Literary Autobiography

Silverstein.

Cleary.
Blume.

Childhood.

(these are even the correct book covers!)

~~J

Really: Happy Birthday!

(continuing from yesterday)

Of course, if you live in Memphis you've heard of Ugly Mug coffee (if you haven't, I am a little disappointed in you).

If fact, it was "Hardy Passion" that is partially responsible for getting me through my first semester of graduate school.

I’ve had my Limited Edition Elvis coffee too! (Sorry, obviously I enjoyed all of mine a while ago--you can just look at the lovely picture provided)…

Ugly Mug does have “Blue Suede Shoes” currently available if YOU are interested though.

Speaking of Blue Suede shoes...did you see Edison Peña's awesome shoes at the Grizzlies game last night? (Or maybe hear his rendition on television?)

Rescued Chilean miner, an Elvis fanatic, visits Graceland in Memphis

He's cutting the birthday cake at Graceland and everything else today. Very cool!

This year (to coincide with Elvis Week) the Elvis Mr. Potato Head became available, which means I got an Elvis spud for Christmas a couple weeks ago…

You can also see my "mini" Elvis ornaments (the big ornaments have already been packed away) and more limited edition wine in this picture too.

Between the pictures and the CDs and the doll (or this one) and the calendars and the aforementioned collectibles I've detailed already--I'd have to remind you:

ELVIS LIVES!

Thank you, thank you very much!

~~J

Happy (almost) 76th Birthday!

(to The King, of course!)

My Senior year of high school (let's erase the year) I remember being in my "Journalism" class (as co-editor of the newspaper) and one of my classmates came in with the answer to a very big and important question.

Kyle (a self-proclaimed U2 and Elvis fanatic) came in and wrote the following on the blackboard:

ELVIS = LIVES!!!

Oh yes, that rather famous anagram had never been pointed out to me before, so I was taken aback. I was impressed. I was sure THIS was the coolest discovery in wordplay ever (obviously, I was a bit naïve).

But, get this--it's still TRUE!

With over 15,000 Elvis-licensed products out there (according to a spokesperson at Graceland) it’s no surprise that Elvis Presley is always on Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebs’ list. (He came in at number two in 2010)

Hey! The King is alive in our hearts, right? (alternative word for heart: wallet)

So this holiday season, just like every other holiday season in recent past, I was surprised with more fantastic, wacky Elvis-related collectibles. Obviously I AM one of the Elvis "people." At least I'm easy to shop for, right?

Here are a few of my relatively "recent" fun ELVIS collectibles….

like the Classic PEZ candy dispensers in 3 different Elvis Presley designs (as you can see) and there is a 3-track CD featuring a song from each era: '56--Hound Dog, '61--Follow That Dream, '70--The Wonder of You.

Dark chocolate (adorned with '68 Comeback Special black leather *purrr* Elvis), made locally by Dinsthul's (get you some!)

And lastly (for this post at least) that's a bottle of limited edition Elvis wine. We have a couple numbered bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, which shan't be opened anytime soon, but we have actually consumed the Chardonnay--not bad, not bad at all!

~~J

Agreed.

"Pneumonia

STRIKES

like a man-eating SHARK

Led by its

PILOT FISH

the common cold."

(Definitely)
consult your physician!

And I have the antibiotics, steriods (oral and inhaled) to prove it...

Mastering the Neti Pot is not as simple as it seems (I may as well stand in the shower everytime I do it).

Classes start when? Oh brother!

~~J

2.0.1.1

It's taken two weeks, coupled with a sudden cold (that just won't quit) to drive me back between the pages of a book.

Of course, it's something I didn't expect to read over break--nor is it very long (less than 200 pgs), but you have to start somewhere.

As someone without ambitions to write a novel (just yet), I'm happy to find a shorter novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.

With "new year" reading begun, I am also happy to announce some writing too. The previously mentioned four days spent knocking on death's door may mean that what I've managed to get down may not be too thrilling.

But words are words are words.

Both (reading and writing) are "resolutions" I plan to keep. I want to read a certain number (25 books in 52 weeks) as well as finishing ten pages per week (or 520 pages for the year).

NEW pages? I haven't decided whether or not to include "edited pages" in that number or not. But I don't need to over think it. I got that number from my "old" professor Richard Bausch (thank goodness for Facebook):

If you can craft two pages a day, two pages, and keep to the daily schedule--averaging two a day, so if you miss Sunday and Monday, you write four on Tuesday and Four on Wednesday. If you can keep to it, put your ass in the chair and keep to it--that's 730 pages in a year.

Lastly, from a classmate--check out this link Readers by Authors by Lauren Leto. It had me laughing so hard snot was running out of my nose. Great image, right?

~~J