Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

I'm at an amazing picking party tonight. My good friend Lamar Morris is here at Wes and Deidra's house in Opp, Alabama.
He is the best guitar player I have ever met. He can sure dress up a song. Jilda and I did some of our original songs and he played lead behind us. In a crowded room, you could hear a pin drop.
I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year, than with music.
I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Todo Lists

I've spent this week handling a lot of little things that have been nagging at me for some time. Jilda's car needed some maintenance, our pooch Astro needed to see a vet, one of the showers needed some new caulk, and the laying boxes for the hens needed new straw. 
You get so caught up in the daily routine that when something breaks, or needs attention, you put it on your todo list. The tasks are important, but not urgent so you let them slide.
Because they are important, they don't just hang around on your list, they lurk in the back of your brain and come to mind when you're trying to sleep.
Before long, you have a long list of stuff to do and you won't get a decent night's sleep until you handle the stuff on the list.
During my time off this week, I have taken care of every important thing on my list so tonight, I expect to sleep like a baby.
The moon is 99 % full today so tomorrow night, will not only be the first blue moon on New Year's Eve since 1990, but we will also have a partial lunar eclipse. How cool is that? .

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Fishing for new ways to meet old goals

I hate anchovies. I just wanted to get that out in the open so there is no confusion. So why on earth would I be eating those disgusting little aphids or whatever genus they sprang from?

I guess I should explain, so let me start from the beginning.  I am a hopeless self-help addict. I’ve read literally thousands of self-help books, articles, Web sites and other resources. All this reading/research was geared toward helping me to work smarter, get healthier and become a better guitar player. I worked on becoming a better writer, better husband, son and earthling.

Some books are far superior to others, but I normally find a nugget of wisdom in almost every thing I read. In 2007, I read a book on how to set goals successfully and how to attain them. That caught my eye, because I’ve written goals down in my journal for years only to read through them on Dec. 31 the following year and kick myself for missing too many important goals.

The book I read suggested that you write down a goal that you would like to achieve and add a penalty for not achieving the goal.

That sounded like a great idea for 2008. I’ve wanted to lose 20 pounds forever, so I promised myself on New Years Eve 2007, that if I didn’t lose 20 pounds in 2008 that I would eat an anchovy.

I know some of you may say, well what kind of penalty is eating an anchovy? Well as mentioned right off the bat, I HATE ANCHOVIES. I’d rather donate a kidney than eat an anchovy.

I dug the hole a little deeper when I shared the hair-brained goal setting technique with Jilda. She was all ears and made a mental note to remind me in case my memory got a little fuzzier toward the end of the year.

I checked a few diet books out of the library in January and upped my exercise the first few months of the year and even went so far as to physically get up and change the channel on the TV instead of using the remote control. I was sure that would be just the ticket.

But in the words of Bob Dylan, “Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast,” so by the beginning of football season, I was beginning to fret when I stepped on the scales and they seemed to be going in the wrong direction.

Jilda asked me if I preferred the extra fuzzy anchovies or the regular kind. My stomach lurched involuntarily. I struggled through the holidays and gained four pounds, but the bottom line is, I didn’t lose any weight. As a result, I found myself sitting at my table on New Years Eve staring at an unopened tin of disgusting little hairy fish.

I thought about wimping out, but I knew that path would be rocky because I knew my wife would not have forgotten. So at the stroke of midnight, I popped the top on the tin and wolfed down a few. I can promise you, it was not a high point in my life.

So this year, I ditched the penalty clause in pursuit of my goals, and simply put more focus on the ones that were truly important. I pushed away from the table, drank more water, stuck to an exercise plan and as a result, I lost my 20 pounds.

I hope 2010 is the year you all reach your goals.


