NewscomaGot A Two-Pack Habit And A Motel Tan

Umm, all righty then.

From College Humor

Two significant events are happening tomorrow. First of all, it’s my dad’s birthday. Second, it’s Willie Nelson’s 76th birthday.

I hope that I can be as a quarter of the way cool at 76 as Willie Nelson is. Willie, for whatever reason, gives me a happy.

So I whined yesterday from my Mucinex induced coma. I’m allowed to whine occasionally even if it is annoying. The good thing about this stuff is it works quickly. The bad stuff is that it will slowly kill you as it’s fixing you. I can only give you a few words of advice. As my insurance is wonky right now and I can’t use it because it won’t pay for anything, sometimes you just have to suffer through it. Do I still feel like residue on a cat’s hiney? Yes I do. Will I be a bear at work today? I will try not to be as long as my day isn’t like Monday’s was. I need to be allowed to feel like regurgitated swill, thank you.

And I have court this morning that I need to go to.

Will I cough on the judge? Let’s hope not.

On to Hoots information, as I know this comforts you. Dirk Diggler saw a guy pull out a trumpet in a church parking lot on Monday. He got out of his car, pulled out his instrument, played for a bit and got back in his car. As this was very random, Diggler thought there was some significance in the action, as did I. The moral of the story is that Diggler needs a camera.

Arlen Specter changed parties yesterday. I’m going to say it at the ire of my liberal buddies, but this was a political move to remain in office instead of a passionate change of heart. I’m very leery of politicians’ motives right now.

An attaboy to Ward Cammack for saying no to mountaintop removal. Good job on a couple of levels in this story. First of all, Mark Brown, the man of many Fedoras, sent an email to GoldnI regarding the issue. What does this mean? It means, A.) Cammack is making the right choice and B.) his team is engaging bloggers. I like that.

Random: Why is Rudolph Guiliani on CNN right now? Like he’s the go-to guy about Obama’s first 100 days in office? Has CNN forgotten man on the street interviews? I realize their I-Reports is supposed to fill that void but they only use about two minutes of that footage every three hours if that much. Oy.

Gun bills are the most important thing in the state of Tennessee right now as I say with a great deal of snark.

More important that practically anything else other than fighting over the TNDP. I want it to be known that I’m a second amendment girl. I don’t own a gun but my parents/grandparents did and we were threatened to be flogged if we ever touched them. I have no problem with folks having guns as I know a lot of responsible people that have them and a lot of people feel they need them, although I don’t feel as if I need one. They have permits and SQ’s sister hunts and I have benefited from deer season from her hunting prowess. However, I don’t understand the whole guns in bars thing. I talked to several parents and bar owners/bartenders in Hoots, and not one person was for this bill and many of them were guns owners. Their biggest complaint is that no one had surveyed or talked to them about this bill at all. Here’s the part they do not like and that is that, yes, you can’t serve someone who comes in who has a gun, but what if they come in hammered. I offer this to you without further comment other than our elected officials should have talked to the locals who own/run bars and restaurants or if they have, it’s been selective.

I’m sure there would be a differing of opinion from several of them, but what’s wrong with a conversation?

And, for the record, the folks I’m talking to are primarily right-leaners.

Geez, this session of the General Assembly has been the biggest joke in recent history.

Our political overlords sure know how to talk during a campaign season, but they can’t return a timely call in the middle of a situation to save their lives.

has won the best bathroom in America.

The Hermitage Hotel has afternoon tea in the grand lobby. Down-filled duvets (that’s a fancy word for comforters). A presidential suite with 2,000 square feet. And a really nice toilet.

I’m constantly perplexed why I can’t find a job doing judging things of this nature.

From My Confined Space

1. I have taken Mucinex to the point that I’m coughing up my toes. I HAVE to start taking better care of yours truly because the medicine has made me teary, silly and feeling a bit useless. Coughing has made eating almost impossible.

2. Deadliest Catch didn’t really cheer me up today like I though that it would.

3. This isn’t convenient because coughing on people while there is all this pig-pox talk going on nonstop sort of makes people leery of me.

