What Am I Doing Here?

A little poetry, a little photography, and a little commentary with a bit of food and humor along the way. That is how my blog continues to move along in these days of pandemic and political polarization. Here is a small sampling of recent blog posts. 

Commentary

If past is prologue, then a letter from some white Birmingham ministers in 1963 illustrates how nice established society continues to respond to racial inequities to this day. “How Shall We Respond to Dr.King’s Dream?” takes a look at how we’re doing.

“War Is (Still) Not the Answer” written just after the U. S. pulled its troops from Afghanistan, offers a few thoughts on why I side with the Quakers on matters of war. 

“Can anyone say that we are a life-affirming culture when we cannot keep our children from being gunned down in their schools?” “Why do we Sacrifice Our Children?”  has been one of my most-viewed posts lately and, sadly, one that has been posted several times before. 

On a different note, “Giving Thanks Prayer by Native Americans” shares an old indigenous practice. Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants writes that the various Native American tribes have one thing in common: “we are rooted in cultures of gratitude.”

 A Place for Poetry

“Autumn Gold” presents a photo of a ginkgo tree I happened upon one day and the haiku that it inspired. In November, I was amazed to find a perfect camellia blossom. In “Last Blooms,” I posted my photo and another haiku from that encounter.

And speaking of haiku, the art of legendary singer Tony Bennett has served as inspiration for a series of haiku. “Tony Bennett and Me” offers the links to those featured on my Saturday Haiku feature.

“Autumn: A Time to Settle” is a re-post of one of my poems which has also been featured in the Birmingham Arts Journal.

“Remembering Brian Hawkins” offers my recollection of a poet and spoken word artist gone too soon.

 Just for Fun

“Backyard Birdland” is a bit of whimsy I caught on video in which a towhee and a squirrel argue over a birdbath. Earlier in the year, I captured a video of goldfinches feeding in the flower garden. In July, it was pure luck that I photographed a hummingbird face-to-face with another hummer as he zoomed in toward the feeder.

Food and Humor

Because sometimes we need to lighten up, I often post a cartoon on Fridays and will occasionally share a recipe I am excited about.

“The Queen’s Drop Scone Pancakes” shares my discovery of the recipe that Queen Elizabeth presented to President Eisenhower when she visited the U.S. back in the 1950s.

“The Way Bach Wrote It” and “Tell me you haven’t had this dream” are two magazine cartoons I’ve shared and “Buster Keaton – The Art of the Gag” is a short video I found on the creativity of early filmmaker/comedian..

There is always Music

There is music every week – each Monday, in fact. One of the most popular music posts was Bob Dylan’s cover of StephenFoster’s “Hard Times.”

A camellia blooming in November

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It's Still Not Dark Yet

Last week, Not Dark Yet surpassed 500,000 page-views. I am thankful for any visits made to these blog pages and would like to take this moment to highlight some of the more popular posts so far this year. 

My most popular essay this year is “A Place a Place of Gratitude.” In fact, since I posted it in January, it has continued to rank number one on the blog list of “Popular posts.” I don’t think any other post has remained in first place for that long (almost six months in the number one spot, and over 1200 page-views so far).

 
A re-post in February was spurred by our nation’s dealing with refugees. In the poem, “Emigres,” I attempt to offer some insight from the point-of-view of a refugee family.    

“Have We Become a Nation of Day Laborers?” takes a look into the state of work and employment, showing how “From college profs to the loading docks, we're seeing changes in the workplace.”  

“Pot Luck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church” takes a look at how one might approach those who hold stricter religious views.

“Opportunity’s Last Call” is a poem inspired by the final transmission of the Mars rover, “Opportunity.”

Helen McNicoll was a Canadian artist of the Impressionist movement. Her work inspired a series of haiku which I wrote for my Saturday Haiku feature. You can see that series listed with links to each haiku at “Canadian Artist Helen McNicoll.”

