A little local color from the land of Bayou Fire. Enjoy!
New Orleans’ WDSU-TV Channel 8 aired this short (2:58) video recently with background on the rubboard used so much in zyeco music. It shows one being manufactured, in stop motion, by Tee-Don Landry. Landry claims it was his father who made the first one for Clifton Chenier’s brother Cleveland to play in the band. A transcription is included, if you’re having problems with Louisiana-accented English.
You’ve no doubt noticed that I’ve done a lot of reblogging lately. There are a couple of reasons.
The first, and most obvious, is that there have been a lot of really good articles coming across lately that I thought my readers might enjoy. One of the things I love most about using WordPress is the ease with which I can share these materials.
The other is that I’ve been having some very unusual (for me) dental pain. When it reached the point where I couldn’t chew solid food, I called my dentist. I saw her last week to (hopefully) rule out anything dental and get some reassurances that it was all just sinus problems secondary to seasonal allergies.
No such luck. I have been on antibiotics since then to clear up the sinus infection … and I have my first-ever root canal scheduled for Monday
I, like many others, experience dental phobia. I had a horrible dentist as a kid. I hadn’t been to the dentist in more than 20 years when I found my current one … and she has been a huge help with her kindness and understanding of what that phobia means. The endodontist to whom she referred me is also very gentle. Still, this is a new experience for me … and I tend toward wariness as a result of past bad experience.
So, how has that stopped me from blogging? Frankly, the pain in my head was so much worse when I was seated upright than when I was lying down that being at the computer any longer than absolutely necessary was simply not on. At this point, I’m much better (thanks to the miracles of modern medication) and can focus more … just in time for a slew of great articles to come along for sharing!
I seldom talk about personal stuff here, as you’ve noticed … but I wanted to let you all know what was going on.
This one is just for fun. Which authors would you like to have around your table for dinner?
Before I post my author, and I will tell you, I was arguing with myself for days; if you could have dinner with one author, living or not, who would it be?
I am expecting some familiar names, and please do not let that stop you from posting, because I would honestly love to have dinner with JK Rowling, Stephen King (hold the meal), or Mr. Patterson.
I would have loved to have had a face-to-face with Mr. William W. Johnstone, whom stoked my fire for writing when I wrote to him as a young teenager, obsessed with his books, and he replied, and we had a friendly relationship for several years.
That book right there; Sweet Dreams, put me on the path to loving books for the rest of my life!
And now I have a personal library in my house, and I am constantly hunting for the books…
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My advice has always been to go read the bad reviews of beloved classics … because they’re out there. Not all books are for all readers (no matter how much we might wish otherwise).
by Lev Raphael
Don’t tweet that the reviewer is an absolute moron who deserves exile to Chechnya or at least a lifetime of bad sex and lukewarm meals. It’ll only make you seem nutty, and most people won’t know about the review until you tell them anyway.
Don’t make snarky, veiled remarks about this reviewer when you’re interviewed, because sulking and bitterness will just end up making you come off as a crank who should get a life or see a shrink.
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Great advice here.
by Destine Williams
Hey everybody, today I wanted to do another Day In the Life post. And for today’s topic, I wanted to shift our focus inward and talk about something that’s been on my mind a lot these days. It’s this idea of being more honest when we write, draw, compose, or just create well…anything.
On Where This All Came From…
You see I’ve always had this feeling before I had the words to express them, but it was finally cleared up for me when I heard about artists that have sketchbooks that are made for the sole purpose of showing people and separate sketchbooks that are just for them.
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