Life on Mars.

[captainsblog]

(Mars Hill, that is. Kimmy pools. Movin' cars.)

Most of the car-moving was yesterday. Also, plenty of car NOT moving. Good God in heaven do I hate PENNDOT.  That state has been ripping up its expressways every stinking summer since the Appian Way was first designated as Interstate LXXXI back in Roman times. It turns out this practice extends to I-79, as well, and thus I didn't come close to getting into, much less out of, West Virginia (official name: The Robert Byrd Memorial State of West Virginia) until well past six.  Fortunately, my friend here was up late enough to wave me down at something close to 1 a.m., and she's been busy preparing for a homeful of housewarmers due to arrive about four hours from now.

I almost said "due to descend," but that's on the way out of the house. The formal name of this Asheville environ is Mars Hill, and it's quite up to its altitudinous name. I've been up and down that hill several times today, procuring provisions for the cooking going on.  On the second of them, I figured I'd check out some of the cool looking offerings "in town" at the bottom of that slope. One was a deli that Kim had heard good things about (they are true), but the other was the bookstore for the adjacent Mars College. Since I can't pass a bookstore without going in, I did so.... and came out with the weirdest epiphany.

Know how your eye somehow gets caught by some dumb thing, especially when you're Just Looking and don't have a particular thing in mind? Yeah, this was that:



Now historical American fiction really isn't my thing; this particular time and place, even less. Still, I was intrigued by the author's name, so I checked a blurb:

Robert Morgan is Kappa Alpha Professor of English at Cornell University. He is the author of numerous volumes of poetry, essays, short stories, and novels; his novel Gap Creek was a selection of the Oprah Book Club and a New York Times bestseller.

Yup- that would be the same Professor Morgan who taught me creative writing at Cornell in 1979. At some cow college 700 miles away from this particular corner of Mars.  Needless to say, it's coming home with me- as is a purple Mars College t-shirt so I'll be ready for Spirit Day next October.  (Still hoping to find a Keep Asheville Weird one sometime tomorrow;)

Post-housewarming plans include pancakes with headbanger118 (because it's the law), possible experiences of the Kept Asheville Weirdness (I'm hoping to see the guy in the Ziggy Stardust makeup and tutu who Kimmy has seen there), and church in Johnson City (the Tennessee one). Then the Reverse Sherman March begins.

----

Signals in the Appalachians being what they are, I had neither internet nor radio to fill me in on the other major news of yesterday for most of the evening. Finally, WCBS came in clear enough to hear- and hear the end of a Yankee game. (Boooooo! But they lost! Yayyyyyyy!)  That-all ended, I got the top story at the stroke of 11: Freedom came to New York, by a four-vote margin. The one vote I'd pushed for, Senator Mark Grisanti's, came through with thoughtfulness, and reason, and class. Thank you, sir. Thank you, all you good sirs and maams.

Comments

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

Good letter to the Senator. You should be proud it apparently hit the mark.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you were able to join us for good times and pancakes (and good times with pancakes.) Really hope to do it again soon!