tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246413492012-01-01T19:44:25.900-08:00and then we set off on our journey, feeling happy and gratefulm*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-56969348230131517892010-05-17T22:31:00.001-07:002010-05-17T22:35:07.048-07:00

Concha Buika. Niña de Fuego.my favorite CD to listen to at the moment. perfect for: late night work sessions, early morning cleaning sessions, cooking, folding laundry, sipping cocktails, all essential domestic activities.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-89288357258933527512010-03-16T12:40:00.000-07:002010-03-16T12:59:03.686-07:00

Isn't it funny how hate turns so quietly to love?As part of 2010, I am going to figure out what Future Me will tell Present Me ten years down the road. Part of this quest is reaching back into the depths of my past, to figure out my mistakes and learn from them. I *really* hate to admit this, but maybe my constant badmouthing of Baton Rouge and LSU was one of them. Qualification: I don't feel

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-62621712842197430982010-03-01T11:01:00.000-08:002010-03-01T11:44:58.875-08:00

It's an easily intuited truth that music for my generation is as much about proclaiming your sense of self as it is about melodies and lyrics. This creates a situation where the newness and obscurity of a band is, unfortunately, sometimes its most admirable quality.This phenomena has been studied by psychologists from various angles.Most people's music preferences fall into one of four broad

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-90564670904233937832010-02-03T10:37:00.000-08:002010-02-03T11:16:31.074-08:00

"If you can understand how fluency influences judgment, you can understand many, many, many different kinds of judgments better than we do at the moment,” -Adam Alter, NYU psychologistIn high school and college, I used to always feel a little indignant at writing teachers that crossed out every single word they deemed 'cliche', invoking a rule that simply because a word or phrase was overused, it

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-7652311693789936322010-01-27T13:07:00.000-08:002010-01-27T22:55:09.415-08:00

I felt compelled to translate this interview with Ferran Adriá to English for anyone who may be interested. There's lots of great questions from internet posters for the chef, who announced yesterday that he would be closing his restaurant, El Bullí, for two years.Q: Some of my friends and I set aside money to go someday to your restaurant. What do you recommend, to go before you close or wait

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-80469440816610002502010-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:002010-01-26T20:25:01.890-08:00

I love autonomous communities, even if they're just wannabes. So imagine my delight upon discovering Seborga, a town of five square miles and 2,000 people in the Ligurian region of Italy. In 1963, Giorgio Carbone was elected the Prince of Seborga, despite the fact that Italy doesn't recognize it as sovereign. Giorgio, who died late last year, is awesome because 1) he drove a horse and buggy

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-50637536376465022922010-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:002010-01-24T13:42:43.630-08:00

Here we are, in the heat of another Grand Slam, fourth round and counting. There's nothing like being several thousand miles removed, with only broadband and computer screens to connect you to the action at odd hours of the night, to make you yearn to be closer to the action. If watching tennis on TV is a sort of sacrilege, then watching tennis pixelate on the Internet is downright blasphemous.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-5469490931789672412009-11-23T12:30:00.000-08:002010-01-26T12:36:06.783-08:00

This is an article that was recently printed in Diario Vasco. It immediately felt like a footnote in the book "My Attempt to Figure Out Life". I like the emphasis on gaining perspective in this metaphorical outlook...it's definitely not about the despair found in Plath's fig tree. This is my translation from the Spanish. So, a look at another metaphor in hopes it may give us a grasp on the

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-48576438961294023962009-11-21T23:34:00.000-08:002009-11-21T23:34:00.292-08:00

Finished yet another book that made me give thanks for my ability to read...this time the award goes to Italo Calvino's Marcovaldo, or The seasons in the city.It's a must read. A collection of twenty short stories, each is set in a consecutive season in a small town of northern Italy. They follow a poor laborer named Marcovaldo who has an eye for the fantastic and a disdain for his surroundings

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-91409337193792487172009-11-19T23:23:00.000-08:002009-11-19T23:23:00.217-08:00

I saw Curiouser, a play from Skin Horse theater, at the New Orleans Fringe Festival last weekend. It was a lovely side-by-side of two lives that were not as disparate as they initially seem: Lewis Carroll and Sylvia Plath. A quote from The Bell Jar was used in the play, and I think it impacted all the twentysomethings in the group, including myself. So, a look at a metaphor in hopes it may

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-49526896583324106232009-11-14T11:34:00.000-08:002009-11-19T11:48:31.813-08:00

