Resolutions may be made in late December, but one hard look at the past year comes around this time for most of us. The 1099s and W2s are circulated by now, that is, if we are going to get them. Those not receiving any such form might be in line to show the books for [...] Continue Reading »
what is your fair share of taxes?
2finding happiness in work: advice to the younger me
2We’ve began a three month family plan: a checklist for hitting the road in a travel camper come spring, a bunch of paintings and enough CDs to sprinkle around for gas money and electric hookup. No, not really. I’m afraid the plan is going to be a little more boring. Like putting together our taxes, [...] Continue Reading »
eight. the men in black suits.
1EIGHT My warmup for a gig starts many hours before. First I walk a mile to Andy’s and borrow the Neon. I head downtown to Market Square, park in the alley, enter Cafe Four and go down the elevator to a storage room. The keyboard case is in the back, through piles of crates, [...] Continue Reading »
yes this is real
0I talked to a man about a dishwasher on Craigslist this afternoon and made a dash out to Seymour to check it out, but that’s beside the point and maybe a different story altogether. The Henley Bridge is out, as all Knoxvillians know, and going to South Knoxville is something you have to be intentional [...] Continue Reading »
something new will still be you
4This is an Instagram, obviously, of my cat. Isn’t it nice. My Nikon d3100 took a vacation to the factory. It was my workhorse camera until I had the idea to sell it and then the very next day: no more focusing. Almost as if betrayal could not be swallowed. It did have 13 [...] Continue Reading »
scrubbed
4I’m glad last week is over. Possessions are weighty things and surrounding yourself in them with hopes of liquidation for a few days is an unhealthy place to stay, I think. For six days. We put our house back together tonight and gave the rest away. Goodwill a lot of it, but not all. There’s [...] Continue Reading »
on memoir writing
0There was once a coffee shop in downtown Madisonville where I used to live. The owner would sit down between customers, unfortunately for very long periods, and write in his journals. He was from New Orleans and spoke in a thick Cajun drawl. He told me once, “Tell me everything you know about your father.” I told [...] Continue Reading »
best google search engine terms that found us
4And now it’s time for more guilty Google searches. Of course we can’t see who they are, but we know what they were looking for. Here are the chosen (for this Quarter): why isn’t my daughter a hipster? fellini kroger (39 times) settlers of catan hipsters (3 times, spelled cantan 2 more times) kick em [...] Continue Reading »
Levon’s superbowl analysis
3As we left the YMCA yesterday afternoon, I glanced at a newspaper to learn who was playing the Superbowl. Patriots again? Well, I root for them. Because James Madison Middle School, where I attended long ago, stole the registered logos and called themselves Patriots. I didn’t know Eli Manning, the brother of Knoxville’s most religious [...] Continue Reading »
zeal without knowledge
3“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Proverbs 19:2 This was how the morning started, reading my daily Proverb (31 days, 31 chapters), and looking out at a cold morning as I built up the woodstove. I made coffee and watched my fire flicker [...] Continue Reading »