Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial

I am officially caught up in the Lincoln Bicentennial craze. I am surrounded by books, KET (Kentucky Educational Television) programs and other such celebrations of the life and times of the 16th President. I am reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. She appears on a program about Lincoln on KET and the History Channel is a running a special titled "Stealing Lincoln's Body." Kentucky is Lincoln-crazed because it is "Lincoln's birthplace". Indiana is proud to be "Lincoln's childhood home" and of course Illinois is the "Land of Lincoln." All these sites cling to their heritage as places where Lincoln slept or chopped a tree, or steered a riverboat. Lexington has a special connection to Lincoln, for being the home of Mary Todd's family. Touring the Mary Todd Lincoln House (on West Main, next to Rupp Arena), on can sit on the same second floor landing where Lincoln would sit and read by daylight.

One of the most fascinating things I've learned about Lincoln has to do with the assassination attempt/conspiracy planned for Lincoln's visit to Baltimore on his inaugural tour in February 1861. Booth may have been among the conspirators. Lincoln [An interesting book about said conspiracy, which I have only had time to peruse but plan to read, is Michael Kline's The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Kline investigates the matter from a legal standpoint, attempting to piece together evidence, all of which is strictly circumstantial, since there were never any confessions.]

Ekphrasis

or Ecphrasis, has been considered generally to be a rhetorical device in which one medium of art tries to relate to another medium by defining and describing its essance and form, and in doing so, relate more directly to "you", the audience through its illuminative liveliness. - Wikipedia.

The verbal representations of the visual arts in the spanish novel of the 20th century will be the focus of my attention for the next few months, and most likely the next few years. I have a dissertation topic, now the hard work begins. Oh, and all this during football season, War Eagle!

Now Reading

I am trying to sharpen my knowledge of the Spanish Civil War for my upcoming course on War Literature. While the course covers more than just the civil war, it is the most complicated and important war of Spanish history. To inform myself, I have chosen to read The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas, probably the most comprehensive on the subject. Also, I am reading a discarded library book my brother gave me titled Religious Freedom in Spain by J.D. Hughley. These two books are both academically well researched and easy reads for the casual reader. For another perspective on the Spanish Civil War, I am reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway. I enjoy juggling several books and will be doing so when the semester begins.

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8 weeks old

This is turning out to be a monthly post. Since I last posted one single solitary photo of Caroline, she has grown. She weighed 6 lbs 13 1/2 oz at her last visit to the Pediatrician (Mon 8-6). She gained almost 2 lbs since her previous visit (7-6) when she weighed 4 lbs. 15 oz.

She is beginning to sleep more soundly at night, much to the delight of her parents, well really her mother, as her father sleeps soundly regardless. She is very alert and looks around a lot when she is awake. Last night we met Matt and Naomi for ice cream and she slept in her car seat for an hour and a half. She's gearing up for the trip to Auburn at the end of the month.

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Baby Girl

Caroline Claudia Cole - born June 15, 2007 at 6:16 AM at UK Chandler Hospital. She spend 13 days in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) before coming home. This post is meant to share photos of her and help us track the changes as she grows.

Welcome to the world "little one."

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