The girls and I were returning from our drive in the country, flying down NC Hwy 421, loaded down with apples and keeping our eyes peeled for barbecue joints (down by the lake? T Bone Burnett, anyone?) A sign caught my eye: “Books 75% Off.” It was hoisted prominently over the 421 Flea Market.
This flea market (or “swap meet” in southern California vernacular) was deceptively ginormous. There were tables and pickup trucks laid out over a large field, selling used treasures from clothes to martial arts weapons and country home décor to GUNS! What appeared to be storage or industrial buildings at the rear of the property housed the actual flea market!… Read the rest
Category: <span>Uncategorized</span>
The travel log continues from Addison’s Inn located in beautiful Wilkesboro NC. Today we plan to travel along the apple trail, seeking the magical fruit, as well as more barbecue.
We began in Chapel Hill and no trip with the Salisburys is complete without at least one visit to a native Post Office. The Post Office is located across Franklin from UNC and has a number of wonderful murals throughout the customer lobbies.
The rotunda at the UNC visitor’s center displays a number of wonderful paintings, an energetic sculpture of President Polk, as well as a beautifully crafted clock and barometer.… Read the rest
Here we are outside Emma’s apartment in Carrboro. She is all settled in and is acclimating to southern living. Chapel Hill and Franklin St. are only about a mile down the road and she is within walking distance of a great little restaurant that specializes in health food: grits, bisquits, red hots and fatback.
After the apartment was moved in and decorated, Emma found it a bit gloomy so she hung a few strings of lights and voila! The place is quite comfortable with reasonable rent, utilities paid, cable and high speed internet are included. Emma, like her mother, can sure shop for a bargain!… Read the rest
We’re on the road in North Carolina, visiting Emma and sampling a little bit of Carolina barbecue.
bar·be·cue Pronunciation Key (bärb-ky) n.
1. A grill, pit, or outdoor fireplace for roasting meat.
2. A whole animal carcass or section thereof roasted or broiled over an open fire or on a spit.
3. A social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is cooked over an open flame.
The term itself comes from Haiti: “1657, from Amer.Sp. barbacoa, from Arawakan (Haiti) barbakoa “framework of sticks,” the raised wooden structure the Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish,” modern popular noun sense of “grill for cooking over an open fire” is 1931.”… Read the rest
October 6, 2005
Theologians debate message of Katrina
By RICHARD N. OSTLING
Associated Press Writer
“New York’s Union Theological Seminary began the academic year with an explosive speech by Bill Moyers, late of PBS and CBS television, who was introduced as ‘the most respected journalist in America.”
“Most respected journalist?” Says who? Dan Rather? Union Seminary sure has slipped since the golden days of Bonhoeffer, Barth and Tillich! And, what are they doing mixing religion with politics? Perhaps Mahatma Moyers will enlighten us.
‘The country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is,’ Moyers charged.
“Etymology: Greek theokratia, from the- + -kratia -cracy
1 : government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided.… Read the rest
Newsday.com: Anesthesiologists Take Pride in Music: “Anesthesiologists Take Pride in Music
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
October 2, 2005, 4:03 PM EDT
CHICAGO — General anesthesia or local? Hip-hop or Sinatra? These are among the decisions facing Dr. Frank Gentile in his double-duty job as anesthesiologist and self-styled DJ of the OR. He doesn’t use a microphone or speak in a fake baritone. But the eclectic range of CDs he loads onto the anesthesia cart headed for the operating room would impress any bona fide disc jockey. Gentile’s collection is between 50 and 100 CDs, and his iPod holds about 5,000 songs.… Read the rest
Okay, so why does a hip, swingin’, fashion-conscious guy like me shop at Ross?
Obviously, there’s the value angle. Your clothing dollar will go much further at Ross than at some boardshop boutique or Harajuku mercantile where a sullen raggedy Ann or Andy, with black lipstick, scans your purchases while singing along with Green Day’s American Idiot. For me, it’s all about fashion. Where else could you hope to find a stylish RATT* t-shirt like the one I’m wearing in the photo? The moment I pulled it off the rack, my right arm involuntarily thrust it’s self heavenward and my butane lighter ignited.… Read the rest
I have this new friend, Patrick, who I met outside the Mine Shaft in Nevada City. They have a hot spot there and we were both working up some blog entries. I’ve checked out his new creative outlet, Peanut Jelly and Butter, and I have to say I approve. His prose is subtle, yet he is able to awaken some deeply emotional currents within my soul. In the words of Derek Smalls, enjoying coffee with Pat on Tuesdays in Nevada City is like hanging out with “a Shelley or Byron.” Let’s raise a mug of French Roast and give a big bottoms up to my brother and wish him well in this new artistic endeavor!… Read the rest
I was almost late for work on Tuesday. It all began as I got onto Highway 49 traveling north towards Downieville. About a quarter mile out of Nevada City, I came upon a CalTrans tractor crawling down the road at about 5 mph. Normally, the tractor would be hauled on a trailer, but this guy seemed to be enjoying an early morning drive in the country. Ten minutes later and half a dozen cars in tow, he finally pulled over to let us pass.