“Birmingham Bards & Brews” is a spoken word event that happens at the Birmingham Public Library on the first Friday night of each month (except December). I did a blog post about the event last March.

“Make a News Road” examines the possible influence of Spanish poet Antonio Machado in an episode of the new Star Trek series, Discovery.

So many of us were affected by the tragic fire that gutted the Notre Dame Cathedral. I composed a Maundy Thursday Prayer for the Notre Dame Cathedral in response to that event.

“Remembering Harper Lee” is a re-post in honor of the author’s birthday which looks at Nelle Lee as one who exemplified the classic hero’s journey.

“Why Pray?” takes a personal look at how liturgical prayer, as in the 1979 Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church, can shape one’s outlook for the better.

Thank you to all who stop to read some of what this blog has to offer. I have not even touched upon the recipes, music, and humor shared, so there is more to peruse when you have the time. Comments are welcome, and readership is always appreciated.

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500,000

Last week, Not Dark Yet surpassed 500,000 page-views. I am thankful for any visits made to these blog pages and would like to take this moment to highlight some of the more popular posts so far this year. 

My most popular essay this year is “A Place a Place of Gratitude.” In fact, since I posted it in January, it has continued to rank number one on the blog list of “Popular posts.” I don’t think any other post has remained in first place for that long (almost six months in the number one spot, and over 1200 page-views so far).

 
A re-post in February was spurred by our nation’s dealing with refugees. In the poem, “Emigres,” I attempt to offer some insight from the point-of-view of a refugee family.    

“Have We Become a Nation of Day Laborers?” takes a look into the state of work and employment, showing how “From college profs to the loading docks, we're seeing changes in the workplace.”  

“Pot Luck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church” takes a look at how one might approach those who hold stricter religious views.

“Opportunity’s Last Call” is a poem inspired by the final transmission of the Mars rover, “Opportunity.”

Helen McNicoll was a Canadian artist of the Impressionist movement. Her work inspired a series of haiku which I wrote for my Saturday Haiku feature. You can see that series listed with links to each haiku at “Canadian Artist Helen McNicoll.”

“Birmingham Bards & Brews” is a spoken word event that happens at the Birmingham Public Library on the first Friday night of each month (except December). I did a blog post about the event last March.

“Make a News Road” examines the possible influence of Spanish poet Antonio Machado in an episode of the new Star Trek series, Discovery.

So many of us were affected by the tragic fire that gutted the Notre Dame Cathedral. I composed a Maundy Thursday Prayer for the Notre Dame Cathedral in response to that event.

“Remembering Harper Lee” is a re-post in honor of the author’s birthday which looks at Nelle Lee as one who exemplified the classic hero’s journey.

“Why Pray?” takes a personal look at how liturgical prayer, as in the 1979 Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church, can shape one’s outlook for the better.

Thank you to all who stop to read some of what this blog has to offer. I have not even touched upon the recipes, music, and humor shared, so there is more to peruse when you have the time. Comments are welcome, and readership is always appreciated.

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A Brief Look Back

Here is a brief rundown of a few of the popular posts on Not Dark Yet over the past quarter.

There are two features that occur without fail each week. Every Monday, I share a musical offering (usually from YouTube). By far, the most popular Monday Music offering this past quarter was by Nat King Cole, "When I Grow to Old to Dream." On Saturdays, I post an original haiku. The haiku that received the most views during the last three months was "Inner Woods" (which was accompanied by a painting by e.e. cummings).

Personal essay is another primary feature on my blog. I try to have a variety of topics ranging from social commentary to spirituality to human interest and literary topics. The most widely read essay this time was "On Spiritual Practice, Poetry, and the Inadequacy of Language." 

After the tragic shooting in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue, I wrote an essay, "Standing with Friends in Synagogue," in which I recounted my visit to The Great Synagogue in Florence, Italy. 

One of my posts from 2012 always gets renewed interest each winter, "Winter Solstice and a Poem for the Longest Night." That post features one of my poems, "To Zarathustra," and I was pleased that once again it was one of the most frequently viewed posts this time.