"However, one trait of the ancestral personality persists in our aesthetic cravings: the pleasure we take in admiring skilled performances. Human beings have a permanent, innate taste for virtuoso displays in the arts."Okay, so I'm still struggling with this question, and today I'm thinking about it in terms of art. Art art. Fine art. It's such a loaded question...what makes good art, and who

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-84295609513427261002009-11-09T11:34:00.001-08:002009-11-18T12:17:34.967-08:00

A pause to confirm the excellence of Orhan Pamuk's latest book. It has now been placed on my special bookshelf, whose unofficial title could be 'shelf for the best books I've read and own'. It sits, collecting its first precious dust particles, next to if on a winter's night a traveler (italo calvino), a moveable feast (hemingway), 2666 (roberto bolaño), history of the world in 10 1/2 chapters (

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-53395974031765050662009-10-29T13:02:00.000-07:002009-11-19T11:44:08.687-08:00

This past week, a topic that I think circles around appeared twice in the Times, prompting me to come back to it once again. It's the eternal battle in the field of the arts: that of raw skill versus intellectuality, as seen through the lens of the question of what makes a truly great work of art. Whether talking about a movie or a dish, the question of value is often dependent on which of these

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-74821162582939643112009-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:002009-10-20T00:01:00.625-07:00

"It was the happiest moment of my life, but I didn't know it."Today marks the release of Orhan Pamuk's latest English translation, The Museum of Innocence. Touted by some as his greatest achievement, this novel is a tale of lifelong, obsessive love.Having spoken with the estimable bookkeepers on Pirate's Alley, I can say with full confidence that it's a work of literary art. So get yourself to

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-40993712763100833532009-10-15T10:43:00.000-07:002009-10-15T10:51:45.844-07:00

How can this one moment make me feel so many emotions?First, and most pure, happiness.Second, guilt. A part of my mind actually belittling that first, most pure part of my mind for feeling that tiny spark. That first part of my mind feeling like it shouldn't have felt that about some dumb mug with some dumb tea on some dumb rainy day.Third, confusion. I just wanted some tea. And I became happy.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-86584593035081333442009-10-12T12:45:00.000-07:002009-10-12T12:45:00.333-07:00

I like untranslatable words.Take itsasaro.It's Basque. And it's translation is 'a condition of the ocean ideal for going out to sea.'Good. I'm glad someone has a word for this.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-41472418570422643522009-10-10T12:40:00.000-07:002009-10-10T12:41:43.660-07:00

Snow coming hard from the sky, long enough to render the mountain path impassable. With cold seeping through his garments the priest grumbled silently. Always the one old man, rain, shine, torment or snow, always waiting. The same cold inside, a dark body huddled beneath fur, waiting for the same words, the same motions. Read. Grasp the chalice. Raise it into the frigid air. Recite words of

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-82360244892833650972009-09-13T11:41:00.000-07:002009-09-13T11:45:23.427-07:00

A semifinal with an unexpected result in today's US Open...Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina dominated Rafael Nadal of Spain, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.The announcers had basically been looking past him to a Federer-Nadal final. Now it's possible that we may even have a Del Potro-Djokovic final.How cute was little del Potro in his post-match interview?About beating Rafa, he said, "I"m sorry." And, not

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-29196107940778394992009-09-01T11:23:00.000-07:002009-09-01T11:43:37.016-07:00

Breathe.We are living in a world that is distraction and fragmentation.The only way to drown it out is to channel all your mind's energy to the present.The pace and the hurry and the way things are never enough disappear when you actively focus on each passing moment.Forget the future.Forget the past.You are where you are and comparisons only take away from that.Luxuriate in and savor your

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-6994140627128065842009-08-18T12:21:00.000-07:002009-08-19T12:05:07.593-07:00

i found this letter walking the streets of nashville. it was folded up in a little square, with hearts and arrows all over it in a purple ballpoint. pretty crazy!dear stevey,thank you for everything you have done for me and my career.i love your voice and i spend much of my time emulating its edgy and screechy nature. and so far, it's working quite well.i can only hope to age as gracefully as you

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-66703383681539032382009-08-13T14:11:00.000-07:002009-08-13T14:17:55.188-07:00

The Rogers Masters is happening now in Montreal, and today's match between Verdasco and Roddick was pretty heated. A two hour and 36 minute match, it finished 7-6 R 4-6 Verdasco and in a tiebreaker with Roddick taking it 7-5.Verdasco was leading at 5-5 in the third set, but he gave up three points with two really unforced errors. You could see the defeat and exasperation in his body language,

