The Innocent Man

My new (temporary?) position in a town about a 30 minute drive south of where I live has resulted in an obviously longer commute. Sadly, Raleigh is lacking any morning radio I would be willing to listen to on a daily basis outside of NPR. So, I needed an alternative listen. I began with a study series my parents gave me for Christmas a couple years back called Rethinking Womanhood, a women's study my former church provided. Great study. I had the 2003-04 audio set, led by the senior pastor's wife and my former pastor/boss's wife. I will have to revisit those CDs regularly - so much great insight on the Bible, Biblical womanhood, and life lessons.

I finished that set off pretty quick and needed a new drive time listen. Enter the audio book. While The Innocent Man was not my first choice - did not even make my list! - I am pleased at my choice. This is John Grisham's first non-fiction novel, and, as he mentions in the author's notes, he could not have ever dreamed this story up for a novel.

The book centers on the murder of a young woman in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma in the early 1980s and the trial of conviction of two men. From the moment the police came on the crime scene, things were botched. The police already had their eyes on two men, Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, for the murder, even though no one could testify that they had seen either of them the previous night, with the victim or not. In fact, the only person who did say he (Glen Gore) said these two men the night of the murder was the very man who everyone else had last seen with the victim. Unfortunately, the police did not even take Gore's fingerprints for examination until months after the murder.

It took several years for the arrest of Williamson and Fritz to be made and, in the trial, many of the prosecution's witnesses were jailhouses snitches who told any lie the police wanted to get a reduced sentence. In addition, the police urged forensic specialists to reconsider some of the hair and print evidence in light of Williamson's arrest and the specialists' opinions changed to reflect the accused being at the scene. It seemed with every new sentence read, there was a new travesty to be spoken of. From a blind attorney with no one to explain the visual evidence against his client to a juror who was the former head of police to the mental instability of Williamson never being brought up in court (he was a paranoid schizophrenic who never got consistent or proper medication from the police or mental institutions).

Williamson was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His time in prison further damaged his sanity and he resided in deplorable conditions. His sisters tried to send as much money as they could so Williamson could buy food, but it was never enough for him, it seemed. Eventually, Williamson's case was reviewed, as is mandatory for all death row cases, and the lawyer in charge of the case was fully convinced of his innocence. After many years, Williamson, along with Fritz, were proven innocent and Gore was later found guilty of the murder.

After his release, Williamson would go on and off his medication, as well as alcohol and drugs. Earlier this decade, he died because of the amount and types of medication he was given as well as alcohol and drug usage. Fritz is living outside of Oklahoma now and has a granddaughter. Other people from the case and trial are still in Ada. The DA who prosecuted Williamson and Fritz, as well as another pair of innocent men, is still in office.

This book exemplifies how disastrously wrong a case can go when there is unchecked abuse of police power, a focus so narrowed that other suspects are not even considered, a lack of resources (money and experts) for the defense, use of questionable evidence and witnesses to amaze the jury, and not recognizing and humanely dealing with Williamson's mental illness.

Farmer's Market Plethora

The Farmer's Market in Raleigh has what I refer to as a bulk produce section. It is equivalent of a Costco or Sam's Club for produce. Would you care for 60 tomatoes? Then Farmer's Market bulk is the place for you. However, 60 tomatoes are not a wise investment for the single person, or most married couples with fewer than 8 kids, I imagine. All that changed, though, when one of the gals from church suggested a few of us go in on the bulk items together and parcel them out. Save a little here and there.

Correction: Save a lot all over the place. We have only had one bulk food adventure and apples, green beans, broccoli and Roma tomatoes were purchased. I only got the broccoli and tomatoes, but all of them looked great. I left the rendezvous point with about 6 bunches (two stalks each) of broccoli and about 12 Roma tomatoes. My rough guess is that had these been bought at the store, I would have paid $10-15 for the amount. I left paying only $6.50! And now I have vegetables I can eat for a whole month.

The question soon arises - what do I do with all this produce? A lot of the green bean getters had so many beans they soon were making impromptu friends with neighbors and anyone willing to take a handful or two. I have been enjoying tomatoes on my sandwiches, especially BSTs (I use spinach instead of lettuce, hence BST). I stuffed some of my broccoli in scraped out tomatoes and cooked them in the over for a bit with some Parmesan and buttered bread crumbs - tasty! I may make some tomato sauce to pour over my pasta with broccoli florets. And broccoli is one of my post-work, pre-dinner munchies now.

