An A-MUSE-ing Adventure

Pun intended and amusing doesn't even come close to describing mine and Caitlin's trip to see Muse last night. Amazing is much more like it!!!!

You can't live in my house and not be a Muse fan because they are Caitlin's favorite band. She got me into them and now I can't live without them either. To me, they are like the 21st century version of Queen- one of my top bands of all time. We drove 6 hours to the other side of Atlanta to see them play last night at the Gwinett Center. And it was oh so much more than worth it!!!!

Things I learned from this excursion...#1- note to self, Caitlin is not a good navigator. Must get a GPS. #2- ibuprofen and caffeine pills are necessary for trips like this. Put some in the glove compartment. #3- Mapquest doesn't take into account Saturday evening Atlanta traffic. It said 4 1/2 hours drive time when it actually took us a little over 6. #4- the crazy folks come out in droves for concerts like this.

Before I discuss the music itself, I have to tell you about the aforementioned crazies. I people watch everywhere I go and believe me, there was a lot to look at last night. The first crazy we encountered was on the walk into the venue. Some dude was handing out pamphlets urging us to force the government to re-examine 9/11. So not the place for such things. Then we got inside and to our section. I swear Snooki from Jersey Shore was knee walking drunk about 6 rows in front of us, Jack Black was rocking out to our right- nearly taking out the people beside him with his constant fist punches in the air and the Lint Licker Lady from the Orbitz gum commercials was snogging her boyfriend the whole time. Do people people watch me like I do them? I hope not. What really amazed me was the eclectic mix of fans. There were people in their early teens, loads of people my age and a surprising number of older folks. The older folks were the funniest. There was a grandma who made about 4 beer runs (and when I say beer, I mean the big $15 half-gallon size cups). I was shocked she could actually find her seat after run #4. And then there was the pepaw on the row in front of us who jammed to every song. He knew all the lyrics and danced the entire time. It was almost more fun to watch him than the band.

OK, who am I kidding, no it wasn't. When the concert started, I was on my own feet for the whole 2 hours that Muse played, dancing and singing myself. They were better live than on CD. Not a lot of bands can make that claim to fame. They sang about 20 songs and had a great laser light show. They even sang my fave of their songs, "Time is Running Out." I was afraid they wouldn't because it's one of their older ones. Those of you who were in my class last semester might remember that I quoted "Uprising" on the top of one of the tests. Hear it live...you'll be ready to start your own revolution.

The best thing about last night's concert is that we get to do it again in 16 days. They are coming to the Sommet Center in Nashville and we have tickets to that one too. My hearing will be back from concert #1 just in time for me to go to concert #2. If you can get tickets to the Nashville show, I wholeheartedly advise you to. It will be the best $50 bucks you've spent on music.

Biscotti for a Good Cause

Who doesn't love a good piece of biscotti? Especially when it helps someone reach a milestone goal in their lives. You have the opportunity to help Cathleen, a student in my Franklin class, in her plans to go to Mexico on a mission trip this year. I'll let her tell you about it in her own words...

Hola amigos! I hope wherever this find you, tu estés muy bien! I am excited to share with you that I am Mexico-bound for the second time. June 15th my man and I will be on plane headed for Mazatlan, as we have privilege and joy of walking out the love of Jesus among the Mexican people with a mission team from Thompson Station Church, ministering to local villages through Centro Cristiano Espiritu y Verdad. As part of raising funds, I am prepared to don my apron and flour my parchment paper to bring you biscotti! A batch of 10 italian twice-baked cookies will run you $8.00, and are perfect for soaking in your coffee, hot chocolate, tea, or cider. Flavors offered include :
Deeply Chocolate (chocolate biscotti, chocolate chunks)
Mocha Almond (mocha biscotti, roasted almond slivers)
White Chocolate Peppermint (minty biscotti, crushed peppermints & white chocolate chips)
Cranberry Orange Spice (spice biscotti, crasins & orange zest)
Butter Pecan (pecan biscotti base, roasted pecan pieces)
Lemon-Almond (lemon biscotti, roasted almond slivers)
I'll be in the Columbia class Monday to collect orders and payments, and will have fresh, tasty biscotti for you Columbia kids on Wednesday! I'll be taking orders and payments at the Franklin campus on Friday, and your lovely biscotti will be available to you the following week!
With gratitude,
Cathleen, your fellow history student
P.S. We are working with the children of rural villages and plan to distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, lightly used children's clothes, shoes, and small toys, so if you're interested in donating any of those items, I will gladly receive them.
*Due to risk of contamination, biscotti consumption is not recommended for individuals with nut allergies.

