Betsy Phillips's Blog, page 531

It is Indeed a Mystery, If By "Mystery" We Mean "Not a Mystery"

Poor Stacey Campfield can't understand why there was outrage and concern when he parked on a public sidewalk without regard for the safety of pedestrians who are supposed to be using that sidewalk and no one will be able to bring themselves to give a shit about whether Craig Fitzhugh was parked illegally on the street.

Gosh, why indeed would it upset and concern people when someone blocks a sidewalk with his car and not when someone parks on the street?

Campfield should holler when he catches a...

Reservoir Park

Argh, Karen Elson!

The website says her version of "Season of the Witch" will be available today.

I don't see it on iTunes.

Edited to add: Today is the 19th, not the 21st. Carry on. Sure, I thought it was weird to release a single on a Sunday, but I also thought, well, if anyone is going to release a single on a Sunday, it'd be Third Man Records.

I Have Always Wondered About this Building!

And it figures into one of this year's ghost stories!

Edited to add: Okay, really, how I linked that makes no sense. The link takes you to a story about the building, not to the ghost story. Though, in fairness, if you've read the book, you don't need a link to the ghost story and the rest of you can just wait for it to scroll through here unedited.

The Reclaimation

I've gotten through two boxes and I can't tell if there are two or three more to go. But, basically, I pitched everything that had visible mold. Just didn't even mess with it. Everything else got wiped down with a soapy bleach/water mixture and then set out in the afternoon to dry. It's almost 90 here again, so they dried rather quickly.

So, I brought them inside and put them on the shelves. The bookshelves are so huge that two boxes of books takes up about a shelf and a half of space.

Here's t...

Readers of Tiny Cat Pants, Advise!

Okay, so I found a nice spot for a book launch party and he will give it to me for free if I can guarantee that everyone will buy $7 worth of food and or drinks. Is this a good idea or would you guys be all "Oh fuck you, Phillips."?

Librarians, Advise!

I've only been through two boxes, but two things are apparent–my most beloved books are in these boxes, some of which I can't replace–stuff from when I worked at Wake and signed copies. It appears that only the bottom books in the box are moldy. So, about eight in each books. Do I have to get rid of all of the books in the box if I find any sign of mold or…

Or could I wipe down the books in a gentle bleach wash and maybe save them?

Damn You, Nashville Flood!

I'm going to the garage to inventory and toss out all my moldy books. Today is the day I think I can do it without wanting to throw up or punch the weather.

GoodReads Give Away Books Sent!

Y'all, I'm such a dork. I was going to just send my GoodReads giveaway winners their books directly from the printer, but I realized, if I sent them from here, I could sign them. So I did! And it gave me such a tickle.

Anyway, so, if you're a winner, look for the book this coming week. I hope you like it.

Spirit Photography

Time has a cool little story about early faked spirit photography. It's really amazing to think about this, just in terms of the artistry it took. But also, it reminds me, no matter how screwy things seem today in the United States, hey, we made it through the 1800s, which was really, really weird.