A little while ago, Times & Seasons was pleased to announce that Jonathan Green–scholar, master of trivia, academic vagabond and world-class T&S commenter–had agreed to grace our blog with a guest stint. Since his initial post, however, he’s been on the move, taking his family from Charleston, South Carolina (where he had a visiting position at the College of Charleston) to Lansing, Michigan (where he will take up a visiting position at Michigan State University), with stops at Arkansas (where he and his family visited Chez Fox and we shared some nice BBQ ribs) and Illinois in between. (Yes, I know it’s not a direct route; don’t ask.) Now they’re in California, and since they apparently have couple of weeks of consistent internet access before them, Jonathan ready to wow us. So, once again, welcome to T&S, Jonathan!
Yippee! I look forward to your posts, Jonathan, and John says hi, too.
Sorry, Rosalynde, I missed your comment before I posted. “Hello” may not be interesting, but it’s always welcome.
Nothing incendiary? Sheesh. Remind me — why did we approve this guy again, Russell?
We approved him because he reads blogs before he reads his e-mail. That’s dedication for you.
How’s the weather out there, Jonathan?
Well, that’s a bit of a shock–I browse by T&S, and there’s a post all about me. Russell, I missed your e-mail until just now…
These “welcome, guest blogger!” posts never seem to generate anything more interesting than variations on “hello,” which is by nature not all that variable, so I thought I’d use this space to answer the question that usually comes up toward the end of guest-poster threads: “Do I know you?”
If you’re wondering if I’m the same person who’s famous for his watercolor renditions of Gullah life, the answer is: no. Contact Gallery Chuma in Charleston ([email protected]; 843-722-7568) if you’d like to purchase some of his work. We used to keep the gallery number posted by our phone to answer the inquiries that came about once a month. I’ve also met Jon Green, the BYU humanities professor, but I’m not him, and not related to him. (But I probably am related to any Green in or from the Teton Valley area of Idaho/Wyoming. Or, with only slight exaggeration: I’m probably related in some way to everyone from that area.)
You might know me from Goleta, California, where I lived until I left for BYU in 1989. If you were a distance runner in the CIF southern section between 1985 and 1989, our paths may have crossed. I was at BYU until 1995, so you may have met me there in a language or linguistics or math class, or at the Rock Garden. If you knew an Elder Green in the Düsseldorf Mission between 1990 and 1992, it may or may not be me. You knew the tall Elder Green? Not me.
I’ve spent a couple more years abroad since, in 1995-96 in Bonn and 1999-2000 in Erlangen, but otherwise I’ve been in Urbana (until 2003, in the Champaign first ward) or Charleston (until last month).
I’ve got a series of four related posts coming up over the next few days, but they’re more likely to be interesting and substantive rather than incendiary. For that, you’ll have to wait until next week.
Russell: not a cloud as far as the eye can see. Highs in the mid- to upper 70’s, thanks to the nearby Pacific. I spent an hour reading by poolside this morning (while watching my kids at swimming lessons).
Jonathan, I’m very much looking forward to your posts. Incendiary or not.
Jonathan: I am most likely the only one in this group, but some of us know you because we were college roommates with your starry-eyed little brother who spoke of you with amazement and wonder every time an attempt to revive the Student Review inevitably failed. (say hi to Jared for me…)
Russell, you forgot the overnight stop in Durham on Jonathan’s summer itinerary. We had a great time catching up and debating healthcare policy until 2:00 am.
Regarding Student Review: I can’t remember Jonathan; when did you truly and finally decamp from that rapidly sinking ship? Was it before or after I’d officially ended my involvement? And regarding healthcare policy: who won the debate, you or Bryce? What was the wager? That the loser move to Canada?
Chris, I can’t wait to quote that line to Jared when he gets home from work today.
Russell, I was marginally useful to the Student Review until I graduated, if memory serves, while you were still there. One of the more educational parts of my BYU experience, I think. As far as the debate with Bryce, he thought the loser should be forced to move to Canada, while I thought the winner should be allowed to move to Canada. It ended, unfortunately, in a draw due to incoherence induced by sleep deprivation.
Yours was the much more sensible position, of course.
Ah, the famous Foxite wit.