To sweeten the pot (pun intended) I'm going to offer everyone in my classes who buy a batch of Cathleen's biscotti a 5 point bonus on their next test. I'll even give you 10 points for two batches. You can buy more to help her cause but there is a 10 point max on the bonus offer. If you aren't in class and want to order some, either comment on this post or give me an email. Let's all band together to help Cathleen help others!

Book Review: Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen

I figured that everyone would soon be heading out to amass their own stockpiles of Kit Kats and reading material just in case the big storm hits (fingers crossed that it actually doesn't). I thought I would offer some suggestions for your reading pleasure.

Michelle Moran's Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen are two of the best books that I have read in a long time. Both are historical fiction stories set in Ancient Egypt. There are only a handful of women who are remembered in Egyptian history. Nefertiti and her husband Ahkenaten set Egypt down a road of religious upheaval in the first book while Nefertari (Nefertiti's niece and the wife of Pharaoh Rameses the Great from Exodus in The Bible) is left a generation later to deal with the aftermath of her relative's actions.

Note that I said historical "fiction." What usually turns me off about historical fiction is that the author writes their own stories about real people, completely ignoring the facts about their lives (i.e. a certain story about Anne Boleyn that was recently made into a movie that made me scream "NO, NO, NO! THAT'S WRONG!" in the theater).

However, these two books are different. Nefertiti and Nefertari were real queens of Egypt but we have very little specific information about them. When she set down to write the stories, Michelle Moran actually went to Egypt to dig up as much information on them as she could find. She freely admits that in many cases, she had to connect the dots to tell the stories but she tried to keep the stories as true to life as possible. Their clothing, food, household items and religious rituals are true to life.

The stories are so enthralling that you forget that they are fiction. It is very easy to believe that this is exactly what these women were like. Loved them, loved them, loved them! It only took me about 3 hours apiece to read them. Needless to say, the next time I'm within stopping distance of a Barnes and Noble, I'm going to pick up Ms. Moran's 3rd book, Cleopatra's Daughter.

More Snow to Come...

With the gorgeous days over the weekend, I was really beginning to think that Phil the Groundhog was punking us about his Groundhog's Day prediction of 6 more weeks of bad weather. And then I was watching the news last night. I know meteorologists tend to be a little dramatic about the weather but this time, they've even got me worried.

Many of you are too young (or weren't even here yet) to remember the ice storms of 1993-94. Believe me, bad doesn't come anywhere close to describing them. Ice coated everything for days, the lights were out forever in many places, it was rough getting food. Crews came in from other states to help our local folks get the power back on and even then, it didn't always stay on.

Guess what...the dramatic meteorologists are calling for the weather next week to rival if not surpass the horribleness that was Ice Storm 93-94. NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'm already so far behind in my classes its pathethic. If that happens, I'll never get caught up. I swear, I'm going to call up Sarah Palin and order me some ididerod sled dogs so I can get out if the big one hits. And before they get here, I'm going to hit the Wally World to stock up on the basics- Kit Kats, toilet paper and new books (ice storms call for new reading material doncha think?). I'll probably throw in some bottled water, bread and kerosene just in case. Let's all head out right now before all the crazies take over Wal-Mart and stock up. And if it doesn't hit like they are predicting, oh well, Kit Kats and new books are always welcome.

