Staff blogs
Exit, Screaming ...
Now that the shopaholics have taken to the roads I am especially terrified of two hotspots: exiting Pinecrest Plaza left onto Morganton Road and exiting all the BiG Box stores on U.S. 15-501 except Walmart and Steinmart, which have traffic lights. I live near Pinecrest Plaza. I am also a ...
A different idea for Thanksgiving dinner
Pity the poor Thanksgiving cooks around the country tomorrow. They will slave for hours, sometimes days, to put together a perfect feast, working to time it such that everyone sits down at the same time and the food will still be piping hot. Twenty minutes later, the food is devoured, ...
America changed forever on this day
For the boomer generation, it must have been somewhat like Pearl Harbor Day was to our parents. No matter where you were or what you were doing, you remember the exact moment when you heard President Kennedy had been shot. I missed school that day in 1963 but was feeling ...
Even at Midnight It's Only Half a Hallow
Review of the penultimate Potter pic — unless she writes more. After Arthur Conan Doyle tossed Sherlock Holmes off a cliff he had to find a way to bring him back did he not?
Happy Ending for Collie
A week ago, I wrote about stopping near Cameron and trying without success to rescue a beautiful collie wandering dangerously along busy U.S. 1. I managed to get ahold of his collar, but he pulled out of it, crawled under a fence and disappeared. Turns out I wasn't the only ...
Made My Day
A lunch date fell through on Thursday, by which time the office had pretty much cleared out. So I headed out to dine alone, feeling — as usual in such cases — a little bit sorry for myself. After considering several options, I ended up at Chic-fil-A. As I walked ...
A Marriage Made in Headlines
Once every week or so I feel obligated to punctuate the distinguised male faces in this blog line-up. Preferably, I'll harp on some girly subject like when will Prince William finally ask Kate Middleton to give up every semblance of normalcy for a life dominated by his grandmother? Americans should ...
Was That Your Collie?
If you live north of Vass and west of U.S. 1 and your collie dog showed up Saturday afternoon minus his collar, allow me to explain. ... While driving back to Southern Pines from fellow Pilot employee Mechelle Wood's wedding near Cameron, my wife, Brenda, and I noticed a magnificent ...
On the election results
Seems to me through observing various Congressional makeups over the years that our country is best served when one party controls the House and the other party controls the Senate, because neither side can run away entirely without support from the other. There has to be real compromise to get ...
Breath of Fresh Air
“It’s been brisk,” campaign worker Ellen Stewart remarked as I headed in to vote at the Boys and Girls Club at 8 this morning — “not only the weather, but the turnout.” Also like a breath of fresh, clean air was the human atmosphere at the polling place. Lord knows ...
New high in absurdity
In our government's attempt to protect us all from everything that could possibly go wrong, I came across a new high, or low, depending on your viewpoint. We were in a sports bar/restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday afternoon to grab a bite. The desire to see how many points ...
Leaving 'Em Dangling
My wife Brenda (a former newspaperwoman) and I may be the only couple in town who routinely call each other with dangling modifiers and other amusing grammatical boo-boos we hear or read in the media. Yeah, I know — we need to get a life. But I can't resist sharing ...
TEE Shots (Senior Writer Tom Embrey)
Rise of the Machines
New workout machines test coordination, intelligence.
Finally, an End to Hell Week(s)
The only good thing about banging your knee on a table leg, said a fellow Rotarian who did just that at our luncheon meeting last week, is that it feels so good when it stops hurting. That's about the best that can be said for the annual Fall Fundraiser that ...
Remember: Ride MegaDrop, THEN Eat the Fried Alligator
For less than the price of a movie ticket, you can have a heck of a day's fun at the N.C. State Fair. There's still time, since this amazing extravaganza doesn't close its gates until midnight tonight (Sunday). I recommend it. I hadn't been to the fair for years. My ...
Rough Road
A couple of weeks ago, when I first noticed that they were preparing to repave part of Connecticut Avenue, on which I travel to work and back most days, I rejoiced, because Lord knows it needed it. For a couple of days, I gladly detoured around the stretch being redone, ...
TEE Shots (Senior Writer Tom Embrey)
Remember, Always Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.
More adventures in dog-sitting.
Falling in Love....
For all the bitch, bitch, bitch columns/blogs published during this scorching summer I've only read a few words about glorious autumn. I'm an autumn kind of gal who craves the foliage rainbow of Vermont, New York -- and Asheville, all former homes. I love Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Moore County, golf ...
Hanging Out With a Friend
One of the best things about living on a lake is the bird life that comes and goes every day. It's a source of endless fascination, especially for someone who's inclined that way. They exhibit personalities of a sort, by species mostly. Some are solitary, others flock together, some sing, ...
TEE Shots (Senior Writer Tom Embrey)
Local Woman Continues Survivor Run
Jane Bright continues to position herself for a run at the $1 million prize on "Survivor: Nicaragua." Bright, a dog breeder/owner from Jackson Springs, is a member of the 40-and-older tribe that has voted three team members out in four weeks (12 real days) of the show.
