tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37981897649936699612008-07-07T20:07:37.962-05:00J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-15832978729344060632008-07-07T00:48:00.009-05:002008-07-07T20:07:37.996-05:00

This July 4th weekend, Ann, JD, and Sparky took Jack on his first official vacation – a three-day trip to the north Georgia mountains near Blue Ridge. We stayed at a great cabin about fifteen minutes outside of town and adjacent to the Benton MacKaye trail. We took the kid into town for a 4th of July lunch (and, to Ann's dismay, the biggest raspberry-cheesecake ice cream waffle cone JD ever ate),

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-35746896037154398982008-07-01T19:45:00.008-05:002008-07-01T20:25:30.773-05:00

Jack's third month has been an eventful one – but, above all else, pretty enjoyable. While he is still a lot of work, both of us are having a blast with the kid. Seriously. The court is still out on other people's kids, but we've decided that ours is pretty awesome. A couple of notable things from Jack's third month: One terrible word: Drool.One wonderful word: Sleep. Jack less resembles a

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-44597437950395934262008-06-23T20:22:00.008-05:002008-07-02T14:58:08.072-05:00

All of a sudden, Ann and I are adults (well, more adult-like, at any rate). Jack is the primary motivator of this recent development, what with his babyishness and our sudden parenthood. But don't let the Wii fool you – we've brought this new adult-ish revolution to the home as well as the family. Behold: we now have a real dining room (as opposed to our previous, ad hoc dining room, at right).

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-80961554407420603972008-06-09T13:51:00.004-05:002008-06-10T14:16:15.819-05:00

Breaking away for a moment from the flood of Jack-related postings, we turn to another of our passions. Actually, two of them: History and drinking. Derek Waters, of Derek and Simon: The Show, recently posted a series of three (well, two and a half, technically) episodes of Drunk History. For us, these video's combine the familiar and the famous. The familiar is the parade of drunken historians

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-83146051699489319332008-06-04T09:52:00.019-05:002008-06-04T12:33:48.215-05:00

In the month since Jack's photoshoot, we've seen a lot of firsts from the little guy. First baths, first trips to the park, first trips out to eat and to go shopping. A couple notable things from Jack's second month: He smiles. A lot. We love it.Jack has, on several occasions, slept 10+ hours through the night. We love that too. (As Ralph Waldo Emrson once said, "There was a never a child so

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-64988031629758354852008-05-14T10:44:00.005-05:002008-05-14T11:13:38.371-05:00

As promised, below you will find a second collection of images from Jack and Ann's April 28th photo shoot for Marchet Butler's Early Motherhood Photo Project. We were really fortunate to get so many good, professional pictures of Jack at such a young age – even if he is clearly an unhappy model in some of them – and some great pictures of Ann as a new mom. We'd also like to thank everyone who

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-50837329506688332742008-05-05T09:56:00.012-05:002008-05-05T12:26:41.896-05:00

In a shameless attempt to both amuse ourselves and embarrass Jack, we celebrated Cinco de Quatro (yes, we know) with a juvenile, Corona-themed baby photo shoot. These photos were taken as much in memory of our own childhood pictures, posed with beer bottles and cans, as in the hopes of humorously documenting Jack's first holiday. One note of special importance: The kickin' lime hat Jack is

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-65989480142175921982008-04-30T12:53:00.007-05:002008-04-30T21:25:53.564-05:00

On Monday, Jack's 4-week-anniversary, Jack was photographed for Marchet Butler's Early Motherhood Photo Project. Marchet's photojournalism project is a celebration of breastfeeding, early motherhood, and childhood featuring candid images taken in the models' homes. Ann recently found out about the project through a friend who appeared in her own photoshoot alongside her own extremely well-named

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-22277364897775977472008-04-08T20:59:00.004-05:002008-04-08T21:08:56.884-05:00

In addition to letting me write baby names (and question marks) on her pregnant belly prior to Jack's birth, Ann agreed to participate in a time-lapse sequence showcasing her swelling stomach over the course of 9 months. The result shows Ann's flat tummy gradually growing to a size worthy of Jack's 9lb bulk. I think mom and baby turned out great!

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-49523731608565649292008-04-05T22:40:00.015-05:002008-04-06T15:14:11.931-05:00

Ann and I want to thank everyone who sent cards or flowers, emailed us, or commented on our birth announcement post. And we agree with you: Jack is pretty damn cute. We brought Jack home on Wednesday. Most of the time, Jack has been a good little nurser. We've so far be able to keep him off formula – something we weren't sure we'd be able to do given his size. But Ann has been able to keep the

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-42275853781650927332008-03-31T22:08:00.011-05:002008-04-05T23:22:42.772-05:00

Ann and I are thrilled to announce that Monday evening, March 31, at 6:37pm, Ann gave birth to Jack (full name, John Glen Jordan) at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Jack weighed in at a hefty 9lbs 1oz and measured a lengthy 22in. Ann was due back on March 23 but, that date having come and gone without the least contraction, Ann and her OBGYN, Dr. Jose Garcia, scheduled an induction for the

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-47832186324444015672008-03-10T09:11:00.005-05:002008-03-10T09:59:33.515-05:00

Last week Ann was surprised to hear Dr. Stephen Mihm, a former colleague of mine, lending his voice to a report on American Public Media's popular syndicated news program, Marketplace. I worked for Stephen Mihm my first semester as a graduate history student at UGA (back when I was the best teaching assistant, ever ... I have an award to prove it), helping with his US History until the Civil War

