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April 29, 2005
Where I work
Josiah, one of my coworkers at Coptix, Inc., has created a flickr map of the part of St. Elmo we inhabit. Roll your mouse over this map (you should be on the one for St. Elmo North) and a number of boxes will appear. The largest one, on the upper right, is the cemetery where I often go walking during my breaks. Move from there to the box that is almost touching the upper left corner of the cemetery, and you'll arrive at Coptix. Keep moving to the left, and you'll see Sewasdee, the Thai restaurant where I usually get my lunch. If you continue rolling over boxes, you'll eventually find the Cross residence, which is the birth place of Coptix. Until we moved to our current location, we could be found on the second floor of the Cross's house.
Posted by alice at 03:52 PM | Comments (3)
Friday Creature
The baby doves haven't made an appearance yet -- hopefully I'll have some hatchling photos to share here next week. In the meantime, here's a white-breasted nuthatch hanging in its typical pose on my suet feeder.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. The kids over on the ark have some more creatures for you. Also, the addition to the aquarium and the Ross's Landing Pier are opening this weekend, so perhaps I'll see you local folks downtown...
Posted by alice at 09:58 AM | Comments (2)
April 27, 2005
May Day
Today was May Day at GPS, and DD and I went over to watch the spectacle. Oddly, I never attended a May Day celebration while DD was a student at GPS, so I was curious to see if it was really as spooky as people say. The actual event surpassed even my inflated expectations. This year the weather made the event especially apocalyptic, and the ceremony was briefly delayed because of some rain.
Once the ritual finally got started, the senior class girls were presented to the spectators. The girls were dressed in beautiful pastel gowns and adorned with fresh flowers. After being introduced individually, they lined up on the lawn, looking like a huge all-female wedding party in search of many groomsmen. The May Queen's retinue joined the presentation and then, at last, the sacrificial virgin appeared, dressed all in white and trailed by two train bearers. The maiden goddess haughtily marched to center stage, was crowned by her Maid of Honor, and then the whole May Court strolled around the lawn to be worshiped by the adoring crowd. They were followed by the entire senior class and then everyone took their seats to enjoy the May Day Pageant.
Several musical numbers followed and there was much dancing and merriment. Selections included songs from Mary Poppins, Chicago, The Sound of Music, and Annie. This was all building up to the traditional Maypole Dance, which is performed accompanied by a song about "shagging in the woods," as DD puts it. The sophomore girls gathered around three maypoles, collected the attached ribbons and they all became dancers, frolicking around the phalli, weaving their magick for fertility and abundance. The event concluded with the singing of the school Alma Mater, and then everyone gathered at a reception on the patio.
And for those of you who aren't from around here, no, I'm not kidding and no, I'm not making any of this up. Really. You can see a photo of the whole pastel-clad group here.
UPDATE: The Chattanoogan has some photos of the event.
Posted by alice at 08:54 PM | Comments (2)
Way to go, Apple
Jeeze, I wouldn't even have known that a new Jobs bio was coming out if they hadn't turned it into a news story.
Sheesh.
Posted by alice at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
Tuesday Night
I had a meeting downtown last night and caught a glimpse of an incredible sunset as I crossed the Market Street Bridge. I took a whole series of shots and they are all so different, I couldn't decide which one to share. Finally, DD came to the rescue and fingered this one with an air of authority, so here ya go...
Posted by alice at 11:24 AM | Comments (4)
April 25, 2005
Frist
There's no doubt that he sucks at being presbyterian, but is he insane?
Posted by alice at 12:01 PM | Comments (6)
Chattanooga's elf goes hardcore
Well, he's not mayor anymore, so clearly it's time to get busy on the next campaign. But any hope that Bob Corker might remain moderate in the face of a national political landscape that no longer tolerates moderation on the right didn't last long. Will Chattanoogans be able to accept our former mayor if his senatorial campaign takes on the atmosphere of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge? Will people be motivated to work in his campaign and get out the vote if he starts in the gutter and then sinks lower? It's a questionable strategy, but then again, hardcore sleaze worked wonders for Dubya...
Posted by alice at 11:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 24, 2005
May the iForce be with you...
Not that you needed another reason to switch from the evil empire to a mac (incoherent demands for .ini and .dll files, virii, trojan horses, ugly GUIs, poor design, frequent system crashes, overpriced upgrades, and so on, ought to have been enough already), but now you do have one.
Go on -- make the switch! You know you want to. You've wanted to for a long time. And now's the perfect time. It's cheap, easy and thanks to Neooffice, it's possible to run a completely micro$oft-free machine (and don't you know how good that's gonna feel).
Do it for human rights and because America is not supposed to be a religious state.