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-84748234607581722282009-07-17T09:39:00.000-07:002009-11-18T12:18:09.365-08:00

Normally, I'm not stuck on Birmingham stuff for the blog, but I've been pondering it quite a bit lately. I guess it could be part of a subconscious effort to reconcile myself with living here...or maybe have the opposite effect.I've been talking a lot lately to people about downtown real estate, and there seems to be a common misconception that a building downtown, say, on 20th street, costs a

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-67485021366078498952009-07-14T11:37:00.001-07:002009-07-16T09:39:30.329-07:00

Because you can host an entire music festival and not pay anyone.Excepting artists who had the foresight (or suspicious business practices) of demanding cash in advance of playing (like Young Jeezy), and the smaller acts who have no manager/middleman, checks were bouncing left and right in the weeks following Birmingham's "premier" music festival.I'm not really sure where anyone expected the

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-58661718711600197652009-07-08T12:39:00.000-07:002009-07-08T12:59:48.178-07:00

Megachurches: huge groups of people that gather in a stadium-like setting to listen to a preacher who typically has some sort of celebrity status and typically delivers crowd-pleasing sermons.Peter Drucker calls megachurches “the most important social phenomenon in American society in the last 30 years.” Don't ask me if megachurches are good or evil. All I know is the first megachurch, a rented

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-34599207853383951682009-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:002009-06-23T12:27:26.151-07:00

Sometimes globalization feels like an unstoppable force. But maybe something is actually fighting against it. Maybe language is the saving grace of different cultures and peoples. Sometimes I feel so powerless to stop the merging of cultures, the erasure of differences and histories in favor of a common narrative. There is an increasing sense of reality as instantaneous, and therefore ephemeral

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-46277375921991189102009-06-07T14:14:00.001-07:002009-06-07T14:32:30.402-07:00

Some Constitutional amendments are glamorous, recognizable by a mere number...the 19th (women's suffrage), the 13th (abolished slavery), etc. Others will never, ever have their moment in the sun, partly because they refuse to reveal their meaning even under a microscope (25: Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-84027167827109331122009-06-03T12:06:00.000-07:002009-06-03T12:07:50.074-07:00

...and picking up some great ideas from www.gonomad.com...russia here i come!

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-45489394337510688442009-05-28T13:26:00.001-07:002009-11-18T12:18:30.564-08:00

I'm loving this book so, so much. It's my second Pamuk novel. First I read Snow, which was just awesome. Istanbul seems so close when I'm reading his books...I can smell the coffee wafting out of dingy neighborhood bars and see the Bosphorus shining in the moonlight.I don't ever want it to end...fortunately Pamuk's oeuvre is rather extensive, consisting of several masterpieces: Snow, The Black

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-57211283935897569292009-05-14T12:51:00.000-07:002009-05-14T13:01:40.820-07:00

old people make me cry.does anyone else have that problem?yesterday i saw an old man with blood gushing down his face lying on the ground outside of Whole Foods. he probably fell; who knows what happened. all i know is the sight of him prone, so helpless in his faded blazer and khakis, just caused sadness to completely overtake me. what happened? did he trip on the curb? does he have anyone to

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-85561670237058267762009-04-11T16:12:00.000-07:002009-04-11T16:32:27.765-07:00

Mix and match is how I roll. I don't buy outfits. I don't even really buy clothes, unless I'm in another country. Here in the United States I prefer to find them in the trash pile. Maybe that's why I feel such an affinity for the crazy Edie Beale. She lived such a boring life. She scares me, because in a way she reveals a part many of us keep hidden. She sucked all the life from every moment.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-31846065415459148602009-03-15T14:33:00.000-07:002009-03-15T14:52:23.267-07:00

I've always admired the fun that Europeans manage to inject into their graphic design sensibility. They don't shy away from the silly, the lower-case, the cartoon, even when dealing with serious subjects. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across these two little gems.The first is Los Bajos de la Alta Cocina (loose translation: "the lows of high cuisine", which comes to us from Chef Aduriz at

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-78204190941687727402009-01-17T14:49:00.001-08:002009-01-17T14:58:13.507-08:00

I was thinking recently about how those who grew up in the 50s have the uniquely privileged position of belonging to both pre-TV and post-TV society. These people know a world I never will--one without television. They know what it is to have a lazy afternoon stretch infinitely before them, permeated by a quiet that no longer exists. They know a silence and a loneliness that cannot be

