Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, August 6, 2020, 1:34 p.m. I have “encountered” Kimi Raikkonen before. I was about 10 feet away for a media conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2011, when, away from Formula One, he tested the waters in a couple NASCAR races, one for trucks and the for what is now the …
Author: wastedpilgrim
I'm a writer.
Blogs. Novels. Journalism. Songs.
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What in the Name of the Constitution Is Going On?
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, July 30, 2020, 3:28 p.m. If there’s no sports this fall, it’s devastating. It’s devastating to me because I am running a sports website without the benefit of sports, but it’s devastating for millions because sports is a vital part of their lives. It’s mild in comparison to losing basic social …
Continue reading What in the Name of the Constitution Is Going On?
Life at a Safe Distance
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, July 3, 2020, 11:19 a.m. This morning brought a bit of a break from the desolation of the Self-Quarantine Age. I had breakfast at the cafe on the square, and it didn’t seem like I was risking life and limb. I try to keep my trusty bandana handy, along with a …
You Just Can’t Beat Technology
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, June 25, 2020, 1:14 p.m. Technology. Can’t live with it. Can’t live without it. It is supposed to be our friend. In many cases, it isn’t. In the newspaper business, nearly 30 years ago I worked for a large metropolitan newspaper. When I was there, toiling on the desk, that paper …
Forever Lulled
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, June 13, 2020, 9:53 a.m. What have I learned from the great vacant year of 2020? I’ve got plenty of time to ponder this absence of normality. It’s only half over as the calendar flies. The pandemic is a house fire that continues to flare up every time it looks like …
Fifteen Yards for Piling On
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, June 4, 2020, 8:54 a.m. This morning I’ve been thinking about significant things I learned from obscure sources. For instance, my highly detailed views on various shades of color derive from very large boxes of Crayolas. “Well, it’s like navy blue, but I think it’s really closer to midnight.” Also, I …
At Least The World Is Turning Laps Again
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, May 21, 2020, 10:42 a.m. Mainly I have been writing about stock car racing. Mainly stock car racing is what is going on, whether at the dirt track in Laurens or the paved superspeedway in Darlington. The gates aren’t open, but the cars are going around and around. I’m sure there’s …
Works for Me
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, May 2, 2020, 11:28 a.m. The times demand resourcefulness. Me? I invented a cocktail. I’m not a big drinker these days, but occasionally it helps me sleep soundly and without dreams. Occasionally I put some bourbon in a mug of coffee, but the weather is getting warmer, and the java and …
Dreeeaaaam, Dream, Dream, Dreeeaaaam …
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 8:48 a.m. She was a level-headed dancer / On the road to alcohol / And I was just a soldier / On my way to Montreal … That I think a lot about John Prine songs is in part because he recently died, but it’s also because I …
Satire at Sunset
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 8:37 a.m. Back when I traveled most of the country, writing about race cars that went ’round and ’round and the mostly white men who drove them, my favorite device was not a shock absorber but its literary equivalent, satire. Once -- it was in Dover, Delaware, I …
Nightrider's Lament 