Monday, December 28, 2009

Book Stores

I'm writing this afternoon from Books-a-Million. I have no idea why, but I feel smarter when ever I'm in book stores. Perhaps it's the proximity to great works of fiction, poetry, history and periodicals. Maybe it's because that people who frequent book stores (I have no way of proving this) are smarter. Maybe it's the coffee buzz I always get when I visit my local book store.
As I pause and look around, there are literally hundreds of fascinating people staring at me from the covers of books.  Each book represents thousands of hours of work. Coming up with the topic, writing the words, editing, and laying out the books takes a great deal of time. That doesn't even take into account printing, shipping, and marketing the books. It's a huge undertaking.
I've started working on my next book. In fact, I've started several times. There are about a dozen stories careening around in my skull vying for position to become the next project.
The challenging now is deciding on the path forward. Which idea is right for this project?
I have plenty of columns for a second Book of Columns, but I really want the next project to be something that comes as a total surprise to my readers.
I'm off this week so it is my intention to make that decision and begin the mind mapping process. 
I've got to wrap up now, I'm having Jilda's Volvo serviced, so I had to take her to work this afternoon. It's a short day for her and I had a few errands so that's why I'm writing in the book store.
Have a great week.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Head Start on 2010

My cousin and good friend Janet Odom sent me this and I thought I'd share it with you.
After serious & cautious consideration.... your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2009!

It was a very hard decision to make... So try not to screw it up!!!
My Wish for You in 2010
May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts. 
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for £50 notes. 
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy
May the problems you had, forget your home address! 
In simple words ............
May 2010 be the best year of your life!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Plans

I plan on getting back into the swing of things after the first of the year. In looking back over my posts the last several days they seem quite lame.
I'm off next week so it is my intention to refocus and plan out the coming year. I'm actually excited about the projects we have in the pipe.
I will probably put out another book, Jilda and I will put out a singer songwriter cd and we plan to perform more with The Overalls and as a duet with the two of us.
We should also be very close to being totally debt free in 2010. We are very excited about the prospect of having a mortgage burning party.
Have a great weekend.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas Evening Coming Down

I wondered on the way home this evening if anyone had ever OD'd on food. I had the feeling I would be the first.
All in all it's been a wonderful day. It was still raining when we got up this morning, but the high winds that blew most of the night had moved off to the east but the sky still looked angry.
When we went for our morning walk, we could feel either flecks of ice or snow on our face but you really couldn't see it.
We ate lunch with Jilda's sister and her family and afterwards we exchanged gifts.
When we left there, we went to my sister's house and ate again. Or at least, I eat again. 
I got a chance to torment kids all day long. For me that's a high point. I am a gooser extraordinaire. I could teach classes in the art of goosing.
As I sit here typing, I feel like taking a nap. That could be problematic because it's currently 6:15 p.m. If I napped a while, I probably would sleep much tonight so I think I'll kick back and watch another Christmas movie.
I hope you all have had a great Christmas.  

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas

I've been on call today and things have been intense. Keeping all the computers up and running this time of year is vital to our corporation and there's a lot riding on a successful holiday season.
By this evening I felt like my head was in a vice. But things began to slack off and my oncall duty is winding down.
I put Tori Amos' new Christmas album on the stereo, sat on the couch, closed my eyes to simply relaxed for a few minutes.
I could hear the wind in the pines and the rattle of rain on the roof. All of a sudden a profound sense of peace washed over me. Tonight - right now, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
I know Jilda and I are probably a minority, but we always exchange our gifts on Christmas eve. I can smell a fresh batch of her special apple cider steeping on the stove. She also is cooking a batch of gingerbread cookies.
We'll eat dinner here soon and sit on the couch, listen to music and enjoy the Christmas tree. We both are fortunate enough to pretty much buy what we really want throughout the year, so at Christmas, we try to get each other small special gifts.
We'll watch "It's a Wonderful Life" before we go to bed tonight and tomorrow we'll get up at the crack of dawn to cook ham and turkey to take to our family gatherings.
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Christmas and I hope 2010 is the best year yet for you all.
Merry Christmas

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Gift of Music

My young great nephew Jordan came over last night for the Christmas Cookie baking. While we were waiting for all the other great nieces and nephews to arrive, Jilda and I played Jordan a song on the guitars.
The moment he heard the first strum, his eyes flew open in amazement and a smile came to his face as if he'd just been given a gift.
We made up a little song on the spot that had his name in it and he started dancing in time to the music.
I taught Haven and Samantha how to play basic chords. They both picked up quickly but I don't think either had "the love" of music. I have a hunch, after seeing Jordan's face, that he does have that love.
I can't wait until he gets a little older. I will get him a guitar and teach him to play. I don't know of a better gift to give a child.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Dang it Man

