Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Observant observer ALO one-ups me - maybe

In case you haven't discovered them, I'm joined in cyberspace by several other Lincoln buffs who blog. We all have a unique perspective on Lincoln and have covered a variety of different Lincoln-related topics during this bicentennial year. Each of us stays on the lookout for things we think the rest of you will enjoy and, interestingly enough, we don't often duplicate each other's efforts.

Sometimes, we pick on or tease one another - in private or online. We're pretty darned supportive of each other and aren't particularly competitive. Today, however, my buddy at The State Journal-Register, Mike Kienzler, who blogs as The Abraham Lincoln Observer (ALO), poked a little fun my way. He found a really bizarre story about an athlete who, believe it or not, had Abraham Lincoln tattooed on his neck. ALO shared it in his blog - with the challenge, "Ann Tracy Mueller, top this.

I didn't know we were having a competition. You be the judges. Here are the cards in our latest hand.
  • Lincoln Buff 2 (aka Ann Tracy Mueller): Knox College Lincoln Studies Center gets a National Endowment for the Humanities grant of darned near a million bucks, which will aid Lincoln studies and promote the Lincoln legacy for years to come
  • ALO (aka Mike Kienzler): Some overpaid jock spends his money inking his body up. It just so happens the image he chooses is Lincoln. This dude will be washed up in a few years and his body art long forgotten, but Lincoln scholars not yet born will use the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, Herndon's Lincoln and other Lincoln Studies research.

I don't know, Mike. The tat is cool, but I think my hand trumps yours. Nice try.

2 comments:

The ALO said...

Ann: Here you persist in thinking substance counts. Pshaw. We don't need no steenking substance.

Anyway, I never meant to imply I'm trying to one-up you. I know I'm outclassed. I was suggesting DeShawn Stevenson had one-upped you. Unless you have a heretofore undisclosed tattoo -- I know I don't -- I think he beats us both.

Ann Tracy Mueller said...

ALO,

No undisclosed tattoo here, either.

And, if I did, I must confess I don't think it would be Lincoln, even as much as I like him. I'd likely go for a small, but classy butterfly.

What, substance doesn't count? You mean all this time I've been wasting my time trying to make my work count for something when I could have just been throwing junk out there. Shoot, someone should have told me!

Cheers,
Ann