reading blogs from my blog roll. The Cortez Family convicts my heart to document the positives of homeschooling. We met them while we were in Franklin and they are ‘first year’ homeschoolers as well. Jennifer and I shared concerns and insights we’d discovered through our homeschooling journey which was only about 2 months long at that point. Our situations were similar in that it was our first year and we weren’t sure how long we’d continue, we just knew this is what the Lord had for us this year, also the things we observed and sensed in our boys that we may not have come to know had they not been under our care for educational purposes this year. This is such a kind family with a mom who is transparent and loves the Lord. Just another part of this adventure the Lord has us on that we are thankful for…sweet families we meet along the way and the blog world to keep in touch with them once our time with them has passed.

American Idol-alum Kellie Pickler debuted her new color at the 43rd CMA Awards on Wednesday night.
I’m just now seeing pictures of her new ‘do–and I must say, I love it!
Your opinions?

At this years Governor’s Housing Summit I took some time to walk around the exhibit hall and interview some of my favorite non-profits.

I started out with speaking to Sandra Noble Canon who works with eHome America. eHome America allows first time home-buyers to take a class online and educated themselves on the process of buying a home. Sandra speaks about the actual program, who it’s for, and how it can help people. Check out the video to get more information on the great program!

This year I was a speaker and exhibitor at the 2009 National Preservation Conference held here in Nashville. I took some time to walk around the exhibit hall and interview some of my favorite products/businesses.

I stopped at the Jackson Pacific booth to speak with Billie Linder. Jackson Pacific specializes in creating ornaments for various organizations like schools, churches, preservation groups, neighborhood associations, and alumni groups to raise funds! What a great idea! Check out the process Jackson Pacific goes through to create the replicas of buildings and turn them into ornaments.

This year I was a speaker and exhibitor at the 2009 National Preservation Conference held here in Nashville. I took some time to walk around the exhibit hall and interview some of my favorite products/businesses.

The Unico System is a great mechanical system for historic homes. It’s a small duct, high velocity HVAC system for homes.  I spoke with Shannon and Randy at the Unico System and they explained to me why their product stands above other products like theirs. Check out the interview to see how the system is installed and works!

We are coming in town this weekend. The job in Franklin is complete. There is a possibility Kyle’s company may have landed a job in Augusta for a YEAR. Now…Carter’s plans change so frequently we cannot rely on this yet, but they want Kyle to do the job…if it sticks…so…if you would…shift your prayers toward that…we’ll keep you posted…

blogger ever. I cannot believe it has been a month since I posted! I have thought about it more than once, but for some reason…just never got around to it. One reason is that I’ve been trying to be diligent in getting outside of our 4 walls while we’re here in Franklin. We love it here so much and Avery is such an active young man, that I’m trying to do better with getting him out and about. Also, sometimes when Kyle is working on a Hobby Lobby, it is a new store that isn’t open yet. The one he has been working on here is a renovation, so it is open and fully loaded with wonderful goodies! I like to take the children to visit him at work when its an open store and not a constructions site. We’ve done that quite a bit, which isn’t necessarily a good thing because I LOVE what they have in there and it also makes me want to create something! I need to learn to sew…
This past Sunday Kyle was not working, so after church we surprised Avery and went to the Nashville Zoo. It was a great day & much needed family outing.

Cordia Harrington’s Inspiring Journey from Single Working Mother to Board Appointee

Nashville, TN, October 09, 2009  – There are few stories as inspiring as the life of Cordia Harrington. Cordia Harrington was a single mother in Arkansas trying to scrape a living out of a sedate real estate market. Her resourceful spirit led her from one stepping stone of success to the next.

While selling homes, Cordia Harrington realized that unreliable contractors were not finishing the houses in time for buyers to live in them. In response, she opened a construction company to build the homes she sold. As you can see, Cordia Harrington believes in the old adage – “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

As Cordia Harrington outgrew those dreams, she established bigger ones.  Cordia Harrington moved to Illinois and became one of the first woman owners of a McDonald’s franchise. She ran the restaurant herself, with her own children helping out by stuffing Happy Meal boxes and handing drinks out at the drive-through.

Through a series of inspired business tactics, Cordia Harrington turned her one McDonald’s restaurant into three. She then went on to sell those restaurants and opened a bakery that today still supplies buns and English muffins to McDonald’s restaurants across the nation.