I got paged tonight just as I sat down to write. By the time I got off the call, I had forgotten what I was going to write about. I wanted to shout, DANG IT MAN, DON'T YOU KNOW I'D RATHER BE WRITING!!!
The bigwigs with broken computers don't have a very good since of humor so I left the comment unsaid.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve eve.
Wow!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Cookie Day

Tomorrow is Christmas Cookie Day. Ever since my nephews and niece were born, Jilda has had a Christmas Cookie Day. It started with the oldest James and carried through to his younger brother and sister Haven and Samantha. 
One day during the week of Christmas, they came over and Jilda made it into a really big deal for them. The kids got to help with the dough, the cutting and the decorating.  Afterwards,they ate  of the Christmas cookies until they were ricocheting off the walls.
Jilda always enjoyed the sessions, and the kids did too but as they got older, the tradition faded. This year, there are great nieces and nephews coming along and so the tradition is gaining traction again.
They are all coming over tomorrow and they are all excited. I have appointments at work and will miss the Cookie Event. I hate it when work gets in the way of Christmas Traditions.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Goals

I'm on call this week until Christmas night and then I'm off until after the first of the year. Most people prefer to be off on Christmas and I enjoy time away from work at Christmas too, but it seems like most of my career, I've had to work that week. I can live with that.
I do always try to take the last week of the year off. There's something about New Years that I absolutely love. I like taking time to reflect on the past year and to make plans for the new year. 
I'm a big on setting goals.  There have been times when I haven't followed through and as a result, I fell short of the targets I set. 
But I've done quite well this year. One thing that has been on my Goals list for several years is to lose twenty pounds. I'd work hard, exercise, and push away from the table early in the year only to backslide in the fall and botch the goal. 
This year, I really didn't write it down on paper, but it was still an internal goal. The difference this year is that I stayed the course and as a result, I weigh twenty pounds less. Another goal is to reduce debt by 30%. I have already met this goal as well. We're on target to be debt free this time next year, though we really must not lose focus. I can't wait to hold a mortgage burning party.
I had some other goals that were poorly written and as a result, I didn't make as much progress on them as I would have liked, but I am moving forward.
Anyhow, I'm excited about getting started on our plans for 2010. 
Travel safe these next few weeks. 

Saturday, December 19, 2009

O Christmas Tree


I worked on exterior illumination this afternoon. The little hemlock tree in our front is kind of scraggly so the lights would not go on evenly.  The wind out of the north was blowing at about twenty miles an hour which made the strands of lights stiff as barb wire.
I had to stop a few times, go inside and drink hot chocolate to warm my bones.  When it got dark, the tree looked a little better than I thought.
The inside tree looks great!  This may be the best shaped tree we've ever had and it's just the right size. I tend to pick out trees that are much too big. Jilda tends to pick out trees that are too small. When we go together, we usually get one that close to the right size.
We have a Time Life Christmas cassette tape that has about ninety minutes of old Christmas music today. 
There is a blues songs that I've only heard on this tape. "Last Month of the Year" must be almost as old as Christmas itself, but I challenge anyone to listen to it and not smile.
The tape also has Odetta singing Oh Come All Ye Faithful and it's a remarkable rendition of that song.
All in all, it's been a great day.

Friday, December 18, 2009

The Nutcracker



I know this is probably hard to believe, but I've never seen The Nutcracker. This year, however was different because our great niece and nephew Breeze and Stone performed. It was delightful watching them. 
The costumes of all the kids were stunning and it was an excellent production. 
We had Christmas plays when I was young, but the production was always low budget. We had a good time but I'd hate to think a video or 8 mm of one of those survived somewhere. 
But tonight was special. When Breeze and Stone came out to take a bow I was very proud of them both.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Information Overload.