However, Mabel has a new tennis ball and has been entertaining me to no end. And I’m ready to get back to my routine, because despite what I say, I like my routine.

Whiny McWhinerson here.

Over and out.

The son of David Bowie, who was born Zowie and now goes by Duncan Jones, directs a movie that I think I’m going to like a great deal. First thing, the movie is named Moon. Second, I’m getting old if Bowie’s son is directing a movie and is in his thirties.

Well, let me put aside the mid-life crisis

I like bacon but not this much.

H/T Bellasugar

An ongoing conversation that was played out yesterday with five different people concerns Sen. Roy Herron and Mike McWherter both running for governor. I keep getting asked questions about why the Dresden politician and the son of popular former Governor Ned McWherter are both in the race.

As neither of them have me on speed dial and do not call me, all I can say is “I don’t know.”

I must say that it is curious. McWherter the son. is actually from Union City, has lived in Nashville and currently resides in Jackson and is a successful businessman. He is a relative of Rep. John Tanner on his mother’s side. His dad has a home here and one at the lake. He was a major player in getting Lowe Finney elected to the Senate. He also danced with running against Sen. Lamar Alexander and opted not to do it, which is still a bit stinging to some dems in the state.

Herron is also from the area. Been around awhile, knows politics pretty well, etc.

The connecting factor actually is Ned on this one. Politics is pretty tight knit around here. Mike has his website up (although it needs a ton of work if you ask me) says he’s in and is granting interviews. Roy has released one statement, says he’s in and has said he won’t officially announce until later this spring.

It’s a long time to next year’s elections so this could go anyway.

The questions that I keep getting asked from the fine people in Hoots is where does Ned stand on all of this.

Who knows?

I spoke to several younger folks who do not remember the days of Ned as Speaker of the House and as governor. We sandwichers and the older generation remembers what he did in Nashville but for a new generation, his tenure is what they studied in history class. They don’t remember the Nilla Wafers statement he made the day he took office which landed him in People magazine (here’s the actual article from 1987. Thanks Innertubes!)

So what’s going to happen? As those who care about politics in Hoots buzzed over the weekend regarding these two whippersnappers being tied to one of the most powerfully political icons from West Tennessee, the issue comes down to one question.

Which candidate, McWherter or Herron, is the anointed one of Ned McWherter? I’m going with his kid but that’s just me.

It would probably behoove both of them to start talking to their local party and let them in on what’s going on, because right now, it’s just confusing.

I’m going to tell you that I dig Sen. Andy Berke.

I’m also going to say that I did not believe he was going to run for governor for one minute and have said as much to some of my blogging buddies around the state over a beer or a cup of coffee. His team was just testing the waters and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt there but let’s go a little further down the rabbit hole.

Berke’s been added to every story that has mentioned the governor’s race from his hometown all the way to Bristol, Memphis and even Hoots Central.

If you ask me, this was brilliant, because a lot of people didn’t know who he was, and now they do.

This isn’t a slap at him by any means, just an observation and it was just very good public relations. As his Bruce Springsteen references on Twitter have been playful and fun, he’s also been clever in engaging folks from all across the state. Heck, when the last time he ran for senate in Hamilton and Marion counties, he had something like 70 percent of the vote.

He’s not going away anytime soon and he sought, and found free media.

That’s pretty damned smart.

Update: Joe Lance and I are thinking the same thing.

… when I told them a secret about me. You were supportive and wonderful. I smiled for a long time after that because you didn’t make fun of me.

Thank you!

It meant a lot and you know who you are.

They thank you too!

I have no idea but I just found it. I guess we call this “When Mabels Attack”

Amie Vanderford went to Cairo, IL. It’s a city that my parents talked often about and talked of a different place than the one I’ve seen. Actually, it was my folks that gave me an oral history of what it was and what it became.

The town died in some ways many years ago and is a shadow of what it once was.

This is fantastic and I encourage you read every word and see her photos at Flickr.

H/T Lindsey