'Nothing So Strange' at Vanderbilt University

If you are in or near Nashville, Tennessee, you can see the local premiere of Nothing So Strange at the Sarratt Cinema on Vanderbilt's campus next Wednesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. I will be there, live and in-person, for a Q&A after the screening.

Last time I was in Nashville I danced the two-step and got slapped in the face by a woman at a bar. The two events were related.

I went to a bar with a friend of mine from the area who told me that the way to greet an attractive woman in Nashville was to say, "Hey, darlin'." By the time my friend gave me this instruction I had had enough to drink that I believed it. Later in the evening, while I was waiting to get a drink from the bartender, an attractive woman appeared next to me.

"Hey, darlin'," I said with a smile.

Slap! There was no hesitation. She just delivered a firm slap right across my face as if it were a natural reaction to what I had said.

I discovered that "Hey, darlin'" is specifically how one does not address a respectable woman in Nashville.

However, Nashville's women are very forgiving of city slickers whose friends play jokes on them, so, after I made her aware of the facts, my assailant immediately bought me a drink and taught me the two-step, so it all turned out okay.

Well, except for the dancing-the-two-step part, which I try not to think about. As I recall, it was painful for everyone--teacher, student, observers and the entire state of Tennessee.