Cordia Harrington’s powerful optimism and iron-clad work ethic have made her one of the premier businesswomen in America. She was recently recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the 25 Top Woman Business Builders. Cordia Harrington currently sits on the board for the Federal Reserve Bank of Nashville.

Contact:

Cordia Harrington

Nashville Bun Company

2975 Armory Dr.

Nashville, TN USA 37204

Phone: 615-256-6500

Fax: 615-256-2084

www.buncompany.com

Happy Six Months!

A friend of mine from high school, Melanie, lives close by, so we’ve been able to meet up with her several times. She has a 2 1/2 year old, Kaylee, and a 7 month old, Jackson. Katie Mae and Jackson had a good time playing together and Katie Mae decided to sit up for the first time at Jackson’s house. He is only one month older than Katie Mae, but is crawling everywhere, so I think Katie Mae felt the urge to do something big while we were there.(see picture at top) Melanie gave us 2 tickets to the Nashville Predators hockey game. I do not know much about hockey, but the children and I had a good time that night…it was eventful…ask us about it if we haven’t already told you…WOW! We came home for a few days last week. While we were there my sister Courtney had a birthday, our friend Alex had a birthday and Katie Mae had her 6 month check up…so I made cupcakes. We were able to visit with most of our family. It’s so entertaining to watch PaPa Terry and Gammy entertain Katie Mae!

Ok, these pictures are a little scattered, but I am out of time. We have a fun week planned, so I’ll have to post about our activities a little later on. It’s chilly here already…feels like fall!

We are currently in Franklin, TN. We arrived Saturday afternoon. I was able to meet up with an old high school friend who lives close by, we will see each other again while we’re here. It’s nice to have a friend close by. Homeschooling is continuing after taking a week off last week due to a crazy schedule. We have arranged to meet up with several families in the Franklin homeschooling network while we are here. I’m really trying to get better at that…for Avery’s sake. Katie Mae is growing like a weed…developing rather…it seems everyday she get stronger and better control of her hand movements and such. She always has a smile on her face. What a delight. We will be heading home Sunday or Monday for Katie Mae’s 6 month check up (I cannot believe it!) and returning to Franklin Saturday after I attend a HUGE consignment sale with my step-mom in Conyers!

Below, you’ll find a brief photo diary from our August 2009 trip to Nashville, TN. Thanks to Brad Milner, Jason was able to “test out” some of the pianos housed in Sony Tree Studios’ Studio A and Studio B—an experience unknown to most tourists. We’ll be mastering our debut album, Closer to Home, in Studio A this Fall as the songwriting duo, Irene & Reed.

We followed "adventure" through Nashville.

The famous Hammond organ with Leslie speakers in Sony Tree Studios' Studio A in Nashville, TN.

Jason Reed Milner plays the baby grand at Sony Tree Studios in Nashville, TN. Photo by Leslie Benson, 8-22-09.

J plays the baby grand in Studio A. Photo by Leslie Benson, 8-22-09.

Jason Reed Milner at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. Photo by Leslie Benson, 8-22-09.

Leslie Benson of Irene & Reed spends time in one of the Studio B writing rooms at Sony Tree Studios in Nashville, TN. Photo by Jason Reed Milner, 8-22-09.

Last week I meet up with a friend I met in Indiana, and we drove down to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Other than a hike and scenic drive, we didn’t have much in the way of plans and just winged it most of the week. We drove in circles and ended up seeing way more than we had expected, including more bears in a morning of hiking than I have ever seen on the trails of California!

The view of the Smoky Mountains atop Shuckstack Tower along the Appalachian Trail.

Our dispersed campsite in the Nantahala National Forest.

A shaft of light coming through the trees the next morning.

What’s camping without gratuitously large blades?

I’m not quite sure what this is, other than I found it in my boot in the morning.

The view from Clingman’s Dome, Tennessee’s high point at 6,643 feet.

The not-so-rugged trail up to Clingman’s.

I heard of Gatlinburg from Johnny Cash’s A Boy Named Sue and it bordered the park, so we checked it out despite warnings it was quite the tourist trap. I’m from California—and heck, I’m an Asian tourist—but this was pretty ridiculous.