I re-posted some of my journalistic poems last fall, one of which was "No Time for Weeping," which was an appeal to greater care for the environmental. Then I reworked one of my previous posts on Hildegard of Bingen which I titled, "The Feminine Voice for a Pivotal Age," and was pleased that it was one of my more popular posts.  

A Place of Gratitude is another re-post that I thought would be a good way to begin the new year. It turned out to be another one of my most frequently viewed post for the entire quarter.

In connection with Martin Luther King Day observance, I found a video with King's "I Have a Dream speech." I shared that 17-minute video because I felt that it was important to take the time to listen to the entire speech at this time when we find ourselves hoping for some glimpses of the better angels of our nature.

Last month I included a book review.  Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke, is a suspenseful page-turner of a novel.  A great story with fully developed characters, but more than that, the writing is sheer beauty.

Thanks to all readers, followers, and visitors to this blog site. I hope you will continue to stop to peruse my offerings each week!

300,000

I posted the first blog entry for Not Dark Yet on New Year’s Eve, 2009. Five years later, I had received 100,000 page views on my blog. Following that milestone, it took just over two years to reach 200,000 page views on January 26, 2017. On Christmas Day, a little less than a year later, the blog achieved another 100,000 views to reach 300,000. For whatever reason, more people are visiting. 

To mark that 300,000 occasion, I am doing a brief review of select posts from the past year in which those last 100,000 views occurred. Each title is hyperlinked, so you can click on the title to see the actual blog post. (Also, if you look to the right-hand column of this site, you will see the top ten posts for the past month)

I. Haiku

I do an original haiku every Saturday. Here are three from last year:

“Riverside” – using a painting by Renoir as inspiration, I was able to capture a quiet summer afternoon sensation.  

“Mount Fuji” – probably the shortest haiku I have written, only six syllables in all. Yet is was one of my most viewed. What I particularly like about it is the visual effect. The poem itself resembles a reflection of the mountain it addresses. 

“Solar Eclipse” – commemoration of the total eclipse seen by much of the country last summer.  

II. Poetry

“Sufi Tears” was written as a lament in response to the terrorist bombing of a mosque in Egypt.

“The Why of Daffodils” is one of a series of journalist poems I wrote called “Bearing Witness to the Times.” It asks the question, “why are we comforted by such beauty in the presence of our sorrow?”  

“The Government We Get” speaks to the notion that fascism seems to be the default means of government that people tend to fall back to when times are uncertain.  

“Life is a Seamless Garment” was written around 2001, but I did not release it until this year. It is one of my longer poems that speaks to the varied wonders of existence.

III. Essay

“Grace in a Time of Hate” is a reflection on a visit to Grace Episcopal Church after the dismay of watching the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, VA last August. 

“The Windows of St. David’s Church” tells about four unusual church windows depicting the literary heritage of the Anglican Church. It also recalls my first remarkable encounter with St. Hilda of Whitby.

IV. Music

“Seven Story Mountain” – Every Monday on my blog, it’s “Monday Music,” featuring a different music video each week from an eclectic choice of musical styles. One of the most viewed was a new discovery for me of a new grass Americana group called “Railroad Earth.” For me, “Seven Story Mountain” brought forth echoes of Dante and Thomas Merton.  

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The Stairway to Nowhere

Banner from Taylor Field's blog site

My friend Taylor Field, author of several books including Mercy Streets: Seeing Grace on the Streets of New York and Upside Down Devotion, is director of Graffiti Ministries on New York City’s Lower East Side. Graffiti offers a variety of services, both physical and spiritual, to many of the marginalized people in the city. They "invite the uninvited and serve the underserved." 

Taylor has a new project in progress on his blog The Stairway to Nowhere. He has been posting an original poem each day since October 1^st. I don’t know how long his daily poems will continue, but they are well worth checking out. Here are two of my favorites of his so far:

Origins

I get it.