Only two or three weeks until another Farmer's Market bulk day. Yay!

The Move, One Year Later

One year. That is how long I have been in Raleigh. Strange to think what has changed since I left Austin. It has been a great year. I have had lots of fun exploring a new city (which I need to do tons more of - museums, downtown, little events in parks, etc), overcome my fear of tall swaying trees, seen two different snow events that closed the local world down, basked in the glory of the Farmer's Market, and found a new family at my church.

However, not all things are created equal, and so for those of you unfamiliar with Raleigh or Austin, here are some comparisons to help you out:

Hardee's, as I see it, is the NC version of Dairy Queen. Not necessarily in food offerings (namely desserts - because how many people eat at DQ for the burgers, really?) but in the sheer abundance of them. Hardee's - the North Carolina stop sign.

As I have mentioned before, there is no replacement or substitution for H-E-B. Not Harris Teeter, Krogers (which are not the dingy places many Texans know them as), or Food Lion. The great prices, wonderful selections, and fabulous store brand products of HEB cannot be beat.

Downtown Raleigh does not equal downtown Austin. I think the Raleigh downtown area is growing, but it is a good 5-10 years behind Austin. Or, both have grown in opposite ways. Raleigh is building a lot of downtown condos I imagine in hopes of luring businesses downtown, whereas Austin has businesses downtown and is now building up its residential footprint. Raleigh downtown is small, but I think that could play to its advantage as everything is within five to ten blocks of one another. This means great foot traffic for retail stores and restaurants.

Nothing equals Chuy's or Kerbey Lane. I was reminded of this over Christmas where Jill and I dined at both - great food, even greater friend (Hi Jill!), and that uniquely Austin atmosphere. Can't be duplicated.

Ole Time Barbeque is not Rudy's or Salt Lick...but it is great Carolina 'que. Yes, it is possible for Texas BBQ and Carolina BBQ to peaceable coexist - one is beef and sausage, the other pork, pork and more pork. Two different meats means I can have two different favorites. Ha!

I am still looking for my regional replacement to Blue Bell, which is nonexistent outside of Outback Steakhouses here. I saw Blue Bell here once, but never since. I have heard rumor of an out-of-the-way farm that makes its own ice cream, but nothing confirmed yet.

Farmer's Market in Raleigh beats Farmer's Market in Austin...but that may only be because I never went to the Austin market. I will have a hopeful near future post about the ever increasing awesomeness of the Raleigh Farmer's Market. I am still loving my honey and preserves I procured the last time I visited. Perfect compliments to peanut butter.

Outside Austin and outside Raleigh? Both gorgeous and equally fun, but a slight edge goes to Raleigh. The great outdoors seem a little closer here - within walking distance in many cases. However, Texas has the bluebonnets and I don't think anything can beat that as far as roadside magnificence goes.

I am sure there are more comparisons I could make, but there is more to my move than just comparisons and contrasts. There are you guys!

To my friends in Austin: Thank you for all the support you have given me in the many months leading up to my decision to move. I greatly appreciate your patience as I played out my own reinterpretation of The Boy who Cried Wolf, entitled "The Girl who Cried Move." I learned so much about friendship, being silly and growing up from y'all. You have blessed my life tremendously and miss you lots. My place is always open to visitors (after I clean/hide the mess), and if you would like to move here instead of just visit, that would be okay too. I have tons of Raleigh apartment research to share, I know of some people that are great movers (I'd say semi-pro at this point) and a nice little church just down the road a bit.

To my new friends in Raleigh: This past year would have been torture without you. You welcomed and embraced me as part of the family from day one and have been a constant source of encouragement to me as I adjusted to the Raleigh life. Serving alongside you and bonding together as a community has shown me the significance of fellowship and being active in a local church. I look forward to another year of Fletcher Park Sundays, Friday game nights, Sunday morning strength training, and Wednesday discussions.

To my family (mom, dad, Em, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, 1st cousins once removed, etc.) I miss seeing y'all, especially now that the Japan Greens are back and we have Ben, Wes and Anya around. Thanks for your support, encouragement love, and wise counsel as I ventured off to lands unknown. I am sure ya'll were just as nervous about it as I was. I made it through and now, one year later, my apartment is almost presentable enough for y'all to use as a landing pad for whatever East Coast jaunts Ginny persuades you into - Amish furniture pick-up, Southern Belle mansions tour, or antique shopping in towns with populations of 5,000 or less. Love you all!

