Happy birthday, Jim
Hope you’ll join me in wishing Jim a happy 45th birthday.
Today is his actual b-day, but tomorrow, his poetry publisher and the Full Circle book store are hosting a birthday/holiday party for Jim. He’s going to read some poetry, and his son, Ford, will perform. Party kicks off at 7 p.m. at the book store at 50 Penn Place.
I hope you’ve been reading the other blogs on this site, the ones by Jim and by Charlotte Lankard. My posts are nothing next to theirs. Jim’s telling stories and sharing insights, and Charlotte’s providing some beneficial information for anyone dealing with end-of-life issues. Great stuff.
Meeting the fam
Haven’t spent as much time with Jim’s family as I’d like to, but I’ve got some early impressions. (Jim will have to correct me here if I’m way off base.)
LeAnn – Jim’s wife, a middle school math teacher, is one of those people whose voice always seems to contain a hint of laughter. It lilts along with her words, making her seem lively and happy. Maybe that’s just the way she is when meeting new people, but I get the feeling she’s enthusiastic a lot of the time. LeAnn is a jogger. Or maybe a runner. I know she has run at least one half-marathon and walked another. Jim says she’s a popular teacher. I’m sure he’s right.
Maddye — Jim and LeAnn’s 17-year-old daughter, Maddye, is a high school senior. I’ve spent less time with Maddye than any of the others, so my impressions of her are really vague. She seems sweet and outgoing. Like her parents and brother, she’s friendly and good looking. I know she’s athletic, because she was a competitive swimmer up until the last year or so, and I know she was involved in some sort of teen drama that led to her family’s house getting T.P.’ed and egged about a month ago. Last I knew, she was trying to decide where to go to college. UCO and OSU were possibilities.
Ford — At 14, Ford is tall, thin and musically gifted. He’s not a fan of homework, but he loves to play his guitar and recently bought a synthesizer. When he was 8, he and some friends started a band called Refuje and put out some CDs. That band split up, and Ford released a solo CD. He writes his own music and most of his own lyrics, although his father helps out from time to time with wording. For a performer, Ford is surprisingly quiet and doesn’t demand the spotlight.
There’s a lot of love in the Chastains’ house. I feel kind of sappy writing that, but it’s true.
Keeping up with the Chastains
It’s a wonder Jim and his family haven’t thrown us out already.
In the past three weeks, photojournalist John Clanton and I have logged a lot of hours with the Chastains — visiting them at their home, meeting them for coffee, attending events with them, going with Jim to medical appointments, etc. Over the weekend, we accompanied Jim and his 14-year-old son, Ford, to a small town in the hill country south of Austin, Texas.
Two of Jim’s poems were published in the Blue Rock Review, an arts journal, and he was invited to read some poems at the journal’s release party. Among the others who performed were OU creative writing professor Nathan Brown and Mac McAnally, who was recently named entertainer of the year at the Country Music Awards.
Jim killed. He read four poems and ended to applause so loud it shook dust from the ceiling.
Tomorrow Jim is going to show us around his office. Must be “Bring Your Stalkers to Work” day at the Capitol.
For more information about the Blue Rock, go to http://events.bluerocktexas.com/previous-events/detail/the-blue-rock-review-volume-iv-friction-release-party/