Looking for dispersed campsites in the Cherokee and Pisgah National Forests, which border the National Park. Hunting for a spot to camp became a nightly routine, time consuming and frustrating at times, but we saw much of the surrounding area this way.

A wild turkey along Cades Cove scenic drive, which had somewhat become the theme of our trip…heh heh.

We finally broke free of the traffic on Cades Cove and got on Parsons Branch, a nice little one-way gravel road.

The road is not quite out of the way, but since it isn’t paved it doesn’t see as many visitors as the other parts of the park…

…which made it easy to stop and wander around as we pleased.

Taking it easy and making the truck do most of the work this whole time, we went on a short 8 mile hike to Shuckstack Tower, a fire tower that provides 360-degree views of the area.

This is bear country, and we saw quite a few, in fact, more than I have ever seen that morning than I have seen after years of hiking in the California backcountry!

There were a few treed bear cubs and I saw mama bear right on the trail in front of us as I turned the corner. She did not seem amused and I backed away without firing a shot from my brand spanking used D700.

We scared her off by singing Take Me Home Country Roads horribly off key and she cleared off the trail, and we scooted underneath the treed cubs while I squeezed off a few shots at them. I only had my 35 f/2 so these images are horribly cropped. I don’t think I’ll go into bear country again without a telephoto.

We finally made it up to the tower and climbed to the top for an epic view.

It rained on us on the way down, and I had a thunderstorm pass right by me while pooping near the peak. Talk about having the $#!7 scared out of me, literally. We made trashbag ponchos and hoofed it down the hill.

We made an impulse trip to Asheville, North Carolina, and saw this band called Silver Dagger play at the Fiddlin’ Pig. They were incredibly talented and I can say I saw them before they become world famous. Of note was banjo picker Grace Van’t Hof who was insanely good, but I guess I’m biased

We drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway just east of Asheville to try to get to Mt. Mitchell, which is North Carolina’s high point…

…but it ended up being a night of epic fail in terms of trying to find a campground.  We tried to get back to Asheville so took 26 West thinking it would take us west, but it ran northeast (???) up to Johnson City, Tennessee. Oops.

Off to Nashville to go banjo shopping.

And apparently this is the place you can shop for the latest top Country hits

Next stop was camping at Mammoth Cave National Park, but didn’t tour the cave system. Still, the camping was great.

We also toured a bourbon distillery, learning some of the fascinating history behind Kentucky bourbon…

…then swung by Louisville for banjo shopping part two. Dan picked up a Deering Goodtime, adding to the numbers daily all who were being saved. Reeehaw!

We made our way back up to Indiana, and what kind of loser camps out in Indiana?

It wasn’t all bad, but a bit crowded compared to what we were doing over the last few days, still it was novel having an outdoor experience in a state where the high point is just over 1,000’.

Dan showed me all there was to do in Indiana like have breakfast at Bob Evan’s and look at toys at the Bass Pro Shops. It was a great trip, we logged lots of miles, pooped in lots of holes, saw a few bears, finished a bottle of Wild Turkey and even managed to take a shower or two.

Why wish upon a star when you have thousands of them, plus the Milky Way?

Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that pre-season polls should be constructed with the end of the season in mind.

Bleacher Fan poses an interesting question for us. Basically, I must get into the mind of a college football pollster and decide what the best mind frame is when constructing a pre-season poll. Should a pollster vote with the end of the season in mind, or should they vote based on how good they think a team will be at the beginning of the season? Without a doubt, the pollster should vote based on the beginning of the season.

Bleacher Fan alluded to this in the intro, but I want to take it a step further. Georgia was the pre-season number one team last year, and with good reason. They returned pre-season Heisman contenders in quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knoshown Moreno. Georgia ended the previous season by whipping a hapless Hawaii team 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl. Coming off the season they had in 2007, Georgia deserved to be ranked number one during the pre-season. The consensus was that it would be extremely difficult for Georgia to finish the season as champions. When prognosticators were giving their BCS Championship predictions last July, Georgia was rarely mentioned. Why, you ask? Because the schedule was absolutely daunting! Road trips to South Carolina, Arizona State, LSU, and Auburn added to home games against Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech. Not to mention the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party down in Jacksonville against the mighty Florida Gators (politically correct or not, that’s what everyone in the South still calls it). That still leaves out a possible SEC championship game. Looking at that schedule before the season, most folks outside of Athens – and even some of in Athens – agreed that it was going to be extremely difficult to finish number one. But, going into the season, based on how they finished the previous season and who they had returning, Georgia was a very deserving number one in the pre-season.