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-69673184627193821682009-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:002009-01-08T08:56:13.655-08:00

This cine-poem is a jewel, as much for viewers with no attachment to Liverpool as for lovers of the city. Terrence Davies' voice plays over the images in his latest film, Of Time and the City, some of which are pulled from history (my favorites) and others that are filmed a la PBS (not quite so inspirational). His words had me scrambling for a pencil and paper: "that is the land of lost content/i

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-71422835435728203402008-12-14T14:17:00.000-08:002008-12-14T14:20:52.201-08:00

If you are planning (which you should be) on reading 2666, by Robert Bolaño, just go on and buy this box set. I love the broken down format along with the rough cardboard exterior. More on the actual content of this book I'm loving later, when I finish the 900th page. Trust me, it's one you'll want to own.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-73229212958125338422008-11-24T12:44:00.000-08:002008-11-24T12:48:42.534-08:00

I just found out my friend has drawn all these wonderful cards for an e-card website. I think they are majorly cute. Go here to send one to someone you love today!

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-27141939015706232142008-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:002008-11-15T12:24:00.851-08:00

This past week it seems like everything has been roiling. Not rolling, not boiling, but roiling. The word has appeared at least thrice in the Times in the last seven days, usually to refer to the economy or the financial markets. The Webster defines it thus: ROIL-"make turbid by stirring up the sediment or dregs of" or "to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation". So kind

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-76696556577268763882008-11-13T12:20:00.000-08:002008-11-18T19:38:39.580-08:00

So, Europe is still winning. They have the culture, the food, the urban planning, the languages, the art, the Euro, the history, the Catholicism, the Nutella, the public transportation, the dashing first ladies, the tourism, the budget airlines, the UNESCO world heritage, the social safety net, the inexpensive wine, the playful graphic design, the artisans, the cafes, the olive trees, and the

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-14551759462959726912008-11-05T07:15:00.000-08:002008-11-05T07:36:57.825-08:00

Across the world exclamation points abounded and hope seems to be sparked anew.FRANCE::Le Monde"L'Amerique choisit Barack Obama"/ America chooses Barack ObamaSPAIN::El Mundo"Cambia el color de historia"/ He changes the color of historyGERMANY: Rheinische Post"Die Wiederauferstehung des amerikanischen Traums" /the repurchasing of the American DreamITALY: Il Messaggero"Obama è il nuovo presidente

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-68379715110808053332008-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:002008-10-30T08:56:31.910-07:00

I believe books fall into one of three categories: 1) trite and boring2) really well-done and interesting, yet unoriginal3) masterpieces of originality and beauty.I prefer to choose books that fall in the third category, but I fail as often as I succeed. Here, we have a masterpiece. Okay, I know I am a little behind the times here, raving about a book published in 1979. But this title definitely

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-11387379524542777412008-09-27T07:47:00.000-07:002008-09-27T08:01:11.622-07:00

EDUARDO CHILLIDA: A sculptor vasco that embodies his culture's contradictions, beauty, and persona.His sculptures bear resemblances to rocks, yet the finite, sharp carvings made in them bring them out of the natural realm. These granite and steel sculptures can be found in the lush hills outside of San Sebastian, Spain. Situated on a perfectly rolling landscape, they fuse with the history of the

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-61283324994852450562008-09-09T21:40:00.000-07:002008-09-09T21:40:08.565-07:00

You know that liberating feeling when you realize you can do something previously thought impossible?yeah.You can get wax off of fabric, and I'm talking the whole, greasy stain, not just the hardened crust. Here's what you do:1)pop offended item in freezer2)scrape off the wax once hardened3)soak in mineral spirits, rubbing at stains4)rinse with alcohol (the kind for rubbing, not drinking)5) let

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-56316403665216983472008-09-02T21:43:00.000-07:002008-09-02T21:43:01.123-07:00

My brow has a few added furrows from thinking about how hot-button issues figure into my voting this November. Abortion rights, for example. I don't like abortion. But, I also generally don't like Republican policy. So how does one reconcile these two issues in the ballot booth?Well, people, let's talk it out.Say McCain gets elected, puts another strictly conservative judge into the Court. Roe

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-71820622528651128472008-08-29T19:09:00.000-07:002008-08-29T19:09:00.867-07:00

That's my husband and my daughter.We spent the week on a farm, loaned to us by some of our dearest friends. Two bedrooms + endless supply of chicken eggs + assorted farm animals = perfect family vacation!Really, Buckley? Are you really that cute?Reality isn't good enough for us. So we make our own.

