I really hate New Years Resolutions. They're easy targets for humiliation later on. Nevertheless, I am setting some goals for myself, though, and primarily they include spending more time with my family and revitalizing my job. Not so much VS. 

Really there are two issues here:

1. I got too involved in an online community once before and it jeopardized real-life. I'm not going to let that happen again. 
2. Most of my online stuff these days is centered around my work blog and professional networking.

So...the good news is that I've got a clear, goal-oriented approach to the New Year. I intend on being a better person at the end of it. The bad news is that I won't be spending so much time here.  I'll be around, just not as much.

Happy New Year and  black eyed peas for everyone!

is really...Christian.

Did we get hacked? 

This post in honor of Zifnab's upcoming rise to the top of the Sifter's list. Now I'll get to go on Celebrity Fit Club or Dancing with the Stars, right? Cool!

Brought to you by the The Society for Librarians* Who Say "Motherfucker"

In 1866, John and Carrie McGavock created a monument to the soldiers who died at the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee. They moved to a cemetery on their plantation nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers who died during the five-hour battle on Nov. 30, 1864 . Today, rows of limestone-marked graves rest within sight of the Carnton home where many of those soldiers died.

The Confederate army took over the Carnton Plantation as a hospital, and Carrie McGavock helped nurse the soldiers. That story and the McGavocks are real, but "The Widow of the South," set at Carnton, is a novel that a group of Hazel Green High School students have read in their Literary Explorations course.

  It was an awesome trip. We had all read the book, a best-selling historical fiction title about the Battle of Franklin and Carrie McGavock. The author did the tour - he wrote the book to help fund the restoration of the house...and it is definitely immaculately restored. It's also (supposedly) one of the ten most haunted places in the country. If you're into Southern architecture or history it's defintely a trip to make. Read the book first...and watch out for the Confederate general who can sometimes be seen pacing the back upper porch!

Carnton Back Porch

McGavock Living Room, done in the Greek Revival style of the period.

McGavock Military Cemetary. We were there the week of Veteran's day, very touching.

Widow of the South Author Robert Hicks on the Back Porch at Carnton

These are bullet holes made during the Battle of Franklin in an outbuilding behind Carter House, the Union headquarters in Franklin. It was on the north Side of the battle, Carnton on the South.

Many original family items are preserved at both Carnton and Carter House. The tour guides told the stories of the families that lived there during and after the battle. Chilling stuff.

http://www.carnton.org/

http://www.carter-house.org/

http://www.widowofthesouth.com/

...hoping to get all the raunchy vids. It didn't work, dammit! 

I've been saying for a long time that I want to be cloned. I want a Marianne to be the wife. I need one to be Mommy. And of course there's Marianne the Career Professional...then I want one who's just me. 

But the thought just came to me...I need a clone to be MLx, too. I just got home from a very long day: 9 hour work day hunched over my computer trying to write the materials for a class I'm teaching next week and ended up at a board meeting. Then I had to take my daughter to horn lessons, finally came home to a messy kitchen and laundry to be done. And I see all these videos I want to watch! And blog posts to respond to! I want to finish up some CSS code!  And I need to find a submission!

But I'm pooped.  Ya know?

Meet Chrissy, our 5 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. This is her pitiful look, as in "Please don't make me get off the bed!" She's just a great big 100lb baby.