UPDATE: Micro$oft is spending $20,000 a month to line the pockets of Georgia Lt. Gov. candidate and uber-conservative religious wingnut Ralph Reed. Is this why they keep raising the price of M$ Office?
Posted by alice at 06:45 PM | Comments (4)
Life-sucking links
Here's a couple of links that might suck away waaay too much of your time:
Peregrine Nest Webcam — There are four chicks there at the moment (via Bubba).
Postcard secrets — There's some really freaky stuff (and cool art) here (via DD).
"I have had therapy for one of my guilty secrets, and the greatest thing I have learnt is that sharing it with others not only takes away the shame, but reveals how unnecessary the shame was to begin with."
-anonymous
"...look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
-II Corinthians 4:18
(Something by Stephen Dunn)
"A wish for something moral like a wound
pitying the knife
its inability to be pleased or sad.
Or perhaps an afternoon one day a month
when everyone can say why they're ashamed.
Something to end the talk that passes
for talk. Something the lonesome ear,
the starved eye, can take in
like nourishment from the other world
in which, now and then, we've lived."
-Pennsylvania
Posted by alice at 05:50 PM | Comments (1)
April 23, 2005
The Hunter
The Hunter Museum addition opened today on a chilly, very gusty morning. DD and I parked on the North Shore and walked across the Walnut Street Bridge to take in all the new space, which is beautiful and well designed, but we're going to wait to see the exhibits on a day when we have more time to spend.
This photo looks from the Hunter down towards the Aquarium, over the new glass pedestrian bridge. There's a lot of new public art scattered about, and all sorts of great places for walking, and for looking out on the river. I think we'll be spending quite a bit of time over there now that it's all done...
Posted by alice at 04:33 PM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2005
Friday Creature
A couple of days ago, I noticed this mourning dove brooding in a bush that's right outside my office kitchen window. I'm not sure how long it takes before the eggs hatch, but I'll try to get some shots of the babies when they arrive.
Have a great weekend! As always, check out the ark, and maybe I'll see some of you locals over at the Hunter this weekend.
UPDATE: DD came up with the answer on the incubation period for mourning doves: 14-15 days. So, hopefully I'll have some nestling pictures for next week's (or the following) Friday Creature.
Another UPDATE: Check out the awesome AF1 blog from SKB (and note the apt comment from metulj).
Posted by alice at 10:04 AM | Comments (4)
April 20, 2005
Yeah, I'm a slacker...
I've been spending a lot of time outside and as little as possible behind the computer lately, and this blog is showing it. There's a lot going on in the world, but much of it is pretty damn scary. What's a secular humanist to do in the midst of an increasing number of wingnuts who are careening out of control? I wish I knew. In the meantime, humor makes for pretty good medicine...
Posted by alice at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2005
Keeping cool
How does one cool off on a hot spring day in Chattanooga? Run through the fountains at Coolidge Park, of course! They've been turned on for the season, just in time for a huge crowd at the park this afternoon.
Beautiful day, wonderful weekend. I wish it didn't have to be Monday again already...
Posted by alice at 09:34 PM | Comments (1)
April 16, 2005
Wisteria
I got out of the house early today to do some plant shopping with my friend, Heather. We went to the Crabtree Farms spring plant sale and then to the Barn Nursery and I ended up with all sorts of herbs, flowers and veggies. Heather's got a deck covered by a trellis in her backyard and at the moment it is awash in a thick cascade of wisteria. It is breathtaking to behold in more ways than one -- just as the beautiful blossoms please the eye, a sweet scent is filling that corner of the neighborhood.
UPDATE: There's more wisteria over on Sugarfused!
Posted by alice at 12:47 PM | Comments (2)
April 15, 2005
Friday Creature
I hear we're short on bees lately, and farmers (especially the organic variety) are worried about how their crops are going to propagate. Yesterday at the cemetery, there didn't seem to be any shortage of bees and they all seemed to be obsessed with pollen. Here's one of 'em.
This is my second bug in as many weeks. Does that represent a trend? Nah... it's just the season at work. It's been months since I've seen any bugs, so they're catching my attention.
The weatherpeople are claiming that it'll be another beautiful weekend here in Chattanooga. I'm planning on a busy weekend, full of events and obligations, but hopefully I'll get to play outside some. Enjoy, and don't forget to check out the Friday ark!
UPDATE: Bonus bee! This is another photo from yesterday. I went back to the cemetery today. It is breathtakingly beautiful out there and between the wisteria, lilacs and who knows what else, it smells wonderful as well. I haven't even looked at the pictures I took today because I was distracted by yesterday's images when I opened up iPhoto...
Posted by alice at 08:29 AM | Comments (1)
April 13, 2005
NY rejects state killing
Here's a bit of good news out of New York State:
In an 11-7 vote, The New York State Assembly Codes Committee rejected a measure to re-authorize the state's death penalty, which was declared unconstitutional last June. This makes New York the first state to dismantle the death penalty since new death penalty laws were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976.
