Zack and Michael from Pulse will be on WGOW's FRED The Show at 11:30 this morning. I'll be taping the program for possible posting on the web.
As one of the small steps I'm taking to revamp this site, it is now also viewable at www.RightToTheChin.com.
Thanks for your readerage!
Bill
As promised, here's is the account of my recent run-in with the law.
On January 27th at about 7:30, I left my house on Signal Mountain to pick up some food. Right before I reached the restaurant, I was stopped for a bad headlight. I was only issued a warning for the headlight, but upon the routine practice of "running" my driver's license, three other cops cars pulled up, at which point I was informed that my license had been revoked.My license was then taken and I was given a ride to my house (1 mile away) in the back of a cop car. The officer (a black, female Signal Mountain cop...do those exist?) was extremely nice, and just doing her job, but I was extremely angry because I HAD NO IDEA THAT MY LICENSE HAD BEEN REVOKED. I was never notified.
After further investigation on my part, when I had my only-ever car accident in 2001, I failed to file a piece of paper saying that I had never been sued for the accident. Doesn't make much sense to me, but that's what my license status form says from the state of Tennessee. How can you file a piece of paper saying you were never sued before the staute of limitations runs out for the "victim" to sue you?
It also says that I failed to maintain insurance. SO, after calling my INSURANCE company, they said they had no record of my license being invalid. Now, I DIDN'T have insurance at the time of the accident, but have had it ever since, and already appeared in court in 2001 for the accident and (thought) I had all the proper papers on file with the state. I guess not.
So, instead of taking me to jail, the officer said I could turn myself in--which I did the following Friday. I was fingerprinted and booked and spent some time not in jail, but in a "waiting area" with some other guys who were awaiting lock-up. I got to watch the Hamilton County Inmate Orientation video (every third time it plays, it's in Spanish) about 100 times. The inmates in the video seemed so happy be there. Weird.
Anyway, one inmate passed through my area to get a cup of iced tea. He was the guy who recently put a revolver in his girlfriend's rectum and pulled the trigger. I recognized his photo. She will be in Erlanger for a LONG time. When you hear about a story like that, you take an extra minute to look at the sick bastard who did it...
I went to court today, and should have my license back early next week. I still don't quite understand WHY my license was revoked, but I'm not going to push the issue.
Sorry, I didn't kill anybody. And, no, I don't have a copy of my mug shot. Besides, they don't even look like mugshots anymore...
The heart wrenching kidnapping and murder of Carlie Brucia in Florda and the rumor of a sick freak who’s trying to snatch kids in the Red Bank area reminds me of the time something similar almost happened to me. I think.
I moved here in 1993. At the time, I attended UTC, didn’t have a car, and would often take the bus if I wanted to go somewhere. One spring afternoon in 1994, I decided to take the bus to Hamilton Place, and while waiting at the bus stop on the corner of Market and MLK, I experienced something that still gives me chills to this day.
The next bus was still 10 minutes away, and while I waited, a green Toyota Tercel pulled up and the driver rolled down the passenger side window. The guy was pale, was wearing a Ted Bundy-esque sling on his left arm, and looked like he’d just come from an altercation of some sort. He had what appeared to be bloody cuts on his right arm, his cheek, and his forehead, and kept looking back over his right shoulder in a very panicked way as the following exchange occurred between the two of us:
Guy in car: “Hey, don’t I know you?”
Me: “No, I don’t think so.”
Guy in car: “Are you sure? You sure look familiar.”
Me: “No man, I really don’t think so.”
Guy in car: “Ok, well, where are you going?”
Me: “I’m waiting for the bus.”
Guy in car: “Oh, well it sure is hot out here. Do you want a ride?”
Me: “No, man…I’m good. I’m just gonna wait for the bus.”
Guy in car: “Are you sure? It’s really hot out here. Are you sure I don’t know you?”
Me: “No, man. I’m good. I’m waiting for the bus.”