And Aaron: Well, we made it through (almost) one whole year of living in the same town as one another - no one died or was maimed in any lasting way (except for your fingernail, which you will not have when you are 40 - sorry). Thank you for dinner and a movie, exploring off beaten trails, fixing things and solving problems, letting me know you are close even when school takes your time, and sharing in my adventures, small and large, in Raleigh. More adventures this year, mkay?

Snow Day!

What I read over Christmas

I remember in college as it neared the winter break and all I could think was, "I am not going to read a single book. I have been reading all semester and could care less about books." Cut to a day after coming home after finals and I am well into book number two of the Christmas holiday book glut. And this holiday season was no different. So, instead of forgetting to write about any of the books, here is my quick recap of all of them.

Dexter in the Dark - I began reading this series before the television show Dexter started on Showtime. The books are a dark comedy following a serial killer (Dexter) who only kills those who meet a strict code of also being killers or other extreme criminals. Thing is - Dexter works at the policy department as a blood spatter specialist. So, the books are his journey to figure out who he is as a killer, evade getting arrested and finding people to kill. Amazingly enough, I think the TV show is better than the books - it has a great black comedic take to the story. However, both the book and the show have a bit to a lot of language. If you want to read a good crime novel, I would say stick with Grisham.

Under the Banner of Heaven - I wanted to get a different book (Into Thin Air) by Jon Krakauer, but it was checked out of the library. However, I am perfectly content that I got this one instead. This exploration of the history, beliefs and sects of the Mormon Church is framed around the 1984 murder by Dan and Ron Lafferty of the wife and infant daughter of their brother Allen. Learning about the beginnings of the Mormon church was fascinating and admittedly a little odd. Krakauer interviews Dan Lafferty as well as a number of people who are or were a part of polygamist, fundamentalist Mormon sects. Not only does the book explore what these people believe, but also why they believe and how they directly impact the governments, schools and law enforcement. Perhaps one of the parts I found most shocking was the amount of federal government money fundamentalist Mormons receive. Since they are polygamous, the additional wives qualify for government money, schools get additional funds, airports are built in the middle of nowhere due to strong influence, money they take willingly even though they largely refuse to pay taxes to what they believe is a corrupt and evil government. A book that is part history, part In Cold Blood -intriguing from first page to last.

The Golden Compass - I wanted to read this book more because of all the hoopla it had when the movie was released than because I heard it was a good book. While there was more mention toward of the close of the book about religion and such that must have caused said hoopla, I cannot recall anything that shocked and aghast. Or I just did not understand well enough what "dust" is in order to see how blasphemous this book has been claimed to be. Or the blasphemy comes in the final two books of the trilogy - stay tuned! (What attacks the book does lob at religion seems to be more focused on those such as Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox - ones centering around an ingrained tradition and ritual.) Overall, The Golden Compass was a decent fantasy novel - not even close to The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, but decent. It follows a orphan named Lyla and her daemon/animal companion thing Pan as they help to save children captured to get "dust." The thing that bothered me most about this book is the daemons. There are several different "species" of daemon - cat, dog, rodent, bird, monkey, fish, bug, etc - but it never flushed out what each daemon represents/echoes from their owner. The one flushed out the most, dogs, was only mentioned once when it was stated that all the servants had dogs. Each daemon is supposed to be a reflection on the personality of their human counterpart, and I wanted to know, in general, what each type of daemon meant. Alas, none such list or explanation was given.

A Thousand Acres - This was a rich book. Set in Iowa in the late '70s, this novel follows a family whose father wills his land to his three daughters. One of the daughters is taken out of the deal because she is less than thrilled at getting the land. After the apportioning, the remaining two daughters and their husbands try to figure out how to farm this land best all while dealing with the father who gave up the land before he was done controlling it, a man with a harsh personality made harsher with alcohol and the relative ease his daughters "move on" without him. The larger theme of the book is taken from King Lear and it is both heartbreaking and indulgent to read. Through the summer after the father gives his land, the families must face infidelity, visions of different lives, faithfulness to one another and the land, and resurfacing of painful memories. The only thing I did not like about this book was when I read it. It is so descriptive that I expected to walk out my front door and feel the squelching heat on my face.

