Edgar Cayce and Hopkinsville

In my latest installment of Commonwealth Curiosities, I'm layin' down the lowdown on "sleeping prophet" Edgar Cayce, whose birthday is celebrated every February at the Pennyroyal Area Museum in Hopkinsville, KY. Check out the new issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine at your local bookseller, or even better yet - subscribe!

LouisvilleKY.com

Well, I've tentatively agreed to a new gig writing for louisvilleKY.com, a new blogging collective effort spearheaded by Rick Redding, my former editor at Louisville Mojo. I'm entering the fray cautiously, though, because I'm not sure that the tone of the site is compatible with my philosophy regarding media news reporting, nor my general disdain for online social networking which blogging comes perilously close to if strict comment moderation is not enabled. Not to mention my new year's resolution to avoid unnecessary negativity as I see it.

My first piece for LouisvilleKY.com is primarily a reassemblage of comments I've already made elsewhere about Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis, and the upcoming Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky. Though I give Ham some deserved nudging, I also decry those who make it a knee-jerk reaction to go on a prolonged internet hate campaign against the man and his beliefs - however peculiar they may be - and I also provide some useful hard data rather than just my own useless opinion, such as how to contact Ham directly and go straight to the horse's mouth, and how to support Ham's efforts via their toll-free donation line if you are so inclined.

Cemetery Preservation Bills

I'm currently outlining a new writing project, one of a sort I've never done before: legislation.

I'm trying to put together a bill that will mandate cemetery security and maintenance in Kentucky, and one has only to look at the declining state of historic graves in our fair Commonwealth to see why this is necessary. I'm also working on a similar bill aimed at the national level.

Thousands of bills die before they ever get anywhere, and many more die as soon as they get their foot in the door. I have no illusions about the chances of success in this venture, but someone has to try. And as Han Solo said, "never tell me the odds."

Kangaroos in Kentucky?

Readers of my Unusual Kentucky blog and my Weird Kentucky book already know the lowdown on anomalous Kangaroo sightings in the Commonwealth, but now I've hipped the Kentucky Monthly crowd to the concept in the latest installment of my Commonwealth Curiosities column! Check it out at your local newsstand or bookstore!

The Ghost of Paramount Joe

Ashland, Kentucky - especially the legendary spirit said to haunt its Paramount Arts Center - is the topic this time in my monthly column Commonwealth Curiosities. Pick up your copy of Kentucky Monthly magazine at reputable newsstands and bookstores everywhere!

Acer is Aces!

After running into insurmountable technical difficulties with my favorite laptop, I rushed out and grabbed the first and cheapest netbook I could find, which turned out to be the Acer Aspire One D260. It's a mouthful to say and to type, but it's a mere trifle to pack around. I love this planet.

A month into using it, I just wanted to note that I am still every bit as pleased with my purchase as the day I laid down the lucre. There have been no major surprises or snafus, although I have to say: I thought I could stand having no CD/DVD drive on it, but it's really starting to chafe me now. I keep reaching for a disc tray that doesn't exist, and I never realized just how much I depend on one. Would it be stupid to buy an auxillary USB CD drive now to go with it? It would, wouldn't it?

I'm also a bit puzzled that this version of MSPaint has no "invert" function, and that this version of Windows Photo Viewer has no "fix" functions. And I suppose there's no point complaining that the thing came loaded with all kinds of software and games that I don't want, and had to take considerable time to uninstall - that is just the way of things nowadays.

But these are mere trifles, my friends - if you haven't tried the new generation of netbooks because of bad experiences with older ones, or with laptops, give this one a spin. It's fast, it's powerful, it has a battery that lasts long yet charges fast, and if all you really want to do is surf the web and write (like me), you're all set. And in an increasingly wi-fi-saturated world, it's nice to be able to pack this lightweight doohickey around and start writing whenever and wherever the muse mocks me (like Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant!).

The Mystery of Irma Vep

I'm not a fan of writing theatre reviews. I hesitate to give a negative review of any production just because it didn't speak to me, because I know from my own personal experience how hard it is to mount a serious production and my hat's off to anyone who pulls it off, regardless of the end result. But when Theatre Louisville (who I occasionally write a column, Suspension of Disbelief, for) asked me to report on an Actors Theatre of Louisville production of Charles Ludlam's The Mystery of Irma Vep, well, it made me even more of a hypocrite than I already was. (I worship Charles Ludlam.)

Read all about it by clicking here.