I think I'm going to cancel my subscription to the newspapers as well as all the magazines coming to my house. I'm on about a million newsletters on the Internet not to mention all the email and stuff I get at work.
I'm on what is known as INFORMATION OVERLOAD.  I think I need some time to process what's bouncing around the cracks and crevices of my brain. It's getting to the point that nothing new can go in unless something that's already in there comes out. I mean, what if I start forgetting birthdays, or forgetting to eat....actually that's not a good example because for me, forgetting to eat for a while probably wouldn't be a bad thing, but you get the picture.
I mean, what do other people do. I refuse to believe that people are that much smarter than me....well, there again, as I read back over this post, it's not that big of a stretch to think that there's probably a LOT of people smarter than me. But, I would like to know how you deal with TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
Leave me a comment....on second thought, maybe not because that would be just SOMETHING ELSE TO READ!!!!!!!!!!

Amazon

I love book stores and libraries. I'd move in and live in a big old book store but apparently associates are trained to watch for customers that come into the stores with sleeping bags and coolers because I've been turned away a couple times.
I spend a chunk on my disposable income on books, music, and other stuff you get at a good book store. When I got an email from Amazon.com to hook an affiliate account to my Blog, I jumped at the chance because I'm betting there are others out there that love books as much as me. Now you can order books right from my blog. 
It's a neat feature. Now it's off to work I go.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Always remember those Who serve..

I don't normally like to re-post things, but I read this one a few years ago in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" I think, and I loved the story. I hope you enjoy it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
Sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in
Front of him..

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and
Studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the
Waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
The table and walked away The boy finished the ice
Cream, paid the cashier and left.. When the waitress
Came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
Table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
Were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
To have enough left to leave her a tip.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Blues

I was a little down in the dumps yesterday. Things were going south at work and at home, I had been struggling with a Christmas column for this coming Sunday's paper.
I went to bed early last night and lie awake stewing things over in my mind. This morning when I got up, things were no better.
I'm normally as chipper as a mockingbird at first light, but this morning I felt a little gloomy. I must have cast a pall over Jilda as well because she seemed a little down too.
She asked me what I was going to write about in my column Sunday. I told her I didn't have a clue. The creative problem solver kicked in and she came up with a killer idea. That was all it took for me to snap out of my malaise, and I immediately felt better.
Tonight when I sat down, I kicked out 500 words before you could say Merry Christmas. I have a smile on my face even now as I type.
The blues don't hang out where they aren't wanted.



Monday, December 14, 2009

Fog

The fog this morning was as thing as a fuzzy blanket. I had to drive slowly with my fog lights on.
The scenery looks "other worldly" in a thick fog. Almost like reality is just beyond you field of vision. I thought it would burn off, but this evening as I made my way home, it returned for an encore.
The worst fog I've ever seen was about five years ago. We'd been to our friend's Tom and Judy's house on the Warrior River. We started out slow but we assumed the fog would lift as we got away from the banks of the river. We were wrong. A drive that normally takes about forty minutes took over three hours. I felt like I'd been beaten with a rubber hose when we finally got home.
Anyhow, the weather gets a lot colder tomorrow and chase the fog off to where ever fog goes.


Sunday, December 13, 2009

Thunder in December

It will snow January 13th. This according to Jilda's grandmother Mamie. Of course Mamie's been dead for years but when Jilda was a small child, Mamie said that if there is thunder in December, it will snow one month from that day.
It thundered early this morning. It was just after 2 a.m. when a clap of thunder shook the rafters. Ol' Buddy that sleeps on the foot of the bed, scooted up between Jilda and I and tried his best to get under the cover.
I got up and checked the weather radio and then flipped on the Weather Channel to check things out but there was no severe weather bulletins so I headed back to bed and wrestled Ol' Buddy back down to the foot of the bed amidst a lot of growling and snapping.
A few other nature items to mention, is that there will be a meteor shower this week and December will have a blue moon (two full moons in one month).

