The ball is tipped and there you are

Hey, Megs,

It's the best four consecutive days of the year! Happy March Madness!!

In honor of the start of the tournament, I just wanted to post this: yet another reason to loathe Mike Krzyzewski.

Courtesy of CNN.com--

March 18, 2009

Coach K disses Obama's basketball picks

Posted: 07:21 PM ET

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

The President predicted that Duke's archrival, North Carolina, will win the NCAA tournament.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski isn't thrilled his team got snubbed by the leader of the free world.

"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets," Krzyzewski told a reporter from the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Related: Obama's Final Four picks revealed

The president filled out his NCAA bracket for ESPN on Tuesday, and the Blue Devils weren't among his Final 4 picks. Instead, he has Coach K's squad falling to Pittsburgh in the Elite 8.

Obama's pick to win the Big Dance? Duke's archrival, the University of North Carolina.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a d-bag.

Go, Heels!

Remember, you can watch the games online courtesy of CBS Sports. Click here.

love, molly

previous post title source: "Chick Habit," April March

I just question our modern needs

Hey, Megan,

Happy Birthday (yesterday)! I hope you had a day befitting the start of your thirty third trip around the sun. I had to tell you about my hilariously odd run-in with Walker. (I thought after I got home that I should have called you and had him wish you a happy birthday. Total waste of a golden opportunity there. I apologize.)

Anyway, I actually saw Walker twice in one week. Lucky me! First time was at the Belcourt for the Loudon Wainwright III show. (A bit of a bummer of a show, to be honest. Loudon had lost his voice and was not in the best of moods. At one point, he even started to stop the show and offer refunds until some yay-hoo told him to keep going. I was thinking, "Zip it, dude. We just got to hear the best of his voice AND he's offering us our money back!" Loved his daughter, though. (This was Lucy, not Martha--I have no knowledge on which to base an opinion of Martha.) She led the theater in a sing-a-long of "Hungry Heart"! It was awesome. I did not look to see if Walker was singing along.

Now, a Loudon Wainwright III show at the Belcourt is a not-atypical place to see Walker. But yesterday? We saw him at the Lawn and Garden Show!! So odd! I had just picked up some free zinnia seeds when I looked up and saw him ambling about. He exchanged pleasantries and made fun of Kevin's beard for a while, and then (sort of) explained his presence there by saying that he had lost his girlfriend. (A collective cry of "Dangit!" could be heard from the heavens!)

Ella with duck. Only $6! (Duck was not purchased.)

We had a fun time at the garden show, though it just further highlighted how much work we have to do to get the yard to look nice. Part of me wants to just give up and turn the whole yard into an Herbal Express Railway, a la the Nashville Garden Railway Society (bonus points if the train can stop by my kitchen window and let me pick fresh herbs). Holy moley, did Luke love that train!

Note: This crappy picture is but a placeholder photo until I can upload a decent pic from my digital camera. Still, can you see the love?

He spent a good twenty minutes running around this display. When they told us he could watch the train through a tunnel at the end? It was all over. Passers-by stopped to watch and listen to his joyous cries of wonderment. It was a sight to behold, and we are all the better for it.

In sum, who would have thought that you could find joy and Walker at the Lawn and Garden Show?

I hope you had a great birthday, Megs! I miss you and I love you!

love, molly

previous post title source: "On the Nickel," Tom Waits

What becomes of all the little boys who never comb their hair

Hey, Megs,

I just read this status update by one of my friends on Facebook, and since I can't comment there (it would be mean), I thought I'd do it here.

____________ is excited for Saving Abel and Nickelback tonight!

Really? I mean, I don't think I've ever known someone who actually liked Nickelback, let alone liked them enough to purchase tickets to one of their concerts. They do sell tons of records, though, against all odds that I seem to impose upon them. Maybe the people I know are not as much a part of the cultural zeitgeist as I would wish?

In news of better things that I have read, I am working my way through an outstanding Outside the Lines piece on espn.com. Wright Thompson (an Oxford resident, and a FB friend of many of my friends [those who are not fans of Nickelback]) has written an impressive essay, "Ghosts of Mississippi," about Ole Miss in 1962 (the year that James Meredith enrolled). I highly recommend it.

love, molly

previous post title source: "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)," Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

When she's dreamin', sometimes she sings in French

Hey, Megs,

More internet fun. Look at all of the good times your Luddite ways are making you miss out on!

1 - BAND NAME: Go to Wikipedia. Hit Random Article. The first article you get is the name of your band.

2 - ALBUM TITLE: Go to The Quotations Page. Click Random Quotations. The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - COVER ART: Go to flickr and click on Explore the last seven days. Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.


I wish that I had photoshop or something to make an actual cover, but here goes:

Band: Aristocrat Leisure
Album: Without a Single Doubt
Cover:

Posing with Skeletons, from Hannhell (via flickr)

In other meme news, the dean showed up this morning and let me see the song on his iPod. He was rather distressed, and with good reason. His song for the day? "Atrocity Exhibition," by Joy Division.

