A number of years ago, our preteen daughter Stephanie was having an emotional meltdown. She had been arguing with her mother over a pair of obscenely overpriced jeans from retailers Abercrombie and Fitch and losing the battle. The scene moved into the parking lot. Mom's resolve never wavered. Stephanie was leaving the mall without a new pair of jeans. In anger, she slammed the car door behind her. Unfortunately, younger brother Matt was following close behind and had just reached inside the door frame when the door completely closed on his hand, smashing his little fingers. Fearing broken bones, Mom rushed Matt to the "doc in the box" emergency pediatric care clinic, where a physician examined him. A kindly female doctor looked into his ears and mumbled surprise before informing my wife, "He has an ear infection." She made eye contact with Matt and asked, "Sweetie, do your ears hurt?" For a moment or two he simply stared at her incredulously through still watering eyes. Then, holding up his injured hand for all to see, slowly and deliberately he said, "No -- it's my FINGERS!" … [Read more...]
Archives for 2010
A very special announcement
I am extremely pleased to announce the formation of the Writer's Alliance of Georgia, LLC (WAG). I am a member and Vice President of the group, led by President (and editor extraordinaire) Donna Sundblad. We are an organization of professional and budding writers who meet twice a month to encourage one another and grow in our craft. More than a year ago, WAG collaborated to write a collection of short stories about animals and pets. We are currently in the final stages of polishing the manuscript before we submit to epress-online, who has expressed an interest. When the anthology is available for purchase, one of my short stories from the collection will be made available on the website. In the interim, if you'd like to read an example of a story that didn't fit quite the book's theme, "The Hummingbird" is available for reading from my media page. The members of WAG are very excited about this project and hope you will share our enthusiasm and love of animals. Keep following my blog for news updates. This terrific collection of tender, humorous and touching stories is about people and their pets, or those special moments when humans and wildlife connect in a life-changing experience. It's almost ready to share with you! … [Read more...]
Hope for the future of America
Civil disobedience becomes necessary only when the prevailing authority is obviously corrupt or noticeably lacking in leadership. Perhaps that time has come. NBC (hardly a bastion of conservative thought) recently reported that a group of high school students was ordered to stop singing our national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial. While the video doesn't show the policeman allegedly involved, if the story is true as the article reported (and the female voice off-camera implied), it does show a patriotic display of civil disobedience by this unlikely group of high school students. If they were indeed ordered to cease and desist their "spontaneous demonstration" of conspicuous pride in America by the police theoretically on the scene to protect our first amendment rights and others, does this mean it is now a crime violating free speech to say we love our country? … [Read more...]
Fifteen minutes of fame
Andy Warhol is credited with saying, "Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." Levi Johnston appears determined to use all of his allotted time before he celebrates his 21st birthday. The father of Bristol Palin's child managed to make a name for himself first as a lucky sperm donor contributing his genes to a family destined for political fame. He leveraged his newfound notoriety by appearing in Playgirl magazine. He also drew attention to himself by dating 49 year old Kathy Griffin at the Teen Choice awards. Along the way Johnston made some disparaging remarks about Sarah Palin and her family that he later admitted were not true when he briefly reconciled with Bristol. Allegations he fathered another child with another young woman ended his engagement to Bristol Palin almost as quickly as it happened. As the limelight grows increasingly dim, Johnston is growing desperate to rekindle fleeting public interest in him. Therefore he plans to run for an unspecified political office in his hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. Johnston's manager Tank Jones was quoted as saying, "If you live in a town and things are happening in that town and you're displeased with it, what do you do? You try to change those things." Like what? Pressed to give details about what exactly it was that displeased Johnston and what he proposed to change, Jones declined. Still he insisted, "This is not a spoof. This is not a joke." We can only wish it were. Why does a twenty-year-old young man even need a publicist? What has he accomplished that merits publicity except to … [Read more...]
The North Beach Grill on Tybee Island reopens today!
Monday, August 9th, 2010 is a day to be celebrated by both longtime residents and new visitors on Tybee Island. The much anticipated reopening of the North Beach Grill is today, after extensive renovations to the entire restaurant. The new look is clean and beautiful and the food will taste even better! George is cooking his famous jerk chicken, the crab cakes are prepared and the staff is ready and waiting to serve you courteously. And yes, the bar is also reopened for business! No reservations are necessary -- just head for the lighthouse on Tybee and the restaurant is on the beach side of the Fort Screven museum. … [Read more...]
