Author Archive
Thousands of the faithful have brought their hard-earned money to our somewhat fair city this week to honor Elvis Presley. Are we grateful? Are we thrilled to be home to such a tourist magnet? Or…
(’Fess up, Memphis!) Are you sick of Elvis?
I admit it, I thought that t-shirt smeared with makeup that read “I ran into Tammy Faye at the mall” was hilarious. Who knew that after worshiping with Tammy Faye Bakker in person I’d be the one feeling like a joke? Read the rest of this entry »
Nancy Drew as feminist: discuss.
Yes, I saw the new Nancy Drew movie. It’s cute and cartoonish and showcases adorable clothes. But it doesn’t capture the one thing that captivated me most when I first discovered Nancy Drew: She’s independent.
Nancy teaches important lessons to young girls: Being on your own. Doing the right thing without being told. Solving problems by yourself.
And the idea that she had her own car and kept an overnight bag in it for emergencies. Well, I’ve based my whole adult emergency-preparedness plan on her example!
“So have I been a good patient?” I asked of my husband Dave.
“Yeah, this time,” he replied.
“This time? What does that mean?”
“Well, you were knocked out during and then you slept most of the time afterward.”
Gee. Thanks. Here I was thinking Divas make pretty good patients. After all, when we finally do take care of ourselves, we still have to take care of everyone else first.
To get ready for my tooth extraction, I cleaned the house. Made sure the refrigerator was stocked. Got my prescriptions filled. Went over the post-op instructions with Dave and then left them by my chair in plain view. All the things I’d do if I were caring for someone else.
So, thankyouverymuch, I think I was a pretty good patient.
What about you, fellow Diva? When was the last time you were a patient? Did you take care of everyone else first?
Welcome to Tuesday, my day on the iDiva calendar. I’ve got a few things on my mind today, so hang with me. I’ll be coming to your screen more than once today.
First up: Let’s talk priorities. And then let’s talk about putting your money where your mouth is.
Carol Johnson, outgoing Memphis City Schools superintendent, gets roughly $210,000 a year to supervise the teaching of our precious Memphis children. Outgoing Grizzlies team president Jerry West, on the other hand, receives upwards of $5 million to supervise the teaching of an adult basketball team.
If we claim that our children are our future and education is so important, blah, blah, blah, then why don’t we pay people more to take on this crucial task? Is the discrepancy based on gender — most teaching positions are filled by females — or is it all about bringing in the almighty advertising dollar?
I could make the argument that our children will mean a whole lot more economically to Memphis than any basketball team will. But what do you think? Teachers, let’s hear you.
Diva, let ‘er rip.