As Bleacher Fan said, circumstances often come up that change how the best football team is determined, or even how a mid-level team is perceived. Maybe injuries pop up. Maybe the quarterback gets kicked off the team for not “earning” his money at his “job” (see Rhett Bomar). Maybe a star player gets a DUI and his playing status is thrown into question (see Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon). These things are absolutely impossible to predict. There’s just no way. If a pollster really knows for certain who is going to be number one at the end of the season, please send them to my home. I’d love to have a chat with them. I’ll even give them a dollar to go buy me a lottery ticket. As my father likes to say, “I don’t have to win the lottery but one time, you know!

I also like to know that if my team finishes the previous season well, I’ve got a pretty good chance to see them in the pre-season rankings. It seems like every year Clemson would be ranked in the pre-season thanks to a strong late season push. But, that would be followed by a mediocre start to the next season (sorry, Sports Geek!). At least they had the pre-season polls to look forward to every year.

The bottom line is that pollsters should vote based on the here and now. They can’t read into the future, no matter how smart they think they are. There’s no sense in even trying!

Green, John. An Abundance of Katherines.

New York, NY: Dutton Books, 2006. 272 p.

John Green’s Looking for Alaska proved he is a talented writer, but An Abundance of Katherines proves he is a risk taker as well. Green builds this entertaining and fast paced novel on a hilariously weird premise. His leading character, Colin Singleton has dated, and been dumped, by nineteen girls named Katherine. Colin, a former child prodigy, spends his free time anagramming and looking for his next Katherine. His greatest fear is that he has already peaked and will not find a way to matter in this world. Katherine XIX hits Colin the hardest so his wise cracking friend, Hassan, convinces Colin to join him on a road trip to ease his pain. Hassan and Colin dubiously follow directions to the grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wind up in Gutshot, Tennessee. Convenience store clerk, Lindsey Lee Wells and mother, Hollis, take the boys in and offer them work. Hassan needs the money and Colin is beginning to think he can devise a proof that will outline his past breakups and therefore predict future relationships. In Gutshot, Colin finds his Eureka moment does not involve a math theorem but the ability to find normalcy within himself. His crush on his first Lindsey helps Colin sees the error of his past obsessions. This funny, situational novel will hook readers with Colin’s idiosyncrasies and Hassan’s jokes.

Green proves his prowess as a writer in this book. Either Green is incredibly smart or is a glutton for punishment. Writers must truly live in the minds of their characters, so whenever fictional geniuses are created on the page, I know the author was up to the challenge. Green solves anagrams, completes theorems that supposedly work, and writes truly hilarious banter in the voice of Hassan. Green writes the boys’ dialogue very well and uses it to create his fully fleshed characters. Although few teens have the abilities of Colin, his learning experience mirrors that of many teens. Colin learns to fit in when he learns to be himself, not who his parents, or the Katherine thought he was. I found it odd that the boys refrained from cussing by substituting “Fug” until Colin and Hassan explained the reference to Norman Mailer. Not only is that a hilarious story about Mailer, but Green uses the tactic to his advantage as well. The boys curse up a storm but Lindsey is the only character to utter the real word. Green’s footnotes hold some of the best comic material in the book so read closely. There are aspects of these characters that resemble his Alaska characters but this novel has a much different tone and pace. This coming of age story, ripe with intellectual minutia, would be a good quick pick for readers.

4Q 4P

12 and up

The cover art is confusing because the book is a great choice for guys, but the cover does not present that. In its current form it is not as appealing as it could be. I like the design of the mathematic formula but the rainbow silhouettes ruin the effect. The paperback cover has a picture of a Katherine, with others behind her. Again this cover is unclear and does not promote the book for males.

What is GMX? GMX is an expo from the creaters of MTAC (Middle Tennessee Anime Convention) coming to Middle Tennessee in the Fall. The expo will consist of geeky delights from many catagories including science fiction, fantasy, comic, board games, films, music, goth, television, rpg, anime, art, literature, video games, and internet culture! The line-up is huge! When GMX was announced at MTAC  earlier this year I was completely estatic. The video above was displayed and my geeky heart throbbed with excitement. There is a maximum registration limit of 500 people that will get into GMX and I must be there so I registered as soon as possible. The diversity of GMX is amazing and almost anything you can be a geek about can be fit into one of the catagories listed on the GMX Channels. Check out the forums at GMX Channels for the categories and what has been posted so far.