With that, he sped off. I stood there for a few moments wondering what, exactly, had just happened. The only other guy at the bus stop gave me a raised-eyebrow look as if to say, “I don’t know either, man.”
Was he trying to kill me? I try not to think about it because it’s just too creepy. The look in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine, and I often wonder where he sped off to. Did he ever get what he was after that day? Why didn’t I think to write down his license plate number?
At the time, I was 20 years old, a little over six feet tall, and weighed about 180 pounds. Hardly resembling Carlie Brucia. But I, too, was prey, nonetheless.
When I watch the surreal footage of Joe Smith grabbing Carlie’s arm and pulling her off camera - and off this planet - I want to reach through the screen and crush his skull. The girl was 11 years old. And she would soon die.
Keep an eye on your kids.
Zoe from Chattanooga's "Fuel TV" will be on next Monday's episode of the Fox travesty, "The Littlest Groom." She will be one of the "normal-sized" people fighting for the love of Glenn, "The Littlest Groom."
I will soon revamp the layout and content of this page. Included will be an account of my recent and kept-under-wraps run-in with the law, some new pictures, and some audio and (hopefully) video files...
In response to Ryan's perfectly-within-his-right-to-adulation of Lost In Translation:
So I've been wanting to see Lost In Translation for quite a while. I'm a big Bill Murray fan, and everybody and their brother has been raving about it.
I rented the DVD this past weekend, sat down and watched it, and now I thought I'd pass along my thoughts.
The movie was dull. Brilliantly and gorgeously dull. I did not care about the characters, and found the only suspense in the movie to be "are they gonna sleep together, or what?"
He's old. She's young. You see her butt a lot. He wears a crazy shirt. They talk at the bar. They have drinks. Life is bad. Filming commercials is hard when the director only speaks Japanese. "Is that ALL he said?" They sing Karaoke. Her photographer husband is really busy (is HE having an affair?) and there's conflict. Bill Murray's wife is distant and picking out colors, and the kids "don't miss him." Then he sleeps with an older woman, and the younger one gets jealous. And it's Japan, and there's alot of shots of them looking at Japan. He leaves, then mysteriously sees her through a crowd on the way to the airport. They embrace. "It's gonna be OK." "Thanks, I needed that." "For what?" "I don't know, it's not in the script."
This movie falls into a long line of other "small" or "independent" or "important" films where the director does a wondrously stylish portrayal of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Punch-Drunk Love is another such film.
Rushmore is almost another such film.
The Royal Tennenbaums most certainly is.
Maybe they are great films. Maybe everybody else on the planet thinks they are, too. And they can like them. There are some funny characters or scenes or lines, but I just don't CARE about any of it. I was disappointed because I thought this film was going to be more than it was.
What is the point of film anymore, anyway?
Let the culture beating commence.
I’m not in good shape. I used to be a stick, but now I feel like I’m stuck in whatever chair I’m sitting in. I’d like to say it’s because I just turned 30, but that would be a lie. I’ve been this way for quite a while.
Take too much junk food and too little exercise, and you get one outspoken editor of a fledgling local publication. Some say drugs or booze lead to great spurts of inspiration and creativity. Some say folks look cool with a cigarette in their hand. Some folks say you should be able to eat whatever you want as long is it tastes good. I say I’m sick of this crap. I don’t need it.
My first love was baseball. I played up through high school, from about age 4. I didn’t have a lot of power, but I hit for average, had a good glove, and threw one of the only change-ups ever seen thrown by a 14 year-old. You have to be in good shape to play baseball. And baseball kept me in good shape, too. And during the off season, I kept in shape in endless games of pick-up basketball, glorious games of padless tackle football, and hours and hours of beating myself silly behind (my other love) my set of drums. I grew up in a beach town, swimming all summer, and biking to friends’ houses.
