Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Abby: Me and my tech problems.
Aaron: Tell me about it. My next girlfriend’s gonna be Amish.

Oh yay! My blog is up! My blog is up! I hope it lasts for at least a few seconds. Please oh please!!! Say hi. Fill up the comments. Let’s make the most of these precious moments!!!

In this, a very odd in-between year of my life, I have lived in a place where I know I’m not staying. It’s meant that I haven’t put down roots the way I usually do. I’ve been overworked and more focused on my work than at any other time in my life. It’s a weird existence. Although I love nothing more than a good gig, I’ve been to almost none this year. I haven’t put in the time to get to know all the (clearly excellent) local and regional bands that Rachel and E.J. and the rest of the Scenestars are always talking about.

BUT… when it comes to bands I already have extreme fondness for… I just have to go. And today, while walking in to Otherlands, I spotted a poster for Andrew Bird. He’s playing here next Thursday, and I pretty much have to go. He played a stellar show about a year and a half ago with Kristin Hersh in Bloomington, Indiana (my home of the previous 7 years).

I realize that I basically have no idea of the local situation here. It’s at the High Tone. Should I pop down there today to get tickets? Will they already be long gone? Has anyone here ever heard of him? Will it be empty? I have no idea, but I will be there. He’s a really quirky character. Chatty, oozing with talent. He doesn’t seem to think like other people. Weird stuff comes out of his mouth: stories, charming whistles, and lyrics like you’ve never heard. Almost words as paint… And he’s a whiz with a fiddle. Hope I see some of you there.

These are my favorite lyrics from his first album:

I’m all for moderation, but sometimes it seems moderation itself can be kind of extreme. So I join the congregation, join the softball team, I went in for my conformation where incense looks like steam. I start conjugating proverbs where there once were nouns. This whole damn rhyme scheme’s starting to get me down…

Oh, I’m in a lull. I’m in a lull.

I’m rambling on rather self consciously while I’m stirring these condements into my tea, and I’m so lame. I bet I think this song is about me. Don’t I? Don’t I? Don’t I?

So no one knows about the multiple head-guy in Midtown? Really? I rely on your hipsters for this kind of thing! Don’t let me down!

Len at Dark Bilious Vapors has organized a Blogger Bash to coincide with the need to celebrate my dissertation defense and Dark Bilious’ Karen Memphis visit. Here’s the info:

Date: May 25, 2005
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: The Bar-B-Q Shop, 1782 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN (Midtown)

Hope you Memphis folks can make an appearance. 

Al should really have his own blog, as should my dad, but since neither of those blogs will EVER exist, I must rely on shamelessly quoting them on my blog. After seeing my plug for Critter Cuisine yesterday, I received this caution from Al:

Dear Abby,

Congratulations on the Dr. achievement.  They’s a batch of [AbbyFamily]Docs around this country. Please stay down here and don’t, for Buddha’s sake, don’t go to that horrible B-word city. Ain’t no hookworm, no pellagra, precious little beri-beri up there…just frozen sidewalks and icy stares.  You could grow to love North Georgia and even find things to keep you busy. Now , the pay won’t be that great but you could worry your parents. What more can a daughter want than to worry her parents? Best to you and thanks for the Critter connection.

Al

Me to Al: 

Hee hee. You crack me up.

Now I realize I’ve completely missed out. What are: hookworm, pellagra, and beri-beri? I’m afraid that somehow, by accident, my parents may have raised a Yankee! OK, not really, but I think I can make it up there just fine. It may be harder to find collards, but I always manage somehow!

Abby

PS – You can’t be that funny if you expect me not to blog about it!

Al to Me:

Hookworm is an intestinal parasite that is usually associated with eating pork that has been infected with the parasite and not cooked long enough to kill the aforementioned parasite. Po’ folks from down here had lots of  hookworm.  When yo’daddy was working at Memphis hospitals he probably did lots of stool specimen tests for hookworm.  As a matter of fact, [he] could probably write extensively about hookworm. Folks who are infected look gaunt, skinny, hollow eyed, no energy. Pellagra is a dietary deficiency disorder.  Not enough B vitamins and a terrible diet produces this. Beri-beri is another B vitamin shortage malfunction. People from ‘up yonder’ rarely, if ever, have these dietary deficiencies since they made so much money stealing from poor folks from ‘down here’. During the War of Southern Rebellion, the invading Northerners killed our hogs, chickens, and other livestock, took our money and left us in financial ruin. Please don’t go ‘up there’.  You won’t stand a dog’s chance of surviving such meanness.

Yrs in Christ.

Al

You probably don’t understand what Al’s on about. That’s Al. He takes a little learning, but it’s completely worth the effort. Maybe if I’m lucky, he’ll send some proper intestinal parasites to me in Boston so at least I can feel like I’m in touch with my roots.

My point? Buy Critter Cuisine.

Oh fudge. Gotta go to work again. I HATE that. It’s like every damn day!