Their motivation is financial (death penalty cases cost states far more than lifers) and not moral, but at least they're stopping New York's participation in what is one of America's greatest human rights abuses. Other states will probably be following suit, including our own fair state of Tennessee:
On the same day a legislative subcommittee in Tennessee discussed a bill to abolish the death penalty for the first time in 40 years. In 1965 then Governor Clement led a drive to end capital punishment that passed the Senate but fell one vote short in the House.
smijer provided us with some death penalty links last week, including a blog from death row in Maryland. Also note our own organization, TCASK, and another couple of anti-death penalty blogs: Abolish the Death Penalty and the Lonely Abolitionist.
Posted by alice at 11:53 AM | Comments (8)
April 12, 2005
Hey!
What are you doing here, sitting around reading a blog, when you should be out VOTING!?!?
Get thee to the polls and we'll talk later...
Posted by alice at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2005
Fun with power tools
The weather doesn't get any better than what Chattanooga enjoyed over the weekend. The warm, sunny days and cool, quiet nights flew by in a flash and all too soon, it was Monday. I went to the Hamilton County Democratic Party reorganization on Saturday and while it had a very positive outcome, it went on way too long and sucked up too much of my day. So on Sunday, I was ready to spend the whole day outdoors, and decided to start in on the springtime projects around here.
We've got a great big deck on the back of our house that needs cleaning and sealing every year, so shortly after we moved in here, we bought ourselves a pressure washer. Honestly, now that we've got it, I don't know how we ever lived without one. We use it for all sorts of things, from cleaning out the gutters to washing the mildew off of the side of the house that never gets any sun. This weekend, I used it to clean off the patio furniture (and wow, now it looks brand new!), and when I was emptying the water out of the machine after I was done, the light spray made a very pretty rainbow over my backyard.
Posted by alice at 08:16 PM | Comments (3)
April 09, 2005
James W. Livingood
Somehow I missed this story earlier in the week, but even though it's late, I'd like to pay my respects. Dr. Livingood's history of Chattanooga was one of the first books I picked up when I arrived here in 1990 so I feel like he was the one who showed me around town. Also, we were looking for a house at the time and his home on Shallowford Road was one that we looked at -- the double lot featured a beautiful garden, so it made a lasting impression. It was the closest thing to an English garden that I'd seen in Chattanooga.
The coverage from the Times Free Press follows after the jump.
Dr. James Livingood
Dr. James W. Livingood, of Signal Mountain, passed away Sunday, April 3, 2005.
He was born July 5, 1910, in Birdsboro, Pa., to Howard and Minnie Livingood. Dr. Livingood spent his youth in southeastern Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College in 1934 and received a Ph.D. in history in 1937 from Princeton University. He had been an instructor in history at Princeton University.
He was a faculty member at the University of Chattanooga from 1937 to 1975, serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1937-66 and dean of the university from 1966-69. Dr. Livingood a Guerry Professor of History, the highest award for faculty achievement at the university. He was a noted Civil War historian and author of many books and articles on local history. He was a member of Grace Episcopal Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Alma Lawshe Livingood.
Survivors include two sons, James W. Livingood Jr., Reston, Va., and Richard S. Livingood and wife Carolyn, Ooltewah; three grandsons, Eric, Brent and Kevin Livingood; and three great-grandsons.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Hamilton Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Brent Livingood officiating.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Alexian Village Chapel.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 404 S. Moore Road.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.mem.com.
(April 5, 2005 Tuesday)
FREE PRESS EDITORIAL
Dr. James W. Livingood
If you wanted a quick answer about where Gen. So-and-so moved his troops in Chattanooga during the War Between the States, or where Chief Dragging Canoe fought early local settlers, or what the price per acre was a hundred years ago where Heritage Landing is today, for many years your quickest and most authoritative local historic resource might have been Dr. James W. Livingood, who died Sunday just a few months short of his 95th birthday.
Dr. Livingood was one of our community's most outstanding historians. He came to Chattanooga in 1937 as a professor of history at the University of Chattanooga, which he served outstandingly till his retirement in 1975. In addition to teaching, Dr. Livingood also served as dean of the university's College of Arts and Sciences from 1937 to 1966, and dean of the university from 1966 to 1969.
In addition to being a walking encyclopedia of local history, Dr. Livingood was the author of a number of books, sometimes with another local university historian, Gilbert Govan, with detailed accounts of the people, places and events of this area.
Dr. Livingood was born in Pennsylvania, was a graduate of Gettysburg University, earned his doctorate in history from Princeton University, and became an inspiring and leading educator and valuable resident of Chattanooga.