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-33771270298096899012008-08-25T19:04:00.000-07:002008-08-25T19:06:50.964-07:00

Over the years, I have been made to feel confused, guilty, stupid and sad about my disenchantment with this country. In an attempt to cure myself of these feelings, here is where I spill a couple of the reasons.I. Cities and Sidewalks As Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, said recently: "when you construct a good sidewalk, you are constructing democracy...We are designing cities for

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-58959360591727949772008-07-17T13:39:00.000-07:002008-07-17T13:45:42.975-07:00

goings on for your enjoyment...Thursday, July 175-7 Wine and Tapas tasting at Wine Cellar $55:30-6:30 wine tasting at mt. brook Western $56:00 Thursday Night Live at Tria, live music? affordable late night Little SavannahFriday, July 185-7 wine tasting at Tria5-7 wine tasting at Wholefoods5:00-9:00 Art Opening at Hawthorn Gallery (3rd ave n)5-10 Art On the Rocks at BMASaturday, July 197:00 pepper

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-2182703890745829512008-07-15T15:23:00.000-07:002008-07-15T15:37:48.311-07:00

James Frey's new book, Bright Shiny Morning got somewhat slammed this week in the New York Times Book Review. The reviewer seemed to pride himself on his central thesis, which was, essentially, that this novel reads too much like non-fiction and Frey's much publicized non-fiction turned out too be too close to fiction. Clever. But I actually found the book to be an enjoyable experience, and

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-28233470673141424752008-05-25T11:54:00.000-07:002008-05-25T12:13:34.013-07:00

A week or two ago, I read a letter to the editor in the Times that went a little something like this:I think the Freakonomics guys, Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, may have missed the boat on two points with the suggestion that insurance rates be adjusted by the number of miles people drive (“Not-So-Free Ride”).First, is there any research to show that Americans are really driving

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-50901232803754717202008-05-10T15:04:00.001-07:002008-08-25T19:15:43.216-07:00

A generation that previously had to rely on Eggers and Safran Foer for their voice has found a much more satisfying option in Benjamin Kunkel. His not-so-recent novel, "Indecision", just found its way into my reading stack, and it satisfyingly captures, without any ostentatious gimmicks, that nagging voice in my post postmodern head. I suppose it could be called a post 9/11 novel, but the event

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-32001167377321024862008-05-06T18:50:00.000-07:002008-05-06T18:51:31.625-07:00

volume two of worthwhile free (unless otherwise noted) birmingham events.Thursday, May 85:30-6:30 wine tasting at mt. brook Western $57:30 handbell concert at samfordFriday, May 94:00 Rick Bragg booksigning $24 at AL booksmith5-7 wine tasting at Tria5-7 wine tasting at Wholefoods5-9 art opening at hawthorn gallery (2017 3rd ave n)5-9 art opening at naked art7:00 open reading at GreencupBooks, 105

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-61878624451096869892008-04-27T18:23:00.000-07:002008-04-27T18:57:24.359-07:00

If you are like I was, you want our troops out of Iraq, pronto. You believe the foreign policy disaster that is the War on Terror should end, but maybe if someone asked you to explain your stance in the context of the war's history, you'd stutter a bit. Don't worry--it's not your fault. The media has conditioned our collective memory to be more like a blackboard than a stone tablet. Events are

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-20281982950032878412008-04-23T14:52:00.000-07:002008-04-25T07:33:14.928-07:00

Here's everything I would be doing in Birmingham the next couple weeks if I didn't have a baby. Every free happening in Bham is listed, and those with a price are some things that may be worth the money. So gather ye rosebuds while ye may.Thursday, April 24Art Buzz Birmingham-live music, byob painting class (www.artbuzzbirmingham.com)5:30-6:30 Wine Tasting at Mt. Brook Western $5 (it's good)6-

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-60793521272209015332008-03-22T15:38:00.001-07:002008-05-25T12:16:20.600-07:00

here is some real information on what obama says and does, since it is popular to accuse him of being full of rhetoric and short on "solutions".  his religion: "My father, who returned to Kenya when I was just two, was born Muslim but as an adult became an atheist. My mother, whose parents were non-practicing Baptists and Methodists, was probably one of the most spiritual and kindest people I've

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-33484865243821225872008-03-22T14:05:00.000-07:002008-03-22T15:51:05.789-07:00

i am a mother now.baby buckley was born january 21, 2008. she's doing great...developing right on schedule, it seems. At least, she keeps getting cuter and cuter.her favorite things include: shocking visitors with loud bowel movements, ceiling fans, starring in films, band of horses, barack obama, listening to her mom pronounce monosyllabic words, and, of course, milk.baby - husband = hard...