“No problem,” I thought. “I’ll make it up on the other side of the south fork.” I was scooting right along and when I hit the long straight stretch between Peterson’s Corner and Sweetland Rd.,… Read the rest
By E&P Staff
Published: September 20, 2005 4:37 PM ET
“NEW YORK The New York Times Co. announced a staggering staff reduction plan Tuesday that will likely mean some 500 job losses at the company’s many properties, including an expected 45 newsroom positions at The New York Times newspaper and 35 at The Boston Globe.
In a memo to staffers, company chairman Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson wrote: ‘We regret that we will see many of our colleagues leave the Company; it is a painful process for all of us. We have been tested many times in our 154-year history as we are being tested now.’… Read the rest
It looks as if blogging will have to take a back seat to more pressing, but uninteresting, endeavors this week. For example, Denise and I are shopping for two newer old vehicles, to replace our really old old vehicles. I forgot how much time, energy and heartache is involved in buying cars.
Then, there is the replacement of our older Compaq laptop with a new iMac G5; I know, this should be exciting, but these computers are becoming more like tools and less like toys to us. The only consolation is that I will be finished with Windows XP, except for my computer at work where I am at least remunerated somewhat for my frustrations.… Read the rest
Now, here’s something you don’t often find. But, our friend, (we’ll call her “Jay” to protect her identity from blog trolls and design stalkers), is always showering us with bits of thoughtful vintage technology. This is a rare 1958 prototype of the device, which would iterate and reiterate into the modern PalmPilot. Most people are unaware that personal digital assistants or PDAs (as those of us in the industry refer to them) have been around for some time. Originally, “personal” referred to the fact that you could keep them in a purse or pocket and “digital” denoted the method of searching through the tiny contact cards with your fingers or “digits.”… Read the rest
For my summer vacation, Denise and I are spending a long weekend with her brother, sisters and their families in South Lake Tahoe. Last night I scouted out a spot to “camp out” with all my gear and relax, doing what I like to do on a vacation — study The Apocalypse, write to our family in Uganda, people watch, read some news and blog. So, here I am at Alpen Sierra Mountain Roasted. It’s a very hospitable coffee hut with the following amenities:
- The coffee is good. I would rate it an 8 on a scale from 1-10 with Flour Garden being a 1 and Java John’s right up there around a 9.
Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I have battled some kind of low-level depression or anxiety ever since I can remember. Perhaps it began with the concussion I received playing soccer in the eighth grade. Who knows? Thirty years later, after I recovered from that other soccer injury, I noticed a dramatic decrease in serious bouts of depression. I wondered if, somehow, my blood chemistry had been altered in a positive way.
Today, I had a sudden rush of anxiety, triggered by a very small setback… car trouble.… Read the rest
Denise has been busy again. Not only did she completely remodel our bathroom, but also she found these cool matching, gender-specific, lamps for our retro nightstands. She was originally bidding on some 60’s “atomic lamps,” but decided these actually coordinated with the rest of our “grandma” era porcelain knick-knicks. Her lamp looks like Marie Antoinette and, ironically, arrived with the head broken off at the neck. Well, she fixed her up and you can barely see the guillotine-width crack around her throat. My lamp is really cool, except that the Cavalier fellow is wearing a little too much eyeliner for my taste.… Read the rest
Poll: Fewer People Link Islam, Violence
By WILL LESTER
Associated Press WriterJuly 26, 2005, 4:14 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — The percentage of Americans who believe Islam is more likely than other religions to inspire violence has declined in the past two years, according to a poll taken after the London bombings. Just over a third, 36 percent, now say the Islamic religion is more likely to inspire violence, while 44 percent said that in July 2003, according to the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Pollsters are still mystified by an unexplainable plunge in the collective IQ of many Americans over the past two years.… Read the rest
In a previous post about Muslim terrorism, Brits Get A Wake-Up Call, I attributed London terrorist bombings to British Muslim’s disgust with western culture and a faithful reading of the Qur’an. I may have to take that back after reading this story in Ireland On-Line:
Would-be bomber was on benefits
26/07/2005 – 11:38:06
“One of the would-be suicide bombers who tried to blow up a London Tube train last Thursday had been given thousands of pounds in British taxpayers’ money. Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, was given £75 (€108.70) a week in housing benefit to pay for the one-bedroom flat where he has been the registered tenant since February 1999.… Read the rest
I’m still thinking about Art and there are so many memories. I really need to write them down and sort them into some order. Two things are on my mind today. First, a humorous anecdote, which may only be funny to those who could relate to This Is Spinal Tap, the movie.
