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I'm not scared of being alone
I'm just happier being confused
Beside the fire, as long as it's with you
I really like those lines from "Why Should the Fire Die?", the title track from Nickel Creek's latest CD. I don't really know why I think you'd care, but it's a good excuse to pass along a couple of links regarding the band.
You can check out their performance at NPR's World Cafe here, or you can listen to clips of the album here.
"50 things we love about college football in the South"
No. 39: Recruiting ("'I'll never forget the woman
who called our offices — she was certain that her husband was addicted
to a 900-number sex hotline,' says longtime recruiting analyst Bobby
Burton. 'I told her that he was certainly addicted, but it was to
Tennessee football recruiting, not a sex line.'") 31-40Essays from all walks of life
If you ever have the opportunity to visit North Georgia's Amicalola Falls after a sudden summer thunderstorm (the flash-flood variety), then you should jump at the chance. On Saturday, my friend Kyle and I had perfect timing to witness the falls like I'd never previously imagined they could be. There was no way to cross the bridge without getting completely soaked by the roaring water. By the time we made our way back down from the top after earlier crossing over, rocks had begun to dislodge and fall onto the bridge. It was an incredible sight.
To give people who've been there before a better idea of how extreme the conditions were, I should point out that the trout pond at the base of the falls was overflowing its banks and portions of the paved part of the trail up to the bridge had water flowing on it as if it were part of the creek bed.
Random comments on life and links found online
You chop off your hair and take a Greyhound across the country to bail
on your wedding. A nationwide manhunt ensues. When you finally call
home, you claim you were kidnapped by minorities. Your punishment for
lying to police includes mowing grass — and news outlets both national
and local consider it so important they cover it with not only a story
but also photos. What's the old phrase? "They will take us over without firing a single shot"? Sounds about right.
Pfffft. Typical Auburn. Trying to pad its always-easy schedule with another I-AA creampuff.
Even for people who aren't big football fans, college football in the South evokes memories of Saturdays spent with family and friends and time-honored traditions.
So dig out the pajamas and let's Wreck Tech!
Even the smallest effort makes a difference overseas
Sometime before 1 a.m. EDT, I got an e-mail from a friend of mine who's serving with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan.
It was much the same as the others he's sent in the months since he first arrived in the Middle East. He asks a few questions and makes some comments about things I've mentioned in previous correspondence. He talks about weightlifting, as it's one of the only ways to fend off boredom during his limited free time. But as for what he's doing and what's happening to them, he doesn't talk much about it because he can't.
In this note, however, he said he had been on his first convoy and noted, "We didn't get shot at." He also mentioned that he and his group are relocating to a more remote site that has no amenities. Reading between the lines, I got the impression he will be performing more dangerous tasks in a more volatile area.
But one of his last comments stuck with me the most. "I got your letter the other day," he said. "Thank you. That is the most important part of the day, when you walk by the HQ office door and look to see if your name is on it for mail."
"E-mails are great, but hard mail is the best. People back home don't realize what it's like being over here and not getting mail."
It reminded me of a story I heard on NPR early in the month about the war and whether Americans feel any sort of sacrifice in their daily lives. The final interview of the piece, a worried mother whose voice trembles as she talks about her son, Terry Hollowell, is almost more than I can bear to hear. "They have organizations in the community that organize letter-writing," she said. "When my son was in the first Gulf War, he said the soldiers would line up at mail call. Some that didn't get mail, their face was so disappointed. And the ones that got mail, their face just lit up really good." When asked whether there's anything else Americans can do to help military personnel, her answer was simple: "Pray. Pray like I do. I ask God to put angels in front of him every night. And of course to watch over every other mother's son who's over there. That's about it. Pray."
If you have any interest in writing to an active-duty soldier, please visit Military Mail.
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