have been as celebrated? Of course it’s hard to say, but I wonder.

In some cases, a name helps build the brand. Sometimes the name almost is the brand: Lincoln, Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, Mother Teresa. In other cases, the name is completely arbitrary. Apollo 13 conjures up immediate images, even thought the name itself is just one of a series. The same can be said of 9/11. There had been and will continue to be September 11’s, but refer to that date in context and no further explanation is necessary to clarify which 9/11 you mean.

What about your name? Does it say anything about who you are, or is it not important to you at all?

(I was able to ask Jon Acuff this Query, and his answer is included on the next page. How cool ~~am I~~ is that? And yes, I’m totally name dropping right now.)

Aug 2

15 Comments

Crabbing With Dad

I spent last week at my parent’s river house, and it was just the vacation I needed!

While I was there, I got to go crabbing with my dad, who started out by crabbing off of his dock. What I learned from that is there are crabs right there at the dock. Well, I wasn’t planning on swimming in that water anyway! At some point, he started placing his pots out in the river, but last week was the first opportunity I had to see them.

We went out twice a day to work the crab pots, and something interesting happened every time. I saw a school of fish jumping out of the water, this way and that, trying to evade the hungry jaws of some bigger fish. I saw large male crabs cradling little females (doublers), protecting them at molting time and securing mating rights. I saw plenty of jellyfish, birds dive-bombing for their dinner, and a crab swimming on the surface of waters that were forty feet deep.

My dad is just a natural teacher, so he pretty much talks you through whatever he’s doing. Crabbing technique, boating lessons, history, crab anatomy, bay ecology…there’s plenty to teach about, out there on the water. I learned some things, too. I learned that driving a boat is way different from driving a car. For one thing, when you turn a car off, it usually stops moving. I learned that eels are really slimy. And they can get out of that bucket if they really want to. I learned that dead jellyfish can still sting you, that lighthouses out in the middle of the bay don’t have indoor plumbing, and if your eyes tell you those waves look rough, then they are. Only more so.

Some things I already knew; I just needed reminding. Like what a joy it is to spend quality time with your family. Family and friendship are blessings that not every one of us has. It doesn’t do to take them for granted.

♥

I made a little video of my dad working his crab pots. Vegetarians, beware: the crabs in this video all got cooked!