Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
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bit Illustration by Carrie Neumayer the FLASH BACK Louisville Magazine Vol. 48/No. 2 February 1997 On the cover: A noble, red-robed couple lodging at what appears to be a "winter getaway," with tea sets and a mahogany toilet seat. Take that, cold weather! Inside: Fooled ya! In the story "Flushed with Pride," readers learn that this couple wasn't on vacation at a cozy lodge but faunting their artistic expression — namely their elegantly self-decorated lavatory. All the same, we did list some of the best lodges in the Midwest elsewhere in the issue. We also went all earthy with a story about herbal magic: Maggie Oster's recipes for food remedies like tomato-and-tarragon soup. Outside: In the world beyond our comfortable lavatories, we saw other forms of artistic expression celebrated. Tara Lipinski captured the U.S. Figure Skating Championship with her graceful mastery of ice. And that master of political art, Bill Clinton, settled into his second presidential term — with the Monica Lewinsky scandal still months away from becoming the year's biggest national punch line. Also, the public announcement of the existence of that famous cloned sheep named Dolly. 24 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 2.14 JUST SAYIN' Mobile Mingling J ust before Christmas I turned to the Courier-Journal 's Community Forum page and found that, of a paltry three letters to the editor, two were from readers upset about drivers on cellphones. Well, one of them was upset; the other's disdain was hidden behind a sarcastically cheerful mask. ("I want to thank two of Louisville's citizens for making my commute a thrill today.") Te righteously indignant letter writer had twice been hit by cellphone drivers while his car was stationary; his gripe was not just with the drivers but with the cops who failed to cite the drivers at fault after they admitted to being in phone conversation when the accidents occurred, as well as with state legislators who refuse to limit auto cellphone use. Te ostensibly less-bothered letter writer could only surmise that the two drivers who interfered with his path to work were attending to cellphones because their driving was so erratic and heedless. (He also surmised that because the Subaru wagon hard on his tail did not have an Obama/Biden bumper sticker, it must have been removed in disappointment.) Great letters both — informative, entertaining and passionate. I, for one, would love it if the whole forum page were occasionally given over to drivers' letters. Te road is a daily challenge. Expecting strangers of varying temperaments and levels of hurriedness who are ensconced in metalskinned command capsules of diferent sizes and destructive capabilities to maintain model road etiquette is a too-tall order — ripe for juicy narratives about hyper-aggressive behavior and cautious idiocy, about unused turn signals and rear-view terrorism. Big pickup trucks and Chevy Tahoes versus Toyota Yarises and PT Cruisers. Sleek Lexuses with P Zero tires versus rusty junkers with wobbly suspensions. Billy Donovan-looking stockbrokers racing to work jacked up on large Starbucks lattes versus Sister Mary Frances tightly gripping her steering wheel and in no hurry at all. Median-strip huggers versus full-lane wanderers. What great composition and reading potential. So write to the Courier (or to this magazine, if you like), you drivers with a tale to tell. It's much more constructive for the aggrieved than shouting at the windshield or pursuing eye contact. Plus, for those who can't even shout in the car because they have certain passengers who would make it awkward, they can savor the thought of wailing away later on their keyboards. Get behind the wheel; stir up some anguish. And let's hear about it! — JW