The expo is scheduled for October 2-4, 2009 and registration is currently open at www.whatisgmx.net. You will get all 48 hour access to GMX 2009 for $20!

(This information posted with permission of MTAC and GMX)

Steve McNair former mvp of the NFL was found shot and killed on saturday in a condo in downtown nashville.. He was reportedly found with multiple gun shots in his body including 1 to the head..The woman found dead with Mcnair has been identified as 20 yr old Sahel Kazemi a waitress that Mcnair met at Dave and Busters sports cafe in Tennesee.Police spokesman Don Aaron says “they had been in a dating relationship for several months now” Mc Nair was married with 4 kids to his wife Mechelle.. Kazemi reportedly was very taken by Mcnair and had upgraded her Kia to a cadillac Escalade neighbors say that “they saw mcnair there so often they thought that he had moved in” said that Kazemi”would often get dropped off in early hours in the morning in a limo”"it’s obvious they were together”our buddies over at mediatakeout.com reports Sahel’s ex-boyfriend, Keith Norfleet, said that sahel felt that Steve was dragging her along – and began behaving erratically. The boyfriend told a Tenessee newspaper, “[Steve] was making her believe they were going to be together and everything would be perfect.” According to him, she was last spotted banging on Norfleet’s door in the middle of the night – looking to talk. He wasn’t home to … and the next day – Steve McNair was found dead.

MediaTakeOut.com learned that Steve’s body had a multiple gunshot wounds – including one to the head. And Sahel – well she had a single gunshot wound to the head. And a recently fired pistol was found laying beside her hand.

theory : I have 2 my first theory is the darkhorse  Norfleet kazemi’s ex-boyfreind was jealous of the relationship with her and Mcnair a married man.He saw that with McNairs millions and status that their was no way he could compete. He then took it upon himself to Kill Mcnair  and kill his Ex-girlfreind who he knew would never come back to him and only used him to talk when things were not right with Mcnair.   My second theory is the one that i feel will come out correct. Sahel Kazemi asked steve Mcnair for the final time was he gonna leave his wife when mcnair did not have the answer she wanted to hear she finally got tired of his dragging her along and killed him. Now realizing she would never get away with it she killed herself. When you see multiple gunshots to someone it’s usually because  they missed the first couple of shots or the first few shots didn’t kill the victim. Then of course it only takes one shot to the head to kill yourself thats why the gun was found under her. Whichever it turns out i believe it’s one of these 2 theories i do not feel as though Mc nairs wife hired nor killed the 2 herself. Mechelle Mcnair has been said to have known about this affair for several weeks and was not persuing nor chasing down McNair. She was a mother of 4 with her whole entire life taken care of, to me she had to much to lose. Steve Mcnair was 36 yrs old

check out the myspace message left on ex-boyfreind keith norfleets my space”never let anyone or anything come in between you and the one you love, because when you do? you lose everything”  wow  we will keep you posted

Den üblichen Quatsch, wie “Ohh es ist der erste Eintrag – wie spanned!” erspar ich euch mal lieber hier. Soll ja nicht langweilig werden! Anstattdessen möcht ich euch Musik and Herz legen.

Neulich bin ich mal wieder ein bisschen clubben gewesen. Am liebsten check ich Livemusik also bin ich zu ‘nem Open Mic gegangen. Wie der Club heisst und die Artists hab ich mir nicht gemerkt, aber Joppa Linden war auch dort und schien die Atmo und Musik dort zu geniessen. Na wenn er Livemusik so gut findet, kennt er bestimmt auch Leute die es wert sind sich anzuhören (und das sind wahrlich nicht alle SLartists!). Ich IM ihn und frag wen er denn am besten findet von denen die er kennt. Joppas politisch korrekte Antwort war: “if i had to pick one person, it would probably be Von Johin”. Ich bedank mich mit dem üblichen “now get that shitty thing to work!” (bloß Spass) und such nach Von Johin.