I told him he could join me for my song, "Kentucky Cocktail." (Oh, Pavement, do you ever disappoint?)

I hope you're doing well. I miss you!

love, molly

ps--the full quote was from Descartes: "The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt."

previous post title source: "Saturday in the Park," Chicago

Listen children all is not lost

Hey, Megs,

It occurs to me that I have not posted any pictures of the kids recently. Herewith:




We went to Dragon Park on Saturday, part of my effort to get the kids out of the house so that Kevin could sleep peacefully for a few hours. (Such is the life of the bartender and his wife.) Ella, Luke, and I spent some time down in Hillsboro Village--bought a couple of cookbooks at Bookman/Bookwoman, window-shopped at Pangaea (trust me, you cannot take kids in that store), and ate hot dogs at The Dog of Nashville. It was a fun time. In case you can't tell, the kids refused to stand still together for me to get a picture.

Side note: I do not recommend the Dog of Nashville. I had the Chicago-style dog, and it was no match for what they offer at Hot Diggity Dog downtown. Maybe a late-night treat, but the place is only open until midnight, and that only on Friday and Saturday nights. Plus, the Dog's fries are not good. At Hot Diggity Dog, they treat their fries with respect, serving them in their own little brown paper bag. Those are some damn good fries. The Dog's are not so much. If you're in Hillsboro Village (or, "The Vill"--Kevin is trying to start that) for a cheap lunch, I recommend McDougal's (the Chicken Coop) or Savarino's. Don't let the Dog tempt you!

I hope all is well!

love, molly

ps--since this post feels naked without a reference to the A.V. Club, here's my favorite quote from the site today, from the review of Red Hot compilation Dark Was the Night: "In your face, Buffalo Tom."

previous post title source: "Fat Bottomed Girls," Queen

You make the rockin' world go 'round

Hey, Megs,

I saw this today and it made me think of you:

16. Queen, “Fat Bottomed Girls”

Is there any topic Queen couldn’t turn into a soaring rock anthem? On this 1978 hit, Freddie Mercury sings from the perspective of a kid turned into a “bad boy” by an overweight nanny named Fanny. A horrific case of sexual abuse? Hell no! The kid grows up to be a rock star with his choice of any “blue-eyed floozy” he wants. But you know what he really likes? Fat-bottomed girls who remind him of his first love. Why? They make the rockin’ world go round. How? Who knows? But if Mercury’s lyrics alone don’t sell the sentiment, the enthusiastic harmonies and crunching guitar solos do. It could double as a jingle for the National Association To Advance Fat Acceptance.

Another instance of the genius that is the A.V. Club, this from the list Put ’em in your mouth and suck ’em: 30 (mostly sexual) odes to various body parts, from top to bottom.

It was a nice reminder on a Monday of what remains the best phone message ever: "Hey, Molls. It's Megs. I was just calling to say hi. I heard 'Fat Bottomed Girls' today and it made me think of you."

Again, thanks.

love, molly

previous post title source: "You Make Lovin' Fun," Fleetwood Mac

Sweet wonderful you

Hey, Megs,

Another post related to the A.V. Club. Let me go ahead and highly suggest looking into that website. It is a treasure trove of excellent writing, new music, and pop-culture references. Regular highlights include the weekly inventory, published on Mondays (these range in subject matter--some recents: The gift that keeps on taking: 15 terrible presents in TV and film, I vant to suck your broccoli: 23 unusual vampire variations, and Hey, teacher! Leave those kids alone!: 26 evil, awful, or just plain stupid educators in TV and film); new music reviews, published on Tuesdays (and generally featuring samples of key songs from each of the reviewed albums); the Tolerability Index; and, the subject of today's post, the AVQ&A, published on Fridays. (The site also features Dan Savage's advice column Savage Love and--a long-time favorite--Max Cannon's genius cartoon, Red Meat.)

Today's AVQ&A question: What handful of songs would you put on a mix-tape for someone you love or are trying to woo?

The list has some great songs on it, plus some questionable songs, but it's the descriptions that I love. This is my favorite, from Steve Hyden:

Fleetwood Mac, "You Make Lovin' Fun"

This giddy ode to puppy love is all the more affecting because it's sung by Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac’s sad-voiced Edith Piaf, who never again allowed herself to sound so joyous on record. You can almost forgive her for writing a song about banging the band's lighting director, then making her ex-husband play bass on it.


I highly recommend this feature. They even made a virtual mix-tape for your listening pleasure.

Happy Valentine's Day!

love, molly

ps--the Ben Folds song on here, "The Luckiest," is oh-so-pretty, and was also featured on NPR's Make-Out Mix.

previous post title source: "The Chicken Dance Song," ???.