Blog – Page 21 – Carla Jean Whitley

Stranded in a fog of words

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

On Jan. 3, I filled my iPod.

I didn’t see that milestone coming. When I finally bought an iPod two years ago, I intentionally purchased a model I thought large enough for my ever-growing music collection, but not so large that its capacity would go to waste. I expected the device to break before I ever needed more than 30GB.

When I added the albums that pushed my music collection over that 30GB mark, of course I panicked. “I need a new iPod!” I thought. “Do I have money to bump up to the next size? What am I going to do?”

I quickly came to my senses and realized I was being ridiculous. I love being able to carry every album I own everywhere I go, but I don’t listen to all 17.7 days worth of music. I would be scared to count how many of those 6,352 songs I’ve not listened to even once. So maybe the problem isn’t that my iPod is too small, I concluded. Maybe I’m the problem.

I cleared enough music off my computer to ensure my iPod and iTunes would sync, and in the weeks since I’ve continued the spring cleaning. I only listen to one track from Amy LaVere’s album; though so many people loved it, it never really clicked with me. Off it goes. I load albums I’m sent for review, but if they don’t make the cut? Delete.

The following weekend I applied the same mentality to my apartment. I have more clothes than I need, and so many that I don’t wear. My trunk was quickly overflowing with bags earmarked for Goodwill. My bathroom was next on the list. I had developed a tidy collection of samples: shampoos, lotions and anti-aging creams (lots and lots of anti-aging creams). Just because I might need this cream someday doesn’t mean I need to store it today (besides, by the time someday rolls around, the cream would have expired). I bagged them up and took them into work, where my coworkers quickly claimed the products and put them to use.

It felt good, this cleansing ritual. And it’s ongoing; I’ve got clothes I’ve set aside, waiting a few days to see if I really can part with them. If I don’t wear it, why do I own it? And I’ve continued to edit my iTunes as new music comes in.

But there’s one area of my life where I can’t seem to break the hoarding cycle. Books.

Last weekend was the Friends of Emmet O’Neal Library Book Sale, and I certainly did my part to support the library. By the end of the weekend I had bagged up 80 books: 35 for one of my best friends, 44 for me and a crossword puzzle book for my grandfather.

And I’m unashamed. It’ll take me a while to read all of those books, especially combined with my already-lengthy to read list. And OK, I’ve instituted a book buying fast: I am not allowed to buy books again until Feb. 22, 2010 (or next year’s Emmet O’Neal book sale, whichever comes first). I need to read through some of what I already own, and no doubt I’ll continue to acquire more freebies. (I’ve got a knack for it, well, a knack and Paperback Swap.) I’m allowing myself three exceptions, because you just never know when something fabulous will be published. I hope to have read at least a significant chunk of this year’s book sale purchases by this time next year.

Even so, books are one thing that I just can’t get enough of.

Book Sale Bargain Day Finds:

Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel
Travels with Barley: A Journey through Beer Culture in America by Ken Wells
The Archivist by Martha Cooley (OK, I totally bought this book based on its cover.)
The Best American Magazine Writing 2002
Name All the Animals by Alison Smith
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
The Best American Essays 1990 edited by Justin Kaplan

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I Feel Bad about My Neck by Nora Ephron (OK, I’m too young for this book. But I like Nora Ephron.)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (My book club read this a few months ago. I … didn’t.)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (See above.)
Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Reivers by William Faulkner
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom (Again I must confess: I bought it because of the cover. It has a date due card on it. And it talks about books.)
The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L’Engle (Because I have friends who OBSESS over her work)
Before Columbus Foundation Fiction Anthology edited by Ishmael Reed
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Reading Rooms: America’s Foremost Writers Celebrate Our Public Libraries with Stories, Essays, Poems and Memoirs edited by Susan Allen Toth and John Coughlan
Sister Age by MFK Fisher
Ray in Reverse by Daniel Wallace (Because I dig Daniel Wallace)
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Leaving Home by Garrison Keillor (I have, um, never read or even really listened to Garrison Keillor.)

My fingers wrap around your words

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

Tonight I broke into a little dance when I left the library.