Has Spring Sprung?

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Wasn't it absolutely beautiful outside? I should have been grading papers but holy cow, after weeks of ice and snow it was nice to see a little sunlight.

Now that does make me wonder...do a couple of fairly warm days mean that Spring is upon us? The reason that I ask is that because everywhere I looked Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there were folks running around in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops. People broke out the carwashing buckets and I swear there was a guy in our neighborhood who spent all day Saturday mowing and weed eating his yard.

Don't get me wrong. You all know how much I love my flippy flops (winter teacher shoes are about to drive me off the deep end!) and yes, I was one of the people who got out there with the bucket. But are we jumping on the Spring bandwagon just a little too early? I was looking at the weather a little earlier and they are calling for snow again Tuesday or Wednesday. Will the shorts folks break out their sweats again or will they brave the cold in their cut-offs? Just a question that has been bugging me all weekend.

Oh, and BTW, I really didn't have much choice but to wash the car. The Caitlin-mobile is supposed to be red but with all the salt from the roads, it was more of a pink. We washed the windows but despite the sun, it was a little too cold for my blood and we ended up running it through a car wash to finish the job. Yes, I'm a slacker and I know it : )

Attn: Clifton Students ONLY

Once again, Mother Nature is laughing at us. Why doesn't she want you guys to learn history? Have we done something to offend her?

Seriously though, Columbia State is opening two hours late therefore the 8:00 and 9:30 classes have been cancelled for today. Employees aren't even supposed to come to the campus until 9:45.

So what does that mean for us. For one thing, it means that I need to have a Come to Jesus Meeting with Mother Nature (something tells me she would win!). Today's test will be pushed back to next Monday. Since you guys have had so much extra study time, I'm expecting stupendous grades on this one! (JK, JK) On Wednesday of this week, we're meeting with Ms. Scott from the Library to work on source material for the essays. I'll give you guys the info on that then. I'll also give you a revised schedule for the rest of the semester.

If you can get in touch with any of the others in class, please tell them to check the blog and their emails. Otherwise, go back to bed and snuggle up with a hot chocolate and of course your notes so you can get a little extra studying in!

IF YOU ARE A STUDENT FROM MY COLUMBIA CLASS READING THIS, THE INFO DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU. AS OF RIGHT NOW, OUR 2:00 CLASS WILL MEET AS SCHEDULED. I'LL POST AGAIN IF ANYTHING CHANGES.

Happy Valentine's Day

Smooches and roses, chocolates and cards, here we go once again celebrating the day dedicated to love. Every year, the florists, candy and card companies make a killing off of couples celebrating St. Valentine's Day. But who was Valentine and why is his day associated with love?

In the year 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I dedicated February 14 as the day to honor several Christian martyrs named Valentine. They were canonized as St. Valentine by the Catholic Church and Valentine's Day was a day to celebrate the love they had for their faith.

It's not until the 14th century that there was a shift in what kind of love was being celebrated on Valentine's Day. This was a time of courtly love, knights and their ladies fair. King Richard II of England wrote a poem to his then-fiance Anne of Bohemia describing how Valentine's Day was a celebration of their love for each other. Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, described two love birds who nuzzled with each other on V-Day (he really was talking about birds, not peeking in somebody's bedroom window).

Exchanging cards on Valentine's Day became popular in Britain and America in the late 18th century. During Victorian times, these cards became quite racy- which is ironic because the Victorian times were known for being very prudish. By the 20th century, the custom once again shifted a bit. Typically, men were supposed to present their lady loves with the traditional card plus other gifts like roses, chocolates and jewelry. In the 1980's, diamond brokers started promoting the diamond ring as the perfect V-Day present. Needless to say, lots of marriage proposals came on Valentine's Day.

Since I don't have a significant other to celebrate the day with, I'll just consider you all my valentines. The card at the top is for you. Have a happy one!