Then it was off to college. No baseball, no drums. I jogged, and played softball, and some intramural stuff, but my freshman fifteen became the sophomore twenty-five, the junior thirty, and the senior forty. Working for a top-notch downtown restaurant during my college years didn’t help, either, as I was subjected to generous portions of some of the most delicious food you could imagine. I moved from that job to two others where I spent my days behind a diet debilitating desk, before arriving here at Pulse, again camped in a chair behind a computer, trying to compile a paper worthy of your interest.
Like anything else worth having, a great body takes work to achieve. It’s not easy, and fad diets don’t often work—mostly because they’re just that, fads, and most people abandon them. If they truly worked, people would be even lazier than they already are.
This Atkins diet craze is a bit disturbing. It reminds me of other disconcerting obsessions flocked to by the mouth-breathing masses: Wal-Mart, Cher, Nascar, The Purpose Driven Life, Oprah.
People have flocked to this diet with a scary, ignorant glaze in their eyes. And the diet commands them to eat stupid things like burgers wrapped in lettuce, burgers on lettuce, and burgers wrapped in lettuce wrapped in bacon. It’s symptomatic of our lazy, impatient culture. We want results, now, and you better make them delicious! Ask any dietician about the Atkins diet, and you’ll probably find yourself loving bread again.
Unless Provino’s can make a carb-free version of their glorious garlic butter rolls, I have no interest in following the crowd. I like my carbs. I know why I’m out of shape, and I’ll do something about it. But I also know it’s going to take a little time. To do it the right way, that is.
We were made with teeth for both grinding grains and ripping into meats. Our bodies are meant for work and exercise. And our brain is designed to learn, among other things, how to take care of our bodies. The proper balance of food and exercise—called moderation—is the key to being in good shape. Period. The potential damages to your health caused by the Atkins Diet are only beginning to be seen. I mean, even its creator is dead.
My wife has recently started taking aerobics classes, and is encouraging me to do the same. She wants us both to get in shape. I’ll do it if you will.
Melissa and I got a new car. A 1996 Camry. It's blue with leather and a sunroof.
It's nice to get into your car and have it start right up...
Ellis Burks back in the day...
So, the Red Sox just re-signed former Bosox CF Ellis Burks to a one-year deal for $750,000. This is a good move. Adding a guy to the bench who hit 32 HR's just two years ago. He was hurt most of last year. He'll probably start a bunch at DH and pinch-hit, as well...I got his autograph at a charity dinner in 1987. The late Billy Martin was there, too...
So how is the Red Sox lineup and roster (paired down to my 25-man guess) looking in the wake of their off-season moves, and just a few weeks away from the start of the Spring Training schedule?
1. Johnny Damon CF
2. Bill Mueller 3B
3. Nomar Garciapparra SS
4. Manny Ramirez LF
5. David Ortiz DH
6. Kevin Millar 1B
7. Trot Nixon RF
8. Jason Varitez C
9. Pokey Reese 2B
Bench:
Ellis Burks DH-OF
Mark Bellhorn IF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Doug Mirabelli C
Gabe Kapler OF
Starting Rotation:
Pedro Martinez
Curt Schilling
Derek Lowe
Tim Wakefield
Byung Hyung Kim
Relievers:
Alan Embree
Mike Timlin
Scott Williamson
Jason Shiell
Bronson Arroyo
Closer:
Keith Foulke
It looks pretty good to me, though, I'd be surprised if there weren't another couple moves up Theo Epstein's sleeve...And Youkilis will probably start the season at AAA Pawtucket.