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-46680514596423167502007-03-22T06:26:00.000-07:002007-03-22T06:27:41.154-07:00

The first sign of the growing distance between me and my upbringing became obvious when, one day, sitting down to a saliva-worthy home-cooked meal, I found myself longing for just a little bit of imported cheese and crusty bread.The plate held fried chicken, collards, peas—the kind of foods that usually produce an immediate feeling of comfort. But they didn’t.I think it all began with several

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1159808056373356002006-10-02T09:51:00.000-07:002006-11-29T15:29:12.696-08:00

I just figured out how to get on here, after forgetting my password...here is a copy of the emails I have sent detailing the amazing journey Chip and I have had so far. More later.Chip and I are currently located in Puente de la Reina. This was our third full day of hiking, and each day continue to get better.After two full days of travel (plane, bus, train, and very little sleep) we landed in

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1146710421387400342006-05-03T19:39:00.000-07:002006-05-04T17:36:27.076-07:00

Hustle and Flow is a movie about DJay, a pimp from Memphis, Tenn. who dreams of making it big in the music industry as a way out of his crime and oppression-filled life. The film explores power dynamics in various industries and relationships and how they affect individuals and their dreams. The film is very entertaining, and the base-emotion-provoking scenes and tensions are there. However,

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1146252160583765332006-04-28T12:06:00.000-07:002006-04-28T12:22:40.596-07:00

Are actions just actions? Do the things that happen to us everyday simply happen, or do they leave prints, marks, pocks, holes, or lumps on our soul? If not our soul-maybe our mind, our heart? I am talking about more than just the effect of memory on us. One African-American studies theorist claims that a "bottom-line blackness" links every black person, but not just sociologically-

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1146061517954863502006-04-26T07:03:00.000-07:002006-04-26T07:27:05.013-07:00

"Afterwards we go out for coffee. I have never been 'out for coffee' before."-Push by SapphireA life without thought or freedom. Living in the center of the universe, without ever leaving the burrough. Watching letters swim before eyes while a man, your father, rapes you.These are the struggles of Claireece Precious Jones. This is all part of Push, a novel that rips you and your insides out

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1144513411575643742006-04-08T09:09:00.000-07:002006-04-08T09:23:33.476-07:00

We are not immune to history. The status quo is only temporary. That in mind, I propose one version of the future:2050: New Orleans, among several southern cities such as Houston and Miami, has a majority Hispanic population. 2076: The first Hispanic-American president elected.2100: This population continues to move northwards. Changes are seen-things along the lines of Spanish-speaking

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1144042984564430792006-04-02T22:41:00.000-07:002006-04-02T22:49:25.450-07:00

Cities are the product of their inhabitants. The DNA of a city is a complex combination of varying socioeconomic strata. The charm of a city, let’s take New Orleans as an example, is a sum of different parts. Pre-Katrina New Orleans’ charm was found in both its po’ boy’s blues AND its affluent Mardi Gras balls. The city is the offspring of its inhabitants- the rich and the poor. The city is

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1143430943077196762006-03-26T19:33:00.000-08:002006-03-26T20:50:51.143-08:00

I emerged from the darkness. It stood before me, a tower of stone and concrete, a most elegant example of mankind’s eternal attempt to capture the intangible. And all I could think was, “This is Big Ben?” That Clock of all clocks, one of the most recognizable European monuments for any American, became for me a symbol of disenchantment. As I stood there on my first trip to England, the murky

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24641349.post-1143179451266107322006-03-23T21:21:00.000-08:002006-03-23T21:53:59.816-08:00

Today, so many things happened.U.S. soldiers rescued three Christian peace activists in Iraq. Louisiana State University wrapped up Duke and sent them off in the basketball finals. Canberra, Australia was Wikipedia's featured article. A download-to-own movie service, the world's first, was announced by Universal pictures. A little girl bought a little book at a big bookstore.And I started a

m*buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860746864992977664noreply@blogger.com0