Natural selection

algorithms with time

incidental connection

Still

when I hear thunder

I don’t see why

I wonder.


                  *   *   *

Age

Now you are so positive

that what you say is true

now you are so confident

that here’s the thing to do.

There’s a hint of preachiness

you think your thoughts are pure

I liked you better certainly

the times you weren’t so sure.

Each day’s post has a photo to go with the poem to highlight the effect. I think you will find it visually evocative, spiritually nourishing, and intellectually stimulating.

So hop on over to Taylor Field’s blog at https://thestairwaytonowhere.wordpress.com.

It’s a coffee and freedom blog! Who can’t get on board with that kind of endeavor?

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2016 – What was I thinking?!

I took a look back over my blog activity for the past year. On occasion, I have done year-end reviews by posting the top ten posts over the previous 12 months. This time I decided to look at each month and list the most popular post for that month. 

Here are the top posts for each month:

January – Where Grace Abounds - A reflection of my visit to Grace Episcopal Church in the Woodlawn area of downtown Birmingham, "Where Street and Altar Meet."

February – Living Beyond Cupid’s Arrow - A Valentine's Day posting about love, limerence, and human bonding.

March – Spirituality is Relational - A look back over one roller coaster of a week.

April – She Sat in Autumn - One of my favorite poems. A reflective memory of my grandmother.

May – Revisiting Our Town (a Mother’s Day Memory) - A Mother's Day post that is both a childhood memory and a reflection of Thornton Wilder's play.

June – Southern Nights and Stereotypes - A re-post which is both a childhood memory and a look at Rick Bragg's book, All Over but the Shoutin'.

July – Brave New World … At Breakfast - Another re-post. This one looking at how our work practices and on-the-go lifestyles may be diminishing our sense of community.

August – Saturday Haiku: Foggy Morning - One of my weekly haiku which got more views than anything else in August.

September – Two Poems for 9/11 - I shared one original poem and one by Adam Zagajewski, each written to commemorate the 9/11 attack on New York's Twin Towers.

October – The Return of Ol’ Possum - One of my "urban wildlife" experiences.

November – Do Not Grow Weary with Well Doing - My response to the Presidential election results.

December – Saturday Haiku: December - Another of my weekly haiku that received many views.

In 2016, I also had two projects that were done in a series of posts. One was an eight-part series done through the month of March featuring reviews of books by people I know. The other was my own creative expressions of poetry written in response to works by master artists. You can find link to each series in the titles below:

Friends Writing Good Books

Artsongs Series: Poetry Inspired by Great Works of Art


Thank you to all who have visited my blog. I hope that you will keep visiting in the year ahead.



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Friends Writing Good Books: Rick Watson

Life Changes: Enjoy the Ride

Rick Watson
(Photo from author's website)

I met Rick Watson a few years back at the Alabama Writer's Conclave. I found out that he was a blogger, which interested me because I had just begun my Not Dark Yet blog about six months before. Rick's wife Jilda also blogs, so we all got more acquainted, following each other's blogs. I soon found out that Rick grew up in West Jefferson where my wife grew up, and that he has a home spun manner about the stories he tells. He writes a weekly column for The Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper, Alabama and has had articles featured in other newspapers in the region, including 280 Living, The Tannehill Trader, and 78 Magazine. Rick also does freelance writing for Village Living in Mountain Brook, The Hoover Sun, and The Homewood Star.