Nie gehört, aber gleich gesehen – der Mann hat viele shows in sl. Sein Zeitplan ist zwar der Horror für Europäer, nichtsdestotrotz steh ich am nächsten Tag um halb 6 auf, nur um Von Johin zu hören, und ich muss sagen das war es wirklich wert! Aus Nashville, Tennesee stammend haben wir hier ein Blues Musik Urgestein, das seinesgleichen sucht! Mit rauchiger Whiskeystimme singt Von seinen Blues mit viel Gefühl und Originalität. Man hört sofort: Da ist kein 0815 Equipment am Start, das klingt alles astrein! Bei so einer professionellen Darbietung morgens um 6 in Deutschland, starte ich meinen Tag mit einem Kaffee und zufriedenen Lächeln!

Absolut wert sich anzuhören! Ich werd auf jeden Fall noch die ein oder andere show von Von Johin besuchen. Die Zeiten sind zwar hart aber für späte Nachtschwärmer oder frühe Vögel durchaus zu machen. Die shows gehen unglaublich lang (mindestens 2 Stunden). Und Von scheint wirklich ein Blues Original zu sein, das der Urpsrungsstadt des Blues alle Ehre macht!
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Von Johins site

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[english]

I’ll spare you the usual „Ohh, it’s the first post – amazing!“-stuff. It should not get boring at its start! I’m more likely to share some music with you.

Lately I went clubbing a bit. I love most to check out live music so I went to an open mic event. I forgot the name of the club and the singers there but amazingly Joppa Linden was there too and seemed to enjoy the atmo and the music. Well, if he likes live music he definately knows poeple worth listening to (and that’s by far not every slartist!). I IM him asking whom he likes best of the ones he knows. Joppa’s political correct answer was: „f i had to pick one person, it would probably be Von Johin”. I thank him with the usual „now get this shitty thing to work!“ (just kidding) and start searching for Von Johin.

Von Johin with guitar

Never heard him but seen immediately – this man has a lot of shows in sl. Even if his schedule is the horror for europeans I get up at 5.30am early next morning just to listen to Von Johin. I must say, it really was worth it! Johin has his origins in Nashville, Tennesee and seems to be a blues music veteran searching for one’s own kind! With a smokey whiskeyvoice Von sings his blues with feeling and individuality. You notice it from the beginning: There’s no cheapo-equipment he uses, it just sounds knotless! With such a professionell show at 6am in germany I start my day with coffee and a satisfied smile.

Absolutely worth listening to! I will definately catch the one or another show of Von Johin. Schedule might be hard but doable for night owls or early birds. His shows run incredible long (at least 2 hours). And Von really seems to be a blues music archetype who honours the origin city of the blues!

Dear Miley/Destiny Hope,

Let me start by being completely and totally honest: I am not a fan.  I don’t like your music, or your show, or your merchandise, or your clothes, or any aspect of you, what makes you you, and what is affiliated with you. I’m merely here to pose five questions that have been on my mind for some time (I would have thought of seven, but it would have turned into a more clever and overwitty version of your banal hit). So Miley/Destiny Hope, here it goes:

1) Do you realize that your stage name is no better than your given Christian name? Seriously: unoriginal cutesy childhood nicknames (Smiley became Miley; ingenious) are just as lame as having two undefined nouns that put into question the sanity of your parents, not to mention the amount of amphetamines they must have smoked at Woodstock to give you such wonderful names,. You would do yourself, myself and the rest of us a favor if you took a leaf out of a prominent musician’s book when it comes to names: on second thought, I’m sure even Gary Glitter would have a thing or two to teach you.

2) Do you honestly feel that keeping the spandex and rhinestone industries out of the pit is a wholesome contribution to society? Personally, I’m proud of you. You’ve marginally surpassed my underestimations and preconceptions of you by saving two industries from the economic crisis every time you step out on stage as Hannah Montana (another concept that escapes me, which I will get to later) wearing one of your famous Disney-rawkstarr outfits. From psychedelic plaid gauchos to sequined fuschia stiletto  boots, you seem to have kept every obscure sector of mediocre textile completely recession-proof. After all, especially  given your status as Disney sooperstarr (I’m presuming that the youngguns Disney Channel media ensnares write like that, given that what mundane magical shenanigans Alex Russo has recently gotten herself into is far more compelling then riding a bike or learning to read), you’ve saved those two industries: monkey see, monkey do. Through crappy merchandise and insidious omnipresent media, you’ve successfully manipulated an entire generation to venerate the garish mediocrity of mainstream music: I salute you, Destiny Hope/Miley Cyrus.