Sadly, that’s not an entirely unusual thing; I think it’s becoming an annual tradition. The occasion? The Friends of Emmet O’Neal Library Book Sale.

Last year was my first visit to the sale, and the trip resulted in the purchase of 36 books for $7. I’ve been talking about the event ever since.

My strategy this year was to begin with the Friends Preview Party on Thursday night, then return on Sunday for last-minute bargains. With my fellow bibliophile Monica in tow, I wrote my check to become a Friends member, grabbed a book tote and faced the books.

I intended to use today only for books that were absolute must-haves. I’d already snagged a few while volunteering with the Friends group over the past month, and I knew there would be plenty of classics left on Sunday. I’m running out of shelving space in my tiny apartment, and frankly I haven’t finished reading all of last year’s purchases. (Perhaps I should tally that number!)

$54 later, I was set for the night. There was only one book in my stack that I questioned its must-have value, but it was a $2 purchase–so why not?

Downtown Birmingham Architectural and Historial Walking Tour Guide by Marjorie White, the Birmingham Historical Society
The Art of Eating by MFK Fisher (includes Serve it Forth, Consider the Oyster, How to Cook a Wolf, The Gastronomical Me and An Alphabet for Gourmets) (one of the big finds of the evening! Can’t believe I only paid $2 for this)
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace (yes I’ve read it, but I didn’t own it)
Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook by Alice Waters (this is the other big find!!!)
Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar (I loved these books as a child!)
A Thin Difference by Frank Turner Hollon (have read two of his books, big fan, plus he’s a Bama boy)
The God File by Frank Turner Hollon
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (for $2. SERIOUSLY.)
The New York Times Large Print Big Book of Easy Crosswords (for my grandfather!)
Endless Feasts: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet edited by Ruth Reichl
Early Days in Birmingham: A Printing of the Original Papers of the Pioneers Club whose Members were Eye-Witnesses to the Events of the Founding of the City (I just thought that was too cute to pass on! I love Birmingham history.)
Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg
Leaving Birmingham by Paul Hemphill (one I’d been hunting for two years!)
The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg
Gilead by Marylynne Robinson
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

It’s so hard to reason with you

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

I’ve been so caught up in the Beatles lately that a friend or two has called me out on not listening to anything else. That’s not entirely true; though there was a week when I listened to literally nothing but, I’ve also been hard at work critiquing CDs for the magazine I work at.

But I have been listening to the Beatles so much that analysis of songs worms its way into my daily conversations. Today I told a coworker that I’m working on my bachelor’s in Beatles. For the longest time I thought I was just catching up with the rest of the world. Then last night I watched Across the Universe and was (appropriately!) delighted by details like the Cavern’s appearance in an early Liverpool scene. That’s when it clicked. Virtually everyone likes the Beatles. But everyone is not going to recognize that arch over the stage.

And so tonight, when I want to ramble on about how great “Please Please Me” is, I’m turning to the Internet at large instead of emailing the same four people or calling my dad with my enthusiastic blather. I keep thinking that I’m the last person to jump on the Beatles bandwagon, but the truth is that there will always be someone new. Nearly 50 years after their first album, the music still grabs hold of un- or under-exposed listeners.

I bought Please Please Me (1963) and Let It Be (1970) two or three weeks ago, bringing my studio album collection near completion. (I’m still without With the Beatles. My birthday is July 5.) Throughout my career as a Beatles fan (a ridiculous statement, I know, since it’s been less than two years since I bought my first album), I’ve always preferred later Beatles. The deeper they got into their careers (and everything that went with that), the more engaging their music became. I’ve listened to Please Please Me seven times through, as compared to Let It Be nine times. It’s not a huge discrepancy, but it’s to be expected.

But I’ve listened to the single “Please Please Me” probably four times today alone. I tend to be pretty naïve when songs are about … sensitive subjects. I was out of college when my (younger!) sister explained a line in “Baby Got Back,” a song I’d heard more times than I cared to over the course of eight years.

That’s not the case here. I know exactly what John is saying. And that’s OK. The lyrics aren’t the point either, not for me, not on this song.