Life Changes: Just Breathe, is a collection of some of his best columns, and it is actually his third collection of essays. When Life Changes was about to hit the press, Rick asked me to read it and write a brief review for the back cover. Here is what I wrote as it appears on the back cover:

One of the best things about this delightful collection of essays is that Rick Watson shows us the value of an examined life. My guess is that you will relate immediately to the brief episodes that Rick shares in Life Changes. It doesn’t take long to read one, and then you’re hooked on reading the next. He may be driving down the road, sitting in the kitchen, or sitting on an old five-gallon paint can by the barn. Wherever he goes, he takes the time to reflect on life. Thankfully, he has shared those reflections with us. You’ll find something for every season of the year and every season of life in these pages. ~ Charles Kinnaird 

Rick has a page at Amazon which features all of his books at http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Watson/e/B001KDX1DE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

If you would like an autographed copy, he will gladly accommodate you if you go to his personal blog site, Life 101 at http://www.rickwatson-writer.com/p/books.html                                                                                                                                                       ~ 

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Top Ten Posts for 2014

Earlier this month when the number of pageviews for Not Dark Yet topped 100,000, I posted the top 20 most-viewed posts over the past five years. Today I am looking back over the past year and posting the top ten posts for 2014.

Here are the most frequently viewed posts for the past year:  

• Progressive Christianity: A New Avenue for Faith (636)
• Letting Go  (440)
• When Jesus Made the Cover of Time (162)
• Recipes My Daughter Likes: The Ultimate Veggie Burger (123)
• Haiku: Spring (122)
• Religious Freedom or Bigotry and Discrimination? (101)
• The Problem with Being Male (97)
• Holy Thursday (93)
• Haiku: Clouds (92)
• Monday Music: Cleo Laine (Turkish Delight) (92)

Thank you for visiting the blog over the past year. I hope you will continue to visit in the year ahead.

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100,000

I began blogging at Not Dark Yet on New Years Eve, 2009, which means I've been at this for five years now. Yesterday morning, this blog site reached the milestone of 100,000 pageviews. I don't know if that is good or bad or average, but it is nevertheless an opportunity to look back at what people have been viewing. Here are the top 20 most-viewed original posts:

• Southern Nights and Stereotypes
• Tibetan Sand Mandala: Precision and Prayer
• Dylan in China
• Every Grain of Sand
• How Pete Seeger Taught Me about Forgiveness
• Writing Haiku
• To Zarathustra: Poem for the Longest Night
• Moving Toward the Common Good, or Slouching Toward Dystopia?
• A Jungian Appreciation of Mary
• New Poem: The Incense Rises and Gathers
• Wendell Berry, Poet, Prophet, and Sage
• Icons
• Letting Go
• The Magic of John Coltrane
• Are Lawmakers Capable of Passing Humane Laws?
• Christmas Recipes: Fabulous Dinner Rolls
• Here's to a Legend
• Okra and PMS
• My Season with Dante
• Something Like the Peace Corps

Two videos that continue to be viewed each week and have received more online hits than any other blog post:

• Bob Dylan Interview: 60 Minutes with Ed Bradley
• Bobby McFerrin: Psalm 23

For a list of some of my own personal favorite essays, go to the "Essays" tab at the top of the page, or just look here.

Many thanks to all who have visited this blog. I hope you will continue to pay this site a visit as I continue to post essays and poetry, and as I share some of the things (including music, recipes, and books) that make the journey meaningful for me.


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Photo taken earlier this month by my daughter, Elaine, at Hilton Head Island where she has some artwork on display at the Walter Greer Gallery

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One Lovely Blog Award

I want to thank my friend and fellow blogger David Brazzeal at Pray Like A Gourmet for honoring Not Dark Yet with the One Lovely Blog Award. David uses his blog to share "Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul." We bloggers are always glad when people find time to read what we write and post, and who doesn't like a little recognition now and then? It seems that there are certain rules that accompany this award, so I will list them and then share my response (bending them a bit as you will see).

RULES OF THE AWARD:

   1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award (check)

   2. Display the banner/sticker/logo on your blog (check)

   3. Share 7 facts or things about yourself (coming up)

   4. Nominate 15 bloggers that you admire and inform nominees by commenting on

       their blog (see below)

Seven Things about Myself

A few years ago I was trying to write a brief bio for a journal that was publishing an essay I had written. I studied over it, whittled it down to a brief paragraph, and had my wife read over it. “Wait a minute,” she said, “This is just cut-and-dried information, what you think you would like those folks to see. I’ll write a bio about the real Charlie Kinnaird.” With that she sat down and typed out the following paragraph, ad lib, off the top of her head. I have enumerated her words to six traits, so I’ll have to add a seventh to fulfill the rules of the award.

