In football, according to my husband, a counter trey “is when ….. ” Some things happened I didn’t get, and I stopped listening. The context of this explanation was my dissertation on feminist rhetoric and women speakers. He did actually read parts of it, and givie me some feedback. His main response was that my dissertation sounded like a “counter trey.” He drew the play with the standard little circles and arrows to illustrate. I found that same scribbled drawing today while cleaning up. Although I don’t really remember what he said in detail, I did get the gist. To explain for me, here isRead More →

Trailers for the new Fame and all the buzz about the remake’s quality have gotten my attention. The cast includes Debbie Allen, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelsey Grammer, and Charles S. Dutton. I’m hopelessly retro, though, because the original Irene Cara song, and Erica Gimple’s version are better than the generic remake. No matter how corny the old versions are, they just capture the spirit better. I already talked about Seether’s remake of Careless Whisper. The Covers Project, a pretty decent website, has a list of..well…covers. But here’s my hopelessly retro feelings on the subject. My top ten list of pointless cover songs in no particular orderRead More →

I got to thinking about Sweet Honey in the Rock the other day when I was donating my clothing, and I wrote about the politics of second-hand clothing. In learning about what actually happens to donated clothes, I was left with a sick feeling about my own consumption, and how easily I succumb to buying things. I regularly feel guilty about going to Wal-Mart despite full awareness of why shopping there is so utterly wrong. I haven’t reflected on this problem the way I used to in women’s studies classes — the hopeless, “damned if you do/damned if you don’t” feeling you get when your consciousnessRead More →

I am almost done with cleaning my office. What’s left is the hardest part: My filing cabinet. I’ve done some preliminary cleaning of files, but most of the work remains. I’ve started cleaning and de-cluttering other parts of the house. It feels productive, but the truth is that I’m avoiding the ominous filing cabinets. The other day I found a videotape of an interview I did with my grandmother a couple of years before she died. I sent it off to be converted to DVD. I hope they don’t break it or ruin it. On a different note, my therapist seems utterly fascinated by D&D.Read More →

Today I completed not one, but TWO steps on my 40 days/40 steps cleaning plan. I cleaned the closet completely. There were three steps the closet: Floor, top shelf, and clothes rod. I did the floor a couple of days ago. Today I did the clothes rod and top shelf. Many clothes are going to Connections for Life, which I have written about previously. Things I found today 1. One pair of black cowboy boots. Yes, I still have them. Yes, I am keeping them. 2. Winter scarves knitted by my grandmother. (Kept) 3. A blanket my grandmother gave me when I was in secondRead More →

Sam Hurt’s Eyebeam comic was one of my favorite things about UT – Austin. It started in the college paper, The Daily Texan. I think it went on to syndication, but I’m not sure. When I left UT, people mailed me the strip. My favorite character in the comic was Peaches (Queen of the Universe), the main character’s niece. Peaches eventually got her own comic, but that didn’t last for long. Peaches was .. well .. precocious. I just found an Eyebeam strip with Peaches that was on my office door for a while. It’s old (1988), torn, and flimsy. Peaches is standing on aRead More →

Writing is difficult for me.  I have never been good at journaling. I’ve always wanted to be good at it, but it’s never worked out for me. I love to buy journals to write in. I have many beautiful, elegant, empty journal books. I also have a stack of journal books with maybe only five or six entries in them. The most successful journaling I did was trying to work through my writing block. I read a book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, about dealing with creative blocks. Like most self-help books, this comes with a whole array of accompanying workbooks, inspirational CDs, blahRead More →

I know the whole world eagerly anticipates my detailed description of my garbage, so I will appease your curiosity. Ten things I found today in my file cabinets (some of which were trashed and some kept) 1. My very first D&D character. It was actually AD&D, generated some 15 years ago. 2. Papers from my undergraduate years at UT – Austin. 3. Reading packets from my undergraduate years at UT-Austin. 4. Pictures of the first time I went to Disney. 5. Hershey’s leash (my very first dog “inside” dog; he rescued me from my insanity; I love him and still miss him). 6. My “relapseRead More →