The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
I’m blessed with lots of good friends scattered around from North Carolina to D.C. to Dayton, OH, and especially here in Tampa. If I write about them and their (or our) adventures, that will be found here.
Today is my birthday. I’ll admit it, I’m feeling my age more lately. It takes a little more duck tape and glue to keep me going. But today I’m thinking about a friend who died last week, and too short life he lived. It would be a good model for us all.
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A brief portion of an NPR interview a couple of weeks ago set me off on a week of reflection and memories. Greta Gerwig said, “You don’t know when the last time of something happening is. You don’t know what the last great day you’ll spend with your best friend is. You’ll just know when you’ve never had that day again.” What are some of your last great days with friends?
Read moreIt was a big weekend for us this weekend, but in the end, I did get some rest after Saturday. The weekend started Friday afternoon with Lay’s Graduation Ceremony from the Fire Academy.
Read moreWhat 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 moreIf you’re a regular visitor (or you receive the digest email) I suppose you have noticed a decided lack of activity here lately. I have to tell you, I’ve just been tired. I think that’s the best way to describe what’s been going on in my life lately. It’s not that feeling of “being sick and tired of being sick and tired,” but more a general malaise that came over me during the last months. I didn’t send out Christmas cards this year, and didn’t even decorate the house. I came into the season with a good deal of the shopping done, and combined with some upcoming time off, I was actually looking forward to the holiday, but somewhere along the way, I just sort of lost that holiday spirit. I’m working on a comeback.
Read moreNo blogging or politics last week, as I was on the road from Monday to Friday. I drove up North Carolina because we had a business meeting in Burlington Wednesday, and then I took two days off, visited Mom and drove home. It was actually a pleasant week. i also took some photos around Kings Mountain and Shelby.
Read moreIt was a fairly quiet weekend. Lay was working, so we did not have his nephews over, and I got a little much needed rest.
Read moreThe folks at Weblog Tools Collection are hosting an essay contest about blogging, and I have submitted an entry. It’s about an experience I had as a result of creating a blog for my church.
Read moreToday, it’s cool and overcast. We’ve had rain for a good bit of the morning. I was up at 8:30 so I could give our friends Mike and Jeff (and Jeff’s sister and lover) a ride to the Tampa Stadium. They are attending the Outback Bowl. Jeff was not at all interested in going to begin with, but the weather really made him want to stay home.
Read moreOne of the traditions that has developed is attending a Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols, followed by Communion and a candlelight service. Both services at the church were very full, with people in the balcony during the first service. It’s a time and place to feel comfortable. While there are many people there I don’t know, there are certainly lots of people I grew up with, and even older folks that helped me grow up.
Read moreThis was not the most fun weekend. I got really sick with a cold Thursday night, and it’s stuck with me the whole weekend. I did get a few chores taken care of.
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