Word spread quickly that the great, mysterious Beau Farnsworth had deigned to grace Charlotte Motor Speedway with his presence. It was approximately a quarter to five, and he hadn’t turned a lap since winning The Winston four days earlier. The veteran Billy Hargitson, winner of exactly one race in the previous decade, had dialed …
Tag: writing
Still Not Carolina in My Mind
I don’t travel much any more, and I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed my recent nine-day sojourn through ten states. What I expected was that I’d have a wonderful time on the way out to the westernmost terminus, Gainesville, then get antsy and impatient on the way home. What surprised me …
Going on a Tour
Oh, what a busy day. I’m leaving on a long trip in the morning. I’ve got lots on the plate. I’ve got to visit some loved ones this afternoon because it got postponed Sunday, which is why I was cutting the grass yesterday. I’ve filed my monthly sales tax, balanced my accounts, paid pills, caught …
Facebook Friends, Part Three
Now I’ve learned / My lesson well / There’s a price to pay / For those who insist / To rebel / A man works hard / And tries to mend / All the cracks and dents of having / Facebook friends. What in hell was wrong? Driving typically was a pleasant experience for …
One of the Books I Wrote
Why did I write The Intangibles? The first motivation was that I wanted to communicate what it was really like in the South when schools were integrated. In the midst of problems we face as a society today, I wanted to provide some perspective into the times that molded the parents – and even the …
In Search of Some Subjects
Some days are diamonds. Some days are stone. Most, though, fall somewhere in between. Yesterday, for instance. Mostly I watched the NASCAR race from Talladega, Alabama, and that was functional because it diverted my attention from an excruciating Boston Red Sox loss. I was happy that the Chicago Blackhawks won. I’m really enjoying a book …
Facebook Friends, Part One
The world is changing / Always rearranging / From birth to the end / With my Facebook friends. It’s not that Jerry Lennart was against Facebook. He spent a goodly amount of wasted time on it. It wasn’t that it was worse than Twitter or whatever new flavor inevitably followed. It was that word that …
What We Have in Common
Last night I watched an HBO documentary on the life of former Texas governor Ann Richards. Then I opened a book of Eudora Welty short stories and read “Why I Live at the P.O.”, which I’ve loved since I first read it at age fifteen or so. This morning I watched another HBO special, Billy …
Slapping the Dash*
*Don’t worry. The title just sounds dirty. You may cautiously proceed. I’m drained. I’ve been writing all day. The 24th chapter of my fourth novel – there’s a third that’s mostly completed but sitting aside for now – went down today, though I tinkered with it all weekend. The whole story is entertaining, or, …
A Comedy of Errors
In a small town, it’s impossible to avoid people you don’t want to see. There may be many more annoying people in cities, but this decreases the intensity of annoyance in each individual. Here in the sticks, there are people you really don’t want to see. You hear the voice echoing down the supermarket …
Nightrider's Lament 