First day of the semester

Today is the first day of the semester. The hallways are once again humming with the voices and conversations of our students. I was excited to bring in a new bookshelf and lamp to my office. The lamp is really, really cool! It does not require you turn a knob or push a button. You just have to touch the metal base and POOF the light turns on. Makes it super easy to get some nice soft light in the office when I come in the morning juggling keys, my tea, and bag.

The bookshelf is dedicated to both the books I am teaching this semester (Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, and Imbeciles by Adam Cohen) as well as my growing collection on Southern Appalachian/Southern Studies. I received in the mail my copy of “Baptized by PCBs” last night. I had heard nothing but good things about this book. Yet I was skeptical. Typically when a book is so lazar focused on one location, like a small city and social movement within it, the book can be a bit light on substance.

Flipping through the book, however, this concern was completely misplaced. It is so incredibly thorough, and so thoughtful. I cannot wait to read it in its entirety. If I had known the book was so substantive I would have assigned it to my graduate students in Alabama History. I will know now for next time I teach it.

I have plugged in my lamp and…. it is not working. I touch the base and it flickers like I am in a living room rave party. A colleague stopped by, undoubtedly concerned about the flickering and wondering if I was electrocuting myself, and asked what the hell I was doing?

I explained that this was a great lamp and it would make things easier for me and establish better mood than the flourescent lights in my office ceiling. I have never liked flourescent lights. They hurt my eyes.

Good luck, the colleague said, as they walked away. By this point I had been flashed by the lamp several times as I tried to readjust the base. My eyes are hurting now.

The lamp will make an excellent book end.

-End Entry