• Jackson Miller rode a motorcycle all the way from Nashville to D.C. this weekend, and he’s learned a few things along the way: “People really don’t mean to almost kill motorcyclists, it is just easy to zone off when driving a car.” [Image: Jaxn.org]
• Kevin Barbieux is talking about gift bags to help people who are homeless with toiletries and other items, and he’s got some very good suggestions.
• Brave thoughts and words from Kateo on her sexuality. Thanks for such a candid and honest post, Kate.
• Newscoma has started an intriguing conversation about the new biography of late Peanuts creator Charles Schultz and why our faults only make us more approachable, not less talented.

If everything is going according to schedule, Mayor Karl Dean is speaking to the city’s movers and shakers right now at the Nashville Rotary Club. This Sunday will mark one month in office for the mayor, and there’s been plenty of activity to keep him busy during that time: School zoning reorganization discussions, high profile incidences of juvenile violence and negotiations with the prospective Preds ownership group, to name a few.

According to the calendar in today’s Tennessean, Dean is planning to talk about his first month in office and his early actions as mayor. I’m eager to see where all of the items I’ve mentioned above are ultimately headed, but so far Dean has clearly seemed engaged, active and willing to listen. He’s remembering his campaign platform by holding a series of town hall meetings on education and doing his best to get up to full speed quickly.

What’s your take on Dean now that he’s settling in as mayor? Is he off to a good start, still coasting through a honeymoon period or on the right track? Let me know your take in the comments. [Image: Nashville.gov]

• The City Paper’s William Williams says Nashville is a mess. He’s right that our tangled web of an urban core didn’t have the forethought and planning it really needed, and we’re in sore need of more sidewalks even after Mayor Purcell’s emphasis on concrete. This is one thing, Williams makes the case, where Memphis easily bests Nashville. (Gasp!) [Image: City Paper]
• StoryCorps, the living narrative promoted frequently on NPR, is open and listening in Nashville for about one year. This is a chance, as Professor Keating remarked in Dead Poets Society, to contribute a verse to the life’s ongoing poem.
• Letter writer William Masters makes a good point: Most of America’s Founding Fathers were devout Christians, and they had the good sense to make room for people of all faiths to live, work and be a part of the civic and political processes. Thanks, y’all.