Resuming Rants

There was a brief restaurant review posted earlier this year. The last post before that was a movie review (The Whale). A lot has transpired in my world over the past few months, and I think I am ready to get back to trying to post more or less regularly. The highlight reel looks a bit like this:

Read more

Remembering Mr. Deal

I know that today, somewhere on a football field in heaven, a band of angels is trying to keep up eight to five, and a bald-headed guy is getting right in front of them and yelling through a megaphone to pick up their knees. I also know at the end of the day they’ll not only be a better band but better angels. Thank you, Mr. Deal, for calling all of us to be our better angels. Godspeed and “horns up.”

Read more

Honor a Veteran – Wreaths Across America

There are 1200 Veterans who are buried at Mountain Rest Cemetery in Kings Mountain, NC, and countless others in both National and local cemeteries across the nation. They are the Veterans who we hope to honor when we participate in Wreaths Across America Day on December 15, 2018. Find out how you can help.

Read more

The 3 Musketeers of the NCGA – Douche-bag of the Day Award

It seems that something was finally found to put the fear of God into the members of the North Carolina General Assembly about HB2…the NBA. Never mind jobs, reputation, economic growth…no, the threat of losing the All-star game brought them around…sort of.

Read more

Big Talk About Terrorists

Suddenly, everyone’s a warrior in the war against terror. That is of course only the terrorists attacks that 1. Don’t involve white male American terrorists, and/or 2. Aren’t likely to actually happen in the first place. Take inspiration for the protection of the homeland from some Facebook posts from early this morning. Here you’ll see the batshittery we’ve devolved into in this country. It started with this fairly incoherent post, which I mostly just ignored after assuming the person who wrote it was either high, drunk, or both.

Read more

Consider Me A Native of El Bethel

Since the Mayor gave Newt (serial adulterer, family values, thrice married, marriage is between one man and three women) Gingrich a key to the City today, consider me a native of El Bethel. Bad enough my Old Home State is trying to write discrimination into the State’s Constitution, now they are turning over the key to one of the sleeziest people to ever come out of Washington, D.C. And all this on the day he was ending his campaign anyways.

Read more

Barbershops

I went to get a haircut Wednesday morning at the Gandy Barbershop. It’s owned by Steve, but Tony, a British guy, is the barber I use. When I was paying and getting ready to leave he showed me a framed article by a local Tampa Tribune columnist, Steve Otto, which talked about Tony and the barbershop. I got me thinking about my earliest memories of going to the barbershop. Of course I know I went before we moved to Kings Mountain, but the first memory I have of going was to Central Barbershop right downtown on Mountain Street, beside Griffin’s Drug Store.

Read more

Christmas 2010-A Good One

Well, Christmas 2010 has come and gone. Nothing left to do but pack up the decorations. I’d have to rate it as a pretty good Christmas. I think I managed to stick to a fairly tight budget, and despite a few arguments with Lay, we wound up with everyone getting something they really enjoyed. I got my shopping and gift wrapping done well ahead of time this year. The decorations were up right after Thanksgiving, and the Christmas Cards went out just after that, so I never felt rushed or hectic.

Read more

Favorite Season

OK, I know that about this time every year I write something about Autumn being my favorite time of year. I know, Tampa, FL is not the place to be thinking about Autumn. I think we get our Autumn here in January, the time of year when these nasty live oaks dump a big portion of their leaves. Still, there is a rhythm that comes with the seasons no matter where one lives, and I love this time of year for the sense of “settling-in.”

Read more

Hometown Pounded by Tornados

What now appears to have maybe two tornados pounded my hometown of Kings Mountain Tuesday evening. West Kings Mountain out through Bethlehem and Oak Grove communities seem to have been hit the hardest. Fortunately, Mom only had a few limbs down in her yard.

Read more