Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, September 1, 2002, 8:36 a.m. Wow. It’s September. When will wonders cease? For the first time in my life, something has happened that is as bad as it could be. I’m grading on a curve. In absolute terms, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 – epidemic regionally, pandemic worldwide – could theoretically dwell …
Tag: writing
A Strange Significance
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 1:05 p.m. The coronavirus blurs the lines between major and minor accomplishments. On Monday night, I finished the 22nd chapter of a novel. I’m closing in on the completion of the rough draft, but it’s not quite as rough because I’ve done a lot of retracing my steps …
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 …
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 …
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 …
What Comes to Mind Today
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, April 9, 2020, 11:28 a.m. If the country is pulling together, you can’t prove it by Facebook. I’ll stop blaming President Twitter when he stops blaming everyone else. The best reason to watch replays of old sporting events is that at least it’s sports. The worst thing is that everyone knows …
Dre-e-e-e-eam, Dream, Dream, Dre-eam
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, March 26, 2020, 11:29 a.m. Last night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime of old dogs, and children, and watermelon wine. – Tom T. Hall I wish. Two nights ago, I dreamed I was covering a soccer match, and players started stopping in their tracks and falling unconscious to …
The Age of Chicken Little
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, March 22, 2020, 9:16 a.m. Everywhere people say the sky is falling. Never mind that it is. Mostly, when my “land line” rings, it is either my mother or someone who wants my money. I hang up so often, one would in earlier times think me inconsiderate. My cell plays tricks, …
Nightrider's Lament 