Mitt Romney was here a couple of days ago to vacuum up a little donor cash. Kevin Costner was here last night singing with his band Modern West (kudos to Arden Barnett for getting Costner here). Batman will be here at midnight on movie screens around the state. Oh, the celebrities we’re having these days in Mississippi. I’ve interviewed Romney on the air, spoken to Kevin Costner in a Austin, TX hotel and met Batman while running one morning at 4 a.m. He and Robin were coming home from Krystal. It had been a long night of crime fighting and I guess the little gut bombs hit the spot.
It’s cool when “celebrities” come to town. It adds some excitement during the long, hot Mississippi summer. I hear the Devil is up at the Crossroads. But I’m in no mood to run into him anytime soon.
On Twitter people are complaining about the rain. Not me — I cherish every drop. Considering how the nation’s bread basket has become a dried-up dustbowl, we’re lucky. If we can get a corn crop out, our farmers will get a decent price. And foundations all across the area are getting relief from the drying up Yazoo Clay. So let the rain pour down. I’ll take 70+ degrees plus rain over 100+ degrees and a drought.
The latest Stokes blowup has been peppering the news like Stokes campaign signs on power poles. I get tickled when people get so worked up over the Stokes duo’s antics. Both live under the motto, “No publicity is bad publicity.” They’d staple their campaign signs on a TV reporter’s forehead if they could. Sure, it’s not good for Jackson but it’s good for cartoons and headlines. Hooray.
Mississippi has received a waiver from “No Child Left Behind.” I’m not terribly shocked by this. The increasing standards were putting an unrealistic amount of pressure on struggling school districts and teachers. This will allow school districts more flexibility to make the improvements everyone knows is required. I have three sons and as a parent, I know their only hope to making ANYTHING of themselves is for them to love learning and education. I’m lucky to have married someone who agrees with me 100%.
Got a NOTEBOOK from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. I’m reading about my former full-time career. And when I read about the latest news from my peers, I sigh. I guess I’m thinking about what I used to do so well and I miss it.
My poor dog’s health is up and down on a daily basis. A diabetic, Banjo has fought his poor health with great gusto. But I’m worried. And that worry is wearing me out. Growing old is not for wimps. That’s for sure.
SEC Media Days are going on as I write. It’s when the coaches get under the spotlight, spit out a few cliches and then head back to the practice fields. We’re a little over a month and a half away from football season. I cherish the cliches. My thirst for all things footballs makes me tolerant of coachspeak.
Saw a report on Fox News (it has to be true, right?) that no exercising was as bad for you as smoking. I’m sure some people saw that and thought, ” That means smoking isn’t that bad.” I’ll tell you this — I believe the report. We’re now a country of chair jockeys. We play video games, watch TV and surf on the web. And then we’re shocked when health care gets more expensive every year. Go figure. I guess that’s why I exercise so much. I sit on my butt all day. I know I’m a statistic waiting to happen.
I loved seeing Christie Barber, Belhaven University’s cross-country team coach, pictured on the front of the Metro/State section running in a Run from the Sun race shirt. It made my heart proud.
Apparently cold water from the Mississippi River (due to snowmelt) was the stray that broke the baby Flippers’ backs. The dolphins were already stressed due to BP’s little spill in the Gulf. Interesting article.
