Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, January 1, 2020, 8:48 a.m. Most mornings I awaken thoughtful. This is, in part, because there is no sports on TV yet. I’ve thought about capitalism a lot lately, but it’s not really capitalism because I don’t completely mean the economic angle, and, I think, to be accurate, there is no …
Tag: Monte Dutton
Death Occurs Every Day, but We Think about It at Year’s End
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, December 30, 2019, 9:16 a.m. I have no use for resolutions. I hereby resolve to do in 2020 what I always do, most of which is write, but I also plan to keep myself pacified with my guitar and Kindle. So there. Good to get that out of the way. It’s …
Continue reading Death Occurs Every Day, but We Think about It at Year’s End
Things on the Day after Christmas with Little to Do about Christmas
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, December 26, 2019, 11:35 a.m. Who am I kidding? I need to write. I don’t know what, but I know I need to write something. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, but I’ve never bought insurance from a gekko or an emu. Or a cartoon general driving a red …
Continue reading Things on the Day after Christmas with Little to Do about Christmas
Easily Mistaken for the Mystical
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, December 23, 2019, 1:17 p.m. Most bad things have good sides, and vice-versa. For a solid week, I have been sick. I’ve been getting better through the weekend. I’m close to well, though my throat is full of congestion and I don’t feel like yodeling. Last week, when I had to …
Last Days of Pompeii
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, December 18, 2019, 3:24 p.m. Everyone gets sick every now and then. I don’t get sick often. The last time was 14 months ago. I’ve reached the age at which I realize that disaster is never more than a single malevolent germ away. Last night it was hard for me to …
The Best Car-Racing Movie Ever Made
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, December 13, 2019, 11:31 a.m. In some ways, Ford v. Ferrari takes away my historical edge. I knew why Ken Miles (and the invisible Denny Hulme) lost the 24 Hour of Le Mans in 1966. I was only eight years old, but I remember the revolutionary satellite coverage on ABC’s Wide …
A Hefty Week at Home
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, December 5, 2019, 5:30 p.m. The week has been exhausting. I’ve worked late the last three nights, twice till 1 in the morning. It’s not just the number of tales to tell. Several stories have required that I bear down because they were worth it. A long City Council meeting. The …
What a Way to Go
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, December 1, 2019, 10:30 a.m. It was a lone outpost consisting of a pop-up tent, a silver-gray trailer with a big-screen TV, another whose screen wasn’t as big, tables of food, coolers of ice and beverage, and a small group of would-be celebrants. The Furman University campus was mostly vacant in …
A Couple More Days Till the Turkey
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, November 28, 2019, 8:11 a.m. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. This should come as no surprise. I’m fat, and there’s food. Family. Football. I must be 4-F in the Thanksgiving draft. I’m mostly a happy guy. I love baseball, too. Hot dogs, especially the ones at Whiteford’s Drive-In, the ones with …
Things I Wish Somebody Else Would Say
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, November 23, 2019, 10:01 a.m.. A frustration of mine is wishing people would say what I would. Whether it’s a presidential debate, or a stock car race, or a sitcom, I can’t understand why people with a voice don’t use it the way I would. For instance, I don’t find President …
Nightrider's Lament 