I tend to think of the Beatles’ early work as more innocent, with songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” jumping out. But this track destroys those, even though “She Loves You” will always hold a special place in my heart. “Please Please Me” feels so much more authentic to me, more gritty and true, and more so as I continue to read about the band. And I am obsessed with the guitar on this song. Absolutely obsessed.

If only I’d been alive in the 60s. If this song is still affecting people nearly 50 years after it was written, I can only imagine what I would have been like witnessing the band in action. I would have been the screaming, bawling girl on the front row.

Instead, I’m her circa 2009, sitting in front of a computer and daydreaming about a time before I was born.

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It’s a small world after all

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

We often joke that Birmingham is the biggest small town, and I’m constantly stumbling upon proof–even in other cities! Three cases in point:

1. Last May I was in Nashville to interview a local band, Wild Sweet Orange. They were touring nationally in support of their then- soon-to-be-released debut LP, but the tour wouldn’t carry them back to Birmingham until well after my deadline, so it was up to Nashville for me! As we chatted, I began the Birmingham six degrees game by asking what high schools they attended. Sure enough, two of the band members attended the same high school as my best guy friend from college–and the wife of one was his date to a high school dance. Small world.

2. My friend Elisa has gotten really into cycling over the past year, and has even launched a blog and a co-op specific to that interest. This weekend she and another Bike Skirt girl met a fellow bicycle blogger for coffee. That cyclist? Is my concert buddy and fellow editor from Nashville. Small world.

3. Not so long ago, a photographer friend spotted a facebook status in which I mentioned my best friend from high school, Scarlett Lillian. Amelia was so excited to realize that a photographer whose blog she followed was a long-time friend of mine. But take it a step further: Right now Scarlett is in Atlanta for a party. She texted me to say she’d met a photographer from Birmingham and immediately asked if he knew me. And of course, I adore Caleb Chancey.

It’s a small world, after all.

I trust you if you say its good

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

During my church’s women’s retreat earlier this month, we were split into small groups and given some ice breaker questions to aid in the getting-to-know you process. I laughed when I read one that asked what I’m passionate about. I’m a terribly enthusiastic person—not indiscriminately, to be sure, but when I really care about something, everyone around me knows it.

That’s how I ended up spending Friday lunch in the basement of Emmet O’Neal Library, sorting books for the annual Friends of Emmet O’Neal Library Book Sale.

Last year Elisa and I wandered through that very basement on the final day of the sale. It was intended to be an interlude between moving her things between apartments. It was instead the highlight of a cold February day, and we returned to her place with 36 books between us. The grand total at checkout? $7.

I’ve been raving about the sale ever since. Then last week I received a voice mail from one of the Friends folks, asking if I could run this year’s sale in our events calendar. I’m generally shy about calling strangers, but I immediately returned her message. The Friends sale and fellow book lovers dispel introversion.

And now I’m a library volunteer. Friday I was shown how to organize this year’s books and given access to piles and piles of donated books. It’s slow work to start, because I’ll stop as I drop books into their respective sections and examine the shelves. I’ve been looking for a copy of Paul Hemphill’s Leaving Birmingham—could it be hidden in the Southern writers section? What untold treasures are tucked into the massive trade paperback section? I’m told it’s easier to stay focused as you spend more time at the library. We’ll see.

I left my first day with three books to add to my 2009 book sale list: A hardback copy of The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg (though I ran an excerpt and interviewed him last year, I only have the review copy); Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (which caught my eye at my book club’s book swap earlier in the week); and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (who wrote a great book of book-related essays, Ex Libris). I’m told that the Friends group is the sale’s best customers. This year, I’m afraid you’ll have to count me among that number.

This is why I'm not allowed to spend much money on books ... I'm a book hoarder. — This is why I'm not allowed to spend much money on books ... a glimpse of my to read shelf. No, I have not finished reading the books I purchased last year.

This year’s Friends of Emmet O’Neal Library Book Sale will be held Feb. 20 to 22.

