Friday, October 31, 2008

Trick or Treat?

Thanks to Uncle Jay Fite for sending me a link to this article about a Halloween Candy Code. Kids use sidewalk chalk and mark the end of a driveway to let other Trick-or-Treaters know what kind of goodies (and how much) are given out at each house.

Hmmmm, seeing as how I often give out pretzels, Teddy Grahams and other non-candy treats (how much candy can kids eat anyway?), I wonder what kind of drawing I might find at the end of my driveway?

Obama Variety Hour

This is a pretty funny skit from last week's Saturday Night Live. I had no idea who Jon Hamm was before this show, but now I'm a fan and determined to check out Mad Men. I thought Hamm was great in every sketch and the best host this season.

And congratulations to Amy Poehler and Will Arnett on the birth of their first child. I'm really going to miss Amy Poehler, and I hope she comes back for another episode and a fitting farewell.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Ain't Love Grand?

It's rarely a good thing when Memphis makes CNN.

The CA story on the crime can be found at the bottom of
this page. "Baby, I can't go back to jail," he told her before running off and leaving her (along with the three-year-old boy) holding the bag. Ahhh, for the love of a good man.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Favre and the Packers

Jay Glazer broke the news yesterday that Brett Favre allegedly spent an hour on the phone with Detroit Lion coaches to give them inside info on the Green Bay Packers offense. While Favre denies the charges, the Detroit coaching staff reserved comment, lending creedence to the claims. Favre broke no rules if he did indeed call Detroit, but I find it very disappointing that he would be so bitter and cling to his resentment to the point of trying to sabotage his former team. Favre needs reminding of the old adage that living well is the best revenge.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The election and civility

Obviously, the stakes are high in this presidential election. As voting day approaches, the extremes in both major parties are often, unfortunately, the loudest voices. There are some hateful things being said on the campaign trail, and it's disheartening.

So I really enjoyed Clarence Page's syndicated commentary on McCain and civility, which ran in today's Commercial Appeal. Page praises McCain for damping down the flames of hate and ignorance.

Regarding some recent outbursts at political rallies, Page said: "It is as if a large number of Americans suddenly woke up one morning to a shocking discovery: A guy who did not share their politics or physical appearance or European name might be elected president. Don't get me wrong: I don't think that's how most Republicans think any more than I think 'Abort Sarah Palin' bumper stickers, which I find loathsome, are approved by most Democrats."

Like Page, I would like to see a return to civility in this election, not only among the candidates, but in the electorate as well.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

For those of you who aren't huge NFL fans and haven't already heard about it, I want to share the feel-good story of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Earnest Graham making a huge sacrifice for his team this weekend. Graham, the Bucs' starting running back, volunteered to play fullback when both the starting and second-string fullbacks were out with injuries. This meant putting his body on the line the entire game to allow Warrick Dunn to gain the glory. Not only did Graham take the job, be he excelled at it, helping Dunn to amass 115 yards on 22 carries.

Head coach Jon Gruden couldn't stop gushing about Graham's sacrifice and performance in Tampa Bay's 27-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers, and Dunn and QB Jeff Garcia also sang Graham's praises. Said Dunn: "That was one of the most unselfish acts I've seen on a football field in a long time."

So it's no surprise that Graham was gracious and humble in discussing his contribution.

"I feel proud to be able to block for Warrick. It was the most fun I've had in a game, period. I had a blast.''

So now I have a new sports hero, and Kevin will be delighted to hear me gush about someone other than Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning.

An easy way to help a school

The PTO at Nina's school, Sea Isle Elementary, is now taking part in Amazon.com's SchoolRewards. Through the link below, you can access te entire amazon.com web site and all its products, and there is no additional charge. However, a percentage of those sales will be given back to the PTO for the good of our school and its students. Please bookmark the link and use it every time you visit amazon.com. Thanks!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!

Well, the Ozark Creative Writers conference was great, and Eureka Springs was beautiful. I took the scenic route on a winding mountain road and enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage. I didn't get to spend much time on Main Street but drove around the historic loop a couple of times and rode the trolley around once. I can't wait to go back next year.

I'll talk more about the conference later, but it was very informative, supportive and inspiring. Listening to people discuss NaNoWriMo really got my creative juices flowing, and I spent the return trip plotting out the novel I'll write next month. Since I can't start writing for 18 more days, for the first time ever I'm going to outline my story and write complete sketches for all the main characters, which I've never been disciplined enough to do before. It will be interesting to see if I can finally FINISH a novel.

And good news--I won two honorable mentions at the conference, providing a much-needed boost of confidence. I was a little intimidated by all more-experienced and talented writers there, but they emphasized all the hard work they put into their writing careers. If I can be that devoted and keep at it, maybe one day I'll have some fiction-writing success of my own.

But in the meantime, I have a couple of stories in today's Commercial Appeal--a feature of the Memphis Fire Department's new paramedic education program and a business profile on MidSouth Geothermal.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Ho-hum debate

I agree with many pundits that last night's debate was a pretty boring affair. Understandably, the candidates wanted to rehash their talking points and often broke into stump speeches, so nothing new came out in the discussion.

It was unfortunate that Tom Brokaw made himself the focus of the questions, getting away from a true town hall environment. Brokaw just didn't get the job done last night, in my opinion, and I hope Bob Schieffer does a better job in the third debate. And I wish the networks would put a timer on-screen so that television viewers could see for themselves when the candidates are going over their allotted time and by how much. Then the candidates would be more inclined to adhere to the time limits, and we wouldn't have to waste more time listening to the moderator chide the candidates.

Getting the campaigns to agree on venues, moderators, formats, etc. was certainly a difficult task and left the media’s hands somewhat tied. I think both parties are worry about their candidate suffering a George H.W. Bush moment and/or of giving their opponent a Bill Clinton opportunity, ala the 1992 presidential debate. But we allow them to dictate the terms and then shortchange us on addressing the issues.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Tina Fey and SNL were dead on again in their parody of Thursday night's vice presidential debate. And I LOVED Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill.

But what did Gwen Ifill think about the skit and the debate? She discussed it yesterday on Meet the Press.

Monday news

I have a couple of articles in The Commercial Appeal today.

A health and fitness feature focuses on Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes for infants and toddlers at Evergreen Yoga Center in Midtown.

I also wrote a business profile on David Hunt, owner of H & H Services in Jackson, Tenn.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

No idle hands around here

It's been a busy couple of weeks, evidenced by the lack of blog entries lately. I've taken on a lot of assignments from The Commercial Appeal (one article ran today), and I've been VERY busy with Nina's school. It's really wonderful being inside those halls of learning to see firsthand the wonderful work going on.

With things so hectic lately (and that's not a complaint, I've enjoyed staying busy), my husband and I decided we needed some quality family time and fun last night. We went to the
Levitt Shell for the last weekend of the concert season, and I was very impressed. It was wonderful to see the Shell brought back to life. The music was fantastic and the environment very kid friendly (my girls danced their booties off) while fun for adults, too. The Shell will encourage a great sense of community and a love of various types of music. We look forward to the spring season and will undoubtedly spend many enjoyable nights at the Levitt Shell.