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Wet Saturday

Jilda and I are playing tonight at Berkley Bob's Coffee Shop in Cullman. It will be a combination of music and readings. We had a successful event recently at Legal Grounds in Jasper and the gig tonight grew out of that. We're excited.
Today has been an old cold rainy day here. We got a good walk in before it started but I can hear it rattling the roof even as I write.
I hope you all have a great Saturday. It would be great if some of you surprised us tonight at Bob's. With Christmas parties and bad weather, we may be playing to coffee mugs but it is what it is.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Mobile Update

For some reason, I can't get online with my home computer. I decided to try and use my iPhone to update the blog.
It's a little cumbersome using this tiny keyboard and it seem like spending a lot of time backspacing. My thumbs are also getting tired. I'd have CarpalThumbal syndrome if I did this very often.
Jilda and I are playing at Berkley Bob's tomorrow night. We hope to see some of our friends there. Music starts at 7. Y'all come

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Adventures in Dental Work

I've spent the last three hours at the dentists. Unfortunately I wasn't sitting in the waiting room either. I was in THE CHAIR!
I had a bridge that went south early this year which set in motion a chain of dental activity that I feel certain purchased a beach house and Christmas gifts for all the dentists and their families in and around Walker County.
I'm guessing the lights dimmed at the insurance office where the computers crunched the numbers.
Today was the next to last visit for this issue. The dentist had to install a post which will eventually support the new cap. Not sure what that involved but it felt like she drilled the hole with a brace and bit.
Anyhow, my head is listing to starboard as the feeling returns to my jaw. I'm having a soup for supper and then I'm going to bed.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

I Need a Vacation

I'm listening to Scrooge now by Charles Dickens. I've watched the movie many times and I love that old film but the book is incredible.
Dickens' command of the language was deep as river which enabled him to paint a picture with his words that I'm sure made making the movie a cinch.
The more I learn about writing the more I want to learn. My only regret is that I did not start down this path much younger. So much to learn, so little time
Tonight I feel as though I've written myself into a corner. That was bound to happen since the most frequent topic about which I write, is me.
I've written so much about my life that people I've never met feel as if they know me. The truth is, anyone who has read my blog and my columns do know a great deal about the things I believe; the things I love, and the things that make me laugh.
The most difficult part of writing these days, for me, is thinking of fresh things to say. I sometimes think I'm saying something new, only to find out that a writer has written about the topic years before.
I need a vacation - to go somewhere I've never been, do something I've never done, taste something I've never tasted and see something I've never seen. I believe that new experiences open windows in your mind which all you to see things in different ways.
I'm off that last week of the year and it is my intention to do all of the above.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Weather

I was sitting here contemplating a topic for tonight's update when an alarm started screaming in the house. It took me a second to realize it was our weather alert radio.
It was cold as a freezer yesterday but today it warmed up to rain. Low pressure out of the gulf is racing toward us which make the atmosphere very unstable. The alert was for a tornado watch which is not as bad as a warning but you still have to be ready to flee in the event things go south.
Even now I can hear high level winds roaring. I hope it's not a long night tonight.


Monday, December 07, 2009

Christmas Movies

We watched White Christmas last night. We have a bunch of Christmas movies and we both tend to spend more time in front of the TV during the weeks before the holiday. My nephew James did a column recently about his favorite Christmas songs, but I think I will do my Top Ten Favorite Christmas Movie List

10. Emmit Otter's Jug Band Christmas
9. Charlie Brown Christmas
8. Miracle on 34 Street (the original)
7. One Magic Christmas
6. Scrooge (the original and the ones with Patrick Steward and the one with George C. Scott)
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
4. The Bishop's Wife
3. A Christmas Story
2. The Holiday
1. A Wonderful Life

Jilda would have bumped one of mine out for Christmas in Connecticut, but it's not on my list of faves.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

The Tide

I woke up smiling this morning. I watched the SEC Championship game in amazement. The Tide spanked the Gators in front of a national audience. The camera's showed Tebow crying on the sidelines as time ticked down. He's caught a lot of flack and to be honest I jabbed him a little but I think it goes to show how much emotion he puts into what he does.
Last year when Florida won in the Championship game Tebow took the SEC Flag and ran around the stadium. When he was interviewed by the commentators, he said he worked up more of a sweat running the flag around than he did beating the Tide. That stuck in my craw, and I'm betting it wasn't lost on the returning players from Alabama either.
I am amazed by Coach Nick Saban. He has a philosophy and a methodology in his approach to the game. The University of Alabama caught a lot of flack for paying him more than any other college football coach in the nation at that time. But in three short years, he has brought something to the University that's been missing for years. He brought vision, pride, and a plan. He has convinced the "critical mass" of the team to buy in to the vision and it's working.
I truly believe that he could write a book on his approach to life and it would be a best seller.
OK, now I'm waxing philosophical and what not so I'll hush now and bask in the warm glow of victory.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Early Snow