I spoon you into my coffee cup

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

I’ve been joking for months that I’ve become the unofficial publicist for my favorite coffee shops. I take all my visitors to at least one of them, and I drive well out of my way to buy beans from my favorite roaster. I’ll walk a mile from my office, round-trip, for a cup of coffee on a cold day. And I spend way too much time talking to and about my favorite baristas. (Let’s be honest: They’re an incredibly important part of the coffee experience!)

For years friends have called me the coffee queen, but these days I’m doing my part to earn the title. Just today, one of my favorites gave me a list (at my request!) of the equipment that would help me create the very best cup of coffee I can at home. Everything that I don’t already own is now on my amazon wish list, and I’ll likely purchase it bit by bit over the coming years.

But the truth? It may not be worth the money, because I sure do love hanging out in coffee shops.

Le Creuset Zen Tea Kettle, red

Every morning I heat water in my Le Creuset Zen Tea Kettle . I really should filter my water, or so the experts say. But when you’ve got Birmingham’s fantastic water on tap, it’s hard to convince me.

Right now I’m using a cheap Black and Decker burr grinder. It’s a step up from blade, but I have my eye on this beauty from Baratza.

Bodum Chambord 12 cup press

My current French press is a two cupper, but I’d like to upgrade to the Bodum Chambord 12 cup press.

Ohaus CL-201 scale

Now we’re really getting anal. I worry a lot about the amount of coffee I’m putting into the press, and with the Ohaus CL-201 scale I would be worry-free. (Although yes, my coffee-making process would be that much longer.)

These days, all my coffee comes from Primavera. Like I said, it’s an obsession … and it’s worth every penny, every drive to a specialty shop or–better still–to Primavera itself. Hey, if coffee’s my biggest vice then I’m not doing so bad …

Everything turns to you

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

I just finished reading an interview with author Azar Nafisi in the January 2009 issue of Book Page. Nafisi wrote the much-lauded Reading Lolita in Tehran, and her new memoir is Things I’ve Been Silent About. Referring to the first book, the interviewer asked why Nafisi reads, and her response struck home.

“I read for the same reason that I write: I cannot help myself. It is like falling in love, there must be a number of reasons why one falls in love, but when it comes to explaining them, one can feel tongue-tied. …”

2009 concerts

Posted on January 1, 2009 by Carla Jean Whitley

Tim Brantley, Barnes and Noble, Jan. 2009
Hunter Barrow and the Gary Buseys, Speakeasy, Jan. 2009
Grey Haven, Urban Standard, Jan. 30, 2009
Punch Brothers, Alys Stephens Center, Jan. 31, 2009
Cowboy Junkies, Alys Stephens Center, Feb. 10, 2009
Griffin House, WorkPlay, Feb. 20, 2009
Ryan Adams, Alabama Theatre, March 6, 2009
Blitzen Trapper with Alela Diane, Bottletree, March 7, 2009
Ryan Adams, War Memorial, Nashville, Tenn., March 14, 2009
Ryan Adams, Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Ga., March 20, 2009
GreyHaven 7, Urban Standard, March 27, 2009
Maria Taylor with Whispertown 2000, Bottletree, April 4, 2009
Dave Matthews Band with Old Crow Medicine Show, Verizon Wireless Music Center, April 20, 2009
William Fitzsimmons, WorkPlay, April 23, 2009
Ray LaMontagne, Alabama Theatre, April 27, 2009
The Felice Brothers, Bottletree, April 28, 2009
L.L. Cool J and Jazon Mraz, Crawfish Boil, May 1, 2009
Laura Gibson and Damien Jurado, The Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, Wash., May 8, 2009
Black Jacket Symphony presents Abbey Road, WorkPlay, May 28, 2009
Sarah Borges, Art on the Rocks, May 29, 2009
Abram and Sarah, The Havens, IMaginary Plans and Dead Fingers, Bottletree, June 2, 2009
Bon Iver with Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, June 6, 2009
Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s Three Broadway Divas, Caldwell Park, June 12, 2009 (rained out after overture)
Todd Coder, Above, June 18, 2009
City Stages: Act of Congress, Great Book of John, Plain White T’s, Wild Sweet Orange, Abram and Sarah, How I Became the Bomb, Meiko, Erin McCarley, Eric Hutchinson, Roman Candle, Mat Kearney, Jonny Lang, Dierks Bentley, Pine Hill Haints, Hill Country Revue, Electric Touch, The Whigs, Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynrd; Downtown Birmingham, June 17-19, 2009
The Flamers, O Kafes, June 25, 2009
GreyHaven, Urban Standard, July 17, 2009
Pine Hill Haints, Bottletree, July 25, 2009
Avett Brothers, Westobou Festival, Augusta, Ga., Sept. 18, 2009
Chamber music, Augusta, Ga., Sept. 18, 2009
Carmina Burana, Augusta Choral Society, Augusta, Ga., Sept. 19, 2009
Derek Webb with Sandra McCracken, WorkPlay, Sept. 20, 2009
The Decemberists with Laura Viers, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2009
Neil Couvillion with Justin Cross, Urban Standard, Oct. 3, 2009
Great Lake Swimmers, WorkPlay, Oct. 7, 2009
Sara Watkins, Vulcan AfterTunes, Oct. 25, 2009
Chris Thile and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Alys Stephens Center, Oct. 29, 2009
Jewel with Meiko, Alys Stpehens Center, Oct. 30, 2009
Behold the Lamb of God, Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church, Dec. 14, 2009

