The City of Legends

Well, it's Thursday, June 16th...the long awaited release date of the Appalachian Education Initiative's "Art & Soul: West Virginians in tne Arts"...

For a story in the Charleston Gazette about it, try ‘Art & Soul’ reveals W.Va.-educated celebrities...the Morgantown media, where I live, where four of the honorees come from and where the organization that put it all together is headquartered, is silent on the topic.

Leaving in just a few hours to head down to Charleston. Yeah, it's a pain, but I promised some people I'd do it...I have been openly and systemically criticized for deciding to go to the press conference, but I've also managed to work in some "real work" (hey, I've been hearing it for 30+ years, writing isn't a real job, even though I am right now making more off of it than the teaching).

I'll cut that train of thought off there before I say something to really aggravate the situation.

Slept well, had a good class last night. Oh, cute anecdote...as I was arriving at MTEC last night to teach, one of my students from last semester was getting out of her car, talking on her cell...from her facial expression it was obvious she was not enjoying the phone call (grimaces, rolling of the eyes, embarrassed smile, etc) and someone on the other end obviously did not know where she was and was repeatedly asking her where she was...she kept deflecting the question. Finally she grinned at me, as if getting a truly wicked idea, and said "I'm at my boyfriend's house"...I had no idea who she was on the phone with, but I was half expecting her to hand the phone to me and ask me to play the role (not knowing who it was, that might have been dodgy, but a damsel in distress, etc etc).

Well, she didn't...and later on she told me it was her ex, whom she broke up with about a year ago. In some ways glad I didn't get the phone...not knowing the guy, you never know the fallout of such a subterfuge...but it was almost like a scene out of a light romantic comedy or sitcom. It helps that she is very attractive.

Well, I gotta go get ready...in some ways I am very much looking forward to this trip, in some ways I am dreading it.