It's difficult to believe it's already November. There's only about 5 weeks left of my first semester at UT, and I'm looking forward to the long Christmas break. Here in Knoxville, the buzz is twofold: UT lost to LSU in the last minute of Saturday's game following a great performance by the back-up QB, and secondly: who can run the cruelist political ad, Corker or Ford? I'd rather not listen to the analysis of either topic, but unfortunately, the media didn't ask me.

Meredith had a great time being a pumpkin for Halloween; she got lots of candy, which we hope she has forgotten about by now. Kristen's parents, Floyd & Kay, are in town for the week. They drove all the way from Abilene, TX in one day, last Saturday. I was tired all day just thinking about their trip.

My students start presenting their persuasive speeches today; it should be exciting. In fact, I think someone today is going to convince me that daschund's are the best dog in the world...I don't think so.