Don’t let me into this year with an empty heart

Posted on December 31, 2008 by Carla Jean Whitley

I bought a new planner at the beginning of this month. And though the first day listed didn’t arrive until this week, I’ve been carrying it around since its purchase. It shouldn’t be surprising that I’m excited–I’m a planner, myself. I’ve dutifully filled out its pages, adding my contact information and plotting out weekends months from now. I’ve stroked its cover hundreds of times, admiring the tiny notebook that even tucks neatly into my purse. But you know what I’m most excited about?

The teeny space provided for each day.

My tendency to overschedule spiraled out of control this year. I justified it during the summer; my friends and I labeled our silly evenings “college nights” (because that’s where it felt like we were!) and took advantage of our remaining time with a buddy by marking the 40 Days and 40 Nights of Brett. It was summer, and things were allowed to be a little busy.

But as fall arrived and wore on, I booked almost every night with activity. Thursdays were typically overscheduled with two or three events demanding my presence. At one point Jamie pointed out that I felt obligated–I wasn’t attending things because I wanted to, but because I felt that I ought. She was right.

And because I packed my calendar full, I often missed out on spontaneous gatherings with people I really care about. Weeks of vegetables would pile up because I was never home. Once I even went several weeks without finishing a book!

I’ve thought a lot about slowing down, only commiting myself to events I really want to attend, prioritizing quiet time with friends or myself. A time or two I’ve even asked a friend to keep me mindful of these things.

And yes, I realize that it’s a bit silly to expect a 3×5 notebook to do the same. But I’m hopeful. I hope that these tiny pages will at least be a visual reminder that I don’t have all the time in the world.

My optimism never dies. Happy 2009.

Top 10 albums of 2008

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Carla Jean Whitley

Originally posted on worstweblogintheworld.

Cardinals, Cardinology
It’s far from my favorite Ryan Adams, but like I said, this is the year of the fan girl.

Tristan Prettyman, Hello
I can’t help but smile when I’m listening to Tristan. This was a perfect spring CD.

Peter Bradley Adams, Leavetaking
Apparently this was also the year of dark, moody CDs… And Birmingham folks. This list is disproportionately skewed toward the locals.

Matthew Mayfield, The Fire EP
I am really excited to see what’s ahead for MM.

Act of Congress, Declaration
One of my favorite local bands, and even better live.

Sandra McCracken, Red Balloon
This is my favorite in years from Sandra.

Sam Phillips, Don’t Do Anything
Again with the moody CDs… there are a few moments when the light breaks through, but the dark, moody feel makes it for me.

Red Mountain Music, Silent Night
What’s a year without a Red Mountain CD on the top 10?

Tift Merritt, Another Country
This CD can fight its way into the top 10 on the strength of “Broken” alone.

Punch Brothers, Punch
I was prepared to be devastated by Nickel Creek’s “hiatus.” Then I heard Chris with these guys. I think I’ll be OK.