Generative Research Design

Inner Circle 

Family – or in theme of “stuff” a picture of them

From left to right is Carlos (father), Alex (younger, college age sister), Brittan (older, married with a child, lawyer sister), and Debbie (mother).  All residents of Memphis Tennessee.  I am fortunate enough to be one of those people who like their family and enjoy their company.   I would not want to be without a constant reminder of them.

Harper Lee

Harper is a majestic, 65 pound pure bread Blue tick Coonhound.  In theory.  In practice, she is a 25 pound, blue tick-beagle mix who happens to be the runt of her litter.  Harper was a 21^st birthday gift my junior year of college.  In the years since college, accentuated by numerous moves, job changes, and general wandering, Harper is the one constant in a frequently shifting landscape.  

To Kill a Mockingbird

As far as moral compasses go, we could all do a hell of a lot worse than Atticus Finch. Not only is To Kill a Mockingbird the greatest book ever written, but it is full of useful parcels of everyday wisdom, such as yes, dogs can be rabid in February.  Living with a copy close by is almost as good as carrying a Bible.  Were we to wake up tomorrow and the world be deprived of religion, there’d still be hope, so long as there was Atticus.

"Be a New Orleanian, wherever you are”

Though a simple sticker, it’s a sticker I carry around on my person as often as I can.  I went to undergrad at Tulane University, 2004 to 2008, and though college is a transformative period for all of us, it seemed more so in a post-Katrina New Orleans.  More than just a map dot, New Orleans to me is a state of mind – a reminder to practice constant devotion to your personality, creativity, and the people, places, and events that have shaped you. I’ll end up there permanently one day, God willing, and this sticker, though simple, is a constant reminder of that goal.

  

Guitar Slide

To live without a particular musical instrument, in this instance a guitar, would be easy.  Odds are, someone else would have one.  But my interests in music are more specific to open D blues, a playing style for which a slide is essential.  But not everyone has a slide.  More so than a slide, I in actuality could not live without front porches.  Unfortunately, I don’t currently own one of those. But with a slide and an open D tuned guitar, I can easily replicate my ideal porch experience on practically any outdoor, outward facing, hardwood surface. 

Outer Circle 

Sports Radio (particularly in the south, and in the fall)

I abhor most music on today’s FM stations.  And though I naturally prefer talk radio, the average midday caller on a political show is not nearly as colorful as the passionate, slightly irrational, personality types that make up your typical southern college football fan.   

Fiddle

Though I can only string together a few audible songs, most of which are campfire Civil War tunes, a fiddle is just a damn fun instrument to play.  In situations where someone else is annoying the hell out of you, its also the perfect equalizer, as for every one note I can play well, I can make blood curdle with four others. 

Johnny Walker Red

I like scotch.  Especially when a particular brand manages to elicit a feeling of a specific time and place.  While living the Democratic Republic of the Congo for six months, about the only familiar consumer goods product in Africa that was on par price wise with its counter part on US shelves was Johnny Walker Red.  So I drank a lot of it.  And continue to. It tastes like fetid third world jungle. I appreciate ambition in my liquor brands as well.  Keep Walking indeed.

Very bottom (a map of New Orleans from the late 1800s)

I love maps.  Not in the sense that I look at them to get direction or find out where things are.  I just enjoy looking at them.  Especially old maps, as comparing what once was to what is now is a fascinates me.  Back then, the scarcity of planned and paved streets meant a lot more thought went into naming them, versus the modern subdivision which relies it would seem on picking two words at of a hat filled with endless synonyms for the words “babbling” and “brook.”  Street names in old maps tell stories, and have history.   And I like stories, and history.  

Part II

I rely almost exclusively on half a dozen or so websites for news and information, and I begin everyday by checking them.  I’ll start with the websites of two local newspapers – the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN, and the Times Picayune in New Orleans.  I then will check both the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report (I’ve labeled these as National Magazines Online). Then check CNN, Fox News, and the BBC.  Outside of these routinely checked sources, if there is specific information I am seeking, I will just do a web search. 

Part III