3) Speaking of crappiness and mainstream music, let’s associate the words for the next question: why must all your music be so spectacularly banal and formulaic? It’s one thing to have lyrics easily comprehended by the younger generations and universally appealing, but a complete other to have lyrics that are just-to put it simply-pointless. Case in point: nobody’s perfect/i’ve got to work it/again and again/ till i get it right. Come on, that’s just bad observational humor. And please don’t get me started on your hairflips that would make a Kurt Cobain on ecstasy jealous, your static-robotic choreography and your spectacularly lame rhymes: sometimes i’m in a jam/I’ve got to make a plan/it might be crazy/I do it anyway. My brother’s proven to be more eloquent and well-spoken, and he’s almost half your age.

Then again I shouldn’t be pointing fingers, at least not at you: I should turn to your brilliant lyricist, your father, for his preconceptions of today’s kids that continually gets on my nerves every time Radio Disney is turned on. All I can really say is, I’m insulted: however jaded, oversexed and dumbly thrill-seeking our generation might be, we’re not all completely stupid (did that sentence just contradict itself? BLEH).

4) I honestly don’t think I need a clever formulation for this next question; punctuation and capital letters will suffice. To quote 90% of the sane adolescent population: HANNAH MONTANA?! WTF?! Has the stupidity of having an alias, that isn’t actually an alias at all because no one lives under a rock and you frequently shove your SOOPERSTARR DOUBLE LIFE ZOMG media in to the populus’ face, ever crossed your mind? Have you ever thought it was entirely pointless to sweat into an overused, massively heavy with hair product, bleached-blond wig for half your life? You recently said in an interview that through Hannah Montana, you explore a different façade of your music: pardon my crudeness, but how the hell does that work? Aside from that horrid garish excuse for a sitcom, do you live vicariously through your “alias”? NO. Do you explore two very different styles of music, say maybe pop and ska (though I discourage you virulently from doing so, you’ve already killed one genre)? NO. Honestly Destiny Hope/ Miley,  I make no distinction between Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana, save maybe more rhinestones and some bleached hair in between.

5) Final question: why is it necessary to treble your voice for EVERY song? Experimenting with one’s vocal range is a beautiful thing: Imogen Heap can go from a monumental belt to a hissy whisper in twenty seconds, and though an acquired taste, it’s a beautiful thing to hear. You, on the other hand, do something quite bizarre: you go from a husky, murmuring croak to a nasal lengthening of a note, then to a poorly executed falsetto, and then back to that good ol’ croak. Oh, and let’s not forget all the “sha”’s in between. Seriously Miley/Destiny Hope, for someone with so much alleged talent, why can’t you make up your mind on your vocal range? Even with computer synthesizers making every aspect of your voice artificial, it still comes out a confused mess, as do most of the outfits you wear, your celebrity profile and your love life (zomygawd yesh, I went there).

To conclude this rather scathing letter, a word of advice: go have a sit-down in your little Nashville and sort your voice, your outfits and your celebrity profile out. Straighten things out. And make yourself comfortable while you’re at it, possibly never come into the spotlight again. Merely a suggestion, I’m not pointing fingers here: after all, wasn’t it you who said that nobody’s perfect?

Insincerely,

~Ady

Day Five:

I am sitting in our Dayton, TN hotel exhausted.  We started the day at 7am, eating, packing, and heading out to New Echota Historic Site.  We arrived there right after they opened.  I got teary eyed before we went in.  It makes me wonder about my emotional self, though I was well aware of what we would learn today.

Middle class Cherokee family homestead

The morning was lovely, and I was glad to get started before the heat set in.  We did a self guided walking tour of many reconstructed and original period dwellings and meeting houses in what was once the capital of the Cherokee Nation.  To think that the Cherokee were forced to leave their lands makes me think of nothing less than the holocaust.  They lived in log homes and had farms.

Inside a middle class Cherokee home... it was one large room

Another view of the same room

They had their own newspaper and printing press, printing things in both English and Cherokee.  They worked with a three house government.