Art was a self-trained electronic technician (perhaps an engineer, as well) and he worked wherever he found something new and interesting going on — Hewlett-Packard, the Stanford Observatory and Foggy Mountain Music, for example. He grew up fascinated with broadcasting and one of his first jobs was installing and troubleshooting public address systems during the 1940s.… Read the rest
Brits Get A Wake-Up Call
Readers of the Telegraph in the UK got more than a Full English Breakfast with their July 23 edition. Along with a generous portion of beans, rashers of bacon, black pudding and tomatoes, they got a heapin’ helpin’ of comparative religion as British Muslims stopped practicing taqiyah (religious dissimulation) just long enough to let pollsters know what they really think about jihad, the struggle against unbelief and the practical consequences for Britons who reject Islam:
YouGov sought to gauge the character of the Muslim community’s response to the events of July 7. As the figures in the chart show, 88 percent of British Muslims clearly have no intention of trying to justify the bus and Tube murders.… Read the rest
Denise found a nice bedroom set for about $75. I really like it, but wondered aloud, “should we just change our names to Ward and June?” I’ve caught Denise admiring it, when she didn’t know I was looking.
I really like these nightstands. They hold lots of books and will soon support two “funky pink and gold atomic retro lamps.” At least that’s the eBay description. The combo headboard/footlocker is handy for kleenex, more books and, perhaps, some knick-knacks or, Lord willin’, photographs of the grandchildren (hint). I think we’ll be on the hunt for an appropriate bed spread and a funky, gold metal kleenex cozy, like the one my elderly aunt and uncle down at the trailer park used to have.… Read the rest
I am so grateful to live in a community, where we enjoy state of the art medicine. I turned 50 this year and went in for my very first colonoscopy. I’m feeling fine, but it’s a good idea for men my age to be examined for colorectal cancer or other disease. Here we are in the year 2005 and I find it hard to believe that most people undergoing this test will still be subjected to the barbaric colonscope, a long flexible tubular instrument inserted into the rectum and poked around the colon, while the doctor watches on a remote video device.… Read the rest
This post should be read to Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I’m the only one and I walk alone
Every morning, Denise and I wake up shortly after 5AM to go out for our daily walk/run. We’ve done this probably since we lived in Maine, ten years ago. However, there’s something about me… about my little pea brain, that I’ve known since I began running way back around 1982. I like to exercise alone. When I’m with someone else, no matter the physical activity, I always feel like I have to catch up with or wait for them.… Read the rest
I promised Zombieslayer a post about my short venture into the world of record producers, fusion guitarists, “shred-heads” and, of course, those vultures who bring all fun to a halt — lawyers and record distributors. Dear ZS… I hope this meets with your approval.
One day sometime in 1990, I believe, I came home from work and Denise told me she had met some new neighbors and they were real nice. She said that “Mark” produced and recorded music – he was working on a children’s CD. I remember thinking to myself, “So, what’s new… everyone in Nevada City is recording a CD.”… Read the rest
I found this thought-provoking article about the… Just a moment, I have an email coming in that I’ve been waiting for. Okay, that was good, let’s start over. I found this thought-provoking article about the deleterious effect of too much…. Wait a second, I just heard the phone ring. I’ll be right back. Alright, so where was I. Oh, yes… the deleterious effect of all our modern communications… Excuse me, Denise is calling from the other room…
“What? Who? Tell them I’m busy blogging and I’ll call back in about a half hour. *Sigh*”
So, ummm, this article says that, uh… well, here… you read it yourself:
The Scotsman
Fri 22 Apr 2005
Scientists believe ‘infomania’ can hit our ability to concentrate and cause permanent loss of intelligence.… Read the rest
Denise knows where to shop… when she heard there would be a flea market at a local Lutheran church, she charged right over there. “The churches with the older congregations have all the really cool stuff.” She came home with the most beautiful Christmas tree skirt I have ever seen, as well as some retro Christmas ornaments and… a little “special occasion tree” like my Grandma Louise used to have. Actually, it was a manzanita branch that looked like a tree, about a foot tall. She would decorate it for every season or special occasion. Now, we have one.
The biggest treat was this beautifully illustrated Barbecue Book by the publishers of Sunset Magazine.… Read the rest