Many of his students and other Chattanoogans will long remember the inspiring stories he loved to tell of the Chattanooga country. And our society remains forever richer for the historic accounts he left us in his writings.
(April 6, 2005 Wednesday)
Dr. Livingood recalled as educator, historian
Staff Report
Dr. James W. Livingood, a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga administrator and avid local historian, died Sunday. He was 94.
"He loved this area, and he loved the people," said Henry Boyd, a friend and member of the Chattanooga Area Relic and Historical Association. "We are so fortunate to have had somebody like him come to Chattanooga and stay."
Dr. Livingood, a resident of Signal Mountain, grew up in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College in 1934, studied history and received a doctorate from Princeton University in 1937.
After teaching at Princeton, he became a University of Chattanooga faculty member. He taught for almost 40 years and served as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1937 until 1966.
After that, Dr. Livingood became the university's dean, or second in command, and held that title until 1969, according to Chuck Cantrell, UTC spokesman. Dr. Livingood also wrote the history of the university, a move than strengthened ties between UTC and the Scenic City, Mr. Cantrell said.
"He sort of put the face on history for our community," Mr. Cantrell said. "He was a pioneer."
The university named Dr. Livingood its Guerry Professor of History.
Dr. Livingood also was a Civil War historian who wrote many books and articles on local history, according to Mr. Boyd.
In his book, "Chattanooga: An Illustrated History," Dr. Livingood explores the city's roots and its geography.
On Tuesday, Mr. Boyd recalled Dr. Livingood's love of the countryside he lived in.
"We'd grab a sandwich and take a drive ... he loved to ride in the Sequatchie Valley," Mr. Boyd said. "We would talk history from the time we left his apartment until we got back."
The Rev. Brent Livingood will officiate Thursday at a 10 a.m. graveside service for Dr. Livingood at Hamilton Memorial Gardens. A 2 p.m. memorial service will follow at the Alexian Village Chapel.
(April 6, 2005 Wednesday)
Posted by alice at 07:03 PM | Comments (2)
April 08, 2005
Friday Creature
I spent a while trying to get a good photo of this guy a few weeks ago and the whole time we were interacting, I kept telling myself that it was just a dirt dauber, so it wouldn't sting me. We parted on good terms, but I'm not so sure that it is a dirt dauber... does anyone know?
Anyway, happy Friday! Check out the creatures at the ark, and have a wonderful weekend!
Posted by alice at 10:12 AM | Comments (8)
April 05, 2005
Walking the Walk
Now's your chance, folks. If you've ever complained about the state of local politics and you tend to the left side of the political spectrum, it's time to put your Saturday morning where your mouth is. The Hamilton County Democratic Party reorganization is this coming Saturday. Come, bring your friends, family, relatives and anyone you pass on the street. The better the turnout, the greater the chance that we'll be able to change the political landscape here in Chattanooga.You'll need to bring a photo ID that includes your voting address (a voter registration card would be good, too) and try to be there by 10am. Registration is from 9 to 10:30, and no one will be admitted late. After registration, everyone will caucus and elect a chairman, co-chairman and 2 captains for each precinct (these people make up the Executive Committee). Then this newly-elected Executive Committee will convene to elect the Executive Council, which will lead the party for the next two years.
If you want to have an influence over how politics is played in this county, help out a candidate who will be running for office, set the stage for a successful presidential campaign in 2008, get to know some local movers and shakers, or even just get to know more about the process, this is a great way to get involved. If you'd like to know more, please feel free to comment or email me and I'll see if I can hook you up with some info before Saturday.
Posted by alice at 08:35 PM | Comments (3)
April 03, 2005
Saving what?
“I don't really care how time is reckoned so long as there is some agreement about it, but I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind. I even object to the implication that I am wasting something valuable if I stay in bed after the sun has risen. As an admirer of moonlight I resent the bossy insistence of those who want to reduce my time for enjoying it. At the back of the Daylight Saving scheme I detect the bony, blue-fingered hand of Puritanism, eager to push people into bed earlier, and get them up earlier, to make them healthy, wealthy and wise in spite of themselves.” —Robertson Davies, in The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks
Posted by alice at 11:45 AM | Comments (2)
April 02, 2005
Buds and Blossoms
The redbud tree in my back yard has really burst into glory, nourished by a few days of rain this past week. The dogwood out front is poised to bloom, but isn't quite there yet...
Posted by alice at 04:49 PM | Comments (1)
April 01, 2005
Friday Creature
I've been trying to get a photo of this red-bellied woodpecker for months, but he usually doesn't stick around long enough for a photo session. This weekend, he lingered long enough for a couple of shots!
Be sure to get caught up on all the creatures at The Ark from this week and last week (sorry I missed out last Friday!). Now that I'm back up and running, I'll try to keep up...
Posted by alice at 05:04 PM | Comments (3)