Lowcountry Riffs: Sensory overload in the modern world: Part Deux
I can remember laughing at my niece and nephew not too many years ago.
We had gathered for the holidays at my mother’s house in Camden. The kids were not quite in their teens, but already enjoyed overloaded social lives. This was a couple of years b ... full story
Lowcountry RiffsIt’s a loaded question, one that, if you live in the Carolinas, you ask yourself quite a bit as a matter of course. Or maybe not, maybe I just ask myself such things as a matter of course because I’m one of those weirdoes who likes to talk to h ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Beyond the tin foil hatSo I was reading this article the other day about UFOs. It was pretty funny – obviously the writer is not a believer in flying saucers and crop circles – and he snarkily derided everything from the Roswell incident to the Hill kidnapping. But what I ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Got them summertime travelin’ blues…Ah, summer holidays! Time once again for that most holy of holies, the family vacation.I think the word vacation is derived from two ancient Etruscan words, “vay” – a long journey – and “cation” which, loosely translated, means, “to the far side of h ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: A mantra for the timesOccasionally, there are times when one just runs out of things to say.That’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, Confucius, or was it Mark Twain, said, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all do ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: How silly can you get?Remember that early 80s movie “Top Secret?” It was a sleeper, brought to us by the zany folks who made such masterpieces as “Airplane!” and “Kentucky Fried Movie.”Here was a classic line: He: “I’m not the first guy who fell in love with a woman ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Observations from the saddleI never thought I would ever see a man and woman arriving at and departing from the opera on bicycles. Yet there they were, he in a seersucker suit and tie, she in a long evening dress. They chained their bikes to a lamppost in front of the theater a ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: A heartfelt thanks to the fallenI have a picture – probably my favorite of my parents – that sits on my desk in my office at home. It was taken probably in 1960 or so, the evening of the West Point Founder’s Day Ball, and in it, my parents and their best friends – known to we ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Fire Good: Part 2Ah, late spring/early summer.The nights are still cool, the days heat up, the mosquitoes start to swarm and the flies provide untold hours of amusement for my dog.It’s time once again for that most cherished rite of warm weather: Grilling out.It’s no ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: The name game revisitedYou just have to love the Social Security Administration.In these times of vociferous, vituperative complaining about government waste – and I am right there with those who want to throw all the bums out – along comes the SSA’s annual “Most Popular B ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: On the road and cluelessOne thing that’s kind of depressing about finding yourself a couple of decades out of college is the realization that spontaneity is more of an enemy than an adventure.Not too long ago a simple trip to the store –probably a beer run – more often than ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: 'You hit like a girl …'Next time someone tells me that, I’m going to reply ever so blithely, “I wish.”That’s because after seeing Nadia Petrova blast 120 mile per hour thunderbolt serves all afternoon at the Family Circle, I realize once again that there are quite a few wo ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Time to hit the linksGood for Phil Mickelson!The man turned in a flawless performance at the Masters, making the impossible look easy and the routine look reflexive. Congratulations, Mr. Mickelson for a fine performance, indeed.It occurs to me that I need to forget about ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: The perils of pollenWow! What a change!After all of these long and frigid winter months it’s nice to see flowers in bloom, brilliant emerald grass, hardy weeds strangling those delicate bulbs you so carefully planted and fought squirrels away from last year, and the all ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: I blame my parentsIs it just me or are scam artists getting a lot more creative these days?Every day I run across yet another scheme to separate many desperate fools from their money. At first it’s amusing, then it’s sad, then it’s scary.You have to be somewhat amused ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: The sum of all fears is less than its partsHi, there. I just want you all to know that I love you, each and every one of you. You are all like bits of sunshine and flowers and rainbows. You’re all so … beautiful!That’s because at the ripe middle age of 45, I just had my wisdom teeth out, and ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Dragged kicking and screaming into middle ageYikes! It’s time for another family reunion. Among other things, this will mean numerous fruitless attempts to recognize children of people I haven’t seen in awhile.I’m starting to understand why my mother tends to call my brother and me several diff ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Feels like the first timeI remember my first time. It was just like yesterday.No, more like Thursday, actually. That’s when it finally happened.It’s one of those things that gets built up in a man’s head for so long that eventually, he wonders if it is ever going to ha ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Tatum busts another mythWhoever said money couldn’t buy happiness either never had it or just took it too seriously. With enough money, you can, in fact, buy a lot of happiness, or rather, peace of mind, which is a very clearly marked and well-paved route to happiness. You ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: A night to rememberThe story you are about to read is true. In fact, I’m astonished I’m still around to write about it. It’s funny how a passing decade turns a nightmare into a fond memory. Sort of…Mike cranked into a high octane riff, that Marshall JCM 800 stack screa ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Reflections in the snowOne almost never sees a snowman standing next to a palm tree. So I am glad to report that I have, in fact, witnessed such a phenomenon. Even took a picture of it.Now that the snow is gone, however, I’m ready for this winter to be done. Global warming ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Keep on rockingThere’s something telling about a person who watches the Super Bowl largely for the commercials rather than the game. It’s probably not very flattering, though, so I’m not going to admit to that right here.Nonetheless, it is astounding how one sixty- ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: Bob Vila does not live hereAs Dirty Harry once said, “Man’s got to know his limitations.”Mine appear to be plumbing and electrical work. And carpentry. And tile. And…No, that’s not quite true. I’ve managed to hang four ceiling fans and the front porch light without burning dow ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: An unwelcome dose of old pop cultureBy the time you finish reading this, you may very well want to check into the nearest padded hotel, if not murder me in my sleep.It’s time once again to exorcize a few demons and the only way to do that is to write about them. Then I can go to sleep, ... full story
Lowcountry Riffs: My back pages revisitedSitting in a battered, ancient blue shoebox rests a packet of letters, cards and notes from years I tend to relegate, like the box itself, to some corner shelf in some basement closet of my mind.Periodically, I run across that box, maybe during a spr ... full story
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