As told by my wife:

   1.  Charlie Kinnaird is a very private man who asks no questions and gives no answers.

   2. He is often taken to bread making and brandy; music and medicine; lawn mowing

        and books; long soaks and the Eucharist (not necessarily in that order).

   3. He likes his religions varied, his friends intellectual, his dogs big, and his barbeque

        sliced.

   4. He ponders deep thoughts and honors honorable men.

   5. His nature leans toward loyalty and his world view leans toward the cock-eyed side.

   6. He fancies himself a word specialist and enjoys stringing words together which he

       will sometimes submit for publication in worthy literary journals. This brings much

       pleasure to many.

And my own seventh thing:

   7. I try to listen to my wife, though she may not think so at times. She is the one, after

       all, who suggested to me that I ought to write a blog.

Bloggers that I Admire

I’m bending the rules a bit on this one. I’m listing 15, but naming five. I have a long Reading List on my blogroll. This gives me a chance to see a variety of blogs each day as they are posted by the respective bloggers. Some are news/current event blogs, some literary, some spiritual, some are personal essay blogs recounting events in their lives. Some bloggers I have enjoyed have slacked off to very few postings, and some post daily. These are the 15 blogs that rise to the top of the list, but 15 awards is a lot. From these 15, I am selecting the first five for the One Lovely Blog award, but all of these I have found worth a visit:

1. Spiritually Speaking – Jane Philips brings psychology, spirituality, and a southern style together in her daily blogs
2. The Stairway to Nowhere – Taylor Field (author, pastor and director of Graffitti Ministries in New York City’s Lower East Side) brings coffee, spirituality, and hope to his blog posts
3. Life 101 – Rick Watson is a journalist, writer, and singer/songwriter who speaks directly about life from his downhome front porch perspective
4. Transformation Information – Jilda Watson (Rick’s wife) is a yoga teacher and singer/songwriter. She says, “deep inside you know the answer, your heart don't give bad advice"
5. Overcoming Cancer – Davy Campbell is a nurse practitioner and a personal colleague who has written about his ordeal with cancer in A Place I Didn't Want To Go: My Victory Over Cancer. He continues to offer inspiration from his unique vantage point as a blogger and public speaker. 
6. Afroculinaria – Michael Twitty is a remarkable fellow.  He is a culinary historian who brings the recipes of his slave ancestors to life, he teaches Judaic studies, and with his essays he brings an important perspective that white Southerners like me need to hear (as do all Americans, really). “To honor the food past and provide for the food future is what Michael calls, culinary justice.”
7. Tim Lennox.com – Tim has a long career in local radio and television.  Born in The Bronx, he has called Alabama home since 1976. Tim brings interesting news items to the fore with his daily blog entries.
8. Head and Heart – Roger Lovette, retired Baptist minister and former pastor of Birmingham’s Baptist Church of the Covenant, always brings a thoughtful, human, and humane perspective to important life issues.
9. The New Word Mechanic – Joseph Saling is a poet and editor (as he describes it, “word mechanic, or ink monkey”). He brings thoughtful original poetry to his blog.
10. Gary Presley – Gary Presley, author of Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio brings essays from a life perspective that we can all benefit from. 
11. One Cannot Have Too Large a Party – Penelope Nash is an Episcopal minister who brings photography, prayer, and celebration to her blog each day.
12. Imprints of Light – “Photographs and Thoughts by Daniel Owen, Anglican Minister and Amateur Photographer.” Daniel blogs from Ireland, and his photos are always worth viewing.
13. Darvish – Irving Karchmar  is a poet, writer and a Sufi practitioner. I find it enriching to get a view from his perspective.
14. The Velveteen Rabbi – Following Rabbi Rachel Barenblat gives me some clues and glimpses into the practice of Judaism.
15. Roger McGuinn’s Folk Den – Roger McGuinn (The Byrds, The New Christy Minstrels) acts as a folk music historian, bringing examples of folk music from historical periods and offering a brief background for each piece.