I think those are all of them. I started another on my flight back east, but am not far enough into it to give any meaningful report. What did you read over the holiday?

Two "Art" Books

Two weeks ago (give or take) I ventured to my recently discovered local library to stock up on three weeks worth of reads. I had a list, but all the book on my list were checked out. So what is a person to do when their post-it list of books is not at the library? Stand with glassed-over eyes in the middle of fiction row C-H and try and remember what other books were on the backup list, that's what. When memory failed me on that front, I wandered.

On this particular wandering, I came away with two books - one I looked for, one that looked good and was close by. One that I do not even care to finish, the other a sumptuous read. Let's get the no-so-good one out of the way - The Art Thief. It was mysterious and not the usual crime story. Had I looked at the Amazon reviews, though, I would have found a different book. I am about 200 pages in and could not tell you one of the characters' name, much less why they are in the story. The dialog is painful, the flow staccato. It is a book that I hoped would begin to flow and make sense, but it has stayed monotone and dull throughout. I shall return it today short of reading the final 120+ pages - a rarity for me, even with the most abysmal book.

Ah, but not everything is wasted time and words. Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most elegantly written novels I have read this year. The book is wrought from the author's imagining of the scenario surrounding Vermeer's creation of the work of art by the same name. The story follows, Griet, a young woman from low means who becomes a maid in the household of Vermeer. Through a series of circumstances, Griet is asked to pose for a painting, something that has far-reaching repercussions. The author, Tracy Chevalier, writes so beautifully, as evidenced in the opening paragraphs:

"I (Griet) was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when I heard voices outside our front door - a woman's, bright as polished brass, and a man's, low and dark like the wood of the table I was working on...I could hear rich carpets in their voices, books and pearls and fur...My mother's voice - a cooking pot, a flagon..."

Each character is fleshed out, but maintains an air of mystery, whether it be a quiet hope for revenge or a glimpse of generosity from an unlikely source. I am beginning to think I should have reread this book instead of slogging through The Art Thief. Excellently written, beautifully constructed novel of a unique and priceless painting.

Southern Flyer Diner

Through a series of events (some of them called flying), I ended up in Texas for Thanksgiving. Now before some of you post your "But why did you not call me to hang out?" let me explain that it was short trip to Texas and I will return to said state in about two weeks for a longer period of time so, you know, let me know if you want to grab coffee or something. Wait, scratch that, grab Chuy's or Rudy's or something.

Anyway, while in Texas, my parents took me on a tour of their new town which boasts numerous Victorian style homes. And I think we managed to see just about all of them. Naturally, looking at old houses creates quite an appetite and my dad suggested we eat at the local airport. Yes, I had my doubts, too. But it sounded intriguing and fairly safe as far as airport food goes. A little 50's-style diner called the Southern Flyer Diner.
When approaching a new dining experience, I find it best to go with what the place is known for. That way, if it really is below whatever standards I have for food, I know that a return trip is not necessary. And to me, 50's diner equal burger. Which is what I had. A hamburger, no cheese with fries and a Dr. Pepper. Oh, before I get into the details of the burger-eating experience, let me set the scene for you. All the waitresses where poodle skirts and saddle shoes; there is a jukebox and a shake/malt counter; the floor is black and white checkerboard; and you can see into the kitchen through the pass-through.
The burger came with the meat on the bottom bun and the top bun opened with pickle slices, onions, lettuce and tomato, I am guessing so that you can pick off what you do not want. The bun was freshly toasted and had that slight crisp that married well with the fresh-beef patty. Every flavor and texture complimented each other perfectly and stood out to just the right degree. The onion did not overpower the tomato, nor the pickle the meat. Tasty yummy burger.

But, the true shining star of the plate were the fries. Best fries I have ever eaten. They must batter them before they fry them because the had just that extra crunch that made them stand out. Perfectly salted and stayed crisp from first fry to last. All in all an A+ meal. Unfortunately, no room was left for a shake or malt, but I am sure the quality is similarly matched to the burger and fries.

So, if you are ever flying into Brenham Airport, or just stopping by to see Blue Bell Creamery, go down the meandering road to Southern Flyer Diner and let a girl in a poodle skirt get you a great burger and fries.