I bought "To Kill A Mockingbird" on DVD a while ago, and never got around to watching it. I'd always seen it on TV or on VHS. The dvd, however, looks utterly fantatstic--especially the opening credits sequence. Crisp, clean, black and white images that REALLY look nice in digital. It's hard to believe that this film was made in the early '60s. Taking into account the other big films of the time, "To Kill A Mockingbird" has a VERY indie feel to it. It just looks different--almost timeless--and the cinematography only adds to what was already a great story.
from this week's Pulse
1. TRIPLE BYPASS
2. BABY NEEDS MILK
3. RENT CHECK
4. THAR’S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS
5. SCRATCH IT UP!
6. MAKIN’ BAIL
7. QUICK QUICHE
8. LOOKIE HERE
9. ORANGE CONE JACKPOT
10. TENNESSEE THOUSANDAIRE
11. YE OLDE DIXIE SCRATCHPEDE
12. LOVIN’ IT
13. MEGA MENTHOL
14. TEXAS T
15. WAMPUM GOOD TIME
16. PORK RIND PICK-UP
17. WAITIN’-4-GAS
18. CLICK IT AND SCRATCH IT AND TICKET
19. LUCKY LAYOFF
20. PAY-TON MANNING
mesh deserves mad props. I haven't counted yet, but i think he's written 1,234 stories for our paper in the last few weeks...
all with very little time to get them in before we went to press...
props also to andy montgomery, who's shot photos for many of the same stories - with the same lack of lead time...
much thanks, gents. it will pay off one day...
i really need to stop and buy cat litter on the way home.
a brown frown is descending upon the room where the litter box is, and i'm afraid my cats will have found "alternate facilities" by the time i get home this evening.
i really need to change their litter.
my oldest cat, winnie, who i've had for almost 8 years, has developed such a personality, that it's like we can talk to each other. this morning, i interpereted her meows as: "Hey dad, the box is really stinky. Can you change the litter. I'd do it myself, but it's your job." then, she ran out the back door so she could spend her day outside.
nicky, winnie's son, whose jaw is crooked since being hit by a car, will probably wait all day to eat until i change the litter. he is fat and lazy and pathetic, and will be crying his head off until i come home.
i have recently switched over to a mac for all my internet/blogging needs.
on my ibook, no matter what browser i use (Netscape, Safari, IE) the italics, url, etc buttons in moveable type are no longer available at the top of my Entry Body box.
Since I'm a busy guy with few html skills, i prefer using those "helper buttons."
how do i get them back?!!? :(
Traffic in and around Hamilton Place can be a hassle, and in an effort to make travel smoother, TDOT has unveiled their plans to widen Shallowford Road. The work would begin, at the earliest, at the end of next year.
According to plans unveiled at a recent public hearing, Shallowford Road would go from a two-lane roadway to a five-lane from Gunbarrel Road to the Home Depot entrance, then transition down to a three-lane up to Jenkins Road, where a roundabout would replace a now-existing traffic light. Nobody would have to leave their homes, but the edges of some homeowners’ property might be slightly affected by the widened lanes.
Feelings were mixed on the issue, with most people noticeably unhappy at the thought of having to…um…drive around in a circle.
I don’t like stop signs or stoplights. I like to continue driving, even if it means that I have to occasionally slow down and (God forbid) use my steering wheel to turn through a roundabout. Of course, I grew up in a small Connecticut town that’s had a roundabout for over thirty years, so I’m used to it. Our roundabout was called a “traffic circle,” and I never, ever heard anyone complain about it. Neither have I heard anyone complain about the roundabout at the foot of the “W” road, which seems to be working quite nicely. But to watch some of the folks interviewed on the news about the Shallowford Road roundabout, you’d think that someone had just shot their dog.
One area resident said that roundabouts are something “brought over here from England” and were a bad idea because people “don’t know how to use them.”
For TDOT to give in to this sentiment would be catering to ignorance. Just because people “don’t know how to use” something doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn. It’s a good thing that this way of thinking didn’t stop other useful ideas from happening. When the automobile, the airplane, and the motorcycle were invented, people were opposed to them, too, because they didn’t “know how to use them.” I think we can all say, now, that all three ideas improved travel. Roundabouts can improve travel, as well.
Look folks, it’s a circle. When you approach it, slow down and yield to any cars coming towards you from the left. Then, when it’s all clear, proceed to your right around the circle and back out onto the road. I know you can do this.