I woke up in the night to let one of the dogs out. As I looked in the light of the street lamp, I could see flecks of snow falling through the pine.
A while later when I let the pup back in, I could see the white stuff bending the bows downward. This morning, Jilda and I got out and took a walk. The air was still crisp and the snow was still falling a little.
I don't recall ever having a snow this early that stuck to the ground. Mind you, it was only about a quarter inch dusting, but beautiful just the same.
Our great nephew Jordan from next door walked over with his mom Samantha and we had a little snowball battle.
He's not quite two years old yet, but he was a loving the white stuff. When I'd throw a snowball at him he would dodge and then laugh uncontrollably.
He'd pick up the snowball and try to throw it back at me but they were sticking to his mittens.
Once back in the house, Jilda whipped up a cup of her world famous hot chocolate. Yum! We are getting ready now to go get us a live Christmas tree. Is there a better way to spend the first Saturday in December?

Friday, December 04, 2009

Sad Local Event

I saw a note on Facebook early this morning saying something about a Pelham Police officer who was killed while on duty early this morning.
I quickly searched local news and it was true. A 33 year old policeman doing a routine traffic stop on I-65 243 (two exits past where I get off to go to my job) when the incident occurred. Part of the incident was captured on video.
Two men were arrested a few hours later. The main suspect arrested in the case is a pharmacist that lives not far from Empire. The news reports said "he may have been a pharmacist" what ever that means.
It is very hard for me to wrap my mind around this situation. It is sad on so many levels. My heard goes out to the families.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Anniversary

I'm celebrating my forth anniversary as a blogger. It's been a interesting ride. Except for one day, I've written something daily.
What makes it interesting is that what started out as a hobby, turned into something more. After about a year of blogging, I approached the local paper and asked to write a weekly column.
The managing editor was a little skeptical at first because apparently there are a lot of folks that ask to become a columnist and they write for a few weeks but then they tire of the constant deadlines and give up.
I told the editor that I'd been writing daily for about a year and I had at least a year's worth of columns in the bag. I left him with about a half dozen to consider.
He called me the next day and said they let me try for a while to see if my work fit. Apparently it did, because I've been writing for them ever since.
What blogging has done for me is build discipline. I follow newsletters, go to writing workshops, and read writing blogs. One of the main things say is that they can't find time to write.
I believe they can't find time to write because they haven't made it a priority in their lives.
I stay busy ALL THE TIME. I have a full-time job, I'm a songwriter, I play in a band, I do community work and I'm promoting a book. Please, don't talk to me about the lack of time.
Anyhow, I think Blogging is an excellent way to build discipline. Not all the things I write are earth shattering, but I read somewhere that "there is genius in beginning." I believe that's true.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

When I walked out of work this evening, the wind had the flag standing at attention. The metal fasteners were tinging against the pole. The moon was obscured by cloud as I cranked the truck, but they parted briefly and I could see the old man as clear as a picture.
I had an uneventful ride home which is the way I like it. Too many times when the roads are wet, there are accidents that turn the Interstate into a parking lot.
The temps dropped dramatically this evening and I had to crank up the fireplace to keep my toes from breaking off like stubby icicles.
Y'all stay warm.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

What if Earth Had Rings

This is a stunning animation of what the earth would look like if it had rings.
Beautiful.

Silent Tiger

The sportscasters kept breaking in with Tiger Woods updates all during the Alabama/Auburn game last Friday. Apparently Tiger had some kind of accident and mum was the word.
The accident happened pretty much in his front yard. He was treated and released from a local hospital so it didn't seem like that big a deal.
But it lingered on and not much was being revealed about the incident. Tonight, when I was trying to think of something to write about, I did a search for "The Most Googled Topic" The search terms at the top of the list was Jaimee Grubbs and Tiger Woods. I'm not sure what's going on there but I think celebrity chasers are hungry for some kind of scandal.
I happen to believe that everyone has a right to privacy even though there are a lot of people who disagree. I think if Tiger wants us to know what happened, he can tell us. If he doesn't, he shouldn't have to.

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