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-32515392569395954962008-03-06T10:59:00.010-05:002008-03-06T14:55:27.557-05:00

At last night's meeting of the Burns Club of Atlanta, Ann and I had the opportunity to hear journalist Tom Junod talk about New Journalism and some of his more famous and notorious exploits at Esquire magazine. While I remain skeptical about the journalistic value of some of Junod's pieces – in particular, his extremely well-written fictional meeting with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-41081017438679049142008-01-08T23:28:00.000-05:002008-01-09T08:57:50.356-05:00

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to present "A Historiography of Images" – based on my paper“A Historiographic Analysis of Visual Texts: Reviewing Information Graphic Methodologies as a Means of Historical Argument” – at the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA) in Washington, DC. My presentation was part of a panel series, "Visual Thinking in History" that included

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-49481510980272150992008-01-07T01:08:00.000-05:002008-01-08T09:10:42.470-05:00

Few people realize it, but Parade Magazine, the large-format supplement to your mother’s Sunday newspaper, is the the most widely circulated publication in the United States, with a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 71 million. And while Parade is most often a trusted source for celebrity gossip and Franklin Mint promotions, we were dumbfounded when we saw this past Sunday’s issue:

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-4865868805982579942007-11-06T22:28:00.000-05:002007-11-08T07:06:03.638-05:00

If you thought Ann was looking a little heavy lately ... well, it turns out that Ann isn't just eating a lot of pizza. She's pregnant! The picture above is from our second sonogram session, taken in the 20th week of the pregnancy with junior weighing in at 12oz and enjoying a speedy 140/min heartrate. All fingers and toes (and heart chambers, lobes of the brain, stomachs, and assorted organs)

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-87835426290495382102007-09-29T20:38:00.000-05:002007-09-29T21:01:53.976-05:00

Ann has long been notorious for her attitudes toward children and parenting. Indeed, friends and family often joked that if Ann ever had a child of her own – God forbid – that she would probably eat it. Turns out they were only half right. We're thrilled to announce that, despite nearly every expectation, Ann is pregnant. She'll deliver on or about March 23, 2008. No one's told her yet how

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-69340233280933289632007-08-06T22:11:00.000-05:002007-08-07T08:46:40.197-05:00

Somewhere between naked women and ... more naked women, Playboy is suddenly missing something. I was recently readying a sexually-suggestive short story for submission and, upon a colleague's recommendation, prepared a mailing for Playboy. So it was with some disappointment that I learned that, as of November 2006, Playboy no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts of any kind, including fiction,

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-14129928954200352582007-08-03T17:02:00.000-05:002007-08-03T17:31:33.833-05:00

This past Sunday, Ann and I were lucky enough to catch Travis at the Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta. The Scottish quartet is touring in support of their new album, The Boy With No Name. Ann and I reckoned that it had been six years since we'd seen Travis in concert (back in 2001, we were luck enough to see them twice in as many days, once as the opening act for Dido at Lakewood Amphitheater,

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-47531979619067702692007-07-25T22:07:00.000-05:002007-07-27T08:12:39.970-05:00

This past weekend, a supertall skyscraper, years away from completion, became the world’s tallest freestanding structure. That alone would have captured my attention – I’ve long been a fan of tall and supertall buildings. But this new tower – which, once finished, will rise almost a kilometer skyward – also happens to stand on the edge of the Persian Gulf, a region that uniquely piques my

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-77445341050565847052007-06-27T22:13:00.000-05:002007-07-09T11:55:40.058-05:00

Ann and I recently returned to Athens for the city’s annual music festival, Athfest. And despite arriving in town to find our apartment flooded and most of our friends either out of town or getting married, we lucked into a series of great shows. We tried to prepare ourselves for the festival by reading Flagpole and listening to the annual Athfest CD, a compilation of Athens bands most of whom,

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-75413588661833573782007-06-01T14:22:00.000-05:002007-06-01T14:37:41.093-05:00

I want to take a second and respond to a recent mass-email that came across the Net my way – an email that purports to answer the question “Can a Good Muslim be a Good American?” As a concerned American, I found it very offensive. As a student of Middle-Eastern and Islamic history, I found it factually incorrect at nearly every level. Thus, I felt it was my duty to correct the inaccuracies

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-57237333397380249342007-05-16T16:39:00.000-05:002007-05-16T16:52:02.399-05:00

This past Saturday I got to strap on the tassel and emory board one more time (this time, with a hood!) and graduate from the University of Georgia with a Master of Arts in History. My focus was on US-Middle Eastern history since 1945 with a special emphasis on the Carter-era Iran hostage crisis and the media. I've been splitting my time between Athens and Atlanta (and the Deptartment of History

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-42940247250257946882007-04-25T16:52:00.000-05:002007-05-16T16:13:02.907-05:00

This afternoon I successfully passed my Masters in History thesis defense. And I was worried.... Drs. William Stueck (my academic adviser) and John Morrow of the University of Georgia History Department and Alan Godlas, professor of Islamic Studies in the UGA Department of Religion gave me a good run for my money, critiquing the full text of Shooting the Ayatollah: Photojournalism, the Press,

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798189764993669961.post-49143106251358274422007-04-21T20:55:00.000-05:002007-05-16T15:01:23.417-05:00

Earlier today I had the opportunity to present my paper, “A Historiographic Analysis of Visual Texts: Reviewing Information Graphic Methodologies as a Means of Historical Argument” at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for History and Computing at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. The associated paper, of the same name, was recently published in the International Journal of

J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13410710834258909791noreply@blogger.com