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Life 101

My friend, Rick Watson has a blog called Life 101. He talks a lot about his daily encounters and what it's like to live down South. Rick also has a regular column in the Daily Mountain Eagle but his latest writing endeavor is a new book, Life Happens. One reviewer said, "Life Happens is a collection of very entertaining 4-5 page stories. Gives one a great picture of what it is like growing up and living in the rural south of the United States. Part nostalgia, part modern, all true life tales that run the gamut of emotions. Thoroughly enjoyed it." 


It's out in paperback and also on kindle. Mosey on over to Rick's blog at http://www.rickwatson-writer.com/. Check out his blog. You'll see what he's writing about and you can find out more about his book (Rick says Marilyn LOVED it). If you like his blog and want to follow it, leave him a comment and tell him Charlie sent ya from Not Dark Yet.  



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Smart Cookie Award

I was recently surprised and honored to receive the Smart Cookie Award from Rick Watson who has a popular blog, Life 101. Thanks, Rick!

I understand that there are some rules that go along with this award. Here are the rules:

           1. Thank the award giver and link back to them in your post. 

           2. Share 4 little known facts on anything.  
           3. Pass this on to other "smart cookies" you may know. 

Here goes:
1. Thank the award giver and link back to them in your post.  (See above)  
2. Share 4 little known facts on anything. 

• The commonly used idiom, “spitting image,” was originally “spit and image.” I, like most, had heard the phrase as “spittin’ image” and just assumed that it was that habit of dropping the ‘g’ that is so often done in the South. When I learned of the “correct” phrase, it just made life more frustrating. That’s the problem with being a grammar geek – you are frustrated by all the incorrect grammar going on all about you. 

• Cholesterol actually performs a vital function in your body. Any student of anatomy knows that cholesterol forms a protective sheath around every nerve fiber in your body. Without that protective sheath, your nerves become damaged – leading to muscle pain and atrophy as well as declining mental function. That’s the problem with being an anatomy geek – you are frustrated by the pharmaceutical companies that make millions of dollars by foisting drugs on the public to reduce cholesterol which in turn can damage important neural pathways. It’s unnerving, really. 

• Groundhog Day is an American substitution for Candlemas, or the Feast of the Presentation, which was traditionally the time to announce the dates for Good Friday and Easter. This was important in the olden days, because those dates marked the coming of spring and the days of planting. Of course, the date for Easter is lunar based and varies. It can be as early as March 22 or as late as April 25 (hence the question of early spring or 6 more weeks of winter posed to the groundhog). That’s the problem with being a history geek – you get frustrated by people not knowing why they do the things they do. 

• Light roast coffee actually has more caffeine than dark roast due to the roasting process.  Once I was in Starbucks at three o'clock in the afternoon and requested their light roast blend of the day. The person behind the counter countered, “We don’t brew that one in the afternoon, it has too much caffeine for this late in the day.” That’s the problem with being a coffee geek – you get frustrated by other coffee geeks telling you what kind of coffee you need to drink when.

3. Pass this on to other "smart cookies" you may know.
Here are three from my blog reading list that I always enjoy visiting:

• David Brazzeal at http://davidbrazzeal.wordpress.com/. David is an artist/writer living in Paris, France. I'm always interested to see what he is posting.
• Tim Lennox.com at http://timlennoxonline.blogspot.com/. Tim is a journalist who blogs from the state capitol of Montgomery, AL. I like the way he provides a daily concise presentation of interesting items in the news. 
• Language or Parole?, at  http://langueorparole.blogspot.com/, by Jeremy Patterson is a fascinating read. Sometimes he writes in French of Japanese, so I have to skip over those, but the ones in English are always interesting.

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