Notes from a Wandering Mind

As I was listening to "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin this evening on the drive back from Mattoon, I thought about how I'd like to see William Shatner do a dramatic reading of the lyrics.

I wonder if the kids will help me pick up the front yard. Those sweet gum balls aren't going to pick up themselves. "Kids, meet the Nut Wizard."

I caught a program tonight that featured baseball records that aren't likely to ever be broken. One I wasn't familiar with was Hack Wilson of the Cubs reaping 191 rbi in 1930. That's an astounding number, especially since they didn't play 162 games back then. And Hack is a great name for a baseball player--not a good one for a golfer though.

I rediscovered an old fashioned weight loss program a while back. Just get sick. I lost seven pounds. Now a number of my pants feel baggy.

I don't get texting. I mean, what the heck are all these people texting about? Then again, I've never liked phones.

On campus the other day, I saw a young lady texting while smoking a cigarette and crossing a major road.

Mrs. Nasty and my daughter bought tickets for a Taylor Swift concert this summer in Indy. The price per ticket was $84. That fact makes my head hurt. Translating that price tag to my concert-going inclinations, I could go to four shows for one ticket. Greed is good for Ms. Swift. I could say mean things, but I won't.

I was in a conversation the other day where people were discussing the merits of jazz music, which reminded me of my favorite elective course I had as an undergrad--Jazz History and Appreciation. And thinking about that class reminded me of Wynton Marsalis's Soul Gestures in Southern Blue trilogy of albums, which I listened to quite often when I was drafting my dissertation. Uptown Ruler, in particular, reminds of the room where I wrote the tome in our apartment in Tuscaloosa.

My favorite course in my undergraduate major was Mythology.

My least favorites were Victorian Literature (reading selections) and Intro to Poetry (professor).

I don't know why I can't seem to get interested in college basketball anymore. Alabama is back on the rise (won the SEC West), but maybe March Madness will pull me back like it usually does.