The rack holding the typeface used to print The Cherokee Phoenix and other printed materials in both the Cherokee language and English

Looking at the different homes was inspiring, especially the kitchens.  From the wealthy to the common, the simplicity felt serene.  I want to go home and work on our cabin.  Clean it out totally.

Lower class Cherokee home - one small room consisting of one bed, 2 gourd bowls, a grinding log for meal, one deer skin, and a gourd ladle

Kitchen in the lower class dwelling

My favorite kitchen of the day in the Worcester House at New Echota

The cooking hearth and baking oven of the same kitchen

I am beyond hurt at how a people so established and native inhabitants of a land could be so disregarded as the sacrilege that happened with The Trail of Tears.  What many don’t know is that all this disrespect to the native people and their land began with presidents like Thomas Jefferson ( a much beloved man in our country and known as a fighter for equality) who wanted to make the Indian indebted to the U.S. so they could take their land from them and move them west.  People only think of Andrew Jackson, a man of the people, hater of the native peoples, and a president who disregarded the laws of his own nation.  They did this to a people so bent on preserving their heritage – their right to be separate but equal.  A people who, on the white man’s terms proved their civility and capacity to exist as a nation.  It’s unreal what the average American doesn’t know about that situation.

Meeting House at New Echota - where the council held meetings

Inside the Meeting House

Courthouse at New Echota

The Vann Tavern - New Echota

Inside the Vann Tavern - the counter and mercantile area of the largest room

I’m finding it hard to even write about what we saw and learned today.  It was so extensive.  After New Echota, we went to The Vann House, which was a four story European style home built by a prominent Cherokee business man – James Vann.

The Vann House

He had a plantation and around 70 slaves on his land at a time, and up to 110.

View from the third floor of The Vann House

What was outstanding was that even the wealthy Cherokee who had adpoted many of the white man’s ways were moved to Indian Territory by force.  Their money nor their “civilized” accomplishments could make them exempt from the land hungry white man.  Joseph Vann (son of James Vann and the inheritor of his estate) and his family were burnt out of their home.

The root/wine cellar - where all "cold" food items were stored

The woman's bedroom

There was a spinning wheel and/or loom in every dwelling from the middle class up.

A little girl's room - very few "toys" - I loved it, so simple and pure as was the boy's room

The dining room

When we left New Echota the walking tour ended with two quotes by Cherokee government members Elias Boudinot and John Ridge.  I copied them into a notebook.  In essence, they said that the Cherokee removed from the land God gave them would cease to exist – be blended with the white man.  That is essentially what Thomas Jefferson had promised the native peoples whom would give in to the wishes of the American government – they would blend with the white man.  And there I stood – Cherokee blood in the veins of a white woman.  A dichotomy in the flesh.

Solemn and gloomy is the thought that all the Indian Nations who once occupied America are nearly gone.  In the lapse of half a century, Cherokee blood, if not destroyed, will wind its course in the being of fair complexions, who will read that their ancestors, under the stars of adversity and curses of their enemies became a civilized nation.

- John Ridge, February 27, 1826

The time will come when few remanants of our once happy and improving Nation will be viewed by posterity with curious and gazing interest as relics of a brave and noble race… perhaps, only here and there a solitary being, walking, ‘as a ghost over the ashes of his fathers’ to remind a stranger that such a race once existed.

- Elias Boudinot, Nov. 21, 1836

I thought about Arizona and her place in this history.  What was she aware of?  I know she knew much of what I learned, but I wonder how she perceived it.  She lived in both Indian Territory and New Echota.  The guide at The Vann House said it was hard to believe that Arizona’s family went to Indian Territory and actually came back.  It makes me think more of her father and who he was.  Why he was what he was.

On the way to Dayton, we gradually entered into tiny rolling hills.  Both John and I couldn’t help but think of Arizona’s walk – over 80 miles from Georgia to Tennessee.  So young and strong.

After such a saturated and fun day we are all tired.  John is working on the van.  There is a hole in the radiator.  The girls are being wild with that tired irritability.  It feels good just to be.

Deladis in a smokehouse at New Echota - orbs or dust particles... you decide

Kelli B. Haywood has received professional development funding through the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supported by state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

At ten p.m., a drunk man is dancing in front of a bar on Beale street, smiling and waving at passersby. At ten a.m. the next morning, the man is still on Beale street, and he is still dancing.