My wife is Washington DC at a meeting about health literacy and the lack thereof.

I am reading a book about the Scotch-Irish. My dad grew up in the mountains of western NC and came from good Scotch-Irish stock. Yes, 'tis true - I am descended from an Ulsterman, an orangman. I a number of my ancestrial generations would have called ireland home, but it was northern ireland and they were presbyterians. The sinn fein boys wouldn't like me!!

Found out my great grandpa mathis (used to be my family name until my grandpa got mad at the rest of the family and changed the name to matthews) was a cavalryman in the Civil War - started out in the 62nd NC Cavalry (conf) and ended up in the 9th Tenn. Cav. (union). At least he ended up on the right side!! Got a pension for 8 and then 15 dollars a month because his horse stepped on him.

One line of my mom's family were welsh coal miners.

I have never been a communist.

Samuel Smith (not Sam Adams) Oatmeal Stout is wonderful beer.