Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, October 7, 1019, 9:38 a.m. This blog is an intangible. I derive no tangible income from it. I hope it has some promotional value, but mainly I write it to get things off my chest. It’s therapeutic in its way. Sometimes it’s a warm-up, like playing scales, I guess, if I …
Tag: Monte Dutton
The Heat Is On … in Every Way
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, October 4, 2017, 12:06 p.m. The forecast says the heat wave is ending tonight. It might rain late next week. Actually, it might rain a little tonight, hopefully not when I’m walking the sideline of a high school football game. Three weeks ago, it didn’t rain in Simpsonville, but nearby lightning …
Another Ken Burns Masterpiece
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, October 1, 1:10 p.m. I had to write about Ken Burns’ Country Music series of documentaries, which ran their course last week. I just haven’t had the time until now. I love them all, but Country Music is right down Broadway, the one in Nashville where I have spent many hours. …
Winning Isn’t Everything, but It Beats Whatever Ranks Second
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, September 22, 2019, 1:06 p.m. The first NFL game just came on. Falcons at the Colts. Oh, bother. The game’s going to be background noise. I’ll likely watch the IndyCar race. Laguna Seca is as cool as its name. I’m going to watch the next Country Music installment tonight. It’s about …
Continue reading Winning Isn’t Everything, but It Beats Whatever Ranks Second
Friday the 13th and Beyond
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 12:49 p.m. One of the small attributes that has grown within me as I’ve aged is an attempt to minimize the effect of superstition in my life. This sort of began with research for my third novel, Crazy of Natural Causes (2015). The story of Chance Benford required …
Storm Roulette
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, September 3, 2019, 9:49 a.m. The times, they are a-changing. No, I don’t mean the technological age. The focus is much smaller. A hurricane is headed, well, not exactly this way, but close enough to fret. At the moment, my uncertainty is narrow in focus. For instance, where will I be? …
It’s the Week of the Big Ballgame
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, August 30, 2019, 12:02 p.m. Thursday evening was a matter of logistics. The Clinton High School cross country team left Wilder Stadium with the “game ball” for Friday’s rivalry at Laurens. They passed it to the Laurens harriers about halfway up U.S. 76; then they boarded the bus that had been …
Adventures with Freddy, Part 4 (Final)
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, August 21, 2019, 11:33 a.m. Here is the fourth and final installment of my short story. The world is changing so damned much that it’s hard to keep up. For instance, truck stops are not as crowded. It’s fairly easy to get a shower, shave, and otherwise freshen up. I never …
Really Stupid from Time to Time
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, August 15, 2019, 11:55 a.m. I’m a volatile combination: meticulous and, yet, absentminded. I’ll go through a news release and change every “8:00 PM” to “8 p.m.,” but I’ll write “it’s” when I know damn well it’s supposed to be “its.” I have to edit myself as much as the releases. …
Adventures with Freddy, Part 3
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, August 11, 2019, 2:45 p.m. In Part Three, suspicion begins to intrude on the traveling camaraderie between the driverless SUV “Freddy” and the passenger “Horace.” It felt odd to become friends with a machine, but Freddy and I were getting along famously. We traveled all the way